If the Ducks were to grace a Sports Illustrated cover now, the photo would have to be Kellen Clemens diving over two Beavers for a touchdown, with a look saying, “You didn’t believe in us? Believe this!” on his face.
Or Kenny Washington straight-arming the Oregon State kicker on a 48-yard kickoff return.
Or Igor Olshansky celebrating one of his three-and-a-half sacks.
Or Dante Rosario sliding into the corner of the endzone for Oregon’s final touchdown.
Or Jason Fife and Jared Siegel with their high-five routine after four successful point-after kicks and two made field goals.
Whoever it would be or however it was chosen, one thing is for sure: The Ducks had a successful finish to the end of their season.
The season that started strong suddenly took on traits of 2002. Until Oregon found the key to its game — finish strong — against California with the fourth-quarter comeback.
And the Ducks made that key work for their season.
Three weeks ago, following the blowout loss in Seattle, few thought Oregon could, or, in their wildest dreams, would win out the season.
Oregon, which went from 2-3 in the Pacific-10 Conference to 5-3 after the Civil War victory, believed it, though.
“We kept faith in ourselves; the coaches had kept faith,” Clemens told reporters after Saturday’s win. “The highs and lows haven’t been as great as people have made them seem. Even though the scores may say something different.”
Some will say that Clemens was the key to Oregon’s strong finish. He captained the ship that was the Ducks’ comeback win against California, and, for the first time this season, seemingly solved the somewhat flawed quarterback-by-committee system by running the show against UCLA and Oregon State.
Others will attribute the comeback to Oregon’s re-energized defense, the mostly brilliant play of special teams or the quieting of Keith Lewis.
Any way you break it down, it wasn’t a one-man effort. It took a team to exorcise the demons of 2002 and some fans to stay on the bandwagon and make sure it kept moving.
Through the elements — wind, rain, power problems and just plain cold-as-hell-in-a-snowstorm temperatures — enough Duck fans stuck to their team to make sure Oregon would be well-received when it did the unthinkable: Win the Civil War against an Oregon State squad that was better than the Ducks all season, except where it counted — Autzen Stadium.
The fans began to jump the walls and rush the field Saturday as the final seconds ticked off the clock.
Ducks — those who played in the game and those who watched it — mobbed each other at the midfield “O” logo, celebrating Oregon’s third-straight Civil War victory at Autzen.
Oregon students; autograph-seekers hounding Demetrius Williams and his teammates; and Lewis, clad in an Oregon State T-shirt that he got off the “clearance rack,” were just a few enjoying the moment.
“We took pride in turning the season around, even when people began to jump off the bandwagon,” Clemens said.
One Duck, the bald heart and soul of Oregon’s defense, was in a rush to get off the field. Kevin Mitchell hurried toward the end zone, shielding a crying woman and the young child she clutched tightly to her chest, as he helped her escape the melee.
It was indicative of the season: Oregon, the Pac-10 team full of (mostly) nice guys, still had time to help those in need.
With these Ducks, you’ve got to have faith.
See you in El Paso, Texas.
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Her views do not necessarily represent those of the Emerald.