Oregon matches up well with Cal

By Marc Hudgens  |   Sunday, October 26, 2008  |  Comments( 2 )

Oregon Ducks
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It’s difficult to segregate various levels of total ineptitude. Last week we knew Arizona State was going to be Oregon’s easiest opponent for the rest of the season, but no one knew the Sun Devils would be that easy. You have to credit Arizona State more for Oregon’s 54-20 rout.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a better word than ‘ineptitude’ this year to describe coach Dennis Erickson’s squad, which has now lost five straight games after finishing second in the Pac-10 last season. Penalties, missed tackles, turnovers. You name it, and the Sun Devils did it against Oregon.

Sadly for Mike Bellotti’s men, they may not have the luxury of having the game handed to them on a platter on Saturday by Cal. Sure, the Bears are 5-2 (3-1 Pac-10), but their only quality win was over Michigan State. People are quick to criticize the Ducks for no big victories, but Cal isn't much better in that aspect. But the Bears do appear better, albeit marginally.

Perusing the major stat categories, the Bears are right there with Arizona State -- largely average. Cal’s rushing game (both offensive and defensive) is much better than ASU's, so Oregon RBs LeGarrette Blount and Jeremiah Johnson won’t go wild for the second straight week; moreover, the Ducks' staunch rush defense should keep Jahvid Best at bay. But the Bears’ pass defense is toward the bottom of the Pac-10, so there’s an area the Ducks can exploit.

As far as mistakes, Cal and Arizona State commit about the same number of penalties a game, so that’s a wash. But Cal leads the Pac-10 in turnover margin; thus, if Oregon turns the ball over three times like it did against the Sun Devils, don’t expect a Duck win in Berkeley.

Cal will be a slightly bigger test for Oregon than Arizona State was, no doubt. This season, however, Cal and Oregon are very much equals in more ways that not, so it's anyone's guess how this game will turn out. If Oregon wins, at least it will have silenced some critics.
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About Marc Hudgens

Marc Hudgens has been with RealFootball365 since 2007, covering college football, specifically Clemson and Oregon. He also writes for SouthernPigskin.com covering the ACC. He enjoys the acidic wit of Hunter S. Thompson, is a freelance graphic designer and has written several screenplays. He ...
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