In a season that started with few expectations and quickly evolved into playoff aspirations, Oregon entered the in-state rivalry with Oregon State coming off if its most lopsided loss in the Mario Cristobal era.

Though the loss at Utah took away some of the bigger goals, Oregon still had plenty to play for against Oregon State. A win would propel Oregon to the Pac-12 Championship Game next week in Las Vegas with a chance at redemption against Utah. The Ducks would approach the game as a team on a mission and it showed early as the Oregon offense – which looked unprepared a week ago – came out strong with Anthony Brown looking like a completely different quarterback.

Brown, who had been faced with significant criticism following the loss against Utah, completed 23 of 28 passes for 275 yards and two touchdowns while rushing 14 times for 83 yards to lead the Ducks to a win on senior day.

Brown started the game completing 5 of 6 games for 93 yards in the first quarter and threw one of the best passes of his Oregon career with the near-perfect 50-yard scoring toss to Devon Williams that capped a 96-yard scoring drive to give Oregon a 14-0 lead late in the first quarter.

Oregon was not just defined by a few good passes or even offensively as the Ducks dominated the first half on both sides of the ball. The Beavers came into the game averaging 229.5 yards per game but struggled to run effectively against an Oregon defense that was gashed repeatedly a week ago against Utah. BJ Baylor – averaging 109.5 yards per game – ran for just 29 yards in the first half and 59 total yards for the game on 13 carries as the Oregon State offense looked a shell of what it had been for most of the season.

After gaining just 114 first half yards, Oregon State came out of the halftime break with purpose driving 64 yards on 9 plays to close the gap with a touchdown pass to Luke Musgrave with 10:33 left in the third quarter. Oregon – which had 307 yards of total offense in the first half – struggled to gain any momentum in the third quarter as the Beavers controlled much of the quarter with their long touchdown drive. But the Ducks would answer with a drive that started with 3:03 left in the third quarter that saw Oregon re-establish their offensive prowess with the 10-play, 85-yard drive that extended the Oregon lead to 31-9 with 12:00 in the fourth quarter.

After his breakout performance a week ago, Kris Hutson would have another stellar game catching 7 passes for 82 yards and a touchdown while Devon Williams led the Ducks with 110 yards receiving and 6 catches and a touchdown of his own.

The Beavers – hoping to beat Oregon for the first time since 2016 – would not go gently into the locker room rebounding with a 4-play, 75-yard drive to close the gap to 31-15 with just under ten minutes left. A perplexing decision following Oregon State’s first touchdown to go for the two-point conversion may have haunted head coach Jonathan Smith. When the Beavers scored their second touchdown, they were forced into another two-point conversion which was stopped by Verone McKinley III with a picture-perfect tackle.

The Beavers, though, would execute the onside kick and gain possession inside Duck territory looking to close the gap further. The Oregon defense – whose pass coverage had been a liability for a majority of the season – once again struggled to contain a quarterback with little pressure and soft zone coverage allowing the Beavers to drive inside the red-zone looking to close the game to a once-score difference midway through the fourth quarter. After looking to be in control of the game up 31-9, suddenly, the Oregon football team faced adversity as they looked to secure the win that would propel them to the Pac-12 Conference Championship Game next Friday.

Oregon State would add another score with a 15-yard pass from Chance Nolan to Trevon Bradford to close the gap to 31-21 with 8:28 left. Nolan, who struggled in the first half completed 17 of 26 passes for 231 yards and 2 touchdowns in the second half to keep the Beavers close.

With their rival threatening to derail a third consecutive trip to the Pac-12 title game, the Ducks marched the length of the field using two critical third down conversions to control the clock on their way to a 9-play, 75-yard scoring drive capped by a 1-yard run by Travis Dye to extend the lead to 38-21 with just 3:14 left to play.

Travis Dye rushed for 99 yards on 20 carries as the Ducks gained 231 rushing yards while holding Oregon State to just 85 yards rushing on 21 carries.

A late score by Oregon State made the score look somewhat different than the game had been played. The player of the game, though, had to be Kris Hutson who has emerged as a threat following the departure of Mycah Pittman.

With the win, Oregon earned the Pac-12 North Division title and the opportunity to avenge their loss to Utah with a trip to Las Vegas next Friday night. This will be the Ducks third straight trip to the conference championship game with the winner headed to the Rose Bowl Game.