Thursday Night Football: Oregon vs. Cal. Expect Bears to Be Dropping Like Flies
By Ty Duffy
When Oregon Has The Ball: Cal frustrated Oregon last year, for the same reason Auburn, LSU and Ohio State did, an imposing defensive line. The Bears have a physical front four with size, experience and depth despite losing Cameron Jordan to the NFL Draft. Oregon prefers to run the ball (see 415 yards against Arizona). If Cal can disrupt that running rhythm and force them to throw, they could keep it close again. That’s a substantial “if.”
When Cal Has the Ball: Oregon’s offense is decent. Cal’s is a whole lot of average. If you cut out the Presbyterian numbers, they average just over 400 yards per game. A worrying factor against the Ducks will be their efficiency. Cal has converted just 54 percent of red zone opportunities for touchdowns against FBS teams this season. To beat the Ducks, they must capitalize on every opportunity.
Interesting Nugget: Tedford has dropped his last ten against Top Ten opponents.
External Factors: Oregon is at home, in a night game. They will be looking for revenge for last year (see: fake injuries).
Prediction: Cal hangs with them for…a quarter. Then Oregon pulls away and covers.
Oregon Cheerleaders? Oregon Cheerleaders.