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Ducks reclaim state title Droughns thrives in Civil War atmosphere Commentary By RANDY HAMMERICKSEN Reuben Droughns didn't play in the nightmare that was Oregon's 44-41 double-overtime loss to Oregon State in the 1998 Civil War football game at Corvallis. Droughns, Oregon's senior tailback, felt responsible for that loss when his cracked ankle prevented him from playing and perhaps bailing out the Ducks against the Beavers. "I was out to make up for last year in this game," said Droughns, who certainly did that with his 197 rushing yards on 38 carries and one touchdown romp of 26 yards to carry the Ducks to a 25-14 win over the Beavers Saturday at Autzen Stadium in Eugene. "I wish I could have played last year," said Droughns, who had UCLA fans wondering why the big back from Anaheim, Calif., with the great moves and strength wasn't toting the football for the Bruins on Oct. 9 at the Rose Bowl. Droughns never fully understood the true meaning of the Civil War game until he got to play in it Saturday. He braved all the elements of the Civil War -- frigid weather, wet field, and a hostile, tough- hitting defense to face -- all day. Even on Friday, Oregon State players were talking smack to the Duck star as he went on the field at Autzen Stadium to practice. The Beavers were just finishing their Friday practice at Autzen. "They told me, `you're nothing and you're going nowhere tomorrow,"' said Droughns, who flashed his warm smile and giggled. "We'll see," he said. But the jabbering Beavers were too busy talking to hear him. Saturday, however, they got the message as Droughns tore through them like a hot knife through butter on the way to a big rushing day that propelled him over 1,000 yards rushing for the season. More importantly, Droughns' team won its eighth game against three losses and locked up a bid in the Sun Bowl Dec. 31 at El Paso, Texas. Oregon most likely will face Purdue. "I'm happy for our team," said Droughns. "It hurt last year to have to stand on the sidelines and watch them (the Beavers) beat us and rub it in at the end." "Reuben packed the mail for us today," Oregon coach Mike Bellotti said following Saturday's game. "I would call him a difference maker today. "He ran hard tough. He was amped up today, and it was extra hard to bring him down." The running of Droughns, and a gritty performance by Oregon's much-improved defense under defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti provided the difference in the game as Oregon took a 22-0 lead in the third quarter and then held off a surge by the Beavers. "I'm proud of them," said Aliotti, a man of few words who has proven he is a defensive coach and leader after a bitter experience at UCLA last season when he was blamed for much -- too much -- of the Bruins' problems on defense. "It's a real satisfying win," said Oregon linebacker Peter Sirmon, who anchored the middle of Oregon's defensive line without junior linebacker Matt Smith of Grants Pass, his partner in the middle this season. Smith missed the game with an ankle injury but he's expected to be ready to play for the Ducks in the Sun Bowl. Oregon's chances to play in the Rose Bowl fizzled before the Ducks even got rolling offensively in their game with OSU when Stanford defeated California to capture the Pac-10 title and Rose Bowl berth against Wisconsin. "We just want to go to a bowl game somewhere," said Droughns. "It's a nice reward for us and this team deserves it." Droughns finished the regular season with 1,149 yards on 256 carries. He was taunted by Oregon State tacklers for much of the game, but answered back with his big runs. "They (the Beavers) like to talk a lot of smack," said Droughns, laughing. "I talked back to them, but not too much, I usually just gave them a little quick look after a good run. "They knew what that meant. It was fun." Oregon placekicker Nathan Villegas proved an inspiring player in the Civil War game. The senior kicker, who had been ruled out for the season six weeks ago with torn ligaments in his right kicking knee, booted field goals of 33, 22, 23 and 20 yards after missing his first attempt from 42 yards. "I'm really happy for Nathan," said Bellotti. "He kicked in practice this week, and I asked him if he thought he could kick in the game. "He said he could," said Bellotti. "I said `The job's yours."' Villegas replaced senior Josh Frankel, who booted Oregon over USC and Arizona with late kicks. "Josh was totally supportive of Nathan kicking today," said Bellotti. "They are good friends, and Josh wanted him to do it if he could. "If he had missed his second one (field goal attempt), I probably would have gone back to Josh," said Bellotti. While the Beavers and Ducks slugged it out in a typically heated, physical Civil War in the third quarter, a fire broke out in a motor home just east of the stadium. The fire started when a stove inside the motor home caught fire. The motor home was almost totally destroyed before fire fighters could contain the blaze, which damaged one vehicle to the right of the motor home. Other than the blaze, most of the fire was inside the stadium -- streaking across the field in the form of Droughns. And Reuben loved every minute of it. Randy Hammericksen is a Mail Tribune sports writer. He can be reached at 776-4499. Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, OR U.S.A.