By Craig Hill
The News Tribune
PULLMAN – When it comes to Pacific-10 Conference rivalries in the Northwest, one never seems to get the appropriate billing.
In this new era of Northwest domination, the Apple Cup, the Civil War, the Oregon-Washington game and even Oregon State vs. Washington capture the imagination. But the Oregon-Washington State game continues to be one of the best rivalries nobody knows about.
Four days from now, that might all change.
On Saturday, No. 14 Washington State (7-0, 4-0 Pac-10) will host No. 11 Oregon (6-1, 3-1) in a game that will determine UCLA’s primary challenger for the conference title.
The series has always been close, with Oregon holding a 36-35-7 lead despite having to forfeit victories in 1978 and ‘79. But it’s been particularly good since ‘94 thanks to some close games, some trash talk, and the rise of both football programs to new levels of success.
“There definitely is no love lost between us,” former Oregon linebacker Peter Sirmon once said. And Sirmon should know. He was at the heart of one of the rivalry’s most entertaining storylines.
The Ducks went to Pullman with seven victories in their eight previous games against WSU, but the Cougars dominated the game with their Palouse Posse defense and became the only Pac-10 team that season to beat the Ducks as Oregon went to the Rose Bowl.
OK, every rivalry gets a stinker now and then, but even this game might have been closer had WSU quarterback Chad Davis’ career not fallen apart right on the field.
WSU scored first, but Davis threw three interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns. One was returned 82 yards when the Cougars were driving with a chance to cut the deficit to two points. Two weeks later, Davis quit the team and the Ryan Leaf era began.
Things really started getting interesting in ‘96. The Cougars blew the game open early as Leaf had a huge game. However, the Ducks’ reserves rallied to make the game respectable.
After the game, defensive lineman Leon Bender proclaimed the Cougars would no longer be pushed around by the Ducks, who had won seven of the previous nine meetings.
But in the final moments, WSU tight end Jon Kincaid shattered his ankle on what some WSU players thought was a cheap shot, and the rivalry would turn ugly for a year.
1997: WSU 24, Oregon 13
The Cougars escaped Eugene with a huge victory on their way to the Rose Bowl, two weeks before the Ducks started a 23-game home winning streak that ended Saturday against Stanford.
But this is where things got ugly.
Not only did WSU receiver Shawn Tims get pelted with spit wads during the game, but Leaf and Oregon linebacker Sirmon also expressed disrespect for each other after the game.
Sirmon, a Walla Walla native, was involved on the play that injured Kincaid the previous season.
“He’s a dirty player,” Leaf said. “He broke one of our guys’ ankles last year. … He takes some cheap shots.”
Leaf also accused Sirmon of some late hits during the ‘97 game.
Sirmon, who denied any knowledge of Kincaid’s injury, had this reply: “They need to look in the mirror. They are not a clean team. … (Leaf) gets his cheap shots in. But that’s the way Leaf is. I’m not impressed with him as a human being. There are a lot of great athletes who handle themselves well and with a lot of class, but Leaf’s not one of them.”
A year later, Leaf was gone to the pros and the Cougars weren’t good, but the Ducks went to Martin Stadium, proclaiming: “The road to the Rose Bowl goes through Pullman” and the defending champion Cougars.
The game was never close.
Sirmon pointed out the week before the game that the Cougars had never recruited him and that he would have attended Eastern Washington University if the Ducks hadn’t given him a chance.
While he said he would have loved to attend WSU out of high school, he felt like he was playing for a better team.
The Ducks proved him right on game night. Even though the Cougars scored first, the Ducks pummeled the Cougars for the second time in two years.
The Cougars still had slim hopes of going to a bowl game entering this game. However, the Ducks pretty much dashed those hopes in the first half when quarterback Jason Gesser’s season was ended when he suffered a broken leg after being tackled.
Reserve quarterback Matt Kegel played well in Gesser’s place and gave the Cougars a 24-16 lead with 12:25 left on a 2-yard touchdown run. But moments later, Joey Harrington led the Ducks from behind with a 38-yard touchdown pass followed by a two-point conversion pass to tie the game.
In overtime, the Ducks scored first when Josh Frankel made a career-long 47-yard field goal. WSU had a chance to tie with a 29-yard field goal, but a holding call pushed the attempt to 39 yards. Anousith Wilaikul’s attempt was low and blocked by the Ducks, giving WSU its third overtime loss of the season.
“That was probably our toughest loss of the year,” WSU linebacker Raonall Smith said at the time. “We’re looking forward to playing them again.”
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
