CORVALLIS – The Ducks only flagged themselves.
“Penalties killed us,” senior wide receiver Keenan
Howry said after Oregon’s 45-24 Civil War loss to
Oregon State.
Not that penalties were Oregon’s only concern Saturday
in front of crowd of 37,154 at Reser Stadium.
Oregon State quarterback Derek Anderson (354 passing
yards, four touchdowns) continued the season-long
assault of Oregon’s secondary and Oregon State
tailback Steven Jackson (159 rush yards, three total
touchdowns) helped hand the Ducks their third straight
loss in Corvallis.
“As a senior, it’s something I’m going to have to live
with for the rest of my life. It sucks,” Oregon
defensive end Seth McEwan said.
Losers of five of six, including their last three
Pacific-10 Conference games – the first time they’ve
lost three straight in the same season since 1996 –
the Ducks (7-5 overall, 3-5 Pac-10) have finished for
seventh place in the conference’s final standings.
In the Civil War, the Ducks committed 12 penalties for
100 yards. Oregon State was flagged eight times for 85
yards.
“I told (the Ducks) at halftime that we made enough
mistakes to last a lifetime,” Oregon head coach Mike
Bellotti said. “We got caught up in the emotion of the
situation. Some were younger players (who made the
fouls), but that’s no excuse.”
Oregon’s battered offense, playing without tailback
Onterrio Smith, struggled to find its touch against an
Oregon State defense that ranks No. 1 in the Pac-10.
Junior quarterback Jason Fife completed 14-of-33
passes for 183 yards, one touchdown and three
interceptions. Backup tailback Ryan Shaw went down
with a sprained ankle in the first quarter, and
freshman Terrence Whitehead had just 20 yards on six
rushing attempts.
Senior Allan Amundson had his best game in an Oregon
uniform, rushing for 77 yards on 11 attempts.
“Obviously we’re down,” Amundson said of the team’s
mood. “This was a huge game. A loss always hurts. A
loss like this hurts a lot worse.”
It’s been a broken record, but Oregon met its doom in
the third quarter. The Beavers (8-4, 4-4) led 24-17 at
the half and padded their lead with two third-quarter
scores, the latter on Jackson’s third touchdown of the
game.
With the game seemingly out of reach, Howry gave the
Ducks a glimmer of hope with a 64-yard punt return for
a score, reminiscent of his touchdown return in the
2001 Civil War in Eugene, which the Ducks won 17-14.
“Nobody’s going to remember what I did,” said Howry,
who also had a touchdown reception against the
Beavers. “They’ll just remember that we lost.”
The home team has won the last six Civil War meetings.
Oregon and Oregon State combined for 19 penalties for
172 yards in the first half Saturday.
Jackson gave Oregon State a 17-3 lead early in the
second quarter with his second touchdown. Jackson took
a pass from Anderson, broke an attempted tackle by
Oregon’s David Martin, and jolted 69 yards into the
end zone. His first score was a 16-yard run with 4:15
left in the first quarter.
The Ducks made it 17-10 when Fife hit Howry for an
84-yard bomb midway through the second quarter. After
Oregon State punted out of its own end zone, Oregon
took possession at the OSU 37. Five plays later, Fife
ran 11 yards, bouncing off two defenders, to tie the
game at 17.
Oregon’s loss is particularly damaging to its bowl
seeding. With Washington defeating No. 3 Washington
State, 29-26 in triple overtime Saturday, the Ducks
could be headed to the Seattle Bowl or the Silicon
Valley Bowl in San Jose, Calif. Fresno State (7-5
overall), which lost in Eugene earlier this season,
was officially invited to the Silicon Valley Bowl on
Saturday, though bowl officials often prefer to
matchup teams that haven’t already played.
“We’re excited about playing in a bowl game,” Amundson
said. “we don’t want to end on this note.”
Contact the senior sports reporter at [email protected].