Ducks Win Civil War, Cement National Championship Berth

LaMichael James

All photos by Dave Giezyng

Jacquizz Rodgers

Darron Thomas

Rodgers tackled

CORVALLIS -- Twelve wins, 592 points and approximately a bazillion mascot pushups later, the Ducks finally have their shot at a national championship. The Beavers? Well, better luck next year, fellas.

Oregon defeated Oregon State 37-20 Saturday in the 114th Civil War in front of a raucous and record-setting crowd of 46,469 at Reser Stadium, finishing Pac-10 play undefeated and unofficially but undeniably cementing their date with destiny in the NCAA Championship Game.

Running backs LaMichael James and Kenjon Barner combined for 267 rushing yards and 4 total touchdowns, and four Oregon players snagged an interception in a surprising defensive lockdown by the Ducks. Rising Oregon State star Marcus Wheaton was a bright spot, collecting 11 catches for 140 yards and a touchdown, but offensive staples Jacquizz Rodgers (87 rushing yards) and Ryan Katz (24 for 41 passing, 227 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT) just couldn’t get it going.  

For the #2 ranked Ducks, beating up on their little brothers to the north earned them a much-anticipated confrontation with #1 Auburn in Glendale, Arizona this January. Auburn took care of business against #19 South Carolina Saturday to punch their own championship ticket.

For the Beavers, the loss meant a hot shower and the end to a long, frustrating season that saw the program take a major step backward by not qualifying for a bowl game despite big time wins over Arizona and USC.

The heavily-favored Ducks led just 16-7 at halftime, but stuck to their season-long script of second half dominance, breaking the third quarter ice early with a fake punt that resulted in a 64-yard run by Michael Clay, and eventually a 19-yard touchdown hookup between Darron Thomas and D.J. Davis to make it 23-7.

Meanwhile, the OSU defense held their ground the rest of the third quarter and into the fourth, but the offense only managed to come away with two field goals despite a pair of deep red zone drives. And when Barner finally broke free for a 23-yard touchdown run early in the fourth for a 30-13 Oregon lead, the outcome seemed all but a formality. Oregon’s James and OSU’s Wheaton would each contribute late-game touchdowns for their respective teams to close out the scoring in what would turn out to be a blowout win for the Ducks.

Early into Saturday’s game, however, a series of miscues and sloppy plays made it appear that another David vs. Goliath upset might be brewing in Corvallis.

Oregon drew first blood on the very first offensive play of the game when Oregon State quarterback Ryan Katz dropped back for a pass and was viciously slammed to the turf. He writhed in pain for several moments before getting up and retreating to the safety of the sideline for a few plays.

Beaver Brandon Hardin made a nice special teams play on the ensuing punt, forcing a Cliff Harris fumble to regain the ball, but Katz gave it right back to the Ducks on the very next play thanks to a tipped pass that was intercepted.

Oregon, however, seemed intent on giving the ball right back again, botching a handoff that was recovered by Oregon State. This time the Beavs took advantage, putting together a lengthy 15-play drive that culminated in an aerial end zone delivery from Katz to Rodgers that gave OSU the early 7-0 lead.

Oregon responded with a quick and efficient scoring jaunt of their own, punctuated by a Barner touchdown scamper and a butterfingered extra point snap that resulted in a block to make it 7-6.   

But as the Oregon offense began to heat up, the Oregon State attack sputtered, and the Ducks were able to add a field goal and another touchdown on a run by James to take a 16-7 halftime lead.

In the game‘s closing minutes, chants of “BCS! BCS!” engulfed Reser Stadium from the Duck faithful who had made the trip to Corvallis. Oregon is expected to battle Auburn for the national championship on Monday, January 10th.

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READ CLIFF PFENNING'S SALUTE TO OSU:  Hey Beavs, thanks for helping the Ducks make ABC happy

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