Oregon rivalry: the players' perspective

Reggie Williams is always talking trash. You bump him, he talks. You beat him, he talks. But when it comes to why Oregon and Washington have such a fierce rivalry, Washington's all-American doesn't have much to say.

"I don't know why it is," Williams said. "They're just Oregon and we hate them."

And that's pretty much how it is around Montlake, where Huskies reign supreme and Ducks dwell at the bottom of the food chain. Nobody knows why the feelings of hate exist between the two schools, but everybody knows they're mutual.

To pinpoint the rivalry's date of birth, you have to go only as far back as 1994 -- because before that the Huskies were winning Rose Bowl after Rose Bowl and Oregon was watching them on TV. Anyway, Washington traveled to Eugene that year for what should have been another romp over the lowly Ducks. What took place, however, was the defining moment of Oregon's illustrious football history.

With the UW driving for the potential game-winning score, Oregon's Kenny Wheaton stepped in front of a Damon Huard pass and returned it 97 yards for a touchdown to seal the victory. The 30-21 upset propelled Oregon into the Rose Bowl and put the Ducks on the map for good.

The video footage of Wheaton's interception has been a favorite on the Autzen Stadium scoreboard for years. It's also served as a constant reminder to the Huskies as to why they hate the Ducks.

Since then, the Washington-Oregon rivalry has been heated, to say the least. Former UW coach Rick Neuheisel once accused Oregon's athletic department of being a "propaganda machine" because of the money it receives from Nike. Then there are the "Huck the Fuskies" T-shirts that are worn by legions of dyslexic Oregon fans. Any way you look at it, these two teams aren't friendly.

But where does the hatred come from?

"It's like a society-known value," said Husky offensive tackle Khalif Barnes. "When you're brought into this culture, you're raised on two things: never lose to Oregon and never lose to Washington State."

And why is that important?

"Because we're so close," said quarterback Cody Pickett. "And because we're so close, the bragging rights are always high. We want to win every game we play, but this one more so because this is where we're from and we have to defend that."

So why the bad blood: can't we all just get along?

"Even if you're a fun-loving guy like I was when I first got here," said Barnes, "you have to build this hatred deep inside you that makes it so when you play these guys, the hitting is two times harder."

That sounds nice, but isn't there a reason for it all?

"Not really," said Williams. "Haven't you ever just not liked somebody? I mean, that's just the way it is. We don't like them."

But why not?

"It's just tradition," said cornerback Derrick Johnson. "We've been beating up on Oregon for years, and they hate us for it. The feeling is always mutual, so we just have to go out and pound them."

There's got to be more to it than that, right?

"Their fans," said Pickett, finally shedding some light on a possible reason. "Their fans are always talking, and it really gets on your nerves. We want to win so our fans can have something to say back at them."

Last season, the UW threw a coming-out party on the Ducks' 50-yard line, which Oregon players weren't too happy about later. But that's just the way it goes in the world of college football -- you win some, you lose some.

And with "Huck the Fuskies" T-shirt sales reaching record levels, tomorrow's game looks to be a battle on the field and a war zone in the stands. But the Huskies aren't planning on backing down any time soon, especially to a team that hasn't won a Rose Bowl since 1917.

"We're Washington and we're a proud school," Pickett said. "We don't have to use the extra things to get us going like Oregon does. We can take it to them straight up, just like we did last year."