It’s an intrastate rivalry that is older than most (first graders).
It’s a bitter series that divides (maybe a few people in) the state. The last time the two teams met, it was a nailbiting (blowout) contest in Eugene. The rivalry is widely written about in (Eugene) newspapers and talked about on (Portland) sports broadcasts.
Well, maybe Oregon-Portland State isn’t exactly the Civil War, but it’s still a Beaver State rivalry that is sure to create more than a few water-cooler discussions as it approaches. Portland State is a top-10 team — in Division I-AA. Oregon is a top-10 team in Division I, as the Ducks cracked that plateau after beating Idaho 58-21 last Saturday.
“Idaho gave us great field possession,” Oregon head coach Mike Bellotti said. “I don’t expect Portland State to do so.”
In many other ways, the Vikings may prove more of a test for the Ducks than the Vandals were.
“By their own coach’s admission, they have the best returning quarterback in the state and they have the nation’s best rusher for their division,” Bellotti said.
The quarterback in question is PSU’s Juston Wood, one of the best passers in Division I-AA. The tailback in question is Ryan Fuqua, Division I-AA’s leading rusher at 174.5 yards per game.
“They have very skilled position players,” Bellotti said. “I’ve always said the great equalizer is the pass.”
The statistical similarities between the Ducks and the Vikings are somewhat eerie. It’s almost like Portland State is the alternate-reality version of Oregon. Wood is 40th nationally in passing, while Oregon’s Jason Fife is 57th. Fife is 34th nationally in total offense, while Fuqua is 45th. Ducks receiver Samie Parker is 46th in receptions in Division I, while Vikings receiver Jesse Levin is also 46th, in Division I-AA.
The coaches, also, have similarities in their success in Oregon. Bellotti officially became the all-time winningest coach, by percentage, in Duck history when he beat Idaho last week. Portland State coach Tim Walsh is one victory shy of becoming the winningest coach, by numbers, in Viking history.
Partly because of Walsh’s success there, Portland State has a large fan base in the Rose City. The Vikings drew 10,012 for their last home game, and many of those fans will work their way down to Eugene on Saturday.
“They’ll be excited to be here, and it should be fun,” Fife said.
But the Vikings are still a Division I-AA team, and because of that the Ducks will be expected to beat them in the same blowout fashion as their win over Idaho last week. The Ducks, who beat Portland State 58-16 in 1994 in the teams’ only previous meeting, will try to focus on fixing small aspects of their game as the Pacific-10 Conference schedule approaches.
“We have to work on improving our game and looking at the little things, making sure we do them well,” Bellotti said.
Some of the little things include the kicking game, which struggled early in the season but got back on track last week. Bellotti also wants to cut down on Oregon’s penalties and missed coverages, little things that could be magnified once the Pac-10 season starts.
The Ducks’ game against Portland State is their last in a four-game homestand to start the season. After a bye week next week — conveniently falling before the first week of school — Oregon heads to the desert to face Arizona and to Los Angeles to face UCLA.
Then it’s only six weeks until the real Civil War.