Ducks Bring Win Streak Into Saturday's Game With Cal
by Rob Moseley
Editor, GoDucks.com
Oregon will return to practice Monday following a long weekend spent recovering from Thursday’s triple-overtime victory at Arizona State, which gave the Ducks their first back-to-back wins of the 2015 season.
The UO football team (5-3, 3-2 Pac-12) now enters a month of November that always figured to be the most harrowing part of the schedule. That’s now exacerbated by the Ducks’ efforts to overcome their early season inconsistencies, become bowl eligible and – who knows? – perhaps even challenge Stanford for the Pac-12 North, which the Cardinal leads by 2.5 games over Oregon and Washington State.
The wizardry of quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. has been the difference in road victories over the last three weeks at Washington and ASU. Now the Ducks will try to build off that success, and find some consistency in other elements of the game.
“We’ll find out tomorrow,” UO coach Mark Helfrich said Sunday, when asked about the impact of the win streak. “… But certainly you want that to create confidence.”
Oregon’s November schedule includes a trip next week to play the No. 9 Cardinal, followed by home games against resurgent Southern California and then Oregon State. The month begins this Saturday in Autzen Stadium against California (7:30 p.m., ESPN2), whose quarterback, top NFL draft prospect Jared Goff, will challenge an Oregon pass defense ranked No. 126 out of 128 teams in the FBS this season.
“He’s a fantastic player,” Helfrich said of Goff, whom the UO coach scouted as a recruit. “I’ve been a fan of him for many years – and won’t be this week.”
Goff currently ranks ninth nationally in passing touchdowns (22), 11th in yards per game (317.1) and 21st in efficiency (151.68). Oregon is allowing 318 passing yards per game, better only than Kansas and Indiana in the FBS, though the Ducks rate a bit higher with their 142.32 pass efficiency defense – No. 100 nationally.
The UO defense allowed a school record 742 yards by the Sun Devils last week. That ignominy was soothed some by the victory, but in review the team will be encouraged to “take ownership of the film,” Helfrich said. “Coaches owning it, players owning it, and everybody on the same page as far as making it better.”
Some of the defensive breakdowns no doubt have been due to personnel inconsistencies; in part due to injuries, the secondary has featured a different starting group in each of the last seven games. Safety Juwaan Williams was not able to travel to Arizona State, after his breakout performance against the Huskies, with Reggie Daniels returning from a two-game absence and making 10 tackles against the Sun Devils.
Converted receiver Charles Nelson led the Ducks with 15 tackles. “To the point of playing with total confidence, he’s still getting there,” Helfrich said. “That’s where you hope a guy like Reggie would be a stabilizing force.”
Meanwhile, cornerbacks Tyree Robinson and Arrion Springs each had a late interception that was critical to the outcome. Robinson’s gave Oregon possession for its touchdown drive that forced overtime, and Springs’ ended the game.
Against Cal this week, that secondary figures to be in the spotlight again.
Nelson was among Oregon’s players of the week against the Sun Devils, although not on defense.
Not to be overshadowed by the late-game drama was Nelson’s 100-yard kickoff return in the third quarter, after the Ducks had fallen behind 31-20 and seemed in danger of being buried. That earned Nelson special teams player of the week from the coaching staff.
“That was arguably the turning point, that kickoff return, creating some momentum and some emotion on the sideline,” Helfrich said.
Adams and center Matt Hegarty shared offensive player of the game honors, and Tyson Coleman was named defensive player of the game after making nine tackles with a sack, and forcing a fumble.
The scout-team players of the week were receiver Chayce Maday on offense, linebacker De'Quan McDowell on defense and defensive back Michael Manns for his play on special teams.
Helfrich said the Ducks “perhaps” will again employ the set of large white sheets they used Thursday to shield their play signals from the Arizona State sideline.
Helfrich said the staff “got some information” that led them to employ the sheets at ASU, saying they helped provide “operational security.”
“We’re just trying to protect our stuff,” he said.
