Oregon vs. Cal: Postgame Grades from Ducks' Win vs. Golden Bears

After it looked like the Ducks would struggle to leave Cal with a win, 35 unanswered points would help make things easy as the Ducks won 59-17.

As the game progressed, the Ducks offense and defense were both able to get stronger. Despite the injuries that seemed to hamper the Ducks, they were able to get the job done on the road once again.

Here is a look at the final game grades for the Ducks. 

Quarterback: A+

Tonight's performance by Marcus Mariota was by far his best on the year. For Mariota, the numbers do not even begin to tell you how impressive he was tonight, and that is saying a lot.

By the time the game was over, Mariota had thrown for six touchdowns, passed for 377 yards and rushed for 42 yards.

As long as everything is ok with Mariota's shoulder and he can stay healthy throughout the end of the season, the Ducks will be in line for a special season. 

Running Backs: B-

It was clear that coming into this game, Cal was committed to stopping the Ducks' rushing attack. If you look at that goal alone, the Golden Bears were successful.

During the game, Kenjon Barner, De'Anthony Thomas, Marcus Mariota and Byron Marshall all carried the ball, but none of them had a ton of success. You can be certain that future opponents will be looking at this film and trying to replicate what Cal did. 

Wide Receivers: A

The wide receivers stepped up and had their best game of the year as they were on the receiving end of four Marcus Mariota touchdown passes. Throughout the game this group, specifically Josh Huff, was able to get open and take advantage of the Cal secondary. 

By the time the game was over, Huff hauled in three touchdowns and also got over 100 yards, and Will Murphy also brought in an impressive touchdown catch early in the fourth quarter. Also, B.J. Kelley was able to catch a pass from Bryan Bennett late in the game. 

Tight End: A-

When it comes to production out of the tight end position, it was the Colt Lyerla show for the Ducks. During the game, Lyerla was able to make two great catches for scores and was a key outlet for Marcus Mariota all game long.

Usually Lyerla is able to impact the rushing game as well, but in tonight's game, he struggled to help open up any holes for the running backs. 

Offensive Line: B

While the Ducks line was unable to open up huge holes in the running game, it did keep Marcus Mariota clean in the passing game. 

After Mariota went down on a scramble and came back in, the concern would have been if he had taken a huge hit. With that in mind, the line kept him upright and had the pass protection down all night long. 

Defensive Line: C

Too be fair, the Ducks' defensive line was severely understaffed this week as three of the four starters were not in the lineup tonight. 

Despite the thin depth chart, the line still was able to come up with a couple of plays when needed, but for the most part the Golden Bears were able to run all over them. 

Linebackers: B

Despite being relatively quiet, the linebackers were able to make a few plays throughout this game. The challenge that they faced all game long was that the defensive line was so thin that the Cal line was able to get to the second level with ease.

Troubles aside, Boseko Lokombo did come up with an interception which helped get things turned around for Oregon. 

Secondary: B+

The Ducks secondary played extremely well as the game went on but they did lose Avery Patterson to what appears to be a severe knee injury. Throughout the game, the Ducks were able to make life difficult through the air.

After last week's performance, the Ducks secondary took a huge step forward this week, but clearly did not face the talent that USC had last week. 

Special Teams: B

While the special teams for the Ducks were good tonight, they still are struggling with kick coverage as Cal was able to break a few big runs that continued to flip the field position in the game.

On the other hand, the Ducks had a couple of good returns of their own and in the end, they did not hinder the Ducks as they eventually steamrolled the Golden Bears. 

Coaching: A-

Coach Chip Kelly has done a nice job of making sure that his team does not miss a beat when injuries show their ugly face. 

With the exception of early in the third, Kelly did a nice job of making adjustments and understanding that Cal was going to give them looks in the passing game while shutting down the Oregon run game.