The No. 6 Oregon Ducks (7-1, 4-1 Pac-12) are facing the California Golden Bears (3-5, 1-4 Pac-12) in Autzen Stadium as the Ducks look to continue their winning streak in the hopes to earn a College Football Playoff bid. The Golden Bears are coming off of a strong showing against No. 24 USC where they lost by just one point.
The story of the game for the Ducks will once again be their defense. Cal’s offense has put up big numbers against a number of quality Pac-12 teams, including 32 points against the Washington Huskies and 49 against the USC Trojans. However, the strong Oregon defense is coming off of a game where it allowed Utah just six points, making it just the third time in conference play this season that the Ducks have allowed such a number. The Oregon secondary also had a pair of interceptions, both coming from Tysheem Johnson, which brings the unit up to seven for the year.
Oregon’s defense has looked impressive so far this year but coming into the season, it was pegged as a weakness for the squad. With the Ducks’ offense not looking like a question, this team seems to be able to go as far as the defense can take it. The defensive line of the Ducks’’ has looked strong in conference play with the Ducks having 21 total sacks in those five games. Despite not allowing a sack to the Trojans last week, the Golden Bears were sacked five times in their loss to the Utah Utes on Oct. 14.
On the other side of the ball, Oregon will again be led by Bo Nix as he continues an impressive campaign that sees him in the mix for the Heisman Trophy. Nix currently has 2,337 passing yards and has thrown 21 touchdowns. He also has three rushing scores, bringing his total touchdowns up to 24. The Ducks’ offense, led by Nix, has been an elite unit so far this season, and Cal’s defense has not looked too impressive as they have allowed over 50 points three times this season. If the Ducks win this game, and their offense looks as good as it has all season, Nix could see a significant increase in his counting stats as he enters the final part of his last collegiate campaign.
For an Oregon team that is playing with a vengeance since losing to the Huskies three weeks ago, this game seems like it could be an easy win. However, taking the Golden Bears squad lightly could end up in a surprise upset. Cal is coming off just putting up 49 points against USC last week and could be looking for their first quality Pac-12 win. Of course, the Ducks’ defense has looked much more impressive than the Trojans’ defense so far this year, but Cal hanging almost 50 on a ranked team cannot be overlooked.
Oregon has specialized this year in putting up early points, leading to an advantage early in games. If the Ducks are able to come out and take care of business early, Cal could find itself fighting from behind for most of the game. Oregon has done very well so far this season with maintaining a lead after getting it early in the game, and this game could prove to be a repeat of other stifling Oregon defensive performances.
There’s also a question about head coach Dan Lanning’s philosophy following the loss to the Huskies. Despite being incredibly aggressive for the early part of the season and it being the main factor in Oregon’s loss, Lanning has yet to go for a fourth down conversion or two-point conversion since that game. Whether that change in tactics is due to a lack of opportunity for those chances or a total change in philosophy a year and a half into his tenure with the Ducks remains to be seen. However, if the Ducks get up early on Cal, Lanning could revert to his aggressive play calling to fully take the Golden Bears out of it before they have a chance to play spoiler.
For Oregon, this game marks just the third unranked Pac-12 opponent they have faced so far this season, and its schedule does not get any easier from here on out. This game will be an important one to continue building momentum as the Ducks enter the final part of their schedule, and will prove important as Oregon looks to earn its second College Football Playoff berth.
