The evolution of the Oregon program came full circle on Saturday.
It came the moment the Ducks held Steven Jackson to 68 yards rushing. It came after giving Derek Anderson little breathing room, forcing him to the turf for six-and-a-half sacks.
It came as the Ducks celebrated on the Autzen Stadium turf after defeating arch rival Oregon State, 34-20, in front of a packed house in Eugene.
And now, the Ducks probably know where they’ll be headed come December.
After an all-out, dominating win over the Beavers, Oregon watched Washington upset Washington State, 27-19, late Saturday. That means the Ducks will probably be going to El Paso, Texas, for the Sun Bowl.
“It doesn’t matter,” Oregon linebacker Kevin Mitchell said of where the Ducks could have gone. “Our season could’ve gone the other way.”
The other way, as in down the drain, or to the cellar of the Pacific-10 Conference. After starting off the season 4-0, the Ducks sunk to 4-3 after consecutive losses to Washington State, Utah and Arizona State.
At one point, the Ducks stood 5-4 overall.
The 14-point win Saturday was a 180-degree turn from a month ago.
Oregon is now 8-4 after the win over Oregon State (7-4 overall, 5-3 Pac-10), keeping the Beavers winless in Eugene since 1993.
Oregon knows it earned the trip because of a convincing, all-around effort against the Beavers, ranked first in total offense and total defense in the Pac-10 entering the game.
“Guys took it upon themselves to be dedicated and turn this season around,” Mitchell said. “Guys took it upon themselves to get better.”
Oregon made a statement in the win. The Ducks (5-3 Pac-10) stood up to some of the conference’s most prolific players; the Pac-10’s leading rusher, Jackson, and its leading passer, Anderson.
Jackson’s longest run of the afternoon was for 22 yards and Anderson threw for 271 yards on 21 of 45 passing. Both were far below their season averages.
“I was very pleased with my team’s effort,” Oregon head coach Mike Bellotti said. “These kids battled and made it happen.
Defensively, we made a lot of key stops. Igor Olshansky played well the whole game up front, and I think Kellen (Clemens) really came of age today.”
Clemens finished the game with just 125 yards passing, but was second on the team in rushing. He finished the afternoon with 64 yards on 12 carries, with most of those yards coming by design.
If Clemens wasn’t scrambling because of Oregon State pressure, he was tucking the ball in and running. And he ran and ran and ran.
“There were more designed QB runs this week then there had been in previous weeks,” Clemens said.
Clemens threw three touchdowns, one each to Demetrius Williams, Terrence Whitehead and Dante Rosario.
The first came on a 15-yard loft to Whitehead that evened the score at seven, just four minutes after the Beavers took an early first-quarter lead.
On the first play of the second quarter, Clemens found a wide-open Williams in the back of the end zone for a 19-yard toss.
Ending his scoring contribution, Clemens finished the day with a 15-yarder to Rosario with 3:20 left in the third quarter.
“They made some third down conversions that kept the drives alive,” Oregon State head coach Mike Riley said. “They were very successful on first downs.”
Defensively, the Ducks held their own. They got to Anderson for six and a half sacks — three and a half by Olshansky and three by defensive lineman Devan Long.
Steven Moore returned after missing three games due to a bum ankle and picked off two key passes in the fourth quarter.
“If we play our game, we can beat anybody,” Moore said.
With the win, the Ducks guaranteed themselves a third-place finish in the Pac-10. USC must play Oregon State on Dec. 6, so nothing will be set in stone until then.
However, it is almost certain Washington State will earn the trip to the Holiday Bowl in San Diego on Dec. 30.
Oregon and California tied for the third spot in the conference, but because the Ducks beat the Golden Bears, the Sun Bowl is expected to extend an invitation to Oregon.
That leaves Oregon State going to the Las Vegas Bowl on Dec. 24 and for Washington and UCLA to scrap it out for the Silicon Valley Football Classic.
“That’s the hardest part, is to find out where you’re going,” Mitchell said.
For now, Bellotti said the Ducks will take three or four days off. They’ll hit the field again after Thanksgiving and get ready for a yet-to-be-named opponent.
They’ll focus on improving, getting better on the small things.
A month from now, they’ll come back and do it all over again.
They’ll do it at a bowl.
For the seventh straight time.