On Sunday afternoon, two of Oregon’s proud pigskin sons are determined to settle a score that has been lingering for over two years now. Cleveland quarterback Derek Anderson of Oregon State and the Jets’ own Kellen Clemens of the University of Oregon faced off twice in college, winning one game apiece.
But these wins and losses weren’t just numbers in record books for the schools. When the annual event is called the “Civil War Game” and has been played for 111 years, needless to say, a lot is a stake. It's when the Ducks and Beavers square off in the Square Dance State for total bragging rights, regardless of overall records.
“It’s one of the biggest events in the state every year,” said Clemens, who will be making his sixth career NFL start. “In Oregon, you’re either a Beaver or a Duck — there’s no in-between. When that game comes around, it’s a packed house in the stadium and there’s people watching it all throughout the state. That’s bragging rights — you can have a losing season going into that game, but if you’re a Duck and you beat the Beavers, then that’s a good year, and vice versa.”
In the Ducks’ 2003 win over the Beavers in Eugene, Clemens threw for 125 yards on 11 completions and accounted for four touchdowns, one of them rushing. Anderson had 271 yards and a touchdown but his two picks cost the Beavers their fourth loss of the season.
A year later in Corvallis, Anderson sought revenge and roasted the Ducks, 50-21, in the 108th edition of the game. He threw for 351 yards and four touchdowns and added a rushing TD for good measure.
“That's a huge game and it's a great rivalry,” said Clemens, whom the Jets picked in the second round of the 2006 draft. “It has a lot of tradition to it. There have been some great games in the past. This past year it went into overtime. It's just an awesome rivalry.”
And Anderson may be feeding off momentum from that game heading into this weekend’s battle at the Meadowlands, as it was the Beavers who needed two overtimes to fend off the Ducks, 38-31, in the rivalry's 55th straight sellout.
This fascinating rivalry between Clemens and Anderson didn’t start with the Ducks and Beavers but with the Hilanders and Indians. That’s the Burns Hilanders and the Scappoose Indians, Oregon high schools some 300 miles apart.
“Derek and I played against each other for the first time sophomore year in high school basketball and they handed it to us,” Clemens recalled. “Then we played each other again that senior year in football and they beat us again.”
That football loss came in the state playoffs.
“They just beat us in every sense of the word,” Clemens admitted. “That was a good team. They were loaded with talent, obviously, Derek being one of them. And they just outplayed us. Derek threw quite a few long passes for touchdowns, and I think I had an interception taken back for a touchdown.
“There was quite a bit of hype because Derek had already committed to Oregon State and I had verbally committed to go to Oregon,” he added. “There were quite a few people in the stands and it was in [the University of Oregon's] Autzen Stadium there in Eugene, so that added a little element to it.”
But those two games were just the tip of the iceberg in regard to the history between these two.
“We squared off twice that summer in an all-star basketball game and I was on the winning side there,” Clemens gleefully proclaimed. “Then we played each other twice in college where each won one and lost one. We've had a really good friendship throughout all that.”
That friendship was made even stronger after the two participated in the Elite 11 quarterback camp in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., where the best high school QBs work out together on an invitation-only basis. Others who have attended this clinic are Matt Leinart of the Cardinals, Brodie Croyle of the Chiefs and Kyle Orton of the Bears.
Now the friends are ready to pile up some fresh kindling on their old, fiery rivalry, this time as members of the NFL. After getting his chance as the Browns’ starting QB in the final three games of 2006, Anderson assumed the starting role in Week 2 this season. Since then, he has led the Browns to seven wins with 24 touchdowns, but it wasn’t smooth sailing.
In his first three career starts last year, Anderson went winless against Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Tampa Bay and threw three touchdowns to seven interceptions. Clemens’ first three games as an NFL starter this season were somewhat similar. He had gone 1-2 for the Jets, throwing three touchdowns and three interceptions.
“It’s really an amazing thing, how two guys from small towns in Oregon can now be starting for NFL teams and are going to go against one another this Sunday,” Clemens added. “It’s been really neat how this whole thing kind of played out.”
