After falling in heartbreaking fashion in its first game of the Pac-12 conference season, California will look to get back on track when it visits Eugene for a nationally televised matchup on Thursday against No. 9 Oregon.  While the Ducks are coming off a dominant effort in their first conference win over Arizona, the Golden Bears have had 12 days to mull a frustrating loss in which they led late but simply couldn’t close the door.
California (3-1, 0-1 Pac-12) started the season with three consecutive wins, highlighted by the spectacular play of junior quarterback Zach Maynard and his half-brother (and favorite target), sophomore wide receiver Keenan Allen. Maynard, a transfer from Buffalo, has had his ups and downs in his first four starts for the program, but for the most part has impressed since being named the team’s starting quarterback two weeks after spring practice.@@http://www.calbears.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/allen_keenan00.html@@
Maynard has thrown for almost 270 yards per contest this season, including 10 touchdowns against only three interceptions. His most triumphant moment came in Cal’s second game of the season against Colorado, when the Greensboro, N.C., native threw a five-yard, game-winning touchdown to Allen in overtime to cap a furious comeback for the Golden Bears. While the top-10 Ducks represent Cal’s toughest test to date, the Golden Bears’ offense is under the guidance of former Oregon offensive guru Jeff Tedford.@@http://www.pac-12.org/portals/7/images/Football/2011-Stats/HTML/confldrs.htm@@
“A Jeff Tedford offense is a Jeff Tedford offense, I think,” Oregon head coach Chip Kelly said. “They’re very multiple in what they do; they try to be balanced in running and throwing, they try to exploit, try to find the weaknesses in what you have defensively and try to exploit them.”
While Cal’s brotherly duo has provided their offense with a much-needed punch, the defense has struggled to secure leads as the team looks to establish itself as a contender in the Pac-12 North. California’s secondary has been burned all season, allowing 236 passing yards per game and a troubling 7.38 yards per attempt to opposing quarterbacks. The team’s gaps in the defensive backfield were most apparent in its overtime win against Colorado, when it allowed Buffaloes quarterback Tyler Hansen to rack up team-record 474 yards — including 11 completions for 284 yards to his No. 1 receiver, sophomore Paul Richardson.@@http://www.pac-12.org/portals/7/images/Football/2011-Stats/HTML/confldrs.htm@@@@http://www.cubuffs.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=3850&SPID=255&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=600&ATCLID=205268990@@
Cal’s pass defense was similarly disappointing in the team’s last contest, a 31-23 loss to Washington in their inaugural Pac-12 game. Washington’s first-year starting quarterback, sophomore Keith Price, was able to complete 19 of 25 passes for 292 yards and three touchdowns (with no interceptions) against an overmatched secondary.@@http://www.calbears.com/sports/m-footbl/stats/2011-2012/calwash.html@@
Price helped the Huskies grab the lead for good with a 70-yard pass to running back Chris Folk early in the fourth quarter. Trailing by eight, Maynard almost rallied an inspired last-minute comeback, advancing Cal to the Washington two-yard line after a 19-yard completion to Allen with under two minutes to play. But an incompletion and a pair of lackluster runs left California facing fourth down near the goal line, and Maynard’s fourth-down pass for his trustiest target, Allen, sailed high and out of the endzone as Washington claimed victory with a valiant defensive stand.
“It was tough on us as soon as we lost the game,” Maynard said. “Walking off the field it was real hard on us. We felt like we could have beat those guys, but they played a great game.”
Oregon is renowned for its imposing run attack, but it’s hard to imagine Darron Thomas, a second-team All-Pac-10 performer last season, offering a break for the Golden Bears when he drops back for the Ducks. Though Cal has struggled against the pass through the first four games of 2011, the Bears do rank fourth in the Pac-12 and ninth nationally in sacks per game (3.25).@@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=3378&SPID=233&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=1550474&Q_SEASON=2011@@@@http://www.ncaa.com/stats/football/fbs/current/team/1049@@
“He can buy time with his legs and keep his eyes downfield,” Tedford said of Thomas. “He’s always been very, very good at running the football and running their offense that way. I think he’s becoming a better passer with more experience at that.”
Oregon’s rushing attack really should be the top concern for Cal’s defense. After all, the Ducks are averaging almost 300 yards per contest on the ground and features the NCAA’s leading rusher, junior running back LaMichael James (153.25 yards per game). But a big day for James is no foregone conclusion. Cal’s rushing defense has allowed only 78.25 yards per contest in 2011, ranking second in the Pac-12 and ninth nationally.@@http://www.pac-12.org/portals/7/images/Football/2011-Stats/HTML/confldrs.htm@@@@http://www.ncaa.com/stats/football/fbs/current/team/1040@@
To compound things, the Golden Bears’ defense — led by former NFL defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast — was one of very few in the country to solve the puzzle of Oregon’s vaunted running attack last season. While then-No.1 Oregon was able to prevail against the Bears by a score of 15-13, James was held to 91 yards on 29 carries, one of only three games in which he rushed for less than 100 yards in 2010.@@http://www.calbears.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/pendergast_clancy00.html@@ @@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPID=233&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=205030836@@
The good news for the Ducks is that Autzen Stadium presents a daunting challenge for a California team lacking a strong road resume. Last season, Cal lost each of its first four road games (Nevada, Arizona, USC, Oregon State) before avoiding a winless season away from home with a victory against conference doormat Washington State. Cal’s poor road effort contributed significantly to a 5-7 overall record, which ended the team’s school-record-tying string of eight straight winning campaigns.@@http://www.calbears.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/083011aaa.html@@
“The fans are very educated,” Tedford said of Oregon’s faithful supporters. “They’re very loud when (the opposing team) has the ball and very quiet when (Oregon) has the ball.”
“It’s going to be a big game, especially at Autzen too,” Maynard said. “It’s gonna be crazy. The fans are going to be loud. We’ve got to execute, communicate well.”
Even more troubling for the Bears is their lack of experience against the Ducks, home or away. Kickers Giorgio Tavecchio and Vincenzo D’Amato are the only current Cal players to have scored against Oregon. In fact, current Cal players have produced only 69 receiving yards and 26 rushing yards against the Ducks in their careers to date. To make things worse, Tavecchio is probably known best by Duck fans for missing a fourth-quarter field goal against Oregon last season that could have potentially given Cal a lead against the nation’s top-ranked team.
If the Golden Bears wrap up James as they did last season, the underdogs may have a shot at upending the Ducks at home. But if Cal’s secondary fails to muster a respectable effort against Thomas, it may not matter.