Oregon 42 California 3: So Happy To Be Wrong

Well.....duh!!!





Mostly based on the woeful passing attack exhibited by Oregon in previous games, there seemed to little to expect that the Ducks would have enough offensive firepower to match that of the number 6 ranked California Golden Bears on Saturday, so it was with some slight trepidation that I picked Cal for a 34-20 win. I mean, how often does a real fan expect his team to lose? The signs were there that Oregon could indeed win at Autzen, but only if things went right: if the young offensive line provided enough time for the attack to get started, if the offense avoided costly turnovers, if the defense (often employing the "bend but don't break" motto to the fullest) did not totally break down against Heisman Trophy hopeful Jahvid Best, if..,..if.....if.....



What transpired, of course, was one of the great wins I've ever seen the Ducks garner, a total team victory led by an amazingly stout defense that basically shut out a Jeff Tedford-coached squad and limited Best to just 55 yards on 16 carries.



The costly turnovers occurred very early on, the first kickoff of the game in fact, and left most of the Autzen crowd with a sense of uneasiness as the Bears set up shop at the Oregon 22 yard line, ready to take a lead they would never vanquish. Kenny Rowe sacked quarterback Kevin Riley for an 8 yard loss, followed by two incomplete passes and the Bears were limited to a field goal to take a 3-0 lead. The Bears may have won a small victory with the points, but it would prove to be a battleplan that foreshadowed their loss in the war, based on an attacking Duck defense that disrupted the timing on a number of Bears offensive plays.



There were a few moments of nuttiness that had a lot of people shaking their heads: both teams fumbling away to each other on consecutive plays and both teams exchanging punts with single digital yardage being the prime examples.



The reemergence of tight end Ed Dickson in the Oregon arsenal proved to be the key for the whole offense flowing fairly smoothly, catching 11 passes for 148 yards and three touchdowns, the first passing touchdowns for the Ducks this year.


Have to give a hand to the crowd for being into it the entire game, seeming to gain intensity as the reality began to set in as there was nothing the Cal offense could do to move the ball significantly against the Duck defense.




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