Oregon Ducks: Top 10 Defeats of the Past Decade, Part III

Take a deep breath…       

3. 2000: OREGON 13 – OREGON STATE 23

Hey remember the last time anyone on a national level cared about the Beavers? You know, the last time their late-season success had BCS bowl implications? Yea that was eight whole years ago.

It happened to coincide with Oregon’s best shot for the Rose Bowl since 1995.  

The long history of the Civil War is more likely to be noted for its…long history, as opposed to matching up CFB heavyweights with any regularity. The 2000 season was not any regular season though.

The power of the conference tilted to the north with Oregon, Oregon State, and Washington dominating every other Pac-10 school. The big-three would wind up sharing the conference title. It may be a very long time before we see another result like that for the Pacific Northwest schools.

Coming in to the Civil War, Oregon controlled its destiny. Win and it’s on to the Rose Bowl. Lose and watch Washington, whom the Ducks beat 23-16 earlier in the season, take the trip to Pasadena.

The only thing in fifth-ranked Oregon’s way was Dennis Erickson’s rent-a-thug team, also known as the ninth-ranked Oregon State Beavers.

Most Oregon fans remember this game for Oregon shooting itself in the foot at every turn. Joey Harrington picked a bad time to have his worst game in his collegiate career by throwing five picks and completing only 24 of 46 passes.

The team as a whole decided do their best OSU impression by getting penalized 12 times for 132 yards. Many of those penalties resulted in extending OSU drives.

Even with all the penalties, turnovers, and general sluggishness Oregon found itself on the OSU 10 yard line, down by 10, midway through the fourth quarter. It was the kind of situation that Harrington normally excelled at.

Not in this game though—Harrington would drop back for a pass, get blindsided from behind, fumble the football, and our Rose Bowl dreams faded into an orangeish-blackish haze of pompous arrogance.

You may not remember: OSU would let this game catapult them into a decade of over-achieving low expectations. But hey even the kids on the short bus need goals.

2. 2007: OREGON 24 – ARIZONA 34

Ug. I really don’t want to write about this game. The wounds are too fresh.

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