A historic matchup is on deck this weekend at Autzen Stadium, as the Oregon Ducks will host the Nebraska Cornhuskers for the very first time as Big Ten opponents. Both teams enter the game unranked, but narrowly missed out on ranked wins at home a week ago. However, those losses were not created equal.
While there were no moral victories for either side, the Ducks turned the ball over seven times and lost to UCLA by just two points. That's pretty hard to do. Nebraska had Indiana on the ropes at home before a late rally by the Hoosiers handed the Cornhuskers their first loss of the season.
Oregon is a somewhat surprising favorite this week against Nebraska, even though star quarterback Dante Moore might not suit up for the second game in a row.
The Cornhuskers have won six games in the series, five of which happened consecutively, while the Ducks have only won twice, including the only game played in Eugene in 2017.
Much has changed for both programs since Nebraska owned the series in the 70s and 80s. The Ducks continuously went to Nebraska when the Cornhuskers were at the top of the sport, but the latest meeting came just a few years after the Ducks played for a national championship and were once again rising out west.
Let's take a look back at how the Ducks and Cornhuskers have matched up over the years before they meet for the ninth time this Saturday.
Early Meetings
The series between the current Big Ten foes began in 1952 in a neutral-site showdown at what is now known as Providence Park in Portland, Oregon. The Cornhuskers took advantage of an early fumble by the Ducks and turned it into a touchdown and never looked back. Nebraska scored 14 in the fourth quarter to capture a 28-13 win to begin the series.
Oregon got its revenge the following season when the game headed to Lincoln, Nebraska for the season opener. In Nebraska's first game ever on national television, the Ducks scored all of their points in the first half, highlighted by a 56-yard touchdown run by Ted Anderson, and held off the Cornhuskers in the second half to win 20-12.
The Ducks and Cornhuskers split the first two matchups and didn't see each other for nearly two decades afterward. When they did finally reunite, the series became very one-sided.
Big Red Domination
Oregon made another trip to Lincoln in 1971, 18 years after the Ducks last went to Nebraska and pulled out a win. This time, however, the Ducks ran into an unstoppable force, led by legendary Nebraska head coach Bob Devaney. The Cornhuskers held the Ducks to just 204 yards of offense en route to a 34-7 landslide victory at home. Nebraska's Gary Dixon rushed for three touchdowns, and Jeff Kinney rushed for 124 yards in the game.
That game came in the midst of Nebraska reaching the mountain top in college football. The Cornhuskers won the national championship in 1970 with Devaney and began their title defense against the Ducks. Nebraska would finish the 1971 season a perfect 13-0 with a win over Alabama in the Orange Bowl to clinch back-to-back titles for the first time in program history.
The win also began a five-game win streak in the series for the Cornhuskers over the Ducks. The blowouts in Nebraska's favor continued with a 61-7 win in 1974, followed by 63-0 and 48-14 wins in 1985 and 1986, respectively. The Cornhuskers didn't win a national championship in any of those seasons, but they were still atop the college football world as one of the most recognizable programs in the country. Oregon, meanwhile, didn't make a bowl game in any of those seasons.
Modern Classics
After another 30-year gap between matchups, the Ducks made the trip to Lincoln once again in 2016, marking five consecutive meetings in the series in Nebraska's building. 2016 was a dark season for the Ducks, finishing just 4-8 two seasons after making it to the national championship game. The Ducks began the season ranked, however, and traveled to Nebraska as the No. 22 team in the country.
Playing without preseason All-Americans running back Royce Freeman and left tackle Tyrell Crosby, the Ducks jumped out to a 20-7 lead on the road in the first half. After Nebraska mounted a furious rally in the third quarter, scoring three touchdowns and taking the lead, the Ducks turned to Kani Benoit, who rushed for 100 yards and a 41-yard score to bring the Ducks within two, trailing 28-26.
The Ducks later took the lead in the fourth quarter on a 1-yard touchdown run by Tony Brooks-James, but Nebraska was able to respond with a 34-yard touchdown run by quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr., which ultimately won the Cornhuskers the game, 35-32. Oregon went for two after all five touchdowns and only converted once, leaving four points on the board, which were ultimately the difference.
That was also the last time Nebraska won a game against a ranked opponent. Since then, including last week's loss to Indiana, the Cornhuskers have lost their last 31 games against ranked opponents.
The following season, Nebraska finally made the trip to Autzen Stadium for the first time. In the Ducks' only season under head coach Willie Taggart, they started fast against the Cornhuskers. Wearing their special "Stomp Out Cancer" uniforms, the Ducks leaped to a 42-14 halftime lead thanks to a trio of touchdown passes by Justin Herbert. He connected with Dillon Mitchell, Charles Nelson and Brenden Schooler for touchdowns, while Freeman rushed for 153 yards and two scores.
However, the Ducks were shut out after halftime and had to survive a comeback bid by Nebraska. Tanner Lee tossed three touchdowns as well and helped bring the Cornhuskers within a score late in the fourth quarter. However, turnovers plagued the Cornhuskers, as Lee tossed four interceptions, two of which were caught by Oregon true freshman Thomas Graham Jr.
Nebraska held the ball with a chance to score and tie the game with two minutes remaining. Instead, Lee was intercepted for the fourth time in the game, this time by Ugochukwu Amadi, and the Ducks escaped with a 42-35 win.
Looking Ahead
Nine years later, Oregon and Nebraska will meet in Eugene for the first time as conference foes. The Ducks are coming off one of their worst offensive performances ever, losing seven turnovers to UCLA in a 17-15 loss. Nebraska, meanwhile, held a late lead at home against Indiana, but a pair of big plays by the Hoosiers in the fourth quarter sunk the Cornhuskers in a 20-17 defeat.
Oregon has a decision to make at quarterback, with Dylan Raiola potentially making the start against the program he committed to as a five-star recruit and led for two seasons. Or, the Ducks could turn to another local product in Brock Thomas, who graduated from the same high school as Herbert and found success in relief of Raiola against UCLA.
Nebraska and Oregon will duel under the bright lights in Autzen Stadium on Oct. 17. The game is set to kick off at 8 p.m. PT and will air live on Fox.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Oregon and Nebraska set for 9th matchup in series history
