Oregon Defeats Oregon State 37-33 In War For The Roses, Will Face Ohio State Next

SB Nation's Oregon blog Addicted To Quack and our Oregon State blog Building The Dam have been discussing, analyzing and previewing this game every way possible all week long. Head to those sites to see all their fine week's worth of work, which was culminated with the two sides interviewing each other (here and here) about what to expect Thursday night.

For the game preview, here's Sports Network's take:

In a bitter and long-standing rivalry known as the "Civil War", the seventh-ranked Oregon Ducks and 13th-ranked Oregon State Beavers will battle for the Pac-10 Conference title and a berth in the Rose Bowl.

This showdown marks the first time that both teams have entered the game with the "winner take all" scenario, surprising considering that the rivals are meeting for the 113th time. Oregon leads the overall series with Oregon State by a 56-46-10 margin, which includes a 65-38 romp over the Beavers in Corvallis a season ago.

Oregon State carries a four-game win streak into this game, and the current string of strong play has allowed the squad to move to 8-3 overall. The Beavers have been idle since November 21st when they crushed Washington State by a 42-10 final. They are 6-2 in Pac-10 action and have been competitive in every loss this season.

"I'm really proud of how these guys have battled back to this point," said Oregon State head coach Mike Riley after the romp over Washington State. "I think we'll have one of the great matchups for the Civil War ever. It's pretty exciting stuff."

Oregon is 9-2 overall, including a league-best 7-1 against Pac-10 opposition. The Ducks have won their last two outings, including a thrilling 44-41 overtime victory over Arizona two weeks ago in their most recent game. They have scored more than 40 points in five consecutive outings, proof of the explosiveness of their offense. Oregon's only two losses have come against Boise State, which is still undefeated, and Stanford. Both of those games took place on the road.

Few college football fans know anything about Sean Canfield, but the Oregon State quarterback certainly deserves credit for his outstanding play this season. Canfield has completed 70.3 percent of his passes for 2,797 yards with 19 touchdowns against six interceptions, strong numbers by most standards. He has certainly benefited from the presence of the Rogers brothers, Jacquizz and James, who are two of the most dynamic playmakers in the nation. Jacquizz Rogers leads the team in rushing with 1,313 yards and 19 touchdowns while placing second on the team with 67 catches. As for James Rodgers, he is tops in receiving with 77 catches for 865 yards and eight scores while also ranking second in rushing.

"It will be a tough test at Autzen, very loud," said Canfield, looking forward to Thursday's affair. "I've never started against Oregon, or played against Oregon for that matter. It will be fun."

Oregon State is scoring 32.4 ppg this season to go along with 422.2 total ypg. The Beavers are have only turned the ball over eight times in 11 outings, perhaps the most impressive stat of all.

Defensively, the Beavers have been rather mediocre this season, as the team is allowing 22.2 ppg and 340.5 total ypg. Oregon State has done its best work against the run, limiting the opposition to 98.5 ypg at a clip of 3.5 yards per carry. Unfortunately, the pass defense hasn't been nearly as stout. Keaton Kristick is certainly a player worth watching, as he has recorded 80 total tackles to lead the Beavers. Kristick has seven TFLs to his credit and two interceptions.

Against lowly Washington State last time out, Oregon State racked up 567 total yards, with 283 yards on the ground and 284 coming through the air. Jacquizz Rogers strengthened his darkhorse Heisman campaign with 165 rushing yards and two touchdown on 24 carries. Canfield threw for 231 yards and two scores, while James Rodgers was rather quiet.

As expected, the Oregon State defense was dominant against Washington State, limiting the lowly Cougars to 192 total yards and one touchdown. The Beavers enabled fewer than half of the passes they attempted to be completed and permitted a mere 2.5 yards per rushing attempt.

The strength of the Oregon offense is its ground attack, which has accounted for a staggering total of 32 touchdowns. The Ducks have registered a total of 47 offensive touchdowns and are scoring 37.7 ppg while generating 418.8 ypg. LaMichael James is a dynamic tailback who has posted 1,310 yards and 11 touchdowns while averaging 6.9 yards per rushing attempt. As for Jeremiah Masoli, the team's quarterback, he has thrown 14 touchdowns against only four interceptions, while rushing for 619 yards and 12 scores. There is plenty of talent at the wide receiver position, and Masoli does a terrific job of spreading the ball around.

Oregon does not possess any star caliber defensive players on the roster, but there are a number of individuals who have made positive contributions this season. Javes Lewis leads the Ducks with 72 total tackles, and he has forced three fumbles. As for Kenny Rowe, he has posted seven sacks. Oregon is allowing 22.7 ppg and 324.0 total ypg this season. The team has permitted 14 passing touchdowns and 14 rushing scores, and while the defensive unit isn't exactly dominant, the group is usually overshadowed by Masoli and the offense.

In the thrilling win over Arizona last time out, Masoli played arguably the best game of his career. Not only did the signal caller pass for 284 yards and three touchdowns, he also rushed for three scores. James carried the ball 19 times for 117 yards, and Jeff Maehl caught 12 passes for 114 yards and two touchdowns.

"Its very hard to explain how to control an offense like theirs," said Arizona head coach Mike Stoops of Oregon.

Defensively, Oregon clearly struggled against Arizona, yielding 441 yards and five touchdowns, four of which were passing scores. On a positive note, the Ducks held the Wildcats scoreless on three of seven trips to the red zone.

Oregon gets the nod in this game, as the homefield advantage will be key. Masoli and James will be too much for the Beavers to handle.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Oregon 34, Oregon State 27