History Lesson: 2003 Oregon vs. Washington

Many see the Oregon Ducks as a power house in the world of Division I football. Since Chip Kelly took over as the head coach of Oregon, the Ducks have always finished at the top of the Pac-10 and now Pac-12 conference.

With the rivalry game coming up this week, let’s take a look back at a previous game between the Ducks and the Huskies.

Oregon currently has defeated Washington in nine straight games, the last loss coming way before the Kelly era. Here are some facts about Oregon in 2003:

Sep 15, 2012; Seattle, WA, USA; Washington Huskies head coach Steve Sarkisian waits in the tunnel with the players prior to the Washington Huskies introduction during the game between the Washington Huskies and the Portland State Vikings at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-US PRESSWIRE

Head Coach: Mike Bellotti (8th season)

Top Recruit: Dennis Dixon

Finished 5-7 in the Pac-10

The Oregon vs. Washington game in 2003 was played in Seattle, Washington. Just a week before the game against the Huskies, the Ducks shut out the Stanford Cardinal on homecoming night at Autzen Stadium. However, the momentum from that game wasn’t enough to help the Ducks beat the Huskies.

The event happened on Novemeber 1st, 2003. Oregon’s starting quarterback was Kellen Clemens, geting the Ducks off to a nice start after throwing a 85-yard touchdown pass to Demetrius Williams and put them up 7-0 in the first quarter, ending the period with a field goal and shutting out Washington 10-0.

It was all Huskies from there. Theyonly scored once in the first half as Shelton Sampson scored a 1-yard rushing touchdown and Oregon led 10-7 at halftime. Coming out of the halftime locker rooms, the Huskies rattled off 35 unanswered points to win 42-10.

Washington’s reserve quarterback Casey Paus threw two touchdowns to Charles Fredrick and Reggie Williams in the second half. Sampson added a 77-yard touchdown run and the Washington defense had a 55-yard fumble recovery go for a touchdown.

After the game, the Huskies sprinted to the “W” at center field and woofed at the Ducks as they walked off the field. Washington celebrated in this way because Oregon safety Keith Lewis predicted a victory and vowed to dance on the “W” at midfield. Lewis said this because the Huskies celebrated on the “O” at Autzen Stadium for 30 minutes after they defeated the Ducks in 2002.

According to the ESPN article in 2003, Washington tackle Khalif Barnes said, “They said they wanted to come out and celebrate on our field. I kind of took that as a challenge, that they were calling us out. We felt good. We wanted to go celebrate on our own field.”

Many Oregon players said that they would have never celebrated on the “W” if the Ducks won.

Oregon and Washington will face off this year in Eugene. Oregon is ranked #2 in the nation and is 5-0 while the Huskies are ranked #23 in the nation and are 3-1.

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