Hurts so good; Ducks dominate Civil War

Darron Thomas threw for four touchdowns Saturday.

Photo by Jeremy Lloyd, oregonsports.com

Oregon shook off the hangover from last week’s loss to USC and what might have been in the BCS standings, and beat Oregon State handily in the Civil War, 49-21, at Autzen Stadium.

LaMichael James ran for 142 yards before leaving with what appeared to be a left elbow injury, and Oregon won the North Division of the Pac-12 Conference and will play host to the first conference championship game.

The Ducks (10-2, 8-1 Pac-12) will host UCLA on Friday night with a chance to win their third straight conference title and a spot in the Rose Bowl.

The Beavers (3-9, 3-6) will miss a bowl game for the second straight season.

James, who went into the 115th Civil War as the nation’s top rusher with an average of 142.78 yards per game, was hurt midway through the third when he was hit by Oregon State linebacker Tony Wilson.

The junior running back was already wearing a brace on his right elbow, which he dislocated on Oct. 6 against California. He missed two games because of that injury.

Not long after he left the field on Saturday, James’ elbow was wrapped in ice by a trainer. The injury did not appear to be serious because he danced a bit on the sideline with teammate Kenjon Barner during the timeout before the fourth quarter.

Oregon looked as if it was making a strong bid for a spot in the BCS championship game until last weekend, when the Ducks fell to Southern Cal 38-35. But Oregon State didn’t give them any trouble.

Darron Thomas threw for 305 yards and four touchdowns.