Oregon vs Oregon: the 118th Civil War is Today

Kickoff is set for 5:14 p.m. PT between the University of Oregon Ducks and Oregon State Beavers at Reeser Stadium, with a national telecast on ABC.

(CORVALLIS, Ore.) - Today's Civil War game marks the 118th meeting of the Ducks and Beavers in the Civil War, the longest-running college football rivalry west of the Rocky Mountains.

The Ducks hold a 61-46-10 advantage in the all-time series and have a 29-9-1 (.756) mark vs. The Beavers since 1975, including wins in six straight.

UO is 28-18-5 all-time vs. OSU in Corvallis, including three straight wins at Reeser Stadium. That .598 winning percentage is better than the Ducks have vs. the Beavs in Eugene (.544). Oregon’s 61 wins over the Beavers are nine more than against any other opponent (Idaho, 52).

The Ducks sport the best overall record in college football this decade at 57-7 (89.1%). UO’s 79% success rate vs. top 25 opponents (15-4) is also the best in the land.

Head Coach Mark Helfrich

Oregon Head Coach Mark Helfrich’s formula proved to be successful in 2013. In guiding the Ducks to a first-year mark of 11-2 and a 30-7 Alamo Bowl triumph over Texas, the number of wins equaled three others for the conference record for success by a first-year head coach as well as surpassed his predecessor Chip Kelly’s previous Oregon pinnacle for most wins by a rookie head coach.

In addition, Helfrich joined Ducks’ alum John Robinson (USC, 1976) as the league’s only other coach to win a bowl games in his inaugural season. Only four other squads in school history have ever won as many as 11 football games in a single season (2001, 2010, 2011, 2012) – the former Oregon graduate assistant coach (1997) made it a fifth.

Mark Helfrich has picked up wins in 21 of his first 24 games as a head coach which matches the best start by a coach in over 64 years. Helfrich is tied with former Ducks’ coach Chip Kelly. California’s Pappy Waldorf went 22-2 during his first 24 games at the helm of the Golden Bears program starting in 1947 to record the best start in league history.

Another Game, Another “Super Mariota” Touchdown

Marcus Mariota continued his streak of passing touchdowns with three in Oregon’s 44-10 win over Colorado. The junior has thrown at least one touchdown pass in all 37 games of his career, totaling 95 scores through the air.

Marcus Mariota is at it again. The Ducks third-year starter is putting together a junior season that is as good as any quarterback in the country. Mariota currently leads the nation in quarterback rating at 185.19.

When Marcus Mariota reached the 2,000-yard rushing mark against Colorado he joined an elite club of quarterbacks who have rushed for 2,000 yards in their career while also passing for more than 9,000 yards.

Mariota became just the sixth player all-time to reach both marks joining Dan LeFevour, Robert Griffin III, Colin Kaepernick, Tim Tebow, and Cody Fajardo. Mariota and LeFevour are the only players to do it in three seasons.

A factor in Marcus Mariota’s ability to pile up so many school records has been his poise and consistency from the moment he stepped on the field as a redshirt freshman in 2012. In fact, that level of consistency from a quarterback, in terms of passing for touchdowns, is unmatched in major college football history as evidenced by Mariota becoming the first player ever to throw 30 or more touchdown passes as a freshman (32), sophomore (31) and junior (32).

Overall, Oregon has thrown a touchdown pass in 64 straight games setting a new Pac-12 Conference record (Stanford held the old record of 36 from 1977-81).

The Quack Attack is Fast & Furious

Slowing down Oregon’s offense isn’t easy. The Ducks boast a number of weapons that Marcus Mariota has utilized to become arguably the best player in college football. UO has had 11 different receivers, including Mariota, catch at least one touchdown pass this season. Eleven different players catching a TD pass is tied for the second most in the country, with Oregon’s 11 grabbing the most touchdowns (34).

While most teams are lucky to have one quality back to carry the load on offense, the Ducks have three tailbacks who have started games during their respective careers.

Junior Byron Marshall, sophomore Thomas Tyner and true freshman Royce Freeman share the workload in the backfield while giving opposing defenses three different backs to prepare for in the game plan.

Royce Freeman has compiled just the 21st 1,000-yard rushing season in Oregon history. The freshman ball carrier heads into the Oregon State game with 1,050 yards and joined teammate Byron Marshall in the exclusive club that includes just 17 Oregon greats. Freeman also became just the second freshman to rush for over 1,000 yards as well as the first true freshman. LaMichael James gained 1,546 rushing yards as a redshirt freshman in 2009.

True freshman Royce Freeman returned to the end zone with two touchdown runs against Colorado on Nov. 22. The Ducks’ running back now has 16 rushing touchdowns, the most by a true freshman in Oregon history and the 10th most by any player in the nation this season. Freeman’s best game this season came when he rushed for four touchdowns in a win over Washington. The four rushing TDs were the most by a Duck since Kenjon Barner rushed for five against USC on Nov. 3, 2012. The Imperial, Calif., native has six double-digit touchdown games this season.

Freeman is closing in on the most rushing TDs by any player in Oregon history. His 16 rushing touchdowns are the fifth most in school history and he needs just six more to set the single-season school record. Freeman is tied for fifth in single-season total TDs and needs nine more to set a new school record. Marshall put together his second career 200-yard all-purpose game with 228 total yards against South Dakota, following his career-high 246 all-purpose yards in a win over Washington State last season.

Receiver Devon Allen has already proven that he is a true two-sport star at the collegiate level. The Ducks redshirt freshman is Oregon’s second leading receiver with 613 receiving yards, thanks in part to a pair of 100-yard receiving games.

House of Loud Expected to Rumble

Last year had record attendance and record excitement. With a standing room only crowd of 55,891 at Autzen Stadium on Nov. 22 vs. Colorado, the Ducks ran the nation’s third-longest sellout streak to 103 consecutive games (cap. 54,000), dating to 1999.

When the players hit the field, the crowd will see the specially designed uniforms for the 2014 Civil War.

For the third year in a row, the Ducks are taking the field wearing the fully integrated Nike uniform system that debuted at the 2012 Rose Bowl.

The uniform incorporates pinnacle performance innovation and design while providing enhanced thermoregulation and more durability with the inclusion of Nike Chain Maille Mesh - a lightweight ultra-breathable material - used in both the jersey and pant.

The Ducks will also utilize Nike Mach Speed uniform elements from last season’s Alamo Bowl.

Kickoff is set for 5:14 p.m. PT between the University of Oregon Ducks and Oregon State Beavers at Reeser Stadium, with a national telecast on ABC.