After Saturday's game between Oregon and Oregon State, a storied rivalry that dates back more than a century will go on hiatus. But perhaps not for long.
The Beavers will visit the No. 6 Ducks at Autzen Stadium in the 129th meeting between the two former Pac-12 rivals. The only time the series has been interrupted was during World War II.
It won't be played in 2026 because schedules were set a while ago, but earlier this year Oregon reworked a future series with Utah State, paving the way for the rivalry
to possibly resume in 2027.
"It's certainly a game that I hope stays on the schedule for the opportunity to get to play somebody in state. Obviously, we travel a little bit more in the Big Ten, I know their conference is going to be reset (next year) and be different, and they’re going to be traveling a little bit more," Oregon coach Dan Lanning said. "I think it makes sense to have teams that can play each other that are relatively close. I think it’s what, 129 years that this rivalry has existed? That’s something you’d like to keep alive.”
Both teams come into the game in very different places.
The defending Big Ten champion Ducks are 3-0 and coming off a 34-14 victory over Northwestern on the road — which, while a win, still resulted in dropping Oregon two spots from No. 4 in the AP Top 25.
The Beavers are 0-3 and are playing as independents this season before the new-look Pac-12 relaunches next season. They've lost nine of their last 10 games dating back to last season, when they went 5-7.
Oregon State is coming off a disheartening 45-14 loss at Texas Tech. Second-year coach Trent Bray, who played linebacker for the Beavers from 2002-05, was asked this week why he thought he was still the right person for the job.
“Well, I think for the same reason when I took over. That’s the love for this place, love this program," Bray said. "I think we've got good coaches. We've got good players. We've got to continue to get better and continue to get the best out of these guys.”
Oregon running back Noah Whittington was in uniform and warmed up before the game last Saturday against the Wildcats but did not play because of an undisclosed injury. His status for the game against the Beavers is “to be determined."
"We’ll see. You know, if he’s ready, we’ll have him out there," Lanning said.
Whittington has rushed for 159 yards on 14 carries with two touchdowns this season.
The Ducks, well known for their many uniforms, are revealing a new one for the game against Oregon State that honors Nike cofounders Phil Knight and the late Bill Bowerman.
Dubbed the “Shoe Duck” uniform, it features dark anthracite jerseys and pants with white numbers circled in gold, white marbleized helmets and gold cleats. A shoulder patch commemorates the handshake agreement between Knight and Bowerman to start what was then known as Blue Ribbon Sports.
“I think if anybody would have asked Phil in advance, he’d say, ‘No, no, thanks,’ right? But when we were able to present that to him, I think it meant a lot to him because of what it stood for,” Lanning said. “It’s not just about Phil, it’s about that partnership between him and the coach, and how that grew into an unbelievable brand and created a lot of success for a lot of people, obviously Oregon, but also a lot of people across the world.”
The Beavers have a solid passing attack, ranked No. 22 in the nation and averaging 304 yards a game.
Beavers QB Maalik Murphy, a transfer from Duke, has thrown for 896 yards and six TDs but also has five interceptions. His favorite target is Trent Walker, who has caught 23 passes for 302 yards but so far no touchdowns.
Murphy said the team must push past the adversity.
“What's already happened has already happened. There's nothing you could do about the past. All you could do is prepare for the future and do what you can do to write the next steps the way you want it, whether that's putting in extra work, whether that's watching extra film, you've got to do whatever you've got to do to make sure that history doesn't keep repeating itself,” Murphy said.
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