Another year and another classic Civil War - Oregon State wins it 30-28. This one went right down to the wire, and the team that executed best won. Look at the statistics; they were pretty similar for both teams, except in one category - special teams. And for the second week in a row, special teams ended up being Oregon's downfall.
Oregon would have won comfortably if its special teams had produced. Two missed field goals in the first half would have given the Ducks six more points. Along with a blocked extra point, special teams miscues took the equivalent of a touchdown off the board for Oregon. Had they been able to sock away those seven points, they never would have needed a last-minute field goal attempt to try to win it.
At that point, Oregon coach Mike Bellotti had so little confidence in his special teams that he benched his first-string kicker and brought in a little-used backup to try and win the Civil War. That's how bad things had gotten for Oregon.
So now the streak is at ten. For the last ten years, the home team has won every Civil War. Now it'll be up to the Beavers to try to break that streak in Eugene next year. First, though, Oregon has to try to change its momentum with a strong performance in a bowl game. It'll have plenty of time to think about its not-so-special teams in the meantime.