The Battle at Autzen

December 1, 2009 by Jeff Spiegel

The state of Oregon has three teams to root for: the Blazers, the Ducks, and the Beavers. Everyone loves the Blazers, and after that, the state is straight-up divided.

Football fans, it does not get any better than it will be Thursday night in Eugene. Call it the Civil War, call it the War for the Roses, or even the Battle at Autzen, but whatever you call it, this game has meaning. In 112 years, never has this game been for the Rose Bowl, winner take all. Last season, the Beavers needed one win for a trip to Pasadena, and even had the Ducks at home. Let’s just say it didn’t go according to plan.

From 1997 to 2006, no team won this game twice in a row. 2007 was also the first time since 1996 the road team won the game, when the Beavers won a double-overtime thriller in Eugene. The Ducks response? How about a 27-point blowout in Corvallis in which they dropped an astonishing 65 points on stunned Beaver fans. So much for the Rose Bowl.

This season, neither team comes in with excuses. Unlike last season, the Beavers come in healthy, and each team is coming off a bye week. The Ducks are hot, coming in with 7 straight 40-point games under Jeremiah Masoli, including their thriller against Arizona a couple of weeks ago. The Beavers are equally hot, with Sean Canfield having thrown just one interception in his last three games compared to eight touchdowns through the air.

What all of this means, is that it will come down to defense. I think the first of two key matchups will be the Duck pass defense against Sean Canfield. The Ducks rank second in the conference in pass defense, while the Beavers rank first overall in passing offense. The Ducks are extremely thin in the secondary, but Cliff Harris should continue to mature, and Talmadge Jackson has proven he may be capable of shutting down the explosive James Rodgers.

The second key matchup involves the rushing defense of the Beavers taking on LaMichael James and Jeremiah Masoli. Ironically both teams should be prepared for the opposing running back considering how similar the two backs are, and the practice each defense gets in daily workouts. There is obviously no way the Beavers can shut down the Ducks, however taking Nick Alioti’s “bend-but-don’t-break” defensive strategy could pay dividends.

So on to my predictions. Last season the Ducks limped into the Civil war and proceeded to appear unstoppable. The thought of the well-prepared, well-oiled machine that is the Duck offense coming in hot at home should terrify every Beaver fan. Then again, the Beavers are out for revenge after last season’s poor showing, and they can’t imagine blowing consecutive shots at the Rose Bowl.

What does all this mean? Nothing. I’ve got the Ducks by 17, as Jeremiah Masoli will continue to roll at the helm of an unstoppable Duck offense much to the enjoyment of the Duck faithful in attendance at Autzen. The Beaver offense is explosive, but the athleticism of the Duck defense matches up well with the Rodgers brothers, and I expect players like Casey Matthews to have big games as long as the Ducks can avoid dreadful missed tackles. As much over-confidence as the Ducks may come in with, I think their memories from the Smurf Turf are plenty of motivation enough. That is, if a game entitled the Civil War wasn’t motivation enough. What can I say, I Love My Ducks.