2011 Prediction & Game Story
Week 13, Oregon at Oregon State
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Nov. 26 at Oregon 49 … Oregon State 21
CFN Analysis: COMING
(AP) EUGENE, Ore. -- LaMichael James ran for 142 yards before leaving with what appeared to be a left elbow injury, and Oregon (No. 10 BCS, No. 9 AP) beat Oregon State 49-21 Saturday to clinch the Pac-12 North and a spot in the conference's first 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) aren't going to 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.
Versatile freshman De'Anthony Thomas rushed for 71 yards and had 10 caches for 86 yards and a score. Barner ran for 64 yards and a touchdown, and also caught a scoring pass.
Redshirt freshman Sean Mannion threw for 299 yards and three touchdowns for the Beavers. But Oregon State struggled on the ground with just 16 yards rushing, compared to Oregon's 366.
James scored early on a 1-yard run, becoming Oregon's all-time leading scorer with 324 points.
The Beavers tied it at 7 when Jovan Stevenson grabbed a swing pass from Mannion and weaved his way downfield for a touchdown early in the second quarter.
But before the half Oregon scored on Darron Thomas' 16-yard pass to David Paulson and his 8-yard pass to De'Anthony Thomas.
Darron hit Kenjon Barner with another 16-yard TD just before halftime to make it 28-7. Barner ran a yard for another score in the third quarter, and Darron Thomas connected with freshman Colt Lyerla for a 39-yard touchdown early in the fourth.
Mannion threw two TDs in the fourth quarter to Kevin Cummings (19 yards) and Brandin Cooks (23 yards).
Oregon State flanker James Rodgers did not suit up because of a left ankle injury. The Civil War was to be the final game of a college career with some great moments and a severe injury.
In 2007, Rodgers scored on a fly sweep in overtime to give the Beavers a 38-31 victory in the Civil War. Oregon State has not defeated their in-state rival since then.
Rodgers was a fifth-year senior this season coming off a pair of knee surgeries.
Oregon linebacker Dewitt Stuckey (shoulder) and end Dion Jordan (ankle) both played against Oregon State after leaving with injuries against USC.
The Ducks have won four straight Civil Wars. Oregon's winning streak in the series is its longest since 1994-97.
Last weekend's loss to USC at Autzen Stadium snapped a 21-game winning streak at home and a 19-game win streak in conference games. The Ducks haven't lost two straight at home since 2002.
Oregon State (3-8) at Oregon (9-2) Nov. 26, 3:30, ABC/ESPN2
Here’s The Deal … The 115th Civil War is going to play a pivotal role in the conference race … again.
Just like the past couple of seasons, the annual battle in the Pacific Northwest will go a long to determining who moves a step closer to a title and a BCS bowl game. If Oregon prevails for the fourth straight year, it’ll capture the Pac-12 North, setting up a home date with UCLA, Arizona State or Utah a week from now. Of course, prior to falling to USC at Autzen Stadium last Saturday, the Ducks had visions of more than just a spot in the Rose Bowl. They’d won nine straight before getting clipped by the Trojans, 38-35, and were beginning to get support as a possible contender for the Jan. 9 National Championship Game.
For Oregon State, this trip to Eugene will be its proverbial bowl game. Having a chance to keep the Ducks out of Pasadena will be an added bonus. An opening day loss to Sacramento State pretty much set the tone for the Beavers, who’ll miss the postseason in back-to-back years for the first time since the late 1990s. Still, the players have continued to scrap for head coach Mike Riley, sending Washington packing, 38-21, last Saturday in arguably the team’s best win of the season.
Why Oregon State Might Win: If the Beavers have any chance of pulling a shocker as a heavy underdog, they’ll have to replicate last week’s blueprint. In other words, they’ll need to unleash the offense, much the way they did in earlier wins over Arizona, Washington State and Washington. First-year starting QB Sean Mannion has performed better of late, throwing for 339 yards and two scores against the Huskies last weekend. And although his receivers are banged up at this stage of the season, the redshirt freshman still has quality options, like WR Markus Wheaton, with which to attack an Oregon secondary that had some breakdowns in November.
Why Oregon Might Win: The Beavers defense hasn’t been able to slow down the Ducks spread in years, and doesn’t have the personnel to alter that trend this week. Subpar defenses, such as the one visiting Eugene this week, simply won’t stack up against the Quack Attack. There’ll be too much speed, too much execution and too many long plays for Oregon State to overcome. RB LaMichael James is back at full strength, supported in the backfield by fellow gamebreakers Kenjon Barner and De’Anthony Thomas. Toss in the passing of Darron Thomas, and Oregon’s eighth-ranked offense just has too many different options for a plodding Beavers defense that’s next to last in Pac-12 run defense.
What To Watch Out For: The Oregon defense, which struggled against Trojans QB Matt Barkley, will be looking to redeem itself this weekend. Suffice it to say that the Ducks should have considerably less to worry about this Saturday. Mannion has piled up the yards in his debut, but he also needs to improve his decision-making and learn when to eat the ball. If he gets careless, Oregon is going to capitalize by getting the ball back to the offense even quicker. Mannion will also need to pay attention pass rushers, Dion Jordan, Josh Kaddu and Terrell Turner, who’ve had a habit of getting into the backfield in a hurry this season.
What Will Happen: Three consecutive games against Washington, Stanford and USC could have Oregon emotionally and physically gassed at this stage of the campaign. It’s a good thing that Oregon State is coming to town, and the North Division has yet to be decided.
The Ducks will have no concerns about getting motivated, taking out its Trojans-related frustration on an overmatched Beavers squad. They’ll jump out to an early lead that’ll quickly blossom into insurmountable by halftime. The only thing that’ll keep Oregon from turning this blowout into a massacre will be the reality of an ensuing game a week from now to determine the Pac-12 champ.
CFN Prediction: Oregon 48 … Oregon State 16
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Click For Latest Line From ATS: Oregon -28 O/U: 63.5
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