As fans are still reeling from the loss up at Washington, the Oregon Ducks are preparing to host Washington State. While this annual matchup might not hold as much weight as the Cascade Clash, there is a lot of history between these two teams.
The first thing that comes to mind when thinking of the history of this matchup is the classic game that occurred in Pullman last year. The Ducks were down big in the second half, and for a while, it looked like Dan Lanning and Co. would pick up an early second loss on the season. But, Bo Nix and the offense really started to rally, the Ducks took the lead in the final minutes and then sealed the game on a Mase Funa pick-six.
Obviously, there is a lot more history to this matchup than just that game. The two teams have played 93 times since 1901 when they matched up for the first time. The Ducks have an all-time record of 53-40 against the Cougars and are currently on a four-game win streak.
Washington State’s last win over Oregon came in 2018, and it was their 4th win in 4 years. One of the reasons for the Cougars’ dominance in that stretch was Luke Falk, the best QB in the history of the Pac-12 statistically. Falk played in three of the four games during Washington State’s win streak, and Oregon just didn’t seem to have an answer.
The stars of last year’s game were Cameron Ward and Bo Nix, both of whom are back and ready to go for Saturday. It also feels as though both of them have something to prove. Ward hasn’t played his best football the last few weeks and Nix just led the Ducks to a loss against Washington for the second year in a row, although he played quite well. All things considered, the QB matchup should make for a great game on Saturday as the Ducks try to increase their win streak over WSU to 5 years.
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