College Football Focus: Ducks Get Rematch with Huskies in Pac-12 Championship Game — Sport Oregon Voices
Photo: Oregon Athletics
Reser Stadium impresses, Linfield extends streak and Portland State turns up the offense in 2023
In what shaped up to be another terrific college football season in the state, one local team has dreams of a national championship while other programs turned in record-breaking seasons of their own.
With the conference season now complete, the No. 5 Oregon Ducks turn their attention to the Pac-12 Championship Game, where they face a tantalizing rematch with No. 3 Washington on Friday. The longtime rivals will kick off at 5 p.m. PT from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, with conference supremacy on the line.
Not only does the game present the Ducks with the opportunity to add another Pac-12 title to their resume and to exact revenge on the Huskies, which handed Oregon its only loss of the season, but the game has a potential berth in the College Football Playoff on the line. Earlier this season, the Huskies (12-0, 9-0 Pac-12) defeated the Ducks in a 36-33 thriller in Seattle on Oct. 14. Washington comes into Friday’s game with a 62-48-5 edge in the all-time series between the two schools.
For the Ducks, the title game appearance marks their conference-leading sixth appearance in the Pac-12 Championship Game, which began in 2011. A win for Oregon on Friday would improve the team’s record to 5-1 in Pac-12 title games, and would give the Ducks their third conference title in the last five years.
The Ducks come into the championship game with an 11-1 record (8-1 Pac-12), marking the first time since 2019 the team reached 11 victories in a season, and the fourth time Oregon reached 11 regular-season wins in program history.
Beavers await bowl destination; Fans flock to Reser Stadium
After finishing the regular season with an 8-4 record (5-4 Pac-12), the Oregon State Beavers will learn their postseason bowl matchup this Sunday. That day, matchups for all 41 college football bowl games will be announced throughout the day.
Finishing the regular season ranked No. 20 in the College Football Playoff rankings, the Beavers are set to make a third straight bowl appearance this postseason. Oregon State is 12-7 all-time in bowl games, routing the Florida Gators 30-3 in last year’s Las Vegas Bowl.
On Tuesday, one of the most notable defensive players in Oregon State history, Trent Bray, was tabbed as the Beavers' next head coach. Bray's elevation comes after two-and-a-half seasons as Oregon State’s defensive coordinator, in which he turned the Beavers’ defense into one of the top units in the country.
While the Beavers turned in another successful campaign on the field this year, they also debuted their sparkling new digs. The 2023 season saw the completion of Reser Stadium, which was originally built in 1953. The extensive work to the on-campus stadium started after the 2021 season and was completed in time for Oregon State’s home-opening victory over UC Davis on Sept. 9.
And the new additions were a huge hit with fans.
“The first season with a completed Reser Stadium was a success from beginning to end as we sold out every home game,” said Sara Elcano, Oregon State’s senior associate athletic director for external relations.
Indeed, the Beavers averaged 36,969 fans per game at Reser Stadium this season, slightly above the listed capacity of 35,548 when factoring in standing-room-only tickets made available for some of the more appealing matchups, like the Nov. 18 game against Washington.
Among the many highlights included in the Reser Stadium completion project, the venue features a new west side that now includes a 360-degree open concourse to offer some of the best sightlines in the sport. New premium seating, LED lights and one of the largest video boards on the West Coast greatly add to the experience. The remodel included upgraded concession offerings, additional restrooms and many other fan amenities.
“The fan experience was enhanced for Beaver Nation with the addition of LED lights, Beaver Street, iconic signage for photo opportunities and new ticket product options, including an entire level of premium spaces,” Elcano added.
The utility of the newly completed Reser Stadium extends well beyond game day, though. The stadium is a year-round hub for student activity now, with the addition of an interactive Student Welcome Center that serves as an on-campus first stop for all prospective students and their families.
Linfield extends season-winning streak to 67 years
While they might not get as many headlines, the Linfield Wildcats continue to be the state’s most consistent college football team.
With their midseason victory over George Fox, the highly ranked Wildcats clinched their 67th consecutive winning season. The achievement extended the program’s all-time record for most winning seasons in a row, giving the Wildcats the longest string of winning seasons in college football history at any level. Linfield last had a losing season in 1955.
Unfortunately, the Wildcats fell just short of a fourth straight Northwest Conference title when they were narrowly defeated by Whitworth, 28-24, in the regular-season finale on Nov. 11. The loss ended Linfield’s 33-game conference win streak.
Portland State turns up the offense in 2023
With a 27-23 comeback win over Northern Colorado in the final game of the season, the Portland State Vikings wrapped up the 2023 season with a 5-6 record (4-4 Big Sky).
Among the highlights of their 2023 season, the Vikings finished third in the Big Sky in scoring (33.8 points per game), second in rushing (224.0 yards per game) and logged a big win over Eastern Washington to retain the Dam Cup. In that game, Portland State running back Jobi Malary scored six touchdowns. Earlier in the season, quarterback Dante Cachere was responsible for six touchdowns in a 45-21 win over Northern Arizona.
The Vikings, who played 24 true freshmen during the season, lose only 11 seniors heading into next year and figure to reap the rewards of added experience as they eye next season.