EUGENE — This was supposed to be Oregon’s culmination of its dramatic turnaround this season.

This was supposed to be the Ducks further proving that those three losses earlier this year might well have been victories had their starting quarterback been healthy.

This was supposed to be a five-touchdown victory.

Well, what is supposed to happen does not always happen, especially in the longest-running college football rivalry west of the Rocky Mountains.

The Civil War is often characterized by emotion and drama, and the Ducks got more than they expected Friday from their gritty in-state rivals.

Oregon led by 24 points at halftime and appeared to be firmly in command. But Oregon State simply would not go away, and the Ducks had to hang on for dear life, eking out a 52-42 win in the 119th Civil War on a frigid afternoon at Autzen Stadium.

After winning five straight coming into the Civil War, and fresh off a 48-28 dismantling of Southern California, it seemed Oregon (9-3 overall and No. 17 in the College Football Playoff rankings) could demonstrate again that it was worthy of an upper-tier bowl game.

The Oregon defense had been much improved in its five wins before the Civil War, after it had been blamed at least partially for all three losses earlier this season.

After Friday’s victory, it was getting blamed for a sloppy second half that saw the Beavers (2-10) get within three points twice in the fourth quarter.

After holding Oregon State to just 96 yards and seven points in the first half, the Ducks gave up 331 yards and 35 points in the second half.

Oregon State freshman running back Ryan Nall ran for 140 of his 174 yards in the second half.

“It was unfortunate because we would have liked to have finished,” Oregon defensive coordinator Don Pellum said. “Going into this week we wanted to play a complete game and we played a pretty good first half. The second half we did not finish. We’re happy with the win but we’re not happy with the way we executed. We missed some gaps, and it wasn’t one person or one play.”

Pellum, a former linebacker at Oregon and a longtime assistant coach, was not surprised to see the Beavers rally.

“I’ve been in 30 or 31 Civil Wars,” Pellum said. “And they always have interesting twists and turns. The games are never over till they’re over.”

Oregon gave up 42 points to a team that was averaging 16.9 points per game and whose quarterback, redshirt freshman Marcus McMaryion, was making the first start of his career.

Luckily for the Ducks, their offense responded in the fourth quarter, when each of Bralon Addison’s touchdown receptions in the period extended the Ducks’ lead back to 10 points. His 24-yard touchdown catch with 4:39 left in the game helped seal Oregon’s eighth straight win over Oregon State.

“We got the win, that’s the most important thing,” said Addison, who had eight catches for 106 yards and three touchdowns. “But there’s obviously some things we could have done better. … We knew they would bring their best shot and we just had to stay focused.”

But Oregon appeared incredibly unfocused, especially in the second half, when Nall time and again broke free up the middle for long runs, including a 66-yard touchdown that cut the Ducks’ lead to 45-42.

And to make matters worse, the Ducks finished with nine penalties for 93 yards.

The lackluster performance soured senior day for several members of the Oregon defense, including senior linebacker Rodney Hardrick, who had one sack and one tackle for loss.

“We didn’t play our best game, and I was walking off that field not feeling satisfied,” Hardrick said. “It kind of hurt. There were some emotional moments with (fellow senior linebackers) Tyson (Coleman) and Joe (Walker). I just wish we could have finished at home a little better.”

The Ducks were playing without Walker, a starting linebacker, and Pellum declined to say why Walker was not playing, aside from stating that he was “day to day.”

Oregon defensive players refused to use that as an excuse. Defensive end DeForest Buckner, who led Oregon with seven tackles and had a key late sack, said he felt that some players “thought we already had it in the bag” at halftime.

“I’ve been saying all week, you just can’t let up,” Buckner said. “A team like that has nothing to lose.”

While Oregon’s defense crumbled in the second half, the offense managed to score enough to win. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. threw for 366 yards and three touchdowns, and Royce Freeman rushed for 167 yards and two touchdowns as the Ducks piled up 674 yards of offense.

They will carry that offensive momentum into their bowl game, possibly the Alamo Bowl or Holiday Bowl, decided after the postseason picture gets clearer with a full slate of games today and then more next week.

But will Oregon be capable of improving its leaky defense once again in time for the bowl game?

“When I looked up and saw we were only up by three points … it was crazy,” Coleman said. “We did not play anywhere close to our standard as a defense. That’s something we’re going to fix going into our bowl game.”

— Reporter: 541-383-0318, or mmorical@bendbulletin.com.