Smith’s Oregon State plays for bragging rights in Civil War
By ANNE M. PETERSON
Jonathan Smith played in four Civil War games between Oregon and Oregon State, but one moment stands out from 2000 when the No. 5 Ducks played the No. 8 Beavers.
Smith was quarterback for the Beavers while Joey Harrington was behind center for the Ducks. The game had big postseason implications for both teams.
Smith set the scene: “Sun was out. It was cold. Keith Jackson — the whole thing.”
He threw a pair of touchdown passes to Robert Prescott and Jake Cookus (currently an assistant for the Beavers) pulled down three of Oregon State’s five interceptions. The Beavers went on to win 23-13, reaching 10 wins for the first time in school history, then played in the Fiesta Bowl against Notre Dame. The Ducks finished 9-2 and played in the Holiday Bowl.
“When you go 10-1 at a school that has never been 10-1, and was at rock bottom a few years ago, it doesn’t get any better than that,” Beavers coach Dennis Erickson said afterward.
Smith said this week: “Probably one of my favorite memories of playing was taking a knee to win that game.”
The other Civil War that sticks out for Smith is the 1998 double-overtime Oregon State victory. He finished his career 2-2 in the rivalry game.
The stakes are nowhere near as high in the 122nd Civil War. The Beavers (29, 1-7 Pac-12) are essentially playing for bragging rights in Smith’s first season as head coach in Corvallis.
The Ducks (7-4, 4-4) are looking to improve their bowl prospects. First-year Ducks coach Mario Cristobal said emphasizing the postseason implications is just part of the team’s preparation.
“I think you always assess yourself, the opponent, you talk about both. We’re rebuilding a program, too,” he said. “To me that’s the biggest focus of anything else. We’ve got to understand where we are, where we’re going and the progress that we’ve made, and we want to continue it, so I’d say the bulk of the focus is on that.”
Oregon leads the all-time series 64-47-10.
Here are some other things to know when Oregon and Oregon State meet: he stays in Eugene, he’ll get a chance to play with brother Patrick, a four-star tight end who has committed to the Ducks.
Herbert has passed for 2,883 yards with 27 touchdowns this season. His streak of 26 games with a TD pass is the longest current streak in the nation.