At quarterback, however, they were down to third-string replacement Ladd McKittrick, after injuries to season-starter Ricky Greene and backup Jeff Seay.
[11] The Ducks were experiencing a mediocre season, but nonetheless came into the game as 131⁄2 point favorites over the hapless Beavers.
[3] As the game progressed, players had to contend with huge standing puddles that developed on Autzen Stadium's AstroTurf field.
[4][5] As the game began, the Beavers, though heavy underdogs, seemed determined to end their eight-year losing streak and dominated the first half both defensively and offensively.
[17] A few plays later, the Beavers tackled Oregon punter Kevin Hicks back at the 7 yard line and took possession deep in Duck territory.
On the next play, however, a fumble by Beaver fullback James Terrell was recovered by the Ducks' Ron Johnson.
[16] Mike Owens, who had replaced Miller at quarterback, completed a pass to Barnes, who then lateraled to Laderia Johnson.
It was the fifth scoreless tie in Civil War history[6] (the first since 1931[18]), and the first in NCAA Division I FBS college football since a 1979 game between Eastern Michigan and Northern Illinois.
The Ducks' freshman quarterback Chris Miller, despite a rocky first start, went on to a successful ten-year career in the NFL, mostly with the Atlanta Falcons.
On October 22, 2005, Arkansas State defeated Florida Atlantic 3–0 in overtime (subsequently vacated, it was a no contest).
The most recent scoreless tie came on November 22, 2014, when Wake Forest defeated Virginia Tech 6–3.