• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Oregon routs Oregon State, takes Pac-12 North

Nov 27, 2011 - 3:27 AM Eugene, OR (Sports Network) - Darron Thomas threw for 305 yards and four touchdowns, as No. 9 Oregon downed Oregon State, 49-21, to clinch the Pac-12 North Division and take Saturday's annual edition of the Civil War.

The Ducks (10-2, 8-1 Pac-12), who rebounded from last week's 38-35 home loss to USC, will host UCLA in the inaugural conference championship game.

"Home field advantage is huge for us," said Ducks coach Chip Kelly. "We have only lost once here since I got here and I know that our fans are going to be in full force and hopefully it helps us one more time."

David Paulson caught eight passes for 105 yards and a score in the victory, while LaMichael James ran for 142 yards and a touchdown before leaving in the third quarter with an apparent left arm/elbow injury.

Sean Mannion completed 27-of-44 passes for 299 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions for the Beavers (3-9, 3-6), while Kevin Cummings caught four passes for 63 yards and a score.

Oregon, which saw its 21-game home win streak and 16-game Pac-12 win streak come to an end against USC, struggled to gain ground at the Civil War's inception.

The Ducks intercepted Mannion twice during the first quarter and converted the initial pick -- by Michael Clay -- into James' one-yard rushing touchdown. They couldn't pull away, however, ending their final three drives of the quarter with a failed fourth-down conversion.

The Beavers made it a 7-7 game early in the second, as Mannion found an open Jovan Stevenson, who sprinted untouched for a 58-yard score. But Oregon eventually awoke, scoring 21 unanswered points to end the half.

Touchdown drives of 79, 80 and 75 yards provided the 28-7 advantage, as Thomas capped the sets with touchdown passes to Paulson, De'Anthony Thomas and Kenjon Barner, respectively.

"You know we stopped them on three straight fourth down conversion attempts, we made good plays and that was a critical part for our defense in the beginning," said Beavers coach Mike Riley. "Unfortunately for us we had no offensive response today."

The momentum didn't dissipate during the break, as Oregon opened the third quarter with a 69-yard march, punctuated by Barner's one-yard scoring plunge.

In the fourth, the Ducks struck with Colt Lyerla's 39-yard touchdown grab and Ayele Forde's eight-yard TD run, while the Beavers scored on Cummings' 19-yard grab and Brandin Cooks' 23-yard reception to seal the final margin.

Oregon has won eight of the past nine meetings with OSU in Eugene.

Game Notes

The game marked the 115th meeting between the Ducks and the Beavers in the Civil War. Oregon holds a 59-46-10 advantage in the series and has a 27-9-1 mark since 1975...Thomas ran for 71 yards on four carries.