Oregon–Washington football rivalry

The Oregon–Washington football rivalry, also known by fans as the Border War or the Cascade Clash, is an American college football rivalry between the Oregon Ducks and Washington Huskies of the Pac-12 Conference. The respective campuses in Eugene and Seattle are 285 miles (460 km) apart, via Interstate 5. It is often regarded by fans as the fiercest and most competitive rivalry for both sides.

Oregon–Washington football rivalry
Oregon Ducks
Washington Huskies
First meetingDecember 1, 1900
Oregon, 43–0
Latest meetingOctober 14, 2023
Washington, 36–33
Next meeting2024, Eugene, Oregon
StadiumsAutzen Stadium
Husky Stadium
Statistics
Meetings total115
All-time seriesWashington leads, 62–48–5 (.561)[1]
Largest victoryWashington, 66–0 (1974)
Longest win streakOregon, 12 (2004–2015)
Current win streakWashington, 2 (2022–present)
🌍
Locations of the University of Oregon (1) and University of Washington (2).

It is one of the most played rivalries in NCAA Division I FBS history, and has been played regularly since 1900.[2]

Series history

Early years

The series opened in 1900, with Oregon dominating Washington 43-0 in Eugene.[3]

The rivalry became heated from Oregon's perspective in 1948, when Oregon and California both went undefeated in the Pacific Coast Conference.[4] California was undefeated overall, and Oregon's only loss was at undefeated Michigan,[5][6] that year's national champions. The Webfoots (as the Ducks were then known) had seven victories in the PCC to Cal's six. The winner of the PCC, as is today with the Pac-12, played in the Rose Bowl. Oregon, led by quarterback Norm Van Brocklin and halfback John McKay,[7] opted for a playoff game, but California declined.[8] The tiebreaker format the PCC elected to use was that the championship team be elected by the schools. The PCC had ten member schools in 1948, six in the Northwest (with Idaho and Montana) and four in California, so it was assumed that Oregon would be the team playing in the Rose Bowl, as even a 5–5 tie vote would be in their favor.[9] Instead California was voted champion of the PCC,[8][10] because Washington had persuaded Montana to vote for California, something that has not been forgotten by Oregon fans.[6][11] (The PCC allowed a second bowl team that season and Oregon went to the Cotton Bowl,[12] but lost 21–13 to hometown SMU in Dallas. California lost to twice-beaten Northwestern by six points in the Rose Bowl.)[13]

1950s and 1960s

All-Pacific Coast Conference fullback Hugh McElhenny and the Huskies ran up the score on Oregon, 63-6 in 1951[14] in what was at the time the most lopsided score of the series.[15]

In 1962, Larry Hill of Oregon was tackled by Washington fans who had rushed onto the field at Husky Stadium while he was trying to catch the tie-breaking touchdown on the game's final play.[16]

1970s and 1980s

In 1973, the Ducks exceeded the 57 point loss margin that the Huskies had inflicted on them in 1951 with a 58-0 shutout in Eugene. The following season, the Huskies returned the favor, shutting out the Ducks 66-0 in Seattle.[14]

From 1974 through 1986, the Huskies won 12 of 13 games against the Ducks.[15]

1990s and later

In 1995, Washington head coach Jim Lambright unsuccessfully lobbied for the Huskies to be selected to play in the Cotton Bowl instead of the Ducks.[17] Seattle Post Intelligencer columnist Bud Withers wrote that Lambright's actions "invited at least another half-century worth of bile from Oregon fans."

After winning four of six over Lambright in the 1990s, the rivalry was given another boost in Oregon eyes when Colorado head coach Rick Neuheisel moved to Washington in 1999. At the 1996 Cotton Bowl between #12 Oregon and #7 Colorado, Neuheisel called for a fake punt while the Buffaloes led 32–6 with less than five minutes left.[18] Oregon coach Mike Bellotti was also accused of turning Neuheisel in for recruiting during the dead period. The Ducks were 1–2 against the Huskies under Neuheisel, and the rivalry grew even more when Neuheisel celebrated by taking photos and jumping up and down on the "O" in the middle of the field after a win at Autzen Stadium in 2002.[19][20] Two years earlier,[21] the Ducks' victory in 2000 in Eugene spoiled an otherwise undefeated season for the Huskies, who won the Rose Bowl and finished third in the nation.[22] Due to Pac-10 scheduling, the teams did not meet in 2001,[23] the first break in the rivalry since the hiatus in 1943 and 1944 due to World War II.[24]

From 2004 through 2015, the Ducks won 12 straight games against the Huskies, the longest streak of the series for either team.[25]

Through 2021, Washington leads 61–48–5 (.557). The Huskies went 18–4 from 1972 to 1993 (mostly under Don James, 15–3), but Oregon then went 17–4 from 1994 through 2015. The Ducks won 12 straight from 2004 to 2015, the longest run by either team in the series; the closest margin was six points (26–20) in 2015. It ended in 2016 when the fifth-ranked Huskies won 70–21 in Eugene, a game that set series scoring records for one team (70 points) and both teams (91).[26] Washington followed it up with a 38–3 home win in 2017. Oregon ended their 2-game losing streak in the series in 2018 with a 30–27 overtime win over Washington in Eugene, the first overtime game in the rivalry's history. In the 2019 rendition in Seattle, the Ducks came back from a 14-point deficit in the 2nd half to prevail 35–31 over the Huskies. It was the 2nd consecutive meeting in which both teams were ranked, and 7th all-time. The 2020 game was canceled due to increasing COVID-19 cases in the Washington football program.[27]

"The Pick"

Arguably the most iconic moment in the history of the rivalry for Ducks fans happened in 1994, when Oregon freshman cornerback Kenny Wheaton intercepted Washington quarterback Damon Huard and returned the ball 97 yards for a touchdown with under a minute to play to seal a 31–20 upset win that snapped a five-game losing streak in the series for the Ducks and set them on course for what would become their first conference championship (and trip to the Rose Bowl) since 1957. This play, coined "The Pick",[28] is widely credited as the turning point for the Oregon football program on their way to becoming nationally relevant in the decades that followed. It also swung momentum in the rivalry that was until then mostly dominated by the Huskies 54-28-5, with Oregon notching a 17–4 record against Washington from The Pick until the end of The Streak. Just before kickoff of every Ducks home game, a replay of "The Pick" is shown on the Autzen Stadium video board, always accompanied by a loud and gleeful reaction.

"The Streak"

Oregon beat Washington in 12 straight games from 2004–2015, the largest winning streak in the rivalry.[29]

This streak correlated with Oregon's most successful era of football and Washington's least. The Ducks went 120–36 (.769) over these 12 seasons, with two national championship game appearances, four conference titles, two Rose Bowl victories, and a Heisman Trophy winner. Meanwhile, the Huskies went 62–88 (.413) including a winless 0–12 in 2008.

"The Point" and 70 point victory

The Huskies finally snapped their losing streak in 2016 with a dominating 70–21 win over the Ducks in Eugene.[30] This was the first time an opponent had scored 70 points in Autzen Stadium's history, and the first time an Oregon team had allowed 70 points or more in a game since a 71-7 loss to the Texas Longhorns in 1941. The 2016 Huskies would go on to finish the regular season 12–1, win the Pac-12 Championship, and face Alabama in the CFP semifinal Peach Bowl. Their win vs. Oregon was seen as a major realignment in the power ranking of the Pac-12 North. In contrast to the Huskies, Oregon would go on to finish the season 4-8, resulting in head coach Mark Helfrich being fired at the end of the season.[30]

On the game's first play from scrimmage, Ducks quarterback Justin Herbert, making his first college start, was intercepted by Huskies cornerback Budda Baker. Four plays later, QB Jake Browning scored the first of the Huskies' ten touchdowns on a 1-yard run. As he crossed the goal line Browning pointed his left index finger at trailing linebacker Jimmie Swain, who was clad in a throwback blue and yellow Oregon Webfoots jersey.[31] This gesture became known as The Point after sideline photographs of the play went viral across social media during and after the game.[32]

First ever Top 10 matchup

The 2023 matchup between 8th ranked Oregon and 7th ranked Washington, the final regular season game between the two teams before both left the Pac 12 for the Big 10, was the first ever where both teams were ranked within the top ten in the AP Poll.[33] In front of a sold out Husky Stadium,[34] Washington defeated Oregon 33-36 in what was immediately considered one of the greatest games in the history of the rivalry.[35] Despite having stopped two red-zone fourth down conversion attempts by Oregon, Washington trailed with two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. After Oregon failed to convert another fourth down to end the game, Washington's quarterback Michael Penix Jr. connected with receiver Rome Odunze for a game winning touchdown after a drive spanning just two plays.[36] With four seconds on the clock and one timeout remaining, Oregon kicker Camden Lewis missed a 43 yard field goal attempt, giving the Huskies the win.[37]

Game results
Oregon victoriesWashington victoriesTie games
No.DateLocationWinnerScore
1 December 1, 1900 Eugene, OR Oregon 43–0
2 November 14, 1903 Seattle, WA Washington 6–5
3 November 12, 1904 Eugene, OR Oregon 18–0
4 November 18, 1905 Eugene, OR Tie12–12
5 November 20, 1906 Eugene, OR Oregon 16–6
6 November 16, 1907 Seattle, WA Oregon 6–0
7 November 14, 1908 Eugene, OR Washington 15–0
8 November 25, 1909 Seattle, WA Washington 20–6
9 November 18, 1911 Portland, OR Washington 29–3
10 November 16, 1912 Seattle, WA Washington 30–14
11 November 15, 1913 Portland, OR Washington 10–7
12 November 14, 1914 Seattle, WA Washington 10–0
13 November 4, 1916 Eugene, OR Tie0–0
14 November 30, 1918 Eugene, OR Oregon 7–0
15 November 1, 1919 Seattle, WA Oregon 24–13
16 November 13, 1920 Eugene, OR Oregon 17–0
17 November 30, 1922 Seattle, WA Tie3–3
18 December 1, 1923 Seattle, WA Washington 26–7
19 November 1, 1924 Eugene, OR Oregon 7–3
20 November 26, 1925 Seattle, WA Washington 15–14
21 October 9, 1926 Portland, OR Washington 23–9
22 November 24, 1927 Seattle, WA Washington 7–0
23 October 20, 1928 Portland, OR Oregon 27–0
24 October 26, 1929 Seattle, WA Oregon 14–0
25 October 18, 1930 Portland, OR Oregon 7–0
26 October 10, 1931 Seattle, WA Oregon 13–0
27 October 8, 1932 Portland, OR Tie0–0
28 October 14, 1933 Seattle, WA Oregon 6–0
29 October 13, 1934 Portland, OR Washington 16–6
30 November 23, 1935 Seattle, WA Oregon 7–6
31 October 31, 1936 Portland, OR #4 Washington 7–0
32 November 20, 1937 Seattle, WA Washington 14–0
33 November 19, 1938 Portland, OR Oregon 3–0
34 November 23, 1939 Seattle, WA Washington 20–13
35 October 12, 1940 Portland, OR Washington 10–0
36 November 22, 1941 Seattle, WA Oregon 19–16
37 October 10, 1942 Portland, OR Washington 15–7
38 September 29, 1945 Seattle, WA Washington 20–6
39 November 3, 1945 Portland, OR #18 Washington 7–0
40 November 16, 1946 Seattle, WA Washington 16–0
41 October 18, 1947 Portland, OR Oregon 6–0
42 November 6, 1948 Seattle, WA #16 Oregon 13–7
43 November 5, 1949 Portland, OR Washington 28–7
44 November 11, 1950 Seattle, WA #17 Washington 27–13
45 October 13, 1951 Portland, OR Washington 63–6
46 October 18, 1952 Seattle, WA Washington 49–0
47 October 17, 1953 Portland, OR Washington 14–6
48 October 30, 1954 Seattle, WA Oregon 26–7
49 October 1, 1955 Portland, OR #19 Washington 19–7
50 October 13, 1956 Seattle, WA Washington 20–7
51 November 9, 1957 Portland, OR Washington 13–6
52 November 1, 1958 Seattle, WA Washington 6–0
53 October 24, 1959 Portland, OR Washington 13–12
54 October 29, 1960 Seattle, WA #9 Washington 7–6
55 October 28, 1961 Portland, OR Oregon 7–6
56 October 27, 1962 Seattle, WA Tie21–21
57 October 26, 1963 Portland, OR Washington 26–19
58 October 24, 1964 Seattle, WA Oregon 7–0
No.DateLocationWinnerScore
59 October 23, 1965 Portland, OR Washington 24–0
60 October 22, 1966 Seattle, WA Washington 10–7
61 October 14, 1967 Eugene, OR Washington 26–0
62 October 12, 1968 Seattle, WA Oregon 3–0
63 October 25, 1969 Eugene, OR Oregon 22–7
64 October 31, 1970 Seattle, WA Washington 25–23
65 October 16, 1971 Eugene, OR Oregon 23–21
66 October 7, 1972 Seattle, WA #11 Washington 23–17
67 October 27, 1973 Eugene, OR Oregon 58–0
68 October 26, 1974 Seattle, WA Washington 66–0
69 October 4, 1975 Eugene, OR Washington 27–17
70 October 23, 1976 Seattle, WA Washington 14–7
71 October 8, 1977 Eugene, OR Washington 54–0
72 October 21, 1978 Seattle, WA Washington 20–14
73 September 22, 1979 Eugene, OR #12 Washington 21–17
74 September 27, 1980 Seattle, WA Oregon 34–10
75 September 26, 1981 Eugene, OR #16 Washington 17–3
76 September 25, 1982 Seattle, WA #1 Washington 37–21
77 October 22, 1983 Eugene, OR #14 Washington 32–3
78 October 20, 1984 Seattle, WA #1 Washington 17–3
79 October 5, 1985 Eugene, OR Washington 19–13
80 October 25, 1986 Seattle, WA #8 Washington 38–3
81 October 3, 1987 Eugene, OR Oregon 29–22
82 October 22, 1988 Eugene, OR Oregon 17–14
83 October 14, 1989 Seattle, WA Washington 20–14
84 October 13, 1990 Seattle, WA #17 Washington 38–17
85 October 26, 1991 Seattle, WA #3 Washington 29–7
86 October 17, 1992 Eugene, OR #1 Washington 24–3
87 October 23, 1993 Seattle, WA #22 Washington 21–6
88 October 22, 1994 Eugene, OR Oregon 31–20
89 November 4, 1995 Seattle, WA #19 Oregon 24–22
90 October 26, 1996 Eugene, OR #23 Washington 33–14
91 November 8, 1997 Seattle, WA Oregon 31–28
92 November 7, 1998 Eugene, OR #21 Oregon 27–22
93 October 2, 1999 Seattle, WA Washington 34–20
94 September 30, 2000 Eugene, OR #20 Oregon 23–16
95 November 16, 2002 Eugene, OR Washington 42–14
96 November 1, 2003 Seattle, WA Washington 42–10
97 October 30, 2004 Eugene, OR Oregon 31–6
98 October 15, 2005 Eugene, OR #20 Oregon 45–21
99 November 4, 2006 Eugene, OR #24 Oregon 34–14
100 October 20, 2007 Seattle, WA #7 Oregon 55–34
101 August 30, 2008 Eugene, OR #21 Oregon 44–10
102 October 24, 2009 Seattle, WA #12 Oregon 43–19
103 November 6, 2010 Eugene, OR #1 Oregon 53–16
104 November 5, 2011 Seattle, WA #6 Oregon 34–17
105 October 6, 2012 Eugene, OR #2 Oregon 52–21
106 October 12, 2013 Seattle, WA #2 Oregon 45–24
107 October 18, 2014 Eugene, OR #9 Oregon 45–20
108 October 17, 2015 Seattle, WA Oregon 26–20
109 October 8, 2016 Eugene, OR #5 Washington 70–21
110 November 4, 2017 Seattle, WA #12 Washington 38–3
111 October 13, 2018 Eugene, OR #17 Oregon 30–27OT
112 October 19, 2019 Seattle, WA #12 Oregon 35–31
113 November 6, 2021 Seattle, WA #4 Oregon 26–16
114 November 12, 2022 Eugene, OR #25 Washington 37–34
115 October 14, 2023 Seattle, WA #7 Washington 36–33
Series: Washington leads 62–48–5[1]
  • Oregon's home games against Washington were played in Portland from 1911–1913 and 1926–1965.

Coaching records

Since 1945

Oregon
Head Coach Team Games Seasons Wins Losses Ties Pct.
Tex OliverOregon31945–1946030.000
Jim AikenOregon41947–1950220.500
Len Casanova       Oregon161951–19663121.219
Jerry FreiOregon51967–1971320.600
Dick Enright    Oregon    21972–1973110.500
Don ReadOregon31974–1976120.333
Rich BrooksOregon181977–19944140.222
Mike BellottiOregon131995–2008940.692
Chip KellyOregon42009–201240 1.000 
Mark HelfrichOregon42013–201631 .750
Willie TaggartOregon1201701 .000
Mario CristobalOregon32018–202130 1.000 
Dan LanningOregon22022–02 .000
Source:[38]

Washington
Head Coach Team Games Seasons Wins Losses Ties Pct.
Ralph WelchWashington41945–1947310.750
Howard OdellWashington51948–1952410.800
John CherbergWashington31953–1955210.667
Darrell Royal Washington 119561001.000 
Jim OwensWashington181957–19741161.639
Don JamesWashington181975–19921530.833
Jim LambrightWashington61993–1998240.333
Rick NeuheiselWashington31999–200221 .667
Keith GilbertsonWashington22003–200411 .500
Tyrone WillinghamWashington42005–200804 .000
Steve SarkisianWashington52009–201305 .000
Chris PetersenWashington62014–201924 .333
Jimmy LakeWashington12020–202101 .000
Kalen DeBoerWashington22022–20 1.000
Source:[39]

See also

References
  1. "Winsipedia - Oregon Ducks vs. Washington Huskies football series history". Winsipedia.
  2. Raley, Dan (October 29, 2004). "Nothing neighborly about Huskies vs. Ducks". Seattle Post Intelligencer. Retrieved March 23, 2009.
  3. Peterson, Anne M. (November 13, 2002), "Oregon-Washington Rivalry Renewed", Edwardsville Intelligencer
  4. "Final Coast Conference standings". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. November 21, 1948. p. 1.
  5. Strite, Dick (October 3, 1948). "Oregon suffers 14-0 loss, but shows real class". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. p. 1.
  6. Bellamy, Ron (September 19, 2003). "Ducks have been shut out of success against the Wolverines". Euegene Register-Guard. Oregon. p. B1.
  7. Clark, Bob (September 3, 1998). "Top Ducks". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. p. 3D.
  8. "California Bears get Rose Bowl Bid". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. United Press. November 22, 1948. p. 1.
  9. "Unofficially, its Northwestern in the Rose Bowl; Oregon would like bid". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. November 22, 1948. p. 11.
  10. "Northwestern, California get nominations to Rose Bowl". Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. November 23, 1948. p. 4, part 2.
  11. Smith, Shelley (April 20, 2001). "Oregon-Washington: "We know they hate us"". ESPN Classic. Retrieved October 20, 2009.
  12. "Oregon to play in Cotton Bowl". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. November 27, 1948. p. 1.
  13. Strite, Dick (January 2, 1949). "Oregon, Cal both drop bowl games". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. p. 1.
  14. Stone, Larry (October 12, 2018), "Boiling Point? Ducks sure to be looking for revenge on Jake Browning's famous finger wag at Autzen", The Seattle Times
  15. "Game Log for Washington Huskies versus Oregon Ducks". Winspedia.com. Hazzah LLC. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  16. Strite, Dick (October 28, 1962). "Rallying Ducks battle Huskies to tie". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). p. 1B.
  17. Conrad, John (November 14, 1995). "Ducks, Huskies fightin' again". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). p. 1D.
  18. Bellamy, Ron (January 2, 1996). "Fake punt: Ducks think it adds insult to their injury". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). p. 5C.
  19. Hansen, Chris (November 17, 2002). "Huskies party at Ducks' expense". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). p. 4D.
  20. Condotta, Bob (October 28, 2003). "Ducks still have dander up". The Seattle Times. Retrieved March 24, 2022. After UW's win last season [in 2002], the Huskies lingered on the field for 20 to 30 minutes, stomping on the Oregon "O" at midfield, posing for pictures in the end zone and generally celebrating in a manner usually reserved for something other than a regular-season win.
  21. "Ducks flying high". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). October 1, 2000. p. 1A.
  22. Nadel, John (January 2, 2001). "Huskies follow leader to bowl victory". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. p. 1E.
  23. Clark, Bob (November 13, 2002). "Time turns down rivalry's heat". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). p. 1C.
  24. Clark, Bob (November 16, 2002). "Northwest rivalry resumes, no love lost". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). p. 1D.
  25. "Washington Huskies versus Oregon Ducks". Winspedia.com. Hazzah LLC. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  26. Greif, Andrew (October 8, 2016). "Oregon Ducks routed by Washington Huskies: Game at a glance". The Oregonian/OregonLive.
  27. Crepea, James (December 10, 2020). "Washington Huskies vs. Oregon Ducks canceled, meaning the rivals won't meet for the first time since 2001". The Oregonian. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  28. Kenny Wheaton - The Pick on YouTube
  29. Odom, Joel (October 6, 2016). "A dozen years of dominance: Oregon Ducks' 12-game win streak against Washington Huskies". The Oregonian / OregonLive. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved April 6, 2022. For 12 years running, the Oregon Ducks have beaten the stuffing out of the Washington Huskies [...] The Ducks have averaged 42.3 points and hung these totals on Washington: 31, 45, 34, 55, 44, 43, 53, 34, 52, 45, 45 and 26.
  30. Jude, Adam (November 3, 2017). "'The Point' and 70 more: How the Huskies ended their 12-year losing streak to Oregon, an oral history". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on November 17, 2020. Retrieved May 9, 2022. The Huskies' 70-21 victory over Oregon on Oct. 8, 2016 was UW's first in Eugene in 14 years, and it signaled a stunningly swift changing of the guard in Northwest supremacy. [...] The Ducks love to celebrate "The Pick" off UW's Damon Huard from 1994. Twenty-two years later, "The Point" became a seminal moment in the rivalry for UW.
  31. Alger, Tyson (2016-10-03). "Oregon Ducks bring back 'Webfoots' uniforms for game vs. Washington Huskies". The Oregonian. Retrieved 7 December 2021. The tops are navy blue with yellow lettering with "Webfoots" across the chest. The bottoms are black.
  32. Caple, Christian (October 11, 2018). "'We riding with Jake after that one': An oral history of 'The Point'". The Athletic. Archived from the original on January 30, 2021. Retrieved May 9, 2022. The gesture lasted less than half a second, but birthed an image that will live for as long as Washington and Oregon play football.
  33. Forde, Pat (2023-10-12). "The Oregon-Washington Rivalry May Never Be This Great Again". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
  34. Raley, Dan (2023-10-15). "Amid the Sellout, Comeback and Huge Win, DeBoer Found Time for Former Players". Sports Illustrated Washington Huskies News, Analysis and More. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
  35. Stephensbailey, Iyo (2023-10-14). "Instant Classic: Washington Surges Past Oregon 36-33". UW Dawg Pound. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
  36. "Did Oregon get caught red-handed trying to fake injury in Washington loss?". FanSided. 2023-10-15. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
  37. Athletic, The (2023-10-15). "Oregon-Washington live updates". The Athletic. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
  38. "Results against 2018 opponents" (PDF). University of Oregon Ducks Football Record Book. 2018. p. 72.
  39. "All-time series results" (PDF). University of Washington Husky Football Record Book. 2018. p. 210.
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