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5 Things To Watch: California
10/28/22 | Football
The Ducks will play at California on Saturday (12:35 p.m., FS1).
BERKELEY, Calif. — The Oregon football team is in the driver's seat to reach the Pac-12 Championship Game, and the Ducks will look to stay there when they play Saturday at California.
The No. 8 Ducks (6-1, 4-0 Pac-12) are the only remaining unbeaten team in conference play after knocking off previously undefeated UCLA in Autzen Stadium last week. Cal is 3-4 overall and 1-3 in Pac-12 play; the Golden Bears' lone conference win was at home over Arizona, a team the Ducks beat on the road. One of Cal's losses is to WSU, the team Oregon came from behind to beat on the road in the Ducks' Pac-12 opener.
The all-time series between the Ducks and Golden Bears is tied, 41-41-2. Oregon has won eight of the last 10, but the two losses both came in Berkeley, where Cal has a 28-17-2 advantage in the series.
Saturday's game is scheduled to kick off at 12:35 p.m., with television coverage on FS1. Tim Brando will provide play by play, with analysis from Spencer Tillman.
Some storylines to watch on Saturday afternoon …
1. Last Saturday was an unforgettable day for the Ducks, with ESPN's "College GameDay" on hand in the morning, followed by a one-sided win over the Bruins in a battle of top-10 teams.
The Ducks have done a solid job all year of moving on from emotional outcomes, whether it was the disappointment of the season-opening loss to Georgia or the dramatic comeback to win at WSU. Now they need to prove they can move on from the high of beating UCLA.
"Some people texted me in the morning after the game and said, 'How do you feel after that win?'" UO coach Dan Lanning said Monday. "I said, well, I just watched the film. So I've got some concerns. There's a lot of stuff that we got to fix, a lot of stuff to get better. The piece that I'm excited about is that, consistently every single week, we've improved really across the board. We've got to continue to improve as we move forward."
2. If recent history holds, the Ducks are in for a tough battle against the Golden Bears.
The average margin of victory in their past three meetings is a touchdown, far below some of the predictions out there for Saturday's matchup. Oregon can't let itself get caught off-guard if the game becomes a war of attrition.
"I think anybody that turns on the TV any Saturday night is going to realize every week that you can't predict college football," Lanning said. "I'm watching film earlier today for this game, and last year it came down to the last few seconds, a fourth-and-two at the goal line (where Oregon made a stop to secure the win). So we have to bring our best every single week to be able to perform to the level we think is necessary."
3. Oregon has been sparked in recent weeks by big plays on offense, but big plays could be hard to come by against Cal on Saturday.
In conference play, the Ducks lead the Pac-12 with 12 plays of 30 yards or more. Cal has allowed eight such plays.
"They're probably one of the most well-coached and sound defenses in our conference that we're really going to see," Lanning said. "I think they do a really good job from that standpoint, and because of that, they don't give up a lot of big plays."
4. This year's Cal team has as much talent at the skill positions as the Golden Bears have had in the last few years.
Receiver J.Michael Sturdivant had eight receptions for 104 yards and two touchdowns last week against Washington. Another freshman, running back Jaydn Ott, had 274 yards and three touchdowns in the win over Arizona.
And Cal's quarterback, Purdue transfer Jack Plummer, "probably doesn't get enough credit," Lanning said. "He's got one takeaway in his last five games — he's done a really good job of taking care of the ball. And he throws the ball really well. He's a talented thrower."
5. Speaking of quarterbacks, Oregon's Bo Nix is beginning to garner some Heisman Trophy buzz after his five-touchdown performance against UCLA.
Lanning this week described Nix as "humble and hungry," and if Nix is to stay in the Heisman race, it is exactly those traits that will do the trick.
"He understands what we're trying to do and execute," Lanning said. "You never let the moment be bigger than the moment. He's always out there to play the game. He's a smart, intelligent player that goes out there and executes at a high level."
The No. 8 Ducks (6-1, 4-0 Pac-12) are the only remaining unbeaten team in conference play after knocking off previously undefeated UCLA in Autzen Stadium last week. Cal is 3-4 overall and 1-3 in Pac-12 play; the Golden Bears' lone conference win was at home over Arizona, a team the Ducks beat on the road. One of Cal's losses is to WSU, the team Oregon came from behind to beat on the road in the Ducks' Pac-12 opener.
The all-time series between the Ducks and Golden Bears is tied, 41-41-2. Oregon has won eight of the last 10, but the two losses both came in Berkeley, where Cal has a 28-17-2 advantage in the series.
Saturday's game is scheduled to kick off at 12:35 p.m., with television coverage on FS1. Tim Brando will provide play by play, with analysis from Spencer Tillman.
Some storylines to watch on Saturday afternoon …
1. Last Saturday was an unforgettable day for the Ducks, with ESPN's "College GameDay" on hand in the morning, followed by a one-sided win over the Bruins in a battle of top-10 teams.
The Ducks have done a solid job all year of moving on from emotional outcomes, whether it was the disappointment of the season-opening loss to Georgia or the dramatic comeback to win at WSU. Now they need to prove they can move on from the high of beating UCLA.
"Some people texted me in the morning after the game and said, 'How do you feel after that win?'" UO coach Dan Lanning said Monday. "I said, well, I just watched the film. So I've got some concerns. There's a lot of stuff that we got to fix, a lot of stuff to get better. The piece that I'm excited about is that, consistently every single week, we've improved really across the board. We've got to continue to improve as we move forward."
2. If recent history holds, the Ducks are in for a tough battle against the Golden Bears.
The average margin of victory in their past three meetings is a touchdown, far below some of the predictions out there for Saturday's matchup. Oregon can't let itself get caught off-guard if the game becomes a war of attrition.
"I think anybody that turns on the TV any Saturday night is going to realize every week that you can't predict college football," Lanning said. "I'm watching film earlier today for this game, and last year it came down to the last few seconds, a fourth-and-two at the goal line (where Oregon made a stop to secure the win). So we have to bring our best every single week to be able to perform to the level we think is necessary."
3. Oregon has been sparked in recent weeks by big plays on offense, but big plays could be hard to come by against Cal on Saturday.
In conference play, the Ducks lead the Pac-12 with 12 plays of 30 yards or more. Cal has allowed eight such plays.
"They're probably one of the most well-coached and sound defenses in our conference that we're really going to see," Lanning said. "I think they do a really good job from that standpoint, and because of that, they don't give up a lot of big plays."
4. This year's Cal team has as much talent at the skill positions as the Golden Bears have had in the last few years.
Receiver J.Michael Sturdivant had eight receptions for 104 yards and two touchdowns last week against Washington. Another freshman, running back Jaydn Ott, had 274 yards and three touchdowns in the win over Arizona.
And Cal's quarterback, Purdue transfer Jack Plummer, "probably doesn't get enough credit," Lanning said. "He's got one takeaway in his last five games — he's done a really good job of taking care of the ball. And he throws the ball really well. He's a talented thrower."
5. Speaking of quarterbacks, Oregon's Bo Nix is beginning to garner some Heisman Trophy buzz after his five-touchdown performance against UCLA.
Lanning this week described Nix as "humble and hungry," and if Nix is to stay in the Heisman race, it is exactly those traits that will do the trick.
"He understands what we're trying to do and execute," Lanning said. "You never let the moment be bigger than the moment. He's always out there to play the game. He's a smart, intelligent player that goes out there and executes at a high level."
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