EUGENE, Ore. -- Just before his Twitter account mysteriously disappeared, injured Oregon State quarterback Lyle Moevao tweeted about "payback" in this year's Civil War game.
Moevao was silenced, and the rest of the Beavers certainly weren't providing further bulletin board material, but there was a generally accepted feeling that the No. 13 Beavers would like nothing better than to beat the No. 7 Ducks on Thursday night in their own house, winning a trip to the Rose Bowl in the process.
That's because last season the Ducks were the spoilers.
With a win, the Beavers would have been headed to Pasadena on New Year's Day for a rematch against Penn State, which beat them in September. Instead, USC went.
The Beavers' 65-38 loss snapped a six-game overall winning streak and an eight-game streak at Reser Stadium. It was the most points Oregon State had ever allowed an opponent.
The Beavers seemed lost without freshman running back Jacquizz Rodgers, the Pac-10's leading rusher who was out with a shoulder injury. The team also missed older brother James Rodgers, who had perfected his role in Oregon State's trademark fly sweep -- a play that beat Oregon 38-31 in overtime in the Civil War the year before.
The Ducks were led by Jeremiah Masoli, who threw for 274 yards and three touchdowns. They rolled up 694 yards in total offense.
Oregon went on to beat Oklahoma State in the Holiday Bowl 42-31, and the Beavers went on to defeat Pittsburgh 3-0 in the Sun Bowl.
Beavers coach Mike Riley said the coaches have since gone over tape of that last Civil War methodically. The team knows what it must look for, given the matchup is very similar to what it was last year.
"It was very disappointing. They beat us," he said. "We're on to a new year. Hopefully we can gain some thoughts about that game and use them for the preparation for this game both strategically and mentally."
This season is the first "winner takes all" Civil War in the history of the longstanding rivalry game, where both teams have the opportunity to go to the Rose Bowl with a victory.
The winner will also claim the Pac-10 title, breaking the hold that the Trojans have had on it for the past seven years.
Oregon (9-2, 7-1) lost its opener against Boise State and its lone conference game on the road at Stanford. Oregon State's losses this season were to Cincinnati, Arizona and USC.
The Beavers (8-3, 6-2) hold the tiebreaker because of their 38-28 victory over Stanford on Oct. 10.
The Ducks understand revenge could be at play.
"I'm sure if I was on the other end, that would be my No. 1 goal right now. Let alone revenge, they're in the same shoes we are. They could get to the Rose Bowl. Beyond the rivalry, you're fighting for the Rose Bowl. What more do you need?" safety T.J. Ward said.
For the record: Moevao tweeted: "This is what I've been waitin for. Payback is a (expletive)!" The tweet was re-tweeted several times, before ending up in an ESPN.com column. The account was later removed.
Oregon has made four appearances in the Rose Bowl, most recently following the 1994 season. The Ducks would have played in the 2002 game but went to the Fiesta Bowl because of the Rose Bowl's tie with the national championship game that season.
Oregon State has not earned a trip to the New Year's game in Pasadena since the 1964 season.
