Oregon State @ Oregon preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 29, 2014 ) Oregon 47, Oregon State 19

Oregon State, losers of eight straight games, will try and salvage an otherwise disappointing season when it travels to No. 18 Oregon on Friday afternoon in the 119th edition of the Civil War. There hasn't been anything very civil about how the Ducks have treated the Beavers in this rivalry lately, winning seven in a row by an average score of 45-27 with Oregon State only twice coming within 17 points at the finish.

Oregon has arguably been the most impressive team in the Pac-12 since the return of starting quarterback Vernon Adams from a broken finger on his throwing hand, winning five in a row including impressive back-to-back wins at Stanford (38-36) and last week against USC (48-28), a game in which Adams tossed six touchdown passes. The Ducks are five-touchdown favorites to make it six straight victories on Friday, but head coach Mark Helfrich says there is no chance his squad will take the Beavers lightly. "I like our vibes," Helfrich said. "I like our attitude, but now we have to handle success. The same people who were telling us how cruddy we were are the same people who are telling us how great we are."

TV: 4 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1. LINE: Oregon -35

ABOUT OREGON STATE (2-9, 0-8 Pac-12): The Beavers are young and have had to deal with a rash of injuries including one to freshman starting quarterback Seth Collins, who hasn't played in a month with a knee injury but is still the team's top rusher with 541 yards. Collins has been working out at wide receiver this week, a positon he is expected to play next season, while two other freshmen who have battled injuries, Nick Mitchell and Marcus McMaryion, are vying this week for the starting quarterback spot. Oregon State ranks 116th in the nation in rush defense and now must try and slow down an Oregon ground game that leads the Pac-12 with an average of 286 yards per game.

ABOUT OREGON (8-3, 6-2): Adams, a graduate transfer from Eastern Washington with the ability to keep plays alive with his scrambling, was the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week after completing 20-of-25 passes for 407 yards and a school record-tying six touchdowns -- all to different receivers -- against USC. "We have weapons everywhere," Adams said. "Two-deep, three-deep, we got some guys." One of those guys is sophomore running back Royce Freeman, a semifinalist for the Doak Walker Award who has rushed for 1,539 yards and 12 TDs and is the only player in the FBS to have 100-plus yards from scrimmage in all 11 games this season.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Freeman leads the country in rushes of 10 or more yards with 51.

2. Going back to his Eastern Washington days, Adams has thrown a touchdown pass in 34 straight games, including nine games with five or more touchdowns.

3. Senior DE DeForest Buckner leads the Oregon defense with 14.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks and is considered a potential first-round NFL pick.

PREDICTION: Oregon 63, Oregon State 7