The Oregon Ducks have spent most of the season season blowing teams out. On Friday night, a last-minute drive secured a thrilling 36-35 victory over Oregon State to improve the Ducks to 10-2 on the season.
2013 Civil War results: Oregon rallies late to escape Beavers, 36-35
Marcus Mariota hit Josh Huff in the end zone in the final minute to secure Oregon’s sixth win in a row over its in-state rival.
The Beavers took a 35-30 lead on a 25-yard touchdown run from speedster Victor Bolden with just 1:38 remaining on the clock. That was plenty of time for the Ducks, though, as Marcus Mariota orchestrated a beautiful nine-play drive in just over a minute that was capped off with a 12-yard touchdown strike to Josh Huff in the end zone.
Sean Mannion and the Beavers had one final chance to tie the game, but a botched hook-and-ladder play around the 50-yard line ended any chance they had at pulling off the comeback.
The two offenses took their turns taking shots down the field throughout the game. There was a total of six lead changes, including four in the fourth quarter. After the Ducks stormed out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, the Beavers fought back to tie the score at 17-17 just before halftime with a touchdown pass from Mannion to Terron Ward.
OSU opened up the second half with a 47-yard field goal, but UO took the lead right back as Mariota hit Huff for their first touchdown connection of the night. An Oregon State field goal and touchdown reclaimed the lead early in the fourth, but the Ducks came right back once again as Mariota found Huff in the end zone again to take a 30-29 lead. Then came Bolden’s touchdown run, which was followed by Mariota’s game-winning drive in the final minute.
Even with the loss, OSU fans have to be proud of the way their team fought on the road all night long.
The win for Oregon marks six years in a row they’ve defeated their in-state rivals. For anyone who missed the game, the uniforms were rather ... bright.
Box Score Heroes:
Marcus Mariota: 17/34, 285 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT
Josh Huff: 9 receptions, 186 yards, 3 TD
Sean Mannion: 29/47, 314 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
Brandin Cooks: 11 receptions, 117 yards
Rankings Ramifications: Oregon came in ranked 13th in the country after being as high as No. 2 a couple of weeks ago. The win should hold them steady when the next edition of the BCS is released on Sunday night.
But Did They Cover? Most lines had Oregon as a 24-point favorite, so they failed to cover the spread.
For More On This Game: For more on Ducks football, visit Oregon community Addicted To Quack, plus Pac-12 community Pacific Takes. For more on OSU football, visit Oregon State community Building The Dam.
Next Week’s Schedule: With neither team set to represent the Pac-12 North in the conference title game, the Ducks and Beavers won’t play again until their bowl games arrive.
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