Oregon Vs. Oregon State in Famed Civil War Game

After leading his team to a huge upset win over the University of Utah last week, if embattled head coach Mark Helfrich had any hopes of keeping his job with the University of Oregon past this season, the last thing he could afford to do is follow-up the win over Utes with a loss to in-state rival Oregon State, in the famed “Civil War” football game.

But given what took place this past Saturday in Corvallis, if Helfrich was smart, he should’ve spent Saturday evening getting a head start on updating his résumé.

The Oregon State Beavers snapped an eight-game losing streak to the Ducks, beating the University of Oregon by a final score of 34-24. With the win, the Beavers not got their first back-to-back Pac-12 wins since 2013 at the cost of their hated in-state rival, but they actually leapfrogged Oregon, sending the Ducks to a last-place finish in the Pac-12 North division.

Sophomore running back Ryan Nall, the most prolific offensive player for Oregon State (and an Oregon native himself), led the way during the upset, rushing for 155 yards (his second highest output of the season) and four touchdowns (a career-high mark). His two touchdowns in the fourth quarter represented both the go-ahead score, and subsequently the game-sealing score as well. He scored the latter on a two-yard run, giving the Beavers a 10 point lead with less than two minutes left in the game. Oregon State sophomore quarterback Marcus McMaryion threw for 101 yards passing, but added another 81 yards rushing as well. Nall, McMaryion, and the rest of the Beavers gashed the Ducks for 310 yards rushing on 55 carries.

What has to be even more frustrating for Oregon fans is the fact that the Ducks never trailed the Beavers for the first 50 minutes of the game. Halfway through the third quarter, with the Ducks holding a 10 point lead, Oregon’s win probability was calculated at over 83%. But once again, Oregon’s defense — which has been a source of misery all season long — collapsed when the game mattered most.  They gave up three consecutive touchdown drives, spanning 75, 80, and 68 yards — all ending with touchdown runs by Nall — from the middle of the third quarter, onwards. While the 34 points scored by the Beavers was actually the second lowest point output by an opponent this season, it was the 11th time in 12 games this year where the Ducks opponent scored 34 or more points.

On offense, the lone highlight for the Ducks was running back Royce Freeman, who ran for 106 yards on 19 carries. It was his third straight game running for more than 100 yards. Freeman is a junior, and with the increasing uncertainty about the direction of the program, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he declared for the NFL Draft at the end of this year.

Helfrich is reportedly scheduled to meet with Oregon athletic director Rob Mullens this week, where the two will discuss Helfrich’s future with the program. Many people believe that Helfrich will be dismissed, but if Helfrich is somehow retained, expect Ducks defensive coordinator Brady Hoke to be relieved of his duties.