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Local players hope to leave mark at Civil War By Tim Trower Several players who starred at Rogue Valley high schools will take the field today in the 104th Civil War, but none has emerged as unexpectedly as Seth McEwen. McEwen will start at defensive end for Oregon when the fifth-ranked Ducks visit No. 8 Oregon State for the 12:30 p.m. contest at Reser Stadium. McEwen will be joined on the Ducks� side by Grants Pass� Matt Smith and Michael De La Grange and Ashland�s Cy Aleman. Across the field for Oregon State will be Jacksonville�s Marty Maurer and Eagle Point�s Luke Scott. None of their roles have changed this fall as much as McEwen�s. To wit: Smith is one of the Pac-10 Conference�s � if not the nation�s � best linebackers and was expected to fill a prominent role in the Ducks� success; tight end Maurer, too, returned as a starter and is third in receptions for OSU; wide receiver Aleman has had a limited impact; and cornerback Scott and offensive tackle De La Grange are on their respective rosters but haven�t figured into this year�s plans. But McEwen has emerged as a starter when it wasn�t foreseen. The 6-foot-5, 254-pound sophomore began the season as a backup, then moved into the starting lineup in the fourth week of the season against UCLA. He�s been there since, starting the Ducks� last six games. "I was a reserve and doing well," says McEwen, who starred at North Medford High. "Whenever I got on the field, I was making plays." He was doing so well, in fact, that when the Duck coaches decided they needed more help at defensive tackle, they shifted Jason Nikolao from end, opening the door for McEwen to start. "They felt I was mature enough to hold down the outside position as a starter," says McEwen. "I can say I was more than a little bit nervous. That was a huge amount of weight put on my shoulders. Basically, if the coaches felt I was ready, I felt I was ready." It was nerve-wracking, but exciting, too, when the coaches told him at the beginning of the week that he�d start the following Saturday against UCLA. McEwen was "out of my mind with stress, but once I was on the field, what I had been coached to do took over." His personal highlight came when he recorded a sack against Arizona. He�s made 16 tackles, including nine unassisted, has four tackles for 18 yards in losses and has forced a fumble. "I�d like to think I�ve gotten better every week and have contributed as much as a I could," says McEwen. "I�ve played the very hardest I could for this team, and I think they�re (coaches) satisfied with that." McEwen was on the field two years ago when Oregon traveled to Corvallis and lost 44-41 in triple overtime. He, like other Duck players this week, recounted boorish behavior by OSU fans, which only added to the "excruciating pain of the defeat ... that�s my last memory of a Civil War game that went awry." Today�s battle is almost more than he could have hoped for. "This game is every player�s dream," he says, "to be playing a game of this magnitude in front of a big TV audience and in front of the home-state fans. I really don�t pay attention to the bickering between the Beaver and Duck fans. I�m just concentrating on playing football. I�m totally excited, and me and my teammates are excited to get this thing on." Maurer shares his view. "I couldn�t ask for a better last home game," says the senior, who as 28 catches for 310 yards and one touchdown. "To have 9-1 Oregon coming in against the 9-1 Beavers with a shot on the line for the Rose Bowl for both teams, that there is a dream come true for the Civil War." If Oregon wins, it goes to the Rose Bowl. If Oregon State wins and Washington State beats Washington, the Beavers go to the Rose Bowl. The Beavers won�t be thinking about the Apple Cup in Pullman, Wash., however, which starts at 3:30 p.m. "The implications of that game don�t come into play unless we win," say Maurer. "We have to take care of our business before we start worrying about other people." He does believe Washington State (3-7) has a chance against the sixth-ranked Huskies (9-1). "Their Apple Cup is our Civil War," says Maurer. "They�re playing for pride, and when a man�s pride goes on the line, anything is possible." Oregon State is a 5-point favorite for two reasons: It is playing at home and it has won in more impressive fashion in the past month. Those factors are for the media and pollsters to worry about, says Maurer. "The last time I checked, they had nine wins. You have two 9-1 teams going at it, no matter how each of us got there. Even if we took different paths, there�s still going to be two very good teams lined up against each other. It�s going to be a dogfight." Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.