Saturday’s showdown between Oregon and No. 4 California is more than just a battle for second place in the Pacific-10 Conference. It’s a chance for the Ducks to prove they belong with the nation’s big boys.
Oregon (5-3 overall, 4-1 Pac-10) with its revamped defense travels to Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, Calif., for a regionally televised (ABC, 12:30 p.m.) contest with Cal, whose only loss came at the hands of top-ranked Southern California. The Golden Bears (6-1, 4-1) rank at or near the top in almost every major statistical category in the Pac-10 and have outscored their opponents 273-86.
Cal also sports the nation’s fourth-best offense, ninth-best rushing attack and is ranked No. 14 in total defense.
While the two teams feature equal conference records, odds-makers aren’t giving Oregon much consideration for a victory. Sportsbook.com lists the Golden Bears as a 21-point favorite against the Ducks, who are 0-2 against ranked opponents this year.
Oregon remains hopeful, however, with a first-string defense that has allowed only one touchdown during the last 12 quarters.
“Everybody thinks Cal is going to beat on us,” cornerback Aaron Gipson said. “It really doesn’t matter what people think or how much they say we’re going to lose by. It just matters if we believe we can win.”
Oregon defenders exuded plenty of confidence during practice this week, following a three-week stretch of dominance. The Ducks have allowed 33 points during the last three games, with 14 points coming against second-stringers late in the fourth quarter against Arizona. The streak includes a 10-sack performance against Stanford, where the Ducks held the Cardinal to minus-8 yards rushing. Last week, Oregon held Washington to a pair of field goals and forced seven Husky turnovers.
Cal quarterback Aaron Rodgers has transformed himself from a junior college transfer into a Heisman Trophy candidate during two seasons with the Golden Bears.
The defense has compensated for an offense that has sputtered of late. After putting up 41 points against Washington State, Oregon has struggled with turnovers and has failed to cash in on scoring opportunities.
While offensive execution would greatly increase Oregon’s chance for an upset, Gipson said it isn’t necessary for a win.
“It will take a complete effort to beat Cal,” Gipson said. “But if that doesn’t happen, I think we can count on our defense to stop Cal’s offense. On defense, I feel like we can do anything right now.”
Stopping Cal’s offense is easier said than done. The Golden Bears feature some of the nation’s top
talent in a system run by head coach and former Oregon offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers is a Heisman Trophy candidate, who leads the Pac-10 with a 167.8 pass-efficiency rating. He has thrown for 1,541 yards and 15 touchdowns, while accounting for nearly 226 yards of total offense per game.
The junior transferred to Cal last season after playing his freshman year at Butte College in Oroville, Calif. Rodgers emerged as one of the nation’s best signal callers in 2003 – despite being all of 19 years old – throwing for 2,903 yards and 19 touchdowns, while leading Cal to a victory against Virginia Tech in the Insight Bowl.
Rodgers’ top target has been All-American wide receiver Geoff McArthur, who has 32 receptions for 476 yards and four touchdowns. The senior became Cal’s all-time leader in receiving yardage this season, passing former Golden Bear Bobby Shaw. McArthur now has 2,802 yards to go along with his 177 career receptions.
Despite Cal’s ability to move the ball through the air, the Golden Bears have done most of their damage on the ground.
Senior running back J.J. Arrington leads the Pac-10 in rushing yards with 1,106 and rushing touchdowns with 11.
Oregon middle linebacker Jerry Matson said limiting Arrington’s production on first down will be the key to a Duck victory.
“If you control first down by stopping the run, you can do a lot of things on second down and third down that make it easier to get off the field,” Matson said. “If you give up five (yards) on first down, it’s kind of like you’re playing Yahtzee; you’re rolling the dice.”
Tedford said his team will have to be versatile on offense as he expects Oregon to focus on stopping the run.
“We’re going to have to be diverse,” Tedford said. “We’re going to have to be balanced. There’s not one phase we’re going to be able to rely on. We’re going to continue giving it a shot running the ball, but we’re going to have to mix it up.”
Defensively, Cal has been equally as tough. The Golden Bears are allowing only 12.3 points per game and are ranked seventh in the nation against the run (91.6 ypg).
Oregon has the weapons to crack the Cal defense, however. Quarterback Kellen Clemens enters Saturday as the Pac-10’s leader in total offense, averaging more than 271 yards per game. Running back Terrence Whitehead is third in the conference with 819 rushing yards and ranks eighth in receptions with 34 for 310 yards.
Clemens said the Oregon offense will have its hands full against a Cal defense that hasn’t allowed a point during its last two games.
“They’ve got everything,” Clemens said. “They’ve got speed in the secondary, they’re very aggressive, and when it gets to the point where you’re leading the Pac-10 in defense, they’re struggling to keep you from getting every single yard that they can.”
