A year ago, it was the Oregon State Beavers who proved to be a more physical team in the Civil War, running the ball 17 straight times in the fourth quarter to complete a big-time comeback and ruin the Oregon Ducks’ Cac-12 Championship hopes.
That wasn’t the case this year, with Tosh Lupoi and the Ducks’ defense stepping up in a major way, completely shutting down DJ Uiagalelei, Damien Martinez, and the rest of the Beavers’ offense while giving up just seven points and blowing out their in-state rivals.
It was the type of performance that makes a statement on a rivalry weekend where a lot of the top teams in the nation got pushed in close games.
It’s also the type of game that has Oregon’s defensive statistics rising in the national rankings. Here’s a look at where they now stand going into Conference Championship weekend.