The game some pundits and many fans have christened the “Game of the Year” in the Pacific-10 Conference is finally here.
You’ve no doubt been patiently waiting to see the 10th-ranked Oregon Ducks take on the fourth-ranked USC Trojans at Autzen Stadium on Saturday night. The fact that Saturday happens to fall on Halloween this season makes that game much more special to you.
Yesterday, we learned that College GameDay, ESPN’s signature college football pregame show, will be in Eugene for the game. You likely remember GameDay in Eugene against Cal on Sept. 29, 2007, when Oregon lost 31-24. Or, perhaps, Nov. 3, 2007, a 35-23 win against Arizona State that catapulted Oregon to No. 2 in the national rankings the following week.
USC is probably the most talented college football team in the nation not named Florida. Loaded with only the finest blue-chip recruits, the Trojans are a mismatch with Oregon. The Ducks, however, have proven that they can hang tough with any team in the country on fields that are colored green. (Hey, that’s Autzen’s field color!)
You know this, you’ve seen this, and you want to do your part. Come Halloween, you will be doing whatever it takes to cheer the Ducks onto victory.
My advice for preparing for Saturday? Save yourself.
It’s a long week for student fans of any stripes. Maybe you have a couple of midterms on the horizon, or an important paper. Maybe you want to treat your significant other to something special, just before the big holiday. Maybe you just want Oregon, now bowl eligible at 6-1 (4-0 Pac-10), to keep running through the conference like a wheat thresher through a field.
This week will take a lot of energy out of you. You’re going to need it all for Saturday. Don’t waste any of it.
If you have to, go silent for a couple of days to preserve your voice. For the over-21 crowd, perhaps you should skip out on that third pitcher of Bud Light at Taylor’s or Rennie’s. Feel free to continue frequenting these establishments, but go a little easier on yourself.
If you’re looking for a way to satisfy your college football needs but don’t want to expend too much energy, simply take a few minutes and watch the Oregon-Washington game again. After all, this game doesn’t appear to be getting the attention it deserves.
Husky Stadium on Saturday was rocking before kickoff, the purple-and-gold-clad fans’ voices resonating over Lake Washington. The press box was shaking at times from the noise. The Ducks were favorites in name only, with a lot of eyes expectantly focusing on Jake Locker and the Washington Huskies.
It didn’t happen. The stadium fell silent after the second quarter. With four minutes remaining in the fourth, Duck fans seated in the closed end zone bowl began chanting “NA NA NA NA, HEY HEY HEY, GOODBYE!” at Huskies fans leaving the stadium. Once the clock struck zero, the entire Ducks team came over to the contingent of fans and celebrated with them. Oregon moved into and took over Husky Stadium and propped its feet up after a long, hard game.
Ken Goe of The Oregonian wrote after the game, “For the Ducks, this rivalry is not as passionate as it is passe. True, the Ducks have now won the past six games against the Huskies, but the rivalry doesn’t feel passionless. After all, Washington’s all-time record against Oregon is now 58-39-5. So what if Oregon has won more in this decade? Attitudes haven’t changed.”
That was no more apparent than after the game, when Emerald Sports Editor Ben Schorzman and I encountered an obviously intoxicated Oregon fan defiling the husky statue in front of Hec Edmundson Pavilion, located just outside Husky Stadium. The fan was loudly and obnoxiously drawing attention to himself. A Washington fan driving past rolled down his window and called out, “Hey, Oregon fans! Act like you’ve been there before!”
The thing is, Oregon may have, but it still feels like the first time.
Halloween night, with the excitement and frenzy accompanied by GameDay, will feel the same way. The Ducks have been in high-pressure game situations before, and they know how to save their best efforts for Saturday.
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