It’s Oregon Week: Say Less

Sometimes you need to create some kind of fictitious animosity in order to get fired up for a game. Some sort of contrived rivalry or made up hostility towards an opponent that makes the game more interesting than it actually is.

This isn’t one of those times.

This is Oregon week, and there is no need to fake any friction between these two programs. Aside from the fact that there is so much on the line for both teams, the Dawgs and the Ducks simply do not like each other. And that’s putting it lightly. The teams. The fans. The states. Oregon and Washington are like oil and water. Rain and parades. Orange juice and toothpaste.

The rivalry goes back to well before the two teams were Pac 12 North foes. It actually goes back to a time before there was even a Pac 12. There have been 111 Washington vs Oregon games over the years, with the Dawgs leading the all-time series against the Ducks - 60 wins, 46 losses and five ties in favor of the Huskies. So if we are just going by the numbers, all the Ducks will need to do is win the next 14 of these rivalry games in a row to break even with the Huskies. 

I would be remiss if I did not say that the Ducks have had the upper hand in this inter-state rivalry over the most recent years. They have bested the Dawgs in 18 of the last 24 contests, and their fan base will make sure to remind the Husky faithful of this fact every chance that they get. 

Last year in Eugene, the Ducks edged out the Huskies 30-27 in a gut wrenching overtime game. Washington kicked a field goal in the opening overtime period, but the Ducks scored a touchdown in their next possession to ultimately win the game. Even though the Huskies managed to overcome the loss by going on to win another Pac 12 championship, they still feel like they let one slip through their fingers last year in Eugene, and are looking for payback this year.

As a Husky alum who has faced off against the Oregon Ducks several times during my UW playing career, I can honestly say this is a rivalry that will last an eternity for me. I was on the 1994 Washington team that was upset by an Oregon team in Eugene after some late game heroics were made by “He who shall not be mentioned”. In my opinion, it was this one play that REALLY turned the Washington vs Oregon game into the rivalry that it is today, and obnoxious Oregon fans love to remind us every chance they get (They still play the video of “The Pick” during games at Autzen Stadium)

At the end of this game in ‘94, the Oregon fans rushed the field, pushed us, insulted us, and  threw foreign objects at us, as we fought our way to the locker room  through the never ending sea of yellow and green clad zealots. It is something that will stick with me and my teammates forever.

So when you talk about the Oregon and Washington rivalry, we already know what it is -  Say Less.