LaMichael James had struggled all night at Memorial Stadium. The running lanes weren’t there, and his ankle was bothersome. But with time running down in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter, James pinned his ears back and ran for two crucial first downs, effectively sealing a 15-13 win over California.
It was that type of evening for the entire Oregon team: grinding, frustrating but ultimately good enough.
“We’re 10-0,” head coach Chip Kelly said to The Oregonian. “I don’t know how many other undefeated teams there are in the country.”
Indeed, the Ducks remain undefeated, one of only four teams left in the nation without a loss.
Early on in Saturday’s matchup, however, it looked like that number might drop to three.
Oregon received the opening kickoff, looking to put California in an early hole. Instead, the offense turned the ball over on downs, giving possession to Golden Bears at midfield.
From there, California running back Shane Vereen went to work. The junior gained 49 yards on his team’s opening drive, capping it off with a touchdown run. All of a sudden, the Ducks found themselves in a 7-0 hole.
That would end up being the only score of the first quarter, as Oregon found itself shut out in the opening period for the second time in as many weeks.
“We knew this was going to be a challenge,” Kelly told The Oregonian. “We know what this league is all about.”
California held onto its narrow lead until the 6:34 mark of the second quarter, when Oregon cornerback Cliff Harris returned a punt 64 yards for a touchdown.
“He’s a big time player,” wide receiver Jeff Maehl said to The Register-Guard. “He continues to make plays when we need them most.”
Defensive lineman Dion Jordan took a direct snap into the end zone for the two-point conversion, and all of a sudden the Ducks led 8-7.
They would not relinquish the lead for the rest of the night.
Early in the second half, it looked as if Oregon would unleash another late game explosion of offense. Shane Vereen fumbled on California’s opening possession, and on the very next play Oregon quarterback Darron Thomas hit Maehl for a 29-yard touchdown. In a matter of 23 seconds, the Ducks had increased their lead to eight.
Little did Oregon know that those would be its last points of the game. Kicker Rob Beard missed his second field goal of the game during Oregon’s next possession, and Thomas lost a fumble in his own end zone for a California touchdown. The Duck offense was sputtering, and the lead had been cut to 15-13.
“I wasn’t expecting that,” linebacker Casey Matthews said to The Associated Press. “Especially in the second half.”
With the game, and Oregon’s national championship hopes, resting in the balance, Matthews and the defense went to work in the fourth quarter. Golden Bear kicker Giorgio Tavecchio missed a 29-yard field goal in the opening seconds of the period, and that would be the closest California came to scoring for the rest of the game.
Indeed, a normally fast-paced Oregon was determined to play keep away with the Golden Bears. The Ducks took the ball with 9:25 left in the game and proceeded to march nearly 70 yards up field while eating precious time off the clock. James capped the drive with the two first-down runs, and the game was won.
“Our team doesn’t get tight,” Kelly said to The Register-Guard. “Not at all. They knew what they had to do.”
When the final whistle blew, Oregon’s offensive numbers warranted a second look. The Ducks compiled just 317 total yards of offense, scoring only once in the process. James finished with 91 yards and no touchdowns, while Thomas averaged just 5.3 yards per completion.
Still, the defense was more than happy to pick up the slack for a normally prolific offense.
“It feels really good to come through for the offense this time,” Matthews said to The Associated Press. “We did pretty good, but we should do that every week, no matter what the offense does.”
Standing outside the stadium on crutches and a walking boot (though he insists he is fine), James appeared to welcome the adversity.
“I like being in games like this where it comes down to the wire,” James told The Oregonian. “You see what your team is made of. We won the game, and that’s the only thing I’m worried about.”
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