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Duck, Beaver fans gear up for Civil War Lunch brings 250 together By RANDY HAMMERICKSEN Nearly 250 Oregon and Oregon State fans attended the Southern Oregon Civil War Luncheon Wednesday in Medford, each with their own favorite stories about the oldest college football rivalry west of the Rocky Mountains. For Medford resident Mike Jorgensen, color commentator for Oregon football and a former Duck quarterback, the 1982 Civil War game was most memorable. That year at OSU's Parker Stadium in Corvallis, Jorgensen hurled a 31-yard touchdown pass to receiver Osborne Thomas in the final two minutes to propel the Ducks to a 7-6 win over the Beavers. "It was a struggle all day for us to score," said Jorgensen. "It was raining and windy, as usual in Corvallis, and the conditions were tough. We fumbled the ball away a couple of times in scoring position, but finally, when we needed to do it to win, we scored that touchdown." Medford's Andy Maurer, a former Duck and NFL offensive lineman who now roots for OSU in the Civil War because his son, Marty, plays tight end for the Beavers, says he's still haunted by consecutive losses from 1967-69 to former OSU coach Dee Andros and the Beavers. "I'm the guy who never won a championship," said Maurer. "I never won a high school championship (at Prospect) and I never won a Civil War." "Later on, I never won a Super Bowl," said Maurer who played in the 1974 NFL title game for the Minnesota Vikings and in the 1978 game for the Denver Broncos. Maurer said he hopes Marty, a former Cascade Christian High quarterback and linebacker, can give him the collegiate state championship to savor vicariously on Saturday. Oregon State (4-6) will meet Oregon (8-2) at Parker Stadium in Civil War game No. 102. Game time is 3:30 p.m. Maurer's brother Dick, a former Oregon State lineman, was unbeaten against Oregon under Andros. Andros, who over the years has been a speaker at Civil War luncheons around the state, no longer makes the whirlwind trip to hype this game. And he was missed during Wednesday's luncheon. "The coaches of today are a lot smoother than they were when Dee and Cas (former Oregon coach Len Casanova) coached," said Oregon Athletic Director Bill Moos. "Now, the coaches (Mike Bellotti of Oregon and Mike Riley of Oregon State) are all complimentary and only say nice things about the opponents. "They don't mean it," said Moos, laughing. "If Dee had been here at this luncheon in the old days, he would have said: `Tell the Ducks we're going to kick their (bleep) tails."' "He's a special friend," said Moos. "I miss him here." A total of seven former OSU and Oregon players were at Wednesday's luncheon, including the Maurer brothers, Jorgensen, Medford's Don Pinkham (OSU), Rich Kollas (OSU) and Scott Spiegelberg (OSU). Bellotti and Riley talked to the group by speakerphone. As Moos stressed, all remarks by the coaches were guarded in an obvious attempt to keep from irritating the opposition. An overflow crowd of nearly 37,000 fans is expected in 35,000-seat Parker Stadium. The weather forecast calls for rain and wind at game time. Bellotti said the Ducks, who are hoping to receive a bid to play in the Holiday Bowl in San Diego, are wary of facing the improved Beavers on their home turf with the prospects of inclement weather reducing Oregon's advantage going into the game. "(The Beavers) play hard," said Bellotti. "Inoke Breckterfield is one of the best defensive ends in the country, and they have good players to go with him on defense. "We know how much they have improved. We're healthy and very motivated. We have great respect for Oregon State." Riley said the Beavers have made good use of a bye last week as they prepared for the Ducks. "They are having a great season," said Riley. "They have a very good team, most notably their offense. "Akili Smith has turned into an exciting quarterback. Last year, he had potential. Now, he's a real quarterback." Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 1998, Medford,