Rivalry week continues Saturday afternoon as the Beavers of Oregon State square off against in-state rival Oregon Ducks. The middling Beavers sit at 5-6 heading into the matchup, while the Ducks are ranked 14th in the nation, and are 9-2 coming in. While Oregon won’t be able to make the college football playoffs, that won’t stop them from trying to prove who the best team in Oregon is.
The Ducks are coming off of an in conference upset to Arizona State a week. Unranked ASU beat Oregon at home, 31-28. Oregon State has lost 2 of their last 3 to Washington and Washington State while beating Arizona State by 1 in between. The Ducks are favored by 19.5 headed into the contest, the over/under is 65.5.
Damming the Ducks
The Beavers would love to end their rivals seasons with a loss tomorrow but will need a little help to do so, as you can tell from the nearly 20 point spread. Oregon leads the Civil War series 65-47-10 all-time, and the Beavers haven’t won since 2016. The Beavers had lost 8 straight Civil War games before 2016.
Jake Luten and Isaiah Hodges lead the Beavers attack through the air. Luten has 2,714 yards on the season, with 28 touchdowns to only 3 interceptions. Hodges has already tallied up over 1,000 yards on the season, to go along with his 13 touchdowns and 13.9 yards per catch. Running backs Art Pierce and Jemar Jefferson lead the ground game that averages 158.7 yards per game. Pierce has also rallied more than 1,000 yards from scrimmage on the season, while Jefferson leads all backs with 9 touchdowns.
Breaking the Dam
The Ducks have dominated the Civil War game in years past, and don’t look to slow down this year. Oregon likely would’ve remained a top 10 team with a victory over ASU a week ago, they at least would’ve been knocking on the door. Nonetheless, the Ducks look to dominate this rivalry again tomorrow.
Star quarterback Justin Herbert leads the Oregon attack, he’s completing 68.2% of his passes, and has thrown for 2,966 yards on the season. He also has 30 touchdowns to only 5 interceptions. Top rusher CJ Verdell is questionable for the contest, so the Ducks will look to the Brothers’ Dye to lead the way Saturday. Travis averages 6.1 yards per carry, while brother Troy leads the team in tackles, and is second on the squad in TFL with 8.5 on the year.
A Nation Divided
While the Civil War game isn’t quite the rivalry that OSU and Michigan or Auburn and Alabama are to the rest of the country, out west this is THE game to watch. I’ve never been a fan of a spread that high in the double digits in a rivalry game, no matter how lopsided the talent level. Oregon obviously outduels the Beavers in talent level, however, I must take the upset here. The Ducks are only 6-5 against the spread this season, while the Beavers are 8-3. Take the dog and 19.5 points, Oregon State keeps it close.
