Oregon Secondary vs. Cal Receivers
For the first time in over 30 years, the Oregon defense hasn’t allowed a touchdown in three consecutive games, and the Ducks can thank a secondary that is stifling opponents’ passing games.
Junior cornerbacks Thomas Graham Jr. and Deommodore Lenoir lead the team with four pass deflections apiece. This season, Lenoir has recorded nine tackles, eight of which were solo. Freshmen second-string corners DJ James and Mykael Wright are young backups hoping to learn as much as they can before stepping into the limelight. Wright snagged his first career interception against Montana; he is also tied for third on the team for pass deflections.
Sophomore safety Jevon Holland is second on the team with 21 tackles, eight of which were against Stanford in week four. During his freshman campaign, he was tied for second in the Pac-12 with five interceptions.
Nick Pickett and Brady Breeze, both junior safeties, have 13 and nine total tackles, respectively. Pickett, a Salesian High School classmate of Lenoir, is currently second on the team with his three pass deflections.
Cal has four different receivers with 10-plus receptions, and those four wideouts are responsible for over half of the total receiving yards; the Bears are also ranked last in the Pac-12 in receiving yards. Despite their lack of yards, they are fourth in the conference in average yards per reception with 13.4 yards per catch.
Cal’s most targeted receiver, sophomore Nikko Remigio, has just 12 catches for 188 yards. Remigio is tied for 35th in receptions and 30th for total yards.
Oregon RB CJ Verdell vs. Cal LB Evan Weaver
The Ducks have a history of sporting dominant running backs, leaving CJ Verdell with big shoes to fill.
Verdell’s highlight of last season was scoring the winning touchdown in the overtime matchup with then-No. 7 Washington. In his first season as the Ducks featured back, Verdell scored 10 touchdowns and rushed for 1,018 yards. He was ranked 59th out of 290 for total rushing yards and tied for 12th in touchdowns scored. Verdell and sophomore Travis Dye share a majority of the carries for the Ducks, but Verdell leads the team with a pair of touchdowns. Last time Verdell scored was the 77-6 win over Nevada.
On the opposite side of the ball is Cal inside linebacker Evan Weaver. Weaver, a senior, recorded 155 tackles last season and is projected to surpass that number this year. Through his first five games, he has tallied a whopping 78 tackles, including his career-high 22 during a win against Ole Miss.
With his 78 tackles, he leads the nation by 20 tackles. The last time Weaver recorded single-digit tackles in a game was last October against UCLA, when he had nine. Weaver also leads the nation in solo tackles per game; he has made a solo tackle 43 times this season.
With the Golden Bears sitting right behind the Ducks in the Pac-12 North standings, this game will be crucial for the Ducks’ odds in competing for another conference title.
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