Pez Sez
continued from page 8B
the season that they weren’t going to
surprise anyone. Oregon had a bulls
eye painted on it in every one of its
Pac-10 games.
All the Pac-10 knew about Oregon
State was that it struggled through a
cream-puff preseason, then beat up
on conference cupcakes like Wash
ington State and Stanford.
The Beavers deserved respect,
but I don’t think they really got it
until they destroyed Arizona. But
even then, is it really that surpris
ing that they won so handily?
However, that’s not the main rea
son why I now think the Ducks will
win Saturday.
It came to me when I received a
phone call from my father as I sat in
the newsroom at about 8 p.m. Tues
day. We talked about the Ducks,
about Oregon State, about the mag
nitude of this Civil War and about
what winning would mean for
each team’s program.
And there it is.
Even if it wins, chances are that
Oregon State isn’t going to the Rose
Bowl. The Huskies will beat Wash
ington State. If the Beavers win the
Civil War, they’ll go to the Holiday
Bowl, unless Oregon State or
Washington goes to the Fiesta
Bowl, which is a possibility, but it’s
only speculation at this point.
The Ducks, meanwhile, tasted a
share of the Pac-10 title when they
beat California. They want the
whole thing, and to go to the Rose
Bowl, the granddaddy of them all.
And although they don’t say it,
they want to show the nation
where they could’ve, should’ve
gone had they beaten Wisconsin.
Destiny is a powerful force. When
an opponent scores 55 points, des
tiny can find that 56th for the win.
Is there such a thing as a team of
destiny?
If there is, the Ducks are, and so I
have to predict an Oregon win.
I’ve seen it happen too many
times to think the Civil War will be
any different. Just when you think
the Ducks will lose, they won’t.
Some things are just meant to be.
Scott Pesznecker is the assistant sports edi
tor. Reach him at pezsez1@hotmail.com.
Ilili
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What’s that? There’s a
game this weekend?
TWO MINUTES FOR
1 CROSSCHECKING
PETER HOCKADAY
Civil what?
Civil who? Civil why?
Here I was, writing a bas
ketball story, when some
one came up and told me there was
a football game between Oregon
and Oregon State this weekend.
Crazy, huh?
Apparently, this game could de
cide who goes to the Rose Bowl.
You’d never know it from reading
this week’s Oregon newspapers,
though. Or flipping on the televi
sion, or listening to the radio. The
state media is keeping this game in
a lockbox.
At least the players are keeping
quiet about the game.
“It’s going to be World War HI,”
Ducks comerbackRashad Bauman
said.
“This is going to be the biggest
game that anybody here has ever
played in,” Oregon quarterback
Joey Harrington said.
Oh, come on, Joey, you should be
used to this stuff by now. When
was the last time Oregon didn’t
play for the Rose Bowl? That No. 5
ranking in the AP Poll—the Ducks
shouldn’t be satisfied with that.
And Oregon State, ranked eighth?
What’s so odd about that? This is a
perennial football powerhouse
we’re talking about here. The Corval
lis dynasty isn’t just getting started,
it’s been around for years.
You see, the students at Oregon
now really are used to this. The
Ducks have been slowly gaining
national attention since their Rose
Bowl appearance in 1994, and their
success in 2000 seems to be retribu
tion for falling one yard short of
beating UCLA and possibly a Rose
Bowl berth last year.
Corvallis is going nuts because
the Beavers have never been this
good. Ever. Dennis Erickson is a
Corvallis god. Ken Simonton is one
of the best running backs in the na
tion, and the Oregon State faithful
Eire just about to jump off their
three-story buildings over him.
Even Portland is getting in on the
act. It’s state-wide. Just pick up an
Oregonian, Portland’s newspaper.
Every day it gets more and more
fraught with Civil War hype, and
the state just eats it up.
You may have noticed, if you
turned to page 9 of this very Game
Day, that I picked Oregon State to
win Saturday’s game. This is be
cause Oregon State is the better foot
ball team. Sorry, but it’s true. Right
now, Oregon’s defense is not togeth
er, and the offense still hasn’t put to
gether a complete game. Oregon
State, on the other hand, has put to
gether a string of complete games
and has blown out team after team.
Maybe Saturday’s game will be
the first game where we see the real
Oregon offense. Maybe Oregon will
put all the pieces together and blow
out the Beavers.
But hey, what do I know?
Sorry, I won’t be watching Ore
gon-Oregon State this Saturday. I’m
going to make pancakes and watch
Ohio State-Michigan. Go Buckeyes!
Peter Hockaday belongs in Corvallis.
Reach him at phockaday@yahoo.com.
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