10 things to know about the Oregon-Oregon State football rivalry before their 126th game
Oregon State will host Oregon on Saturday at Reser Stadium in their 126th meeting in football.
Oregon State is 8-3 overall and 5-3 in the Pac-12, while Oregon is 9-2 and 7-1.
ICYMI:
The Ducks won the matchup 38-29 last season at Autzen Stadium.
Here is a look at 10 things to know about the rivalry.
1: The first game was in 1894
The first football rivalry game between Oregon and Oregon State came in 1894.
The state was 35 years old. Oregon's population at the time, according to the 1890 census, was 317,704.
Sylvester Pennoyer, a Democrat, was the governor.
Grover Cleveland, a Democrat, was president of the United States.
2: Ducks lead the all-time series
Oregon leads the all-time series against Oregon State 67-48-10.
The 10 ties came in 1902, 1906, 1913, 1914, 1920, 1921, 1931, 1956, 1960 and 1983.
The largest margin of victory came in 2017, when the Ducks beat the Beavers 69-10 at Autzen Stadium.
3: Missing years
The rivalry is missing a few seasons.
Oregon and Oregon State did not face each other in 1900, 1901, 1911, 1943 and 1944.
They did not face each other in 1911 reportedly because of a big riot after the 1910 game, which was won by Oregon in Corvallis.
The games in 1943 and 1944 were canceled because of World War II.
The teams played twice in a season on two occasions — 1896 and 1945. The two games in 1896 were won by Oregon, and the two games in 1945 were won by Oregon State.
4: Portland has hosted the rivalry
Portland has hosted the Oregon-Oregon State rivalry game seven times — 1908, 1917, 1933, 1934, 1938, 1950 and 1952.
The games in the Rose City were played at what’s now called Providence Park.
The Beavers played a game this season at Providence Park, a 68-28 win against Montana State.
The rivalry game also was twice played in Albany, in 1912 and 1913, to help lessen the likelihood of another riot.
5: Rock bottom in 1983
The rivalry hit rock bottom in 1983 when the game ended in a 0-0 tie at Autzen Stadium.
That season, Oregon finished 4-6-1 under head coach Rich Brooks, and Oregon State finished 2-8-1 under head coach Joe Avezzano.
The Ducks won eight straight matchups against the Beavers prior to 1983, then won the next four in a row after 1983.
The 1983 debacle is commonly referred to as the “Toilet Bowl” by fans of both schools.
6: What is the longest winning streak?
The longest winning streak for both teams in the rivalry is eight games.
Oregon did it twice, from 1975-82 and 2008-15.
Oregon State did it once from 1964-71.
Another interesting streak in the series is that the home team won the game each season from 1997 to 2006.
The Beavers broke that streak in 2007 by winning at Autzen Stadium. The Ducks returned the favor in 2008 by winning at Reser Stadium.
The home team currently has a three-game winning streak, with Oregon winning at Autzen in 2019 and 2021, and Oregon State winning at Reser in 2020.
7: Significance of the 2000 game
Oregon was 7-0 in the conference heading into the game at Parker Stadium (now Reser), and Oregon State was 6-1.
The Beavers intercepted Ducks quarterback Joey Harrington five times and won 23-13 to earn a share of the conference title with Oregon and Washington.
With Jonathan Smith at quarterback, Oregon State went on to beat Notre Dame 41-9 in the Fiesta Bowl and finish No. 4 in the AP poll.
Oregon went on to beat Texas 35-30 in the Holiday Bowl and finish No. 7 in the AP poll.
Washington went on to beat Purdue 34-24 in the Rose Bowl to finish No. 3 in the AP poll.
8: Winner takes the conference
In 2009, Oregon was 7-1 in the conference heading into the rivalry game, and Oregon State was 6-2. The winner of the game at Autzen Stadium would win the conference and go to the Rose Bowl.
LaMichael James rushed for 166 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Ducks to a 37-33 victory.
Oregon went on to lose 26-17 to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl.
9: Significance of the 2010 game
Oregon was 11-0 overall and 8-0 in the conference heading into the rivalry game at Reser Stadium.
The Ducks needed a win to reach the BCS national championship game.
James rushed for 134 yards and two touchdowns, leading Oregon to a 37-20 victory and 12-0 regular-season record.
The Ducks went on to lose 22-19 to Auburn in the national championship game.
10: Why it’s no longer the Civil War
The first reference to the rivalry game as the Civil War came in 1929, and it was commonly referred to as that starting around 1937.
However, in 2020, both schools came out and said they would no longer refer to the game as the Civil War after hearing from former athletes.
In American history, the Civil War dealt with slavery and a divided nation, neither of which schools wanted to be associated with moving forward.
Harrington was quoted by KGW at the time saying: “If a family member or a brother of mine says your words and your actions are hurting me, the first thing I do is listen. The next thing I do is make a change to correct those actions.”
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Ducks v. Beavers: 10 things to know about the Oregon-Oregon State rivalry
