Here we are on day 16 of no live sports to watch. Being the avid sports fan I am, I have often wondered what life would be like living in a world with no sports. I am now finding out, and it is a hard life. I have found myself trying to fill the time by watching “reality” television, but the fabricated drama makes me miss the living drama of sports.
My only solution to the no-sports problem is to go on youtube or various other streaming sites and look up old games to watch. Since I am a New England Patriots fan, I started to rewatch the 2004 season. It has helped.
So, during the quarantine, I urge Oregon fans to channel their nostalgia by watching these three classic Oregon football games.
October 2, 2010 vs. Stanford
Darren Thomas
On a beautiful night at Autzen Stadium, Darren Thomas and the fourth-ranked Ducks hosted the ninth-ranked Stanford Cardinal. This was one of the most star-studded matchups in the Modern Era of Oregon football.
On one side, the Ducks offense was locked and loaded with Thomas, LaMichael James, Kenjon Barner and Josh Huff. On the other side, Andrew Luck, Coby Fleener, Zach Ertz and Stepfan Taylor led Stanford’s offense.
This primetime matchup looked to be a runaway loss in the first quarter with Stanford jumping out to a quick 21-3 lead, but in the second half the Ducks offense and James ran over the Stanford defense, scoring 28 unanswered points. Meanwhile, the defense stepped up and played their best half of the season, shutting out the Cardinal attack.
The comeback is as satisfying as it gets, and having Brent Musburger and Kirk Herbstreit on the call makes it even better. This game showed that the magic was back at Autzen and that this was indeed a new era of Oregon football. It’s crazy to think this game is already 10 years old.
Oregon defeated Stanford 52-31.
November 29, 2013 vs. Oregon State
Marcus Mariota
There no denying that the Civil War has lacked excitement the past few seasons. But there was one Civil War matchup that belongs on this list: 2013, one of the greatest in the history of the rivalry.
The Marcus Mariota-led, thirteenth-ranked Ducks were at home to take on the unranked Beavers, who were looking to play spoiler. A warning for those who don’t remember, you’re going to want to turn the brightness down on your television because of the uniform choices! Oregon came out with vibrant yellow pants and apple green jerseys, while Oregon State wore their Home Depot all-orange costumes.
This certainly wasn’t Mariota’s best game as he threw two interceptions, but he made the most important throw of the game when it counted, connecting with Huff in the back of the end zone with less than a minute to go, giving the Ducks a one-point comeback victory.
Watch this game to relive the magic of what a Civil War game used to be, and the excitement of a rivalry game coming down to the wire.
Oregon defeated Oregon State 36-35.
September 26, 2009 vs Cal
Chip Kelly
They say you only have one chance to make a first impression, and Chip Kelly made a heck of a good one in the very beginning stages of his Oregon career.
After an upset of the eighteenth-ranked Utah Utes, the sixth-ranked Cal Bears came into Autzen Stadium in front of a sold-out crowd. Cal should have just stayed in California, because the Ducks fed them their lunch.
This game is good to watch if you want to kick back, relax and enjoy an old fashioned beatdown. Jeremiah Masoli was in sync with Ed Dickson and tore apart the Cal defense, connecting for three touchdowns.
After some skepticism of the new coach after Mike Belotti stepped down, Kelly proved he could put a good football team on the field week in and week out. This Oregon team ended up appearing in the Rose Bowl for the first time in over a decade.
Oregon defeated Cal 42-3.
I could have put plenty of other games on this list, but I wanted to stick with the modern era of Oregon football and stick to regular-season games. Just barely missing the cut was when Mariota led the Ducks past Michigan State in 2014.
Check out some other old games and relive some of the glory of the past. There are some fun games to watch with Dan Fouts, Kellen Clemens or Joey Harrington under center. With no other sports to watch right now, it’s time to dig into the archives and bring back some of that old Oregon glory.
Cameron Johansson
Portland, OregonTop Photo by:Twitter
Bob Rodes, the FishDuck.com Volunteer editor for this article, is an IT analyst, software developer and amateur classical pianist in Manchester, Tennessee.
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My name is Cameron Johansson and I am a senior at the University of Oregon, majoring in journalism and minoring in business administration. I am originally from the East Coast, just north of Boston, but I have been an avid Ducks fan as long as I can remember. I was constantly seen with my vibrant yellow Ducks hat on at all times. My friends would often give me flack for that, but I didn’t care. Other than the Ducks, I am also a big fan of the Boston Red Sox, Celtics, New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Penguins. I grew up playing predominantly hockey and golf, but always found time to catch the Ducks every Saturday. Feel free to follow me on twitter for some more hot takes on the Ducks and sports in general! My twitter handle is @CamJohansson