Oregon–Washington football rivalry


The Oregon–Washington football rivalry or Washington–Oregon football rivalry, also known informally as the Cascade Clash or the , is an American college football rivalry between the Washington Huskies and Oregon Ducks of the Big Ten Conference. Previously they both played in the legacy Pac-12 Conference and were opponents in its [|final Pac-12 Championship Game]. Their respective campuses in Seattle and Eugene are apart, via Interstate 5. Washington leads the series 63–50–5 as of 2024.
It is one of the 25 most played rivalries in NCAA Division I FBS history, and has been played regularly Since 1922, the two teams have met on the field in every year except 1943, 1944, 2001, and 2020. In two years, 1945 and 2023, this rivalry game occurred twice in the same year, with Washington winning both games in those seasons.
The programs of this rivalry have recently played in one College Football Playoff National Championship game each, with Oregon contesting the 2015 NCAA Championship Game and Washington contesting the 2024 NCAA Championship Game. In those games they lost to future Big Ten stablemates Ohio State and Michigan, respectively, the latter of which Washington coincidentally defeated for its 1991 National Championship.

Series history

Early years

The series opened in 1900, with Oregon dominating Washington 43–0 in Eugene.

Northwest Conference

In 1909 the teams met in Seattle on Thanksgiving Day for the final game of the season, with both teams undefeated in Northwest Conference league play. The game decided the Northwest intercollegiate championship and ownership of the Tiffany & Co. silver loving cup awarded by John Barrett. Washington won the Northwest championship 20–6 due largely to their use of the still-new forward pass while Oregon played an older style of football.
In 1911 Dobie successfully ran his "Bunk Play", a hidden ball trick in which Washington quarterback "Wee" Coyle removed his leather headgear and held it to his chest to simulate the football.

Pacific Coast Conference

The rivalry became heated from Oregon's perspective in 1948, when Oregon and California both went undefeated in the Pacific Coast Conference. California was undefeated overall, and Oregon's only loss was at undefeated Michigan, that year's national champions. The Ducks had seven victories in the PCC to Cal's six. The winner of the PCC, as was the case for most of the Pac-12's history, played in the Rose Bowl. Oregon, led by quarterback Norm Van Brocklin and halfback John McKay, opted for a playoff game, but California declined. The tiebreaker format the PCC elected to use was that the championship team be elected by the schools. The PCC had ten member schools in 1948, six in the Northwest and four in California, so it was assumed that Oregon would be the team playing in the Rose Bowl, as even a vote would be in their favor. Instead California was voted champion of the PCC, because Washington had persuaded Montana to vote for California, something that has not been forgotten by Oregon fans.
The PCC allowed a second bowl team that season and Oregon went to the 1949 Cotton Bowl Classic, but lost 21–13 to Southern Methodist. California lost to Northwestern, 20–14, in the Rose Bowl.

1950s and 1960s

All-Pacific Coast Conference fullback Hugh McElhenny and the Huskies ran up the score on Oregon, 63–6 in 1951 in what was at the time the most lopsided score of the series.
In 1962, Larry Hill of Oregon was tackled by Washington fans who had rushed onto the field at Husky Stadium while he was trying to catch the tie-breaking touchdown on the game's final play.

1970s and 1980s

In 1973, the Ducks exceeded the 57 point loss margin that the Huskies had inflicted on them back in 1951 with a 58–0 shutout in Eugene. The following season, the Huskies more than returned the favor, shutting out the Ducks 66–0 in Seattle. This remains the largest margin of victory in this series to date.
From 1974 through 1986, the Huskies won 12 of 13 games against the Ducks.

1990s and later

In 1995, Washington head coach Jim Lambright unsuccessfully lobbied for the Huskies to be selected to play in the Cotton Bowl instead of the Ducks. Seattle Post Intelligencer columnist Bud Withers wrote that Lambright's actions "invited at least another half-century worth of bile from Oregon fans."
After winning four of six over Lambright in the 1990s, the rivalry was given another boost in Oregon eyes when Colorado head coach Rick Neuheisel moved to Washington in 1999. At the between #12 Oregon and #7 Colorado, Neuheisel called for a fake punt while the Buffaloes led with less than five minutes left. Oregon coach Mike Bellotti was also accused of turning Neuheisel in for recruiting during the dead period. The Ducks were 1–2 against the Huskies under Neuheisel, and the rivalry grew even more when Neuheisel celebrated by taking photos and jumping up and down on the "O" in the middle of the field after a win at Autzen Stadium Two years earlier, the Ducks' victory in 2000 in Eugene spoiled an otherwise undefeated season for the Huskies, who won the Rose Bowl and finished third in Due to Pac-10 scheduling, the teams did not meet in 2001, the first break in the rivalry since the hiatus in 1943 and 1944 due to
Through 2023, Washington leads. The Huskies went from 1972 to 1993 and Washington followed it up with a home win Oregon ended their 2-game losing streak in the series in 2018 with a 30–27 overtime win over Washington in Eugene, the first overtime game in the rivalry's history. In the 2019 rendition in Seattle, the Ducks came back from a 14-point deficit in the 2nd half to prevail 35–31 over the Huskies. It was the 2nd consecutive meeting in which both teams were ranked, and 7th all-time. The 2020 game was canceled due to increasing COVID-19 cases in the Washington football program.

Notable events after 1990

"The Pick"
Arguably the most iconic moment in the history of the rivalry for Ducks fans happened in 1994, when Oregon freshman cornerback Kenny Wheaton intercepted Washington quarterback Damon Huard and returned the ball 97 yards for a touchdown with under a minute to play to seal a 31–20 upset win that snapped a five-game losing streak in the series for the Ducks and set them on course for what would become their first conference championship since 1957. This play, coined "The Pick", is widely credited as the turning point for the Oregon football program on their way to becoming nationally relevant in the decades that followed. It also swung momentum in the rivalry that was until then mostly dominated by the Huskies, 54–28–5, with Oregon notching a 17–4 record against Washington from The Pick until the end of The Streak. Just before kickoff of every Ducks home game, a replay of "The Pick" is shown on the Autzen Stadium video board, always accompanied by a loud and gleeful reaction.
"The Streak"
Oregon beat Washington in 12 straight games from 2004–2015, the largest winning streak in the rivalry.
This streak correlated with Oregon's most successful era of football and Washington's least. The Ducks went 120–36 over these 12 seasons, with two national championship game appearances, four conference titles, two Rose Bowl victories, and a Heisman Trophy winner. Meanwhile, the Huskies went 62–88 including a winless 0–12 in 2008.
"The Point" and 70 point victory
The Huskies finally snapped their losing streak in 2016 with a dominating 70–21 win over the Ducks in Eugene. This was the first time an opponent had scored 70 points in Autzen Stadium's history, and the first time an Oregon team had allowed 70 points or more in a game since a 71–7 loss to the Texas Longhorns in 1941. The 2016 Huskies would go on to finish the regular season 12–1, win the Pac-12 Championship, and face Alabama in the CFP semifinal Peach Bowl. Their win vs. Oregon was seen as a major realignment in the power ranking of the Pac-12 North. In contrast to the Huskies, Oregon would go on to finish the season 4-8, resulting in head coach Mark Helfrich being fired at the end of the season.
On the game's first play from scrimmage, Ducks quarterback Justin Herbert, making his first college start, was intercepted by Huskies cornerback Budda Baker. Four plays later, QB Jake Browning scored the first of the Huskies' ten touchdowns on a 1-yard run. As he crossed the goal line Browning pointed his left index finger at trailing linebacker Jimmie Swain, who was clad in a throwback blue and yellow Oregon Webfoots jersey. This gesture became known as "The Point" after sideline photographs of the play went viral across social media during and after the game.
2023: Top 10, Top 5, and the last Pac-12 crown
First ever Top 10 matchup
The 2023 matchup between AP No. 7 Washington and No. 8 Oregon was the first ever where both teams were ranked within the top ten of the AP Poll. In front of a sold out Husky Stadium, Washington defeated Oregon 36–33 in what was immediately considered one of the greatest games in the history of the rivalry. Despite having stopped two red zone fourth down conversion attempts by Oregon, Washington trailed by four with two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. After Oregon failed to convert another fourth down to end the game, Washington's quarterback Michael Penix Jr. connected with receiver Rome Odunze for a game-winning touchdown after a drive spanning just two plays. With four seconds on the clock and one timeout remaining, Oregon kicker Camden Lewis missed a 43 yard field goal attempt, giving the Huskies the three-point win.
Final Pac-12 Championship and first Top 5 matchup
The 2023 Pac-12 Football Championship Game, the last before the collapse of the traditional Pac-12 Conference as a result of the 2021–2024 NCAA conference realignment, was a seasonal rematch between No. 3 Washington and No. 5 Oregon. Oregon's sole loss had been the earlier road defeat to Washington, and they had looked dominant in the second half of the season. Washington, while remaining undefeated, had won all its games by ten points or fewer throughout October and November. The Ducks thus entered this December 1st game as the betting favorite. Adding even more suspense to this final Pac-12 Championship played between two rivals, it was widely predicted before the game that the winner would go to the four-team College Football Playoff. Washington's offense caught the Ducks by surprise early in the game, jumping out to a 20–3 lead, before the Ducks, led by quarterback Bo Nix, responded with 21 straight points. After a series of turnovers, the momentum swung back in the Huskies' favor. Washington came back to score two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to win the game 34–31 after a key first down by running back Dillon Johnson allowed them to run out the clock. Michael Penix Jr. received the Pac-12 Championship MVP.
This was the first and last Pac-12 Football Championship Game to be played between the rivals.