The most satisfying Civil War

I'm not gonna lie, Saturday was an incredibly satisfying day.

Every Civil War has meaning. But some have more meaning than others.

And really, since the epic game of 2000, the Civil War hasn't had meaning outside of state pride. We lost in both 2006 and 2007, and yes, it sucked. But those seasons were lost before the Civil War. A victory would have put a nice salve on the season, but the main damage had already been done. Those losses stung, but not that much. It just meant we had to hear about it for two years. And from 2002-2005, the team won that should have fun, with very little on the line.

But this Civil War, there was a lot on the line. For Oregon, a 2nd place Pac-10 finish and a trip to the Holiday Bowl. For OSU, the Rose Bowl, which would have been their first in over 40 years. There was a national audience. The game was discussed in depth on ESPN and throughout the blogosphere, something that rarely happens.

And Oregon came out and dominated the Beavers. The numbers say it all: 694 total yards. Over 10 yards per play on the offense. As bad as Oregon's 3rd down defense was, the 3rd down offense was even better. The much maligned pass defense took two picks to the house. It all led to a 27 point win in a place where Oregon hadn't won is 12 years.

For many OSU fans, we know their pain. The loss in 2000 was very tough. It was a storybook year. Oregon had great wins of UCLA, UW, and the miracle at ASU. Then, they eked out the final few games going into the Civil War, and were dominated. Our star QB turned the ball over 6 times, and OSU went on to a BCS bowl.

Finally, we had a chance to return the favor. And the favor was returned, and then some. I'm happy for all the players and coaches, that have received unfair criticism from many, on the blogs and in the traditional media. They came out and silenced the critics. Well, for a while anyways.

For me, I'm still drinking this one in, watching replays, and reading every scrap of material on the game. I still get a huge grin when I think about the game. And, the only was to describe this feeling is satisfied.

So, savor this moment Duck fans. It was a perfect way to end the regular season.

GO DUCKS!