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| Saturday, November 18 Ducks fall in Civil War Associated Press | |||
| CORVALLIS, Ore. -- The Oregon Ducks entered Reser Stadium
unbeaten in the Pac-10 and closing in on a season for the ages.
They left as just another third-place team.
"I don't like to lose with class," coach Mike Bellotti said,
reserved as usual. "I don't like to lose, period."
The Ducks (No. 6 ESPN/USA Today, No. 5 AP) had little choice. Eighth-ranked Oregon State
pounded them in virtually every category during Saturday's 23-13
Civil War victory, beating their defensive backs and forcing six
turnovers from quarterback Joey Harrington.
"It's not his fault," receiver Marshaun Tucker said. "He went
out there and played hard, and that's all you can ask from a
quarterback."
Oregon (9-2, 7-1 Pac-10) still has a chance to reach 10
victories for the first time. The team's best record was 9-2 in
1948.
The Ducks, who had won eight games in a row, also still can go
to a good bowl game. If Oregon State is selected to a game in the
Bowl Championship Series, like the Fiesta Bowl, the Ducks would
move up to the Pac-10 second-place game, the Holiday Bowl in San
Diego.
If the Beavers settle for the Holiday, that bumps Oregon back to
the third-place game, the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas. The Ducks
played there last season and aren't eager to make a repeat
appearance.
"Whoever we play next, wherever we go, we still have an
opportunity to have the greatest record in Oregon football
history," Bellotti said.
"A 10-win season is a great thing," Harrington said. "We've
got another chance for it."
Others weren't so enthusiastic about playing for anything but
the Rose Bowl.
"Anything besides the Rose Bowl is a bummer right now,"
linebacker Matt Smith said.
"Fatal," was how Tucker described the game. "It was crucial
to us, knowing that we had our goals right there in our hands, and
we let it slip away."
| ALSO SEE
Oregon State breaks out early to upset OregonBeavers fall short of Rose Bowl, but fans still celebrate | ||
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