Washington-Oregon is a ‘great rivalry’ – and the Huskies players know it well
Kyler Gordon knows this Oregon rivalry well.
He remembers seeing the Huskies play the Ducks when he was young, and how intense the game was.
When he arrived on Washington’s campus in 2018, after wrapping up an all-state career at Archbishop Murphy not too far north of here, he made his college debut as a freshman against … Oregon.
Gordon appeared on special teams several times in that game, but could only watch along with his teammates as the then-No. 17 Ducks rushed for the game-winning touchdown in overtime, sending then-No. 7 UW home from Eugene with a heartbreaking loss.
He played more the next season, when the then-No. 12 Ducks made the trip to Seattle, on special teams and at cornerback, but Oregon won with a late touchdown again, leaving then-No. 25 UW with a second consecutive sour loss.
There was no chance at redemption last season, because the game was canceled. Now two years removed from the most recent entry in this fiery series, UW’s players — Gordon included — are determined to get back in the win column against the Ducks this Saturday afternoon.
“It means a lot,” Gordon said Wednesday of the longstanding rivalry. “Especially being able to see it grow so much from my freshman year to now, and be in some of those games and contribute. And then now finally having the role to be a main contributor in an Oregon game, I’m very excited to take that on, and do something about it.”
The Huskies’ fourth-year sophomore defensive back is one of 23 players on this season’s roster who has played in a game against the Ducks.
Only four UW players, though — running back Sean McGrew, center Luke Wattenberg, outside linebacker Ryan Bowman and punter Race Porter, all sixth-year seniors — have played in a game against Oregon the Huskies won.
That was in 2017, when the then-No. 12 Huskies delivered a decisive victory over a middling Ducks team for back-to-back wins in the series.
No current Huskies appeared in the game the season before, when UW broke the infamous streak and silenced Autzen Stadium by scoring a series-high 70 points. And none of these players were on campus in the seasons before that, when the Ducks piled up their 12 consecutive wins, though surely many of them remember that disheartening stretch.
Oregon had won 14 of 16 meetings between these two teams, including the past two, before last season’s cancellation. After already dealing with canceled games earlier on in 2020, the Huskies were at least set to meet their rival in Eugene midway through December. COVID-19 issues in UW’s program caused the Huskies to miss the trip.
The Huskies still won the Pac-12 North, finishing with the division’s highest winning percentage — UW went 3-1 — and qualifying for the conference championship game. That game wasn’t played either, though. They also had to withdraw from the meeting with Pac-12 South winner USC. Their replacement in the title game? Oregon, which of course went on to win a second consecutive conference crown.
Huskies coach Jimmy Lake spoke earlier this week about the high stakes this rivalry game often holds when it rolls around each year.
The conference champions four of the past five seasons have been the Huskies (2016 and 2018) and the Ducks (2019 and 2020), with USC winning once in between in 2017.
“Since the Pac-12 has split up the North and South, the three representatives of the North in the championship game have been Oregon, Stanford and Washington,” Lake said. “And so the facts are clear that those are the heavyweights of the Pac-12 North, and I made sure our guys knew that going into our game last week (against Stanford), and our guys know that going into the game this week.
“And they also know the magnitude of the proximity of our two schools and the history of why this is a rivalry, but I think first and foremost it’s a team that has represented the Pac-12 North and won the Pac-12 Championship … so we know we’re playing a quality opponent this Saturday.”
Even those on the Huskies’ roster who haven’t played in a game against Oregon yet in their careers know the weight the game carries each season.
“I feel like they understand, and then I feel like when we get on the field, it’s just going to amplify even more,” Gordon said.
Huskies quarterback Dylan Morris, another former high school standout from Washington, was in his first season at UW the last time the Ducks visited, his redshirt year, and took in the atmosphere, but the Graham-Kapowsin product’s familiarity with the rivalry goes back much further.
“I was on the sideline for that game two years ago, but being a Husky fan growing up, I’ve understood what the rivalry holds,” Morris said Tuesday. “So, I’m definitely excited for this game, and the whole team, we’re going to get into the history of the rivalry, and the energy is just a little different at practice.
“So, seeing one on the sidelines and now getting ready to play in one, I’m definitely excited.”
The anticipation seems to be shared throughout UW’s locker room, by those who will be playing in this game for the first time, and those who have lined up against Oregon in previous seasons.
“It’s a great rivalry,” said Wattenberg, who has started each of the past three meetings of these two programs. “They’re always a strong opponent, and I’m really excited to go against them again.”
Like most seasons, there is much to play for when Oregon arrives at Husky Stadium for a 4:30 p.m. kickoff Saturday.
The Ducks (7-1) enter the game having debuted at No. 4 in the first set of College Football Playoff rankings, which were released Tuesday. And with wins the past two weeks, the Huskies (4-4) have suddenly found themselves a victory away from pulling into a tie with their rivals for the division’s top spot.
“We’ve got to bring our best this week,” Wattenberg said.
This story was originally published November 3, 2021 at 6:02 PM.
