This weekend could mark a 10-year reunion for Cal.
It was 10 years ago that the Golden Bears last defeated the Ducks.
The 1993 game in Berkeley is significant because of how Cal (5-5 overall, 3-2 Pac-10) managed to win the game. The Bears overcame a 30-point first-half deficit to prevail over Oregon, 42-41.
That game is in the past. And Oregon has dominated the series for the past nine meetings, winning with a combined score of 212-103. Saturday night’s meeting should be different.
Head coach Jeff Tedford will take to the sideline to try to outsmart his former colleague Mike Bellotti in a battle of brilliant offensive minds.
“I have tremendous respect for him and will always have tremendous respect for him,” Tedford said. “I’m sure there’ll be kind words in wishing each other well but again, (it’s about) wanting to compete and wanting your team to win.”
And Cal has some stars back on the roster that haven’t faced Oregon in a long time. Senior tailback Adimchinobe Echemandu will make his return. Echemandu hasn’t played against Oregon since the 2000 season after missing back-to-back seasons because of personal reasons.
The Lagos, Nigeria, native is now making up for lost time. Echemandu has emerged as one of the Pac-10’s premier rushers, already having gained 1,009 yards on the ground.
Echemandu is averaging 5.5 yards per carry thus far this year and 132.8 rushing yards per game in his last five appearances. He already ranks No. 7 on Cal’s all-time single season rushing list and has become just the 10th player in Golden Bear history to rush for more than 1,000 yards.
Echemandu isn’t the only star on the Cal team to have earned more than 1,000 yards this season. Junior wide receiver Geoff McArthur is second among all NCAA Division I-A players in total receiving yards at 1,037.
McArthur has earned more than 100 yards receiving five times this season. If he has another big game against the Ducks, McArthur could break the single season receiving record for the Bears. Dameane Douglas set the team record of 1,150 yards in 1998, catching 100 passes that season.
McArthur has only caught 58 passes thus far, averaging 17.9 yards per catch. In Cal’s last game at Arizona State, McArthur brought down only four passes, but earned 160 yards, averaging 40 yards per catch.
Tedford praised McArthur after the game, calling him one of Cal’s most consistent players. But McArthur seems to be staying humble about the whole situation.
“It gives me chill bumps to know he thinks so highly of me,” McArthur told the Contra Costa Times earlier this week. “He has molded me.”
After the game, McArthur continued to give praise to his fellow teammates and credited Cal’s success on their behalf.
“We were running on all cylinders,” McArthur told the Contra Costa Times. “Our offensive line was opening holes, Aaron (Rodgers) was throwing balls where they needed
to be.”
If Cal is running on all cylinders against Oregon, it will be a difficult team to beat. Echemandu can cause havoc on the ground and McArthur could scorch the Oregon secondary. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers is coming off his finest game of the season after passing for 307 yards and three touchdowns against the Sun Devils.
As the Golden Bears come off their finest offensive showing all season — throwing up 51 points last weekend — the Bears will look to earn the first win in Autzen since 1987. It could be a blowout like it was against the Sun Devils or possibly a second-half comeback like the 1993 showdown.