EUGENE, Ore. — Oregon's thorny start has come up roses.

Redshirt freshman LaMichael James ran for 166 yards and three touchdowns Thursday night to send No. 7 Oregon to the Rose Bowl with a 37-33 victory over No. 13 Oregon State in the Civil War.

Oregon (10-2, 8-1) claimed the Pac-10 championship with the victory, ending USC's seven-season hold on the conference title. The Ducks, who have not been to the Rose Bowl since 1995, will face Ohio State in Pasadena on New Year's Day.

LeGarrette Blount, who hadn't played since throwing a punch after Oregon's season-opening loss to Boise State, returned to the field and scored on a 12-yard run in the third quarter.

Afterward, fans thrust red roses into his hands.

"This means everything to me," he said. "I'm kind of at a loss for words."

The victory capped a stunning turnabout from the Ducks' 19-8 crash on the blue turf in Boise. Oregon had just one other stumble this season — a 51-42 loss at Stanford — en route to the school's fifth Rose Bowl appearance.

"I think our team was always capable of this greatness," said quarterback Jeremiah Masoli, who threw for 201 yards and a score.

Oregon State (8-4, 6-3) was vying for its first Rose Bowl berth since the 1964 season. The Beavers will have to wait until the rest of the Pac-10 wraps up the season to find out which bowl they will play in.

It was the first time the annual rivalry was a winner-takes-all path to Pasadena.

After the game the Duck mascot clutched a bouquet of roses as he was lifted above the fans who rushed the field at Autzen Stadium. Players donned green T-shirts emblazoned with a yellow "O" and the Rose Bowl logo.

Sean Canfield threw for 306 yards and two touchdowns for the Beavers. Jacquizz Rodgers, the Pac-10's second-leading rusher behind Stanford's Toby Gerhart with an average of 119.4 yards a game, rushed for just 64 yards and a score.

Oregon State had a chance to take the lead late in the fourth but Canfield threw an incomplete pass on fourth-and-15 from the Oregon 28.

"We were all confident with the call," Canfield said. "It was a great call. We have a lot of playmakers on offense and I thought it was the right decision. We just couldn't get it done."