He politely dodged the question a bit, saying that he had some knowledge of all the big college football rivalries around the country.
But you could tell by his vague answer that, no, he had no frame of reference at all. After all, he was coaching in New Hampshire at the time, and, frankly, this get-together had some provincial relevance but rarely demanded national attention.
Yes, there was the requisite hostility, but there was rarely a display of athletic artistry that reached out and grabbed anybody without specific rooting interest.
Now, however, college football fans far from the Northwest will be checking out the Civil War this evening on ESPN because there’s something truly significant at stake.
For the first time in 113 meetings, the winner of this game is guaranteed a berth in the Rose Bowl. When this one is over, one of the teams is going to be passing around roses.
After trumpeting the Pacific-10 Conference’s success (five teams in the Top 25, and seven reaching bowl-eligible status) on a conference call this week, new commissioner Larry Scott acknowledged that the season has reached an unprecedented conclusion.
That either of these teams is at or near the top of the pack is not particularly newsworthy these days. Oregon’s status as a contender, buoyed by striking Nike-funded facilities, has been fairly constant since the mid-1990s.
The Beavers, meanwhile, have the third-most wins in the conference this decade, with a winning percentage of 65. In the ’90s, they won 26 percent, and 21 percent in the ’80s.
So those with a deeper perspective of this rivalry understand the meaning of tonight’s game when No 7 Oregon (9-2) plays host to No. 13 Oregon State (8-3).
And that’s something OSU coach Mike Riley has intentionally avoided placing on the shoulders of his Beavers.
He has served up small portions of the Beavs’ history at times, with a positive spin, pointing out to last year’s seniors that they had won more games than any group in school history.
But the tradition of losing, and the lengthy Rose Bowl drought (not appearing since after the 1964 season) … no, he doesn’t need to stress that.
“It’s not anything we really need to dwell on,” Riley said in a Tuesday conference call. “These guys don’t have to bear the burden of the past.”
The key at Oregon State, Riley said, has been good leadership and support, from the president on down, which has led to continuity in the program.
He also credited his predecessor, Dennis Erickson, with getting the program to nearly this level during his four-season stay ending after the 2002 season.
Erickson led the Beavers in the 2000 Civil War that featured two teams that were ranked even higher than they are now. Oregon was No. 5, OSU No. 8, as both had 9-1 records.
OSU won, 23-13, to keep Oregon out of the Rose Bowl. But Washington earned the berth over the Beavers by beating Washington State.
Last season, with the Beavers honing in on a Rose Bowl appearance, Oregon put together an offensive display that resulted in 694 yards and 65 points.
Kelly pulled out an old John Wooden quote to describe the Ducks’ performance, suggesting that competitive greatness is reached when you play your best when playing against the best.
Riley’s job this week has been to redirect the Beavers’ focus off that debacle.
“You hope you can learn from it,” Riley said. “We’ve pointed out making the focus not on the importance of the game, but on the preparation for the game. From that loss, we’ve got to learn strategically and mentally a little about how we get ready for the game.”
Trying to ready his team for the demands of playing at UO’s raucous Autzen Stadium, Riley has “tried to pipe in noise and create some distractions they can get used to,” he said. “But the focus has to be on the things that got us to this point … poise and discipline.”
Poise and discipline, sure. But it’s also important to try to ignore history as they head into this very historical game.
dave.boling@thenewstribune.com
