Retro Ducks hope to top Cal
EUGENE, Ore. -- Losers of three straight games to the California Golden Bears, the Ducks will look to the past in the hope of conjuring up some of that old "Gang Green" magic.
Oregon is expected to hit the field on Saturday wearing throwback uniforms, reminiscent of the look worn by the 1995-98 teams.
If the fashion change helps quarterback Jeremiah Masoli start slinging the ball like Tony Graziani or Akili Smith, the Ducks will have a great chance of handing the sixth-ranked Bears their first loss of the season. But more likely for Oregon would be a performance by the defense that conjures up memories of the "Gang Green" unit of the mid-1990's.
- FORECAST: AccuScore predicts Cal beating Oregon
The Duck defense may not be flashy, and statistically the unit ranks in the lower half of the Pac-10. But the stats are a bit misleading when considering the difficult positions the offense has put the defenders in.
Last week against Utah, the Ducks had a punt blocked that led to a short field for a Ute touchdown. Utah also returned a Masoli fumble for a score.
But in all three of Oregon's games, the defense has come up with big plays to put the Ducks in a position to succeed.
Despite a horrific game on offense against Boise State, the Oregon defense made several stops that kept the possibility of a comeback realistic until late in the game.
Then came the win over Purdue. The Ducks surrendered 38 points and 451 yards yards of offense. But the defense saved the day by coming up with two touchdowns, and a Casey Matthews interception deep in Boilermaker territory set up a Morgan Flint field goal.
Against Utah, an Eddie Pleasant interception set up another field goal by Flint, and John Boyett picked off Terrance Cain to seal the win in the final minutes.
This week the Oregon defenders face what will easily be their biggest challenge so far this season. California has play makers all over the field on offense, led by Heisman Trophy hopeful Jahvid Best.
Best is third in the country in rushing -- averaging 137 yards per game -- and he is coming off a five touchdown performance in Cal's 35-21 win at Minnesota.
In the last few seasons one of the key shortcomings of the Golden Bear offense has been inconsistent play at the quarterback position. That hasn't been the case this year, as senior Kevin Riley appears to finally have blossomed into the player that Cal head coach Jeff Tedford had been hoping he would.
Riley is sixth nationally in pass efficiency (170.61) and hasn't thrown an interception yet this season.
If the retro clad Ducks can be the first team to force Riley and the Bears into some mistakes (think "Walter Thurmond's gonna score!") then Oregon will have a great chance to party like it's 1998.
