The chance of a lifetime
Golden Bears hope to pull rank vs. No. 19 Oregon; Cal hasn’t beaten a ranked opponent in 9 seasons
BERKELEY >> These moments have not often come along in recent times for the Cal football team.
Tonight, the 24th-ranked Bears will take on No. 19 Oregon at Memorial Stadium. It’s the first time in three years a Top-25 Cal team gets a shot at another ranked opponent, a chance for the Bears to validate their 3-0 record and begin the Pac-12 schedule with a victory.
The last one of these ended badly: No. 23 Cal lost 30-24 at No. 5 Utah in 2015, thanks to six UP NEXT
No. 19 Oregon (3-1) at No. 24 Cal (3-0), today, 7:30 p.m., FS1
turnovers, including five interceptions thrown by Jared Goff.
It’s actually been nine seasons since the Bears prevailed in a game matching Top-25 teams. That game ranks high among Old Blues, a dramatic 34-28 win for the No. 25 Bears over No. 17 Stanford, with Shane Vereen running for 193 yards and three touchdowns and Mike Mohamed picking off Andrew Luck on the 3-yard line with less than 2 minutes left.
Here are three things the underdog Bears must do against the Ducks (3-1, 0-1 Pac12) to seize the moment this time:
UTILIZE THE ADVANTAGES THEY HAVE >> And there are some: The Bears are at home; Oregon is playing on the road for the first time this season. Cal comes off a bye; the Ducks are trying to recover from the heartbreak of last Saturday, when they led 24-7 over No. 7 Stanford, then tripped all over themselves before
losing 38-31 in overtime.
Cal has fared well recently in home games under the lights, winning seven of its past nine. That includes a double-overtime win against the Ducks in 2016. Oregon, meanwhile, was 2-10 outside of Eugene the past two seasons.
FIND A WAY TO LEAVE JUSTIN
HERBERT WITH A BAD TASTE IN HIS MOUTH >> Again. Two years ago, as a freshman, the Oregon quarterback tied a school record with six touchdown passes at Berkeley, but Jordan Kunaszyk intercepted him in the second overtime to clinch a 52-49 Cal win. Oregon won 45-24 last season, but not before
Herbert broke his collarbone, causing him to miss the next four games.
Slowing down the Pac-12’s highest-scoring offense will be tough. Herbert has thrown for more yards in his first 21 games than any quarterback in Oregon history. Wide receiver Dillon Mitchell lit up Stanford with 14 catches for 239 yards.
But while the Bears were virtually defenseless against the pass under the previous coaching regime, Justin Wilcox’s staff has developed a strong secondary and Cal leads the Pac-12 with seven interceptions.
ESTABLISH THE RUN >> This is much easier said than done against an Oregon defense that ranks third nationally in fewest yards allowed per rush (2.13) and fourth in fewest yards allowed per game (75.5).
Cal must do enough on the ground — either with running back Patrick Laird or co-quarterbacks Chase Garbers and Brandon McIlwain — to minimize the pressure when they decide to throw. Laird, who ran for 1,129 yards at 5.9 yards per clip last season, is averaging just 2.9 yards each carry in 2018. If that doesn’t improve, the Bears will struggle to keep up with the Ducks.