Wilcox goes home to face alma mater

Justin Wilcox was born in Eugene, Ore., grew up about a 20-minute drive north in Junction City, and was a ball boy at the University of Oregon before playing defensive back for the Ducks.

Recognizing that he’d be a popular story line this week, leading up to his first trip home as the head coach at Cal, Wilcox did his best to steer the attention back to those who will be playing in Saturday night’s game.

“I know you want to make it a bigger story than that,” Wilcox joked. “I guess I could make something up, if that would help. But, no, it’s not about (me). It’s Cal versus Oregon. We all approach it that way. I know that might not make the best answer for you, but that’s just what it is.”

Of course, he doesn’t need to make up a story.

Both Wilcox’s brother and father played for Oregon, and his father, Dave, told The Chronicle upon his son’s hiring in January that he’ll root for Oregon “when they’re not playing Cal.”

Wilcox’s deep connections to Oregon have a current subplot, too — a generationsold relationship between his family and that of Ducks sophomore quarterback Justin Herbert, as detailed in The Oregonian this week.

“They’re great people,” Wilcox said. “I’ve known them a long, long time. I have a ton of respect for his family. They’re great folks, and he’s a really, really talented guy. It’ll be a great challenge for our team.”

Cal (3-1, 0-1 Pac-12) is a heavy underdog at Oregon (3-1, 0-1), where the Bears have lost 11 of their past 12 games, with 2007 marking their only victory since 1987.

Wilcox knows all about taking underdogs into Eugene. He has returned to Autzen Stadium a number of times in his coaching career, including three times as a defensive coordinator.

In 2008, Boise State upset then-No. 12 Oregon 37-32. In 2012, Washington lost 52-21 to then-No. 2 Oregon. And in 2015, USC lost 48-28 to thenNo. 23 Oregon.

“I’ve got a ton of respect for them and their program,” Wilcox said, before making another attempt at deflecting the personal attention. “I went there and have a lot of friends and am connected, but it’s not about that. It’s not about me. It’s not about the coaches.”

“It’s about our program and our team, who we’re invested with. We’re going to play Oregon this week, and we’ve got to have a great week of practice.”