The outcome of Oregon’s battle with No. 4 California on Saturday will start to put the Ducks’ bowl picture into perspective. While defeating the Golden Bears in their own house is a daunting task, here are five reasons why Oregon has a chance this weekend.
5. Confidence — If the Ducks fear Cal, they sure did a nice job of hiding it during practice this week. Four consecutive wins have erased the bitter taste of Oregon’s 1-3 start and the Ducks are looking for more.
While there is a general respect for Cal and its No. 4 ranking, Oregon believes it can beat the Golden Bears. No Duck better exemplifies this confidence than cornerback Aaron Gipson and his urge to be matched up against Cal’s All-American wide receiver Geoff McArthur.
“I love the challenge,” Gipson said. “I love when (secondary) coach (John) Neal tells me to go cover their best receiver so I can just go in and lock ’em up. I don’t want to back down from nobody.”
4. The Ducks are battle tested — Playing a televised game against a top-five team in its own house can be intimidating to any squad. Oregon, however, has the advantage of having already faced a similar situation earlier this season against Oklahoma. While the second-ranked Sooners beat the Ducks 31-7, the final score fails to indicate the fact Oregon was able to hang with one of the best teams in the country for three quarters. The Duck defense limited a powerful Sooner attack to a mere 10 points during the first half before wearing down late in the game.
Oregon head coach Mike Bellotti said Oregon is thrilled to get another chance to play a top-tier team, especially with many Duck players having grown up in the Golden State.
“I’m excited, our players are excited,” Bellotti said. “We have a lot of players from California going home and I hope I get the same response from those players as I did from our kids with Washington ties this past week against (the Huskies).”
3. Terrence Whitehead — Oregon’s featured tailback continues to be one of the most productive offensive weapons in the Pacific-10 Conference. The junior is one of only three backs in the Pac-10 to average more than 100 yards per game (102.4) and is also a legitimate pass-catching threat out of the backfield. Whitehead leads all conference running backs with 34 receptions for 310 yards.
If the Ducks are to have any chance against Cal, Whitehead must have a big day running and receiving against one of the best defenses in the country.
2. Kellen Clemens — Oregon’s quarterback is the total yardage leader in the Pac-10, producing more than 271 yards per game. After starting the season with a three-interception performance against Indiana, Clemens has played outstanding football. He’s made smart throws and has been picked off only twice during the last seven games, both of which came on passes tipped by an Oregon receiver.
For some reason, however, the Oregon offense seems to hit a bump in the road each game, where execution starts to falter. If Clemens and the Oregon offense can put together four solid quarters of football, the Ducks have a chance.
1. Defense — The Oregon defense has carried the team during the last three weeks, allowing only 33 points during three wins. The Ducks’ success starts up front. Tackles Haloti Ngata and Robby Valenzuela have been stuffing the run and getting backfield penetration, while ends Devan Long and Chris Solomona have pressured quarterbacks and created turnovers.
The dominance of the front four have opened things up for linebackers Jerry Matson, Anthony Trucks and Ramone Reed to roam free and make tackles cleanly without having to sift through blockers.
Defensive backs Justin Phinisee, J.D. Nelson, Jackie Bates and Gipson have been successful in eliminating the big play and making teams try to grind out long drives.
While Cal’s offense is loaded, the Oregon defense has a shut-down mentality and is capable of doing the job.

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