Saturday, October 5
Eugene, Ore.
5:00 PM
University of Oregon
vs
California
Photo by: Samuel Marshall
5 Storylines To Watch: Oregon-California
10/05/19 | Football, @GoDucksMoseley
The No. 13 Ducks host the Golden Bears in Autzen Stadium on Saturday (5 p.m. PT, FOX).
EUGENE, Ore. — After a week off to recharge their batteries and recover from injuries, the No. 13 Oregon football team is back in action Saturday at Autzen Stadium against California at 5 p.m.
The Ducks went into their bye week on a three-game win streak, which culminated in a win at Stanford to open Pac-12 play. Cal was unbeaten on the season until losing last week to Arizona State in a Friday night game.
Saturday's game will be televised by FOX, with Brandon Gaudin handling play by play, Brock Huard in the booth providing analysis and Bruce Feldman on the sidelines with reporting on both teams.
Some storylines to watch as the game nears …
1. This might be the week some injured UO receiver make their season debuts.
Senior Brenden Schooler (foot) and freshman Mycah Pittman (shoulder) were injured in preseason camp but returned to practice over the bye week and have been cleared to play against the Golden Bears. Schooler was a first-team receiver before being hurt, and Pittman was a highlight machine as he pushed for reps in the two-deep.
There's also a chance graduate transfer Juwan Johnson makes his long-awaited debut after being sidelined by a calf injury. Given the play of Jaylon Redd, Johnny Johnson III and the other receivers so far, the Ducks aren't exactly desperate to get more bodies back, but depth can only help the group, and it should be a morale boost as well.
2. Mario Cristobal said over the bye week that Oregon's running game has been "out of sync," so the Ducks would like to be more explosive in the run game as the season progresses.
Measured by yards per carry, the Ducks have been about as efficient as they were last season. But explosive plays of 10 and 20 or more yards have been slightly less frequent through four games of this season.
In some cases, Oregon's backs haven't recognized or hit holes quite as quickly. In some cases, plays haven't been blocked quite as well as possible. The return of center Jake Hanson, after he missed the Stanford game, should help.
3. Wanting to do so is one thing. But actually being able to run the ball more effectively, when Cal linebacker Evan Weaver is across the ball, is another thing.
Weaver leads the NCAA in tackles with 78. Were Cal to make a postseason game, Weaver is currently on pace to break the NCAA single-season record of 193 tackles, set by Lawrence Flugence of Texas Tech in 2002.
Weaver likes to roam the field sideline to sideline making plays, so running away from him may not be feasible. The Ducks also could choose to go "good on good," attacking Weaver with some of their all-American offensive linemen and looking to minimize his impact that way.
4. What will the Cal offense look like with Devon Modster making his first start at quarterback?
Chase Garbers started the first four games of the season for the Golden Bears, and showed improvement over last season before being injured against Arizona State. Garbers was completing nearly 60 percent of his passes, with eight touchdowns against two interceptions.
With Garbers declared out this week, the UCLA transfer Modster gets the call. Fortunately for Oregon, the Ducks hadn't begun an in-depth game-plan installation during their bye, prior to Garbers' injury, so they didn't have to shift on the fly and adjust to a new quarterback.
5. Cal's injury at quarterback came just before the Golden Bears face an Oregon defense that is suddenly one of the best in the Pac-12.
Oregon hasn't allowed a touchdown since its season-opening loss to Auburn. The Ducks have gone three games since without allowing a touchdown, for the first time in school history since the 1933 team posted three straight shutouts (a typographical error in the UO record book originally led to the belief it was the first three-game stretch without allowing a touchdown since 1935, but it has been corrected).
Will Oregon allow a touchdown for the first time since August? Can California score the first first-half touchdown of the season against the Ducks? We find out Saturday evening.
The Ducks went into their bye week on a three-game win streak, which culminated in a win at Stanford to open Pac-12 play. Cal was unbeaten on the season until losing last week to Arizona State in a Friday night game.
Saturday's game will be televised by FOX, with Brandon Gaudin handling play by play, Brock Huard in the booth providing analysis and Bruce Feldman on the sidelines with reporting on both teams.
Some storylines to watch as the game nears …
1. This might be the week some injured UO receiver make their season debuts.
Senior Brenden Schooler (foot) and freshman Mycah Pittman (shoulder) were injured in preseason camp but returned to practice over the bye week and have been cleared to play against the Golden Bears. Schooler was a first-team receiver before being hurt, and Pittman was a highlight machine as he pushed for reps in the two-deep.
There's also a chance graduate transfer Juwan Johnson makes his long-awaited debut after being sidelined by a calf injury. Given the play of Jaylon Redd, Johnny Johnson III and the other receivers so far, the Ducks aren't exactly desperate to get more bodies back, but depth can only help the group, and it should be a morale boost as well.
2. Mario Cristobal said over the bye week that Oregon's running game has been "out of sync," so the Ducks would like to be more explosive in the run game as the season progresses.
Measured by yards per carry, the Ducks have been about as efficient as they were last season. But explosive plays of 10 and 20 or more yards have been slightly less frequent through four games of this season.
In some cases, Oregon's backs haven't recognized or hit holes quite as quickly. In some cases, plays haven't been blocked quite as well as possible. The return of center Jake Hanson, after he missed the Stanford game, should help.
3. Wanting to do so is one thing. But actually being able to run the ball more effectively, when Cal linebacker Evan Weaver is across the ball, is another thing.
Weaver leads the NCAA in tackles with 78. Were Cal to make a postseason game, Weaver is currently on pace to break the NCAA single-season record of 193 tackles, set by Lawrence Flugence of Texas Tech in 2002.
Weaver likes to roam the field sideline to sideline making plays, so running away from him may not be feasible. The Ducks also could choose to go "good on good," attacking Weaver with some of their all-American offensive linemen and looking to minimize his impact that way.
4. What will the Cal offense look like with Devon Modster making his first start at quarterback?
Chase Garbers started the first four games of the season for the Golden Bears, and showed improvement over last season before being injured against Arizona State. Garbers was completing nearly 60 percent of his passes, with eight touchdowns against two interceptions.
With Garbers declared out this week, the UCLA transfer Modster gets the call. Fortunately for Oregon, the Ducks hadn't begun an in-depth game-plan installation during their bye, prior to Garbers' injury, so they didn't have to shift on the fly and adjust to a new quarterback.
5. Cal's injury at quarterback came just before the Golden Bears face an Oregon defense that is suddenly one of the best in the Pac-12.
Oregon hasn't allowed a touchdown since its season-opening loss to Auburn. The Ducks have gone three games since without allowing a touchdown, for the first time in school history since the 1933 team posted three straight shutouts (a typographical error in the UO record book originally led to the belief it was the first three-game stretch without allowing a touchdown since 1935, but it has been corrected).
Will Oregon allow a touchdown for the first time since August? Can California score the first first-half touchdown of the season against the Ducks? We find out Saturday evening.
Players Mentioned
OL
/ Football
WR
/ Football
WR
/ Football
WR
/ Football
WR
/ FootballIapani Laloulu: "Focused on the future."
Wednesday, October 15
Brandon Finney Jr.: "Everybody's willing to work."
Wednesday, October 15
Dan Lanning: "Good competition."
Wednesday, October 15
Bear Alexander: "Having elite preparation."
Tuesday, October 14
