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 Friday, December 13, 2002
No. 6 Washington at No. 25 Oregon
By Tim Brant
Special to BCSfootball.com
This is one of the most intense rivalries in the West and it takes on national implications this weekend. These are two teams that don't like each other at all.
On Saturday, No. 6 Washington visits No. 25 Oregon at Autzen Stadium (ABC, 3:30 p.m. ET), one of the loudest venues in the country. The Ducks have a 17-game home-winning streak entering the contest, the fifth longest in the country.
The home crowd was a factor last week against UCLA, and it should be this week again. You could see the impact the crowd had against the Bruins. On three consecutive plays, their offensive line jumped offside. They are still talking about it in Westwood, that they couldn't hear, that it got them rattled and that it was a factor in their game. It will be the same this week. The stadium will be just deafening.
Any time you get a game of this magnitude, field position is a key factor. The kicking game is always something that determines the outcome of the game. Oregon punter Kurtis Doerr has had some big games and feels comfortable in that environment. I give the edge to Oregon.
When Washington has the ball:
Marques Tuiasosopo is a very talented quarterback. He likes to run the ball. Sometimes, he runs a little quickly. Oregon will have nine guys in the box, trying to take that element away from him. The Ducks think if they can stop Tuiasosopo, they can beat Washington.
Washington is a talented football team, and it's definitely not a one-man team. The Huskies have had some big wins because they play well as a team. Rick Neuheisel is very good at breaking tendencies: throwing when it looks like they're going to run, and running when they look like they're going to throw.
With that said, Tuiasosopo is the guy that makes the team move. Without him, they are not nearly as powerful and not nearly as potent. If Washington can get Oregon's defense on its heels and Tuiasosopo has early success, I give Washington an edge.
When Oregon has the ball:
|  | | Joey Harrington is hit as he scores a touchdown against UCLA. |
Oregon wants to get its running game going. Maurice Morris, who had great success last week against UCLA (139 yards, 2 TDs), is looking for another 100-yard game this week. The key player -- even with Morris -- is Oregon quarterback Joey Harrington.
Harrington is a big kid at 6-foot-4, 210 pounds and has a strong arm. He has been outstanding, and keeps getting better every week. He has really surprised me. I didn't know he had that much arm strength. He also can throw the ball with some touch and put some air under it. He is having an outstanding year, as is Oregon.
All he has to do is stay within the game plan: give the ball to Morris, hit the passes -- the dinks and dunks -- that he has to hit, and then occasionally, hit one of those big plays. If he goes to Marshaun Tucker or Keenan Howry deep, Oregon's game plan can be solid.
Oregon's receivers played very well against UCLA and made the plays when they had to. Even with all those dropped passes against Wisconsin, the Ducks almost won the ballgame and had every opportunity to win. Even down inside a minute, they had the football and were driving. This is a talented team. In big games, you can't afford to have too many drops, but they have some quality receivers, good speed, and Harrington, who has never been more confident than he is now. They can move the ball on Washington.
I can't emphasize enough the home field advantage. Oregon has it in Autzen Stadium. UCLA was devastated and the Bruins thought they had prepared very well for it. And still, it totally discombobulated them and that is what Washington must be aware of.
News and notes:
In last year's game, Tuiasosopo threw for three touchdowns and the Huskies rushed for 256 yards in a 34-20 victory in Seattle.
Washington and Oregon will not face each other next season. The next meeting will be on Nov. 16, 2002 in Seattle. The teams had faced each other annually uninterrupted since 1945.
Oregon's defense has allowed 10 plays of 30 or more yards in the first four games.
Washington and Oregon were the No. 1 and No. 3 winningest teams in the Pac-10 in the 1990s, respectively.
Tim Brant is an analyst for ABC Sports and will call Saturday's Washington-Oregon game with Keith Jackson and Todd Harris.
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Oregon head coach Mike Bellotti descibes the home field advantage his team has against the University of Washington.
Jerramy Stevens hauls in a 32-yard pass from Marques Tuiasosopo. (Courtesy ABC)