The Oregon Ducks have finalized their case for a Bowl Championship Series’ bid.
In Saturday’s regular season finale, the Ducks became just the third team in school history to complete a 10-win season with a 56-14 rout of in-state rival Oregon State in front of 58, 525 â?” the third largest crowd ever at Autzen Stadium.
The waiting game for bowl arrangements now begins for Oregon, whose lone loss came back on Sept. 24 to top-ranked USC.  Entering Saturday’s game against the Beavers, Oregon was ranked 10th in the BCS poll. Six conference champions receive automatic bids to BCS games, which forces Oregon to claim one of two at-large bids in order to reach a BCS bowl game â?” most likely the Fiesta Bowl.
So do the Ducks deserve a BCS bid?  ”I think we deserve to go,” injured senior quarterback Kellen Clemens said. “It would be unjust and unfair if we got left out.”
Currently Ohio State (9-2) and Notre Dame (9-2) are the frontrunners, ahead of Oregon, for the two at large bids.
“It’s the east coast bias,” defensive end Devan Long said. “Hopefully somebody gives us a chance and lets us prove to the rest of the nation that the west coast does have some good football.”
The most likely scenario has Oregon playing in the Holiday Bowl in San Diego, which typically takes the Pacific-10 Conference’s second-place team.
“In my heart I feel like we deserve a BCS game,” said cornerback Aaron Gipson, who recorded his sixth and seventh interceptions on Saturday. “We took care of business.” Regardless of where Oregon ends the season, 2005 has marked quite a turnaround.
Last season the Ducks walked off the Reser Stadium turf in Corvallis with a 50-21 loss to the Beavers. With only five wins, Oregon was denied a bowl game for the first time in nine seasons.
The tables turned on Saturday.
Gipson intercepted Beaver quarterback Ryan Gunderson and returned it 60 yards for a touchdown on Oregon State’s first possession of the game.
From there, the rout was on inside a foggy Autzen Stadium.
The Ducks posted 14 points in each quarter against the depleted Beavers, who will end the season losers in three of their last four games and, at 5-6, will miss the postseason for the first time in four years.
Leading 14-7 in the second quarter, Oregon scored 21 unanswered points before Gunderson found wideout Josh Hawkins for a two-yard touchdown, cutting Oregon’s lead to 35-14 before the Ducks again scored 21 unanswered to take the commanding 56-14 advantage.
The 56 points is the highest point total for either team in the series and is the largest margin of victory since a 44-0 Oregon win in 1987.
Oregon quarterback Dennis Dixon turned in his most complete game by connecting on 12 of 17 passes for 204 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. Dixon, who has split time at quarterback with Brady Leaf since Clemens’ injury, received the majority of the time under center on Saturday. Leaf was 5 of 11 passing for 54 yards against the Beavers.
Since Clemens’ injury, Oregon is 4-0. “People gave us not much of a chance after Kellen went down,” wideout Demetrius Williams said. “I tip my hat to (Dennis) and Brady. They did a great job and stepped it up all year.”
Williams, and fellow senior running back Terrence Whitehead, playing in their final game in Eugene, sparked an offense that produced 402 total yards compared with Oregon State’s 297.
Whitehead rushed for 81 yards on 12 carries and Williams caught five passes for 82 yards and a touchdown.
In his first Civil War, freshman phenom Jonathan Stewart recorded a 97-yard return on the opening kickoff of the second half â?” his second kickoff return touchdown this season. He also rushed for 28 yards and another score.
Gunderson, making his first career start for Oregon State after last week’s injury to Matt Moore, was 22 of 43 for 175 yards and a touchdown. He was intercepted four times.
“I thought he really battled,” Oregon State coach Mike Riley said. “I’m proud of the way he played and I’m sure he will be a better quarterback because of it.”
Mike Hass amassed 107 of Gunderson’s 175 yards. Hass’ 10 receptions Saturday gave the former walk-on 220 for his career, breaking the previous school record of 213 held by James Newson from 2000-03.
“I’ve come along way since stepping on campus five years ago as a walk on, but with a lot of hard work and good coaches, I’ve been able to have a lot ofsuccess,” Hass said.
Last season against the Ducks, Hass had 154 yards receiving and two touchdowns. He did not score on Saturday.
“One of the things we wanted to do was contain Mike Hass,” Oregon coach Mike Bellotti said. “We knew he was going to get his catches, but we didn’t want to allow the big play or allow him to get in the end zone.”
Except for two time-consuming drives in the first and third quarters and 128 yards on the ground from Yvenson Bernard, the Oregon State offense was primarily held in check as well.
Despite having 19 more offensive plays than the Ducks, the Beavers had 105 fewer yards. Oregon’s win marks the ninth straight time the home team has won in the Civil War series.
The game also marked the final regular-season game for 13 Oregon seniors, who helped complete one of the most dramatic turnarounds in school history and played their final minutes in Autzen Stadium with the chants of “B-C-S, B-C-S” echoing inside Autzen Stadium.
“I’m very proud of this group of kids; they are an amazing group, the seniors especially in terms of their character, their pride, and their poise,”
Bellotti said. “They’ve done what they needed to do to be in the best bowl game possible.”

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