The struggle is real for the slumping California Bears, who haven’t won a game in three weeks. With their chance to get to the top of the Pac-12 North getting dimmer each week, the Bears will look to right their ship when they travel to Eugene to play the Oregon Ducks. Oregon is coming off back-to-back wins against Washington and Arizona State, thus boosting their bid to make a run for first place in the Pac-12 North.
Read on for more about this showdown. Meanwhile, you can click here for a breakdown of the matchup between Auburn and Arkansas.
[sc:NCAA240banner ]It’s been downhill for the Bears since they lost to Utah early last month, as California has now dropped all of its last three games. There’s still time for California to turn around its fate in the Pac-12 North, beginning with a matchup with Oregon this Saturday.
Jared Goff’s play has really gone south during this difficult stretch for the Bears. Goff has passed for 907 yards and seven touchdowns in the past three game, but has also thrown seven interceptions. Much of the Bears’ success in the early goings of this season was because of their aerial attack but with Goff struggling, they would have to ask for the backfield to carry a bigger load than usual against Oregon.
The Ducks have a porous defense that allows 178.9 yards per game, which should be music to the ears of Khalfani Muhammad and Vic Enwere. Muhammad leads California with 459 rushing yards and a touchdown. Enwere, meanwhile, has 310 rushing yards and five touchdowns. California is fourth in the Pac-12 with 490.1 yards on the ground per game.
Apart from the backfield support, Goff should also be given a better protection going forward. Goff has been sacked eight times in the last three games, which includes the five takedowns he received in the Bears’ 40-24 loss to UCLA on October 10.
Oregon’s 61-55 win over the Sun Devils was last week was a snoozefest, although it’s not because the matchup was boring. The game reached three overtimes and ended past midnight when most folks at home had already hit the sack.
While it was Bralon Addison who scored the game-winning touchdown, it was a total team effort for Oregon in Tempe last Saturday. Vernon Adams Jr. completed 23 of 40 passes for 315 yards and four touchdowns, while Royce Freeman ran circles around the Sun Devils’ loose defense for 112 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries. The three could be in for another huge night at home next game, considering California’s sagging defense that has allowed an average of 32.3 points over its last three games.
Oregon’s backfield, in particular, is always a threat regardless of the opponent. With Freeman doing most of the work, the Ducks are able to register a conference-best 283.5 rushing yards per game average (also the sixth best in the FBS).
The Ducks could’ve been on top of the Pac-12 North if it weren’t for their lousy defense that ranks worst in the conference in total defense (496.9 total yards allowed per game). Goff and company may be in some kind of funk of late, but they must be licking their chops at the prospect of facing Oregon’s busted defense that let Arizona State compile 742 total yards last week.
The Ducks now return to Eugene, where they are 2-2 this season.
