Beavers hope to have Rodgers available for crucial game

By Cliff Kirkpatrick
Gazette-Times Reporter

Stakes in the Civil War are the highest they’ve been since the turn of the century with who goes to the Rose Bowl on the line.

As Oregon State quarterback Sean Canfield put it moments after Saturday night’s win over Arizona, this will be one of the biggest games in Reser Stadium history.

The No. 17-ranked Beavers defeated the Wildcats to set the stage for the Pacific-10 Conference showdown with No. 19 Oregon at 4 p.m. on Saturday in Reser Stadium.

If the Beavers (8-3, 7-1) win, they are in the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1965. If the Ducks (8-3, 6-2) win, Southern California plays in the New Year’s Day game for the fourth straight time.

“We’re feeling good about the win (over Arizona), but we’ve got one more to go,” wide receiver James Rodgers said. “We’ll go in, watch the film and get ready for Oregon.”

The Beavers, however, may be without star tailback Jacquizz Rodgers. He has a second-degree AC joint sprain that he suffered in the first quarter Saturday night. That means there’s slight tearing of the ligaments.

His arm is in a sling, but there’s hope he’ll play this week, coach Mike Riley said Sunday night. It takes up to six weeks to be free of pain, so it’s a matter of how much discomfort he can take.

“What I’m hoping as the week goes by is it will all settle down into a pretty good deal,” Riley said. “For a couple of days he’ll be limited. It’s not long-term.”

Missing the Pac-10’s leading rusher didn’t stop the Beavers against the Wildcats. They continue to find a way to win against the odds.

That made Arizona coach Mike Stoops a believer in the Beavers. His team played USC, Oregon and OSU close.

“They’re awfully good,” Stoops said. “They’re blue collar and don’t rely on one particular guy. They don’t have any real first-team all-Pac-10 guys but that doesn’t matter. They play as a football team and do everything they need right.”

Both the Beavers and Ducks are ranked headed into this game for the first time since 2000, which was the last time the Civil War had such national implications.

The Beavers won that game, which was in Reser Stadium, and went to the Fiesta Bowl and the Ducks the Holiday Bowl.

Oregon is again in position to spoil its rival’s dream season. This time the Ducks hope to hop over the Beavers in the bowl pecking order.

If the Ducks win, they would tie the Beavers for second place in the conference as long as USC defeats UCLA as expected. That would force the Holiday Bowl to pick between the Ducks and Beavers as Pac-10 runner-ups.

Bowl officials could go with the team that just won head-to-head, or the one that has never been there and is expected to sell an abundance of tickets.

“This week is going to be an amazing game,” defensive end Victor Butler said. “They want to win, we want to win. There are two great coaches going at it. I can’t wait to see what happens.”

The Beavers are on a hot streak, winning six straight and eight of the last nine. The Ducks have been playing well,too, winning the last two and four of the last five.

Revenge is a factor for Oregon. The Beavers won last year in Eugene, snapping the 10-game streak of home team victories. The last time the Ducks won in Reser Stadium was 1996.

“When it’s over and when the clock strikes zero, whatever the score is, we have to have put the best effort we can put fourth and then go from there to a bowl game,” Butler said.