2008 Civil War Oregon at Oregon State, Part II: The Best Duck Game Ever

Author's Note: This is Part II of IV. Part I looked at the 112 year running history of the Civil War between the University of Oregon and Oregon State University. While not intended as the definitive authority on the history, it is intended to provide greater details and an over view of this great rivalry between two of the State of Oregon's oldest public institutions of higher ed.

Part II recounts the greatest Civil War game played by Oregon to date. Part III focuses on the greatest Civil War win by the Beavers. Part IV will provide the author's breakdown of the upcoming game and his prediction of the outcome.

The Civil War is upon us. There is no neutral ground. Duck or Beaver, those are the only choices available.

It is at this time in November each year that Ducks and Beavers recall with fond memories past victories in the Great Civil War rivalry. While any win in this annual ritual is hard fought and deserving of bragging rights for at least the coming year—there are some wins that are more equal than others. 

The 2005 Civil War broke all records and at least for the moment, is considered by many Oregon Duck fans the greatest Civil War Game ever played. If by chance you missed it, here is a recap of the 109th Civil War game and some sense of what it was like.

A famous annual writing contest for composing the world's worst novel requires that entrants began with the line: "It was a dark and stormy night." Saturday, November 19th, 2005 at Autzen Stadium, was dark, but it wasn't stormy. No, it was worse. It was cold and foggy. It got even foggier as the game progressed.

It was so foggy by the end of the game, the Fox Sports Network-West 2 television cameras were unable to view the action on the far side of the field or to follow the ball as it was thrown through the air. Everyone had a difficult time following the action as it moved up and down the field.

Coming into the game Oregon was ranked 10th in the BCS, AP Top 25 and 11th in ESPN.com's Power Rankings with a 9-1 record. The Ducks had won their first three games, (Houston 38-24, Montana 47-14 and Fresno State 37-34) and lost to USC 45-13. They then won the next six: Stanford 44-20, Arizona State 31-17, Washington 45-21, Arizona 28-21, Cal 27-20 and Washington State 34-31. 

A win against the Beavers would make for only the second time that Oregon had chalked up 10 wins in a season. Also on the line for Oregon was the opportunity to go the Tostito's Fiesta Bowl, a BCS Bowl for the PAC-10 Champion.

Kellen Clemens was the Oregon senior Quarterback starting the 2005 season. In the course of seven and one-half games he racked up impressive numbers across the board. The standout from Burns, Oregon established a career completion percentage of 60.9 percent, a school record.

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