The regular season is winding down to its last week, and the state of Oregon is preparing for a yearly tradition that has taken place since 1894: The Civil War. Although Oregon State hasn’t enjoyed the same level of success as their rival in Eugene in recent years, the Civil War is always one of the most anticipated events in Oregon; regardless of how well – or how bad — each respective team is playing.
Ashley Young of FishDuck.com interviewed center Doug Brenner during Tuesday’s press conference at the University of Oregon’s Hatfield-Dowlin Complex.
Brenner, who grew up in Portland, Oregon, understands the magnitude of the rivalry. He mentioned that he grew up watching the Ducks and the Beavers fighting for the state’s supremacy, and he says that he’s happy to finally be a part of the historic rivalry. “It’s something that obviously we (Ducks) take pride in,” he said. “Oregon State is our next game and that’s why it’s so huge, but to play in the Civil War is awesome and it’s one of the best rivalries in college football, and we have nothing but respect for them.”
The Civil War between the Ducks and the Beavers has had a unique plot over the years. Neither team has taken the baton and fully ran with it. Oregon’s longest wining streak was at eight games between 1975-1982, and Oregon State’s longest winning streak was at eight games as well between 1964-1971. The Ducks have produced more wins in the series, however, at 61-46-10. Despite its rich and well-documented history, the Ducks have taken full control of the Civil War in recent years. Oregon hasn’t lost to Oregon State since 2007, and the Ducks are averaging 45 points per game during that span, while holding the Beavers to an average of 28.5 points.
Brenner said that his family never chose to root for a specific team while he was growing up. He mentioned that it was neutral, but everything changed when his sisters started college. “I had sisters at both, one was trying to recruit me to Oregon State and one was trying to recruit me here (Oregon),” he said. “It’s always been a fun little rivalry.”
While the state of Oregon and the rest of the country prepares to celebrate Thanksgiving this Thursday, Brenner and the Ducks will continue to work hard in practice as they prepare for their matchup against Oregon State this Saturday. Brenner, who started for the first time in his career last week, is looking forward to being in the starting lineup once again.
“Confidence is the biggest thing. I’m losing some of the nerves out there,” he said. “I want to work on confidence, good foot work, better hand placement and just coming off the ball.”
Top Photo by Kevin Cline
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My name is Omar Garibay and I am a journalism student at the University of Oregon. I was born and raised in Salem, Oregon and I have dreamed of living in Los Angeles since I was 14-years-old. My dream career would be to work for ESPN LA, The Los Angeles Times or as a beat writer for the Los Angeles Lakers or Dodgers. Twitter: @omargaribay8