Oregon Recap

(AP Photo/Ben Margot)

All in all, you had to feel pretty solid about Cal’s win against Oregon. The Bears contained a dangerous Oregon offense, made some big plays on offense and special teams, and most importantly, really took advantage of the opportunities they were given off of Oregon turnovers.

Some people might be concerned about the number of turnovers Cal had, but I’m not sure those same people were at the game. It was really freaking wet. And cold. And windy. Not that any of these conditions excuse the number of turnovers, but it certainly provides a level of context when simply looking at the stat sheet. I don’t think we’ll see a 4 turnover day too often this season.

Defense Does it Again
Defense deserves another tremendous pat on the back after Saturday’s performance against the Ducks. While the Bears did give up 196 yards on the ground, most of those yards came on a few drives in which Cal’s D did in fact appear to be a bit out of sorts and let Oregon drive down the field with ease.

However, Cal’s defense did an great job of really buckling down in the red zone and held the conference’s top offense (averaging 41.5 ppg and 474.9 yards per game) to just 16 points and 290 yards.

The Bears defense also continues to come with big turnovers week after week. Sean Cattouse had second interception on the season near the endzone to kill one of the Ducks’ best drives, and Worrell Williams returned Masoli’s second interception down to the Ducks’ 3 yard line to set up Cal’s next TD.

(AP Photo/Ben Margot)

Further, Cal held Jeremiah Masoli to 7-21 passing for only 44 yards to go with his two picks. Justin Roper didn’t fare much better going 4-11 for only 40 yards. While those numbers are a bit indicative of Oregon’s inconsistent passing game, it does a very telling job of exemplifying the great job Cal did in flushing Masoli out of the pocket and forcing him to pass more than the Ducks would have wanted.

Regardless of how Cal finishes the season, Cal’s 3-4 has been a resounding success this season and Cal’s improvement on defense from last year can’t be overstated.

Tedford’s 2 QB System

(AP Photo/Ben Margot)

The quarterback story this season never ceases to amaze me.

Starting QB Kevin Riley appeared shaky on Cal’s first drive, with a few passes sailing high and throwing his 3rd interception on the season after being hit throwing a screen pass to Jahvid Best. Riley settled down on the next driving, going 7-8 including a TD strike to Jeremy Ross.

However, near the end of the first quarter, Riley neglected to dive on a QB scramble and got a taste of some Duck sandwich, leaving the game with a concussion. Nate Longshore was then forced into the game to the collective “…” of many fans in the stadium.

Longshore wasn’t spectacular by any means, but he did a really admirable job stepping into the game under those conditions. I was particularly impressed with the way that Longshore stood tall in the pocket despite some pretty heavy pressure to make some critical completions, particularly on third down. Longshore got hit More importantly, Longshore didn’t commit any backbreaking turnovers, critical in a game as bizarre and as close as it was

While Longshore didn’t do anything to establish himself as the starter for next week, Cal fans might have a bit of a better understanding of what Coach Jeff Tedford meant when he said we would need both QBs to win this year. And on a day when the starting quarterback went down, it was good to see the way Longshore stepped in and stepped up.


Wide Receivers Rising
Cal’s wide receivers had one of their best games all season. Again, while the stat sheet might not appear too impressive, what was most encouraging to see was the receivers step up and make some big time catches in some clutch situations. There were still a few drops, but their performance was a lot more even than it had been in previous weeks.

Also, I think you’re really starting to see some receivers rise up and emerge as some go to receivers. Namely, Jeremy Ross, Nyan Boateng, and Verran Tucker have really come on as of late and have proven to be the more consistent receivers of the bunch in the past few games. We’ll see if they can maintain a level of consistency to finish the season, but it’s still good to see some receivers begin to step up.

Offensive Line
I had been particularly concerned about how well Cal’s offensive line would protect his quarterback, and I must say I was very much encouraged and relieved by the results.

I thought by and large that Cal’s offensive line played about as well as one could have hoped for considering how banged up they were going into the game. Facing off against best some of the pass rushers in the conference, the Cal O-line held their own allowing only one sack on the day and a modest 130 yards on the ground.

Special Teams
Knowing how close the games in the Cal Oregon series have been, I anticipated that Special Teams might play a big enough of a role that it might ultimately determine the game’s winner. And hey, I was right!

There were plenty of gaffes on special teams for both the Bears and the Ducks going into the fourth quarter, the Ducks had botched a point after attempt, and had a snap on a punt sail over the punter’s head for a safety. The Bears also had missed a field goal and Nate Longshore fumbled the snap on another.

However, the fourth quarter is where Special Teams really decided the game.

With the Bears clinging onto a lead 19-16 in the fourth, one got the sense that the momentum was swinging heavily in Oregon’s favor. Despite missing a field goal, the Ducks were able to force the Bears to punt and were ready to take control of the game.

However, after signaling for a fair catch, Jairus Byrd muffed the punt return and Cal recovered the ball on inside the 6 yard line, setting up the Bears’ eventual final score.

It’s been an up and down year for the Bears’ Special Teams. Cal fans have really seen the entire gamut of special teams plays. But it was good to see the Special Teams make the plays when needed.

Oh, and major props to Syd’Quan Thompson for fielding those punts cleanly in that weather.

And on and on we go
It’s almost a shame that Cal is already looking forward to USC this upcoming week. It almost passes over one of Cal’s biggest wins this season and one of the funkier, more fun games all year.

The Bears haven’t immediately turned into the conference champion favorites by any means with the win. But at least Cal fans know that the team is capable of stepping up and winning some big games this year.

Now if only they can win on the road (sorry, couldn’t resist).