Know Your Enemy: Cal Should Take To The Air Against Oregon This Week
After three straight losses in Pac-12 play, the last place Cal should want to visit is Autzen Stadium this week. Oregon returns home after playing two road games and winning each. The Ducks may have rediscovered their offense last week against Arizona State and that could be bad news for Cal, but the Golden Bears have what they need to take advantage of one of the biggest weak spots Oregon must overcome.
Series History: California leads 37-35-1
Cal may lead the all-time series against Oregon, but the Ducks have made up some considerable ground since 1994. Since that magical Rose Bowl season for Oregon, the Ducks have gone 14-4 against the Golden Bears, including a current six-game winning streak in the series. The series dates back to 1916 in the old Pacific Coast Conference and has been played every year since 2003. The two are division foes now, so the series will continue to be played annually.
Oregon won last year's game in Levi's Stadium, 59-41. Cal's last victory in Autzen Stadium came in 2007, when No. 6 Cal forced four Oregon turnovers and Justin Forsett rushed for 101 yards and two touchdowns while Desean Jackson caught 11 passes for 161 yards and two touchdowns in the 31-24 victory.
Oregon Head Coach: Mark Helfrich (third season, 29-7)
Since taking over as head coach following Chip Kelly's departure to the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles, Mark Helfrich has guided Oregon to an Alamo Bowl win and last year's College Football Playoff national championship game against Ohio State. Helfrich and Oregon topped the defending BCS national champion Florida State Seminoles in the Rose Bowl to get to the championship game last season. The post-Marcus Mariota transition has had some bumps in the road though for Helfrich, who now must pull some tricks in order to catch Stanford for a Pac-12 North title.
Oregon At A Glance
Oregon has been on a bit of a roller coaster ride this season. Replacing Mariota, a Heisman Trophy quarterback, was not going to be easy, but the transfer of Vernon Adams was thought to be a good enough replacement. Adams has missed three games due to injury issues, but has played the past two weeks, leading Oregon to road wins in each against Washington and Arizona State in triple overtime. One constant for Oregon has been running back Royce Freeman, who has rushed for 1,109 yards and 11 touchdowns so far this fall.
Oregon's season got off to a bumpy start with a tussle with FCS power Eastern Washington, Adams' previous school, and then a road loss at Michigan State. Oregon rebounded with a blowout win over Georgia Southern but was then blown out on their home field by Utah, 62-20. Oregon lost a second home game a couple of weeks later when Washington State stunned the Ducks, 45-38 in double overtime. It would appear you just never know which Oregon team is going to show up, and that makes them about as intriguing to watch as ever.
Outlook
If Cal is going to have an advantage in this year's matchup with Oregon, it will be through the air. Oregon's secondary has been picked apart by opponents this season and Cal has the weapons in place to utilize that to their advantage. The Ducks are last in the Pac-12 in passing defense, allowing an astounding 318 yards per game. Cal enters the week ranked second in the Pac-12 in passing offense, trailing only Washington State. The Cougars passed for 505 yards and five touchdowns against Oregon last month in an overtime win. Four opponents have thrown for over 300 yards against Oregon, but just one of those teams scored a win (Washington State).
Cal's defense will also have to be on top of their game, Oregon just scored 61 points last week and had a couple of extra days to prepare for the Golden Bears. Cal should be able to put some points on the scoreboard, as Oregon ranks last in the Pac-12 in scoring defense due to allowing 38.4 points per game.
Kevin McGuire is a Philadelphia area sports writer covering the Philadelphia Eagles and college football. McGuire is a member of the FWAA and National Football Foundation. Follow McGuire on Twitter @KevinOnCFB. His work can be found on Examiner.com.
