CORVALLIS, Ore. — The rivalry between Oregon and Oregon State often had postseason implications in the past. Now? Not as much.
Before Oregon decided to leave for the Big Ten and the collapse of the Pac-12, the in-state rivalry was played over Thanksgiving weekend. The timing meant that often one or both teams were competing for a spot in the Pac-12 championship game or jockeying for bowl position.
So while both sides are still gunning for a victory on Saturday in Corvallis, this meeting between the No. 9 Ducks and the Beavers is now simply a nonconference game.
Oregon State is looking to go 3-0 in the post-Pac-12 era under new coach Trent Bray. The Beavers have wins against Idaho State and San Diego State to start what will be an unusual season.
"I know this is a rivalry game and all those things, but for players and guys that go out there on the field, once the game starts, it’s football. None of that stuff really matters," Bray said.
Oregon also looks to go 3-0, but the Ducks have struggled in underwhelming victories over Idaho and Boise State to open their first season in the Big Ten. Oregon was ranked No. 3 in the preseason AP Top 25 but has dropped after each game.
“Is it another game? Yeah, it’s another game. Is it important for us? It’s very important for us,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said. "Our guys want to go out there and have success.”
Offensive line woes
It was clear Oregon had not resolved its offensive line issues from Week 1 to Week 2. Boise State sacked Ducks QB Dillon Gabriel four times and Oregon had just 109 yards rushing. The Ducks used several different combinations on the line, including swapping centers Iapani Laloulu and Charlie Pickard.
“We’re going to have to keep challenging ourselves to figure out what that looks like. I do think we found some highlights at times of guys looking well, but also had some lowlights at multiple positions and didn’t matter necessarily what position a guy was at, there was mistakes at all those,” Lanning said. “But I promise you nobody looks at it closer than we do.”
On the run
Through the first two games, the Beavers are averaging nearly 300 yards on the ground per game and are ranked fifth in the nation. Of 140 offensive plays, 109 have been runs (also fifth nationally). Six of their TDs have come on the ground.
Bray said he would like to see the Beavers be more balanced.
“The great teams that I’ve been around or have watched have been great running football teams. I think that’s where it starts. Your ability to close out games, you’ve got to be able to run the football. It definitely helps your defense stay off the field, so it helps you play better defense. There’s no question,” Bray said. "But as much as we’ve (run) it, probably not. It’s just kind of how the games are, and what’s been working.”
Confident QBs
Gabriel is putting up big numbers for the Ducks, but his stock as a Heisman candidate slid a bit due to Oregon's overall struggles.
Gabriel has thrown for 623 yards with four touchdowns. He ranks third nationally for completion percentage, completing 59 of 70 passes so far.
On the Beavers side, Gevani McCoy has thrown for 295 yards, two touchdowns and has a 69.4% completion rate.
The Ducks got a peek at McCoy while studying film in the preseason for the opener against Idaho — McCoy transferred from Moscow to Oregon State in the offseason. While acknowledging that Oregon State is more of a running team, Lanning said when McCoy throws, he does it well.
“It’s really kind of second time we watched him this year, because we watched a lot of his film going into our first game. And he’s really elusive, he’s really athletic, he throws the ball well,” Lanning said.
History
It is the 128th meeting in the rivalry, which used to be known as the Civil War. It is the seventh-most contested game ever, and second-most at the FBS level.
Oregon leads 68-49-10 overall, but Oregon State has won the last two played at Reser Stadium. The Ducks won last season's game 31-7 at Autzen Stadium.
This is the first time the rivalry game has been played in September.
