BERKELEY, Calif. — Oregon free safety Marley Tucker’s interception with one minute, 16 seconds left was enough to bring the Memorial Stadium crowd to its feet.
Oregon fans stood up to cheer, and California fans got up to leave.
Because, under a sunny California sky and against a near-perfect backdrop — a sprawling, forested canyon and a scoreboard that read 48-7 in the Ducks’ favor — Oregon’s defense played a near-perfect game, and Golden Bear fans finally had had enough.
“I have no complaints today — not today,” said Oregon defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti, who beamed like a proud father as he talked to reporters. “We almost shut that team out today.”
Indeed, the Ducks (6-0 overall, 3-0 Pacific-10 Conference) almost did. California’s (0-5, 0-3) only scoring drive, in the fourth quarter, was set up when Oregon tailback Maurice Morris fumbled on the Ducks’ 31-yard line.
Cal quarterback Kyle Boller completed a 28-yard slant pass to receiver Charon Arnold on third-and-long, setting up Boller’s six-yard touchdown pass two plays later.
Through the game’s opening 48:32, though, Oregon forced four California fumbles and recovered two of them, collected three interceptions and recovered the ball on downs. Three of those turnovers were converted into touchdowns.
“They tried to run a lot of motion plays and funky formations,” linebacker Wesly Mallard said about Cal’s offense. “The Utah State game helped a lot in helping us deal with a lot of that stuff.”
The Oregon ‘D’ set the game’s tone by brushing the Golden Bear offense off the field in four downs.
Boller was constantly pressured in the pocket. He was 18-of-40 passing with an interception, and his longest pass was his 28-yard toss to Arnold. The Ducks put a cork in Cal’s offensive line, bottling up the opponent’s running game to 78 yards.
“When we stepped out there, we knew we were ready to play,” Oregon cornerback Steve Smith said.
Said Mallard: “We’re just running to the ball. If you’ve got 11 people running to the ball, then something is bound to happen.”
Was it a breakthrough game?
Heading into Saturday’s game, Oregon’s defense ranked ninth overall in the Pac-10.
“We wanted to come out here and make a statement,” Smith said. “We wanted to show people that we’re for real, and that we know how to put people away.”
Ducks head coach Mike Bellotti stopped short of saying his team had arrived, but wasn’t shy about praising the defensive effort.
“I was very pleased with the defense,” he said. “It was one of our best performances of the year.
“I think we made a significant improvement today in playing a complete game.”
On last weekend’s box score, the Duck offense overshadowed the defense in a 63-28 romp over Arizona. But two Wildcat touchdowns came in the fourth quarter against Oregon’s reserves, and the first two — both in the first half — came on the heels of big plays.
Against Cal, there was no fourth-quarter letdown, even as reserves played through most of it.
“It’s not a matter of us giving up yards,” Mallard said. “As long as we’re keeping them out of the end zone, we’re a happy defense.”
Saturday’s win came with a cost. Defensive end Seth McEwen left the game in the third quarter with a shoulder sprain, and free safety Keith Lewis sprained his ankle in the fourth quarter and had to be helped off the field.
Bellotti called Lewis’ injury a severe ankle sprain and said he’ll miss at least two weeks. Rover Gary McGraw will start at safety against Stanford in place of Lewis.
But late Saturday afternoon, Aliotti wasn’t about to let the injuries dampen his spirits.
“All a coach could ask is for his guys to play hard and smart on every play,” Aliotti said. “They’re doing that right now, and it’s translating into wins.”