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GAME NOTES: The Oregon State Beavers travel to Eugene this weekend to tangle with the ninth-ranked Oregon Ducks, who are playing for a berth in the Pac-12 Conference Championship Game.

Oregon State picked up just its third win of the season last weekend, but probably its most important as the Beavers stunned Washington, 38-21, in Corvallis. The Beavers got 339 passing yards and two touchdowns from QB Sean Mannion.

Oregon needs a win over Oregon State to clinch the Pac-12 North. With a loss, Stanford, a team the Ducks beat two weeks ago, would sneak in. Oregon lost in heart-breaking fashion last weekend, dropping a 38-35 thriller to USC after kicker Alejandro Maldonado missed a 37-yard field goal with five seconds remaining.

"Every phase of the game we're going to have to play at a tremendously high level to compete," said Oregon State head coach Mike Riley at his weekly press conference. "I will tell you this - I think our team will compete hard and prepare well, and I know theyre looking forward to a great opportunity."

Oregon leads the all-time series with Oregon State, which is dubbed the "Civil War", 58-46-10.

Mannion had one of the best performances of his freshman season last weekend against Washington, and he got considerable help from both his backfield and wide receivers. Oregon State's stagnant rushing attack came alive, as Markus Wheaton rushed for 66 yards to complement 41 and 43 yards, respectively from Jovan Stevenson and Terron Ward. Out wide, James Rodgers caught four balls for 48 yards and a score, while Wheaton caught seven passes for 125 yards. On the year, Mannion has thrown for 3,029 yards and 13 touchdowns and 16 interceptions, while Wheaton averages 6.4 catches for 86.09 yards per game. Oregon State boasts the fourth-best passing attack in the Pac-12, averaging 285.6 yards per game.

Oregon State's defense elevated its play last week against Washington, holding Huskies' quarterbacks Nick Montana and Keith Price to a combined 16-of-30 effort for 155 yards and three touchdowns against two interceptions. The Huskies' talented running back Chris Polk had an impressive game with 25 carries for 109 yards, but Oregon State came through in the second half, holding Washington to just seven points. Oregon State is fifth in the Pac-12 in total defense, giving up 387.7 yards per game, and is eighth in scoring, giving up 29.1 points per game. Oregon State's secondary has been solid all year long, ranking second in the Pac-12 by allowing 206.1 yards per game.

Oregon stormed back from a 38-14 deficit in the second half against USC, and got huge fourth quarter contributions from both quarterback Darron Thomas and running back Kenjon Barner. Thomas completed 23-of-35 passes for 265 yards and one touchdown, while Barner added 123 yard rushing on 15 carries. Oregon finished the contest with 209 yards rushing, but were haunted by two fumbles.

Thomas is completing 157.6 percent of his passes, which is good for 11th in the country, and is also accounting for over 210 yards of total offense per game. Lamichael James leads the country in rushing with 142.7 yards per game, but was limited last weekend against USC and had only one carry for five yards. Barner has been a consistent back for Oregon for much of the season, and is sixth in the Pac-12 in rushing with 85.1 yards per game. He has scored 10 touchdowns this season.

Oregon ranks third in the country in scoring and eighth in the nation in total offense, averaging 496.09 yards per game. The Ducks are also fifth in the country in rushing, posting 284.2 yards per outing.

The Oregon defense was taken for a ride against USC quarterback Matt Barkley, who completed 26-of-34 passes for 323 yards and four touchdowns with one interception. USC running back Curtis McNeal also hurt Oregon with 94 yards rushing on 20 carries, while Marc Tyler added 49 yards and one touchdown on 12 carries. Oregon's defense gives up 391 yards and 23.1 points per game, and is an aggressive, up-tempo unit, averaging 3.0 sacks and 6.8 tackles for loss per game.

As Riley stated, Oregon State will have to be lights-out on offense, defense and special teams to contend in Eugene. Mannion has a bright future and Saturday's game will be an important step for him, but if these two games get into a shootout, its advantage Oregon.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Oregon 48, Oregon State 31