Oregon Ducks vs. Cal Bears Complete Game Preview

The Oregon Ducks (6-1, 3-1) finally played a completely football game against the Washington Huskies and came away with a huge 45-20 victory. While the Ducks are now in control of the Pac-12 North division, there is no time to rest as they head to the Bay Area on a short week to take on the Cal Bears (4-3, 2-3) at the new Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.

Oregon, now ranked No. 6 in the country by The Associated Press, has beaten the Bears five consecutive times. However, these are the new and improved Cal Bears. Despite losing their past two games to Washington and UCLA, the Bears have been competitive in almost every game this season and are led by sophomore quarterback Jared Goff, who is one of the most underappreciated quarterbacks in the nation.

After winning only one game in 2013, head coach Sonny Dykes has the Bears believing that they can compete with any team in the Pac-12. Outside of a 31-7 loss to Washington two weeks ago, the Bears have been competitive in every game—including narrow losses to UCLA and Arizona. 

While the Bears believe they can compete with Oregon, the Ducks know they only have so many opportunities left to impress members of the College Football Playoff committee. The Ducks may be looking ahead to their matchup against Stanford on Nov. 1; however, they would be foolish to overlook these Cal Bears.

Here's what you need to know:  

Date: Friday, Oct. 24

Time: 7 p.m. Pacific Time

Place: Levi's Stadium (Santa Clara, Calif.)

TV: Fox Sports 1

Spread: Oregon -16, according to OddsShark.com.

Oregon Keys to Victory

Dean Hare/Associated Press

Bend but Don’t Break

The Ducks defense has struggled against pass-oriented offenses this season. Well, it’ll have another chance to show some improvement against Jared Goff and the Cal Bears.

The Bears are currently ranked No. 3 in the country in passing offense, having thrown for an average of 372.1 yards per game. Cal is also averaging 40.9 pass attempts per game. Meanwhile, the Ducks are ranked No. 107 in the country against the pass and are allowing an average of 279.6 yards per game through the air.

Seems like a mismatch, right?

Well, if Oregon’s past two games were any indication it would seem as though the Ducks defense is improving rapidly and may be able to slow down Cal’s passing attack a bit. After allowing a total of 723 passing yards in their first two conference games, the Ducks have only allowed 409 passing yards in their last two games against UCLA and Washington. Improvement!

It’s obvious the Ducks are going to give up a substantial amount of yards against Cal. The Bears are ranked No. 18 in the nation in total offense, having gained an average of 496.6 yards per game this season. Conversely, the Ducks are ranked No. 99 in the nation in total defense, having allowed an average of 448.4 yards per game.

Yes, the Bears will gain yards. The Ducks just need to prevent them from scoring touchdowns, something Oregon did very well against Washington. The Ducks also need to focus on winning the turnover battle against a team that is willing to take risks.

The Bears have also turned the ball over 11 times this year—ranked No. 57 in the country—while the Ducks defense has forced 14 turnovers in seven games—ranked No. 30 in the nation. The Ducks are also ranked No. 3 in the nation in turnover margin.

This should be Oregon’s calling card against Cal. Be aggressive and try to steal possessions. If the Ducks are able to force two or three turnovers against Cal, they’ll likely run away with a victory.

Just Run, Baby

As noted by College GameDay on Twitter, the Ducks are 57-0 since 2007 when running for 240 or more yards. On the season, Oregon is 6-0 when it runs for more than 170 yards. While having Marcus Mariota as your quarterback is fantastic—every team in the country should be so lucky—it is the Ducks ground game that ultimately decides how effective Oregon’s “blur” offense can be.

Currently the Ducks are ranked No. 30 in the country in rushing offense and have rushed for an average of 217.3 yards per game. The Ducks have also rushed for 20 touchdowns this season—an average of 2.86 a game.

True freshman tailback Royce Freeman has scored 11 of those touchdowns on the ground, which leads the Pac-12. Freeman also has Oregon’s only two 100-yard rushing performances of the year—both of which came in the last two weeks. Needless to say, Freeman will be a key to Oregon’s success once again against Cal.

Despite the fact that Cal is ranked No. 121 in the country in total defense and is allowing 525 yards per game, the Bears rank No. 38 in the country against the run, having allowed only 133.3 yards per game.

The Ducks will be able to pass the ball with relative ease. However, Oregon needs to establish a running game early in order to set up Marcus Mariota and the passing game. If the Ducks run, they win. It’s as simple as that.

Cal Keys to Victory

Stephen Lam/Getty Images

Get Goff Going

If the Bears beat the Ducks, it’s going to be quarterback Jared Goff who leads them to victory. In short, Goff is going to need to have the best performance of his career and absolutely incinerate Oregon’s secondary that has been suspect at times so far this year.

On the year Goff is 177-of-273 for 2,842 yards—ranked No. 6 in the country—and has thrown 24 touchdowns and only four interceptions. Obviously those numbers are exceptional, and he’s only going to get better. Mark this down: Jared Goff will be a Heisman Trophy contender at some point during his college career if he stays healthy.

As we mentioned, Oregon’s defense is ranked No. 107 in the country against the pass. The only way for Cal to stay in this game is going to be to exploit Oregon’s defense and throw the ball all around the field. Force the Ducks to make tackles in the open field, and try to catch Oregon’s secondary sleeping.

If Cal gets Goff going early and scares Oregon’s defense into playing soft coverage, the Bears could make this game a nail-biter.

Get to Marcus Mariota 

There’s a clear method to beating Oregon’s offense: stop the run, pressure Marcus Mariota and force fumbles. If you can’t do all three of those things it’s really tough to take down the Ducks.

While we know Oregon’s offense is predicated on being able to run the ball effectively, Marcus Mariota is still the engine that drives the offense. If the Bears can get to Mariota and maybe force a turnover or two, they could be able to score an enormous upset.

Oregon’s offensive line has played much better in recent weeks after the return of left tackle Jake Fisher. However, the O-line can still be beaten. Cal is going to need to throw the kitchen sink at Mariota and the Ducks O-line. Get them rattled and frustrated. That’s how the Bears are going to have to play to beat the Ducks.

Oregon Ducks Players to Watch

Ryan Kang/Associated Press

Erick Dargan

Safety Erick Dargan picked up his fourth interception of the year against Cyler Miles last week. Dargan is now ranked No. 10 in the nation in terms of interceptions per game.

Not only is Dargan great against the pass, but he’s also has the second-most solo tackles on the team with 28. In short, he’s been Oregon’s best defensive player so far this season.

Oregon’s secondary is going to see a lot of action against Jared Goff and Cal’s pass-friendly offense. While Ifo Ekpre-Olomu may be Oregon’s most lauded defender, it is Dargan who runs the show.

Don’t be surprised if Dargan’s playmaking abilities are showcased against Cal. You may even see him in the end zone.

Pharaoh Brown

Oregon tight end Pharaoh Brown finally broke out last week against Washington with 99 yards receiving on three catches. On the season, Brown has caught 18 passes for 314 yards and three touchdowns.

If Brown’s performance against Washington wasn’t considered a breakout performance then look for Brown to really make waves this week against Cal. The Bears are ranked No. 125 in the country against the pass—dead last in the country—and are allowing 391.1 yards per game.

Really, you could put any of the Oregon wide receivers in this spot—especially Byron Marshall, who could be in store for a huge game as a pass-catcher. However, we’re going with Brown.

You’ll be hearing a lot of “Mariota to Brown” on Friday. Want a prediction? OK. Brown will have six or more catches, 100 or more yards and at least one score against the Bears.

Cal Bears Players to Watch

Eric Risberg/Associated Press

Jared Goff

We’ve talked about Jared Goff a lot. It’s not enough. He may be one of the most underappreciated quarterbacks in the entire country. The “Bear Raid” offense, led by coach Sonny Dykes, is one of the most dynamic in the country, and Goff is the star.

Let’s take a look at a couple of stats that we haven’t mentioned so far. Goff is ranked No. 5 in the country in passing efficiency. Of course, Ducks fans will scoff at Goff because Marcus Mariota is ranked first in passing efficiency.

OK, how about some more stats? Goff is ranked No. 2 in passing touchdowns with 24, No. 6 in passing yards per game and No. 8 in total offense.

He may be the third- or fourth-best quarterback in the Pac-12; however, he’s also one of the top-15 quarterbacks in the nation by almost any measure.

Daniel Lasco

While Cal’s passing attack is something to marvel, the Bears have also been able to produce on the ground this season due to the emergence of junior running back Daniel Lasco.

On the season, Lasco has rushed for 523 yards on 102 carries—a yards-per-carry average of 5.1—and has scored six touchdowns on the ground. However, Lasco’s greatest gift may be his hands. Lasco has caught 18 passes for 203 yards and two touchdowns this season.

In short, Lasco may be Cal’s best weapon.

The Ducks have struggled against running backs who are capable of catching the ball out of the backfield this season, especially against Arizona, who caught the Ducks napping on two wheel routes out of the backfield.

You can bet that the Cal coaches will exploit that weakness and send Lasco down the sidelines a couple times on Friday night.

What They're Saying

Ryan Kang/Associated Press

While Oregon's offensive line has only allowed two sacks in the last two games after allowing 12 sacks to Arizona and Washington State, Ducks center Hroniss Grasu said that the O-line regressed a bit against Washington, according to Andrew Greif of The Oregonian. 

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We didn't play with nearly with the same amount of fundamentals and technique that we did the week before (against UCLA)," Grasu said. "This week we've definitely got to focus in on our footwork and our hands and just coming off the ball better. We got the job done but our footwork has to get better, coming hip to hip on blocks and double teams. We still did a good job but as an offensive line we always want to get better.

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In the same piece, Greif mentions that this game will be the first college football game ever played at the San Francisco 49ers' new Levi's Stadium. However, it seems that Cal is having trouble filling the new venue.

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Friday's matchup is the first college game held at the new home of the San Francisco 49ers and Cal is having a tough time filling the brand-new 68,500-seat venue.

The Golden Bears have even gone to Groupon, where a deal for one ticket is $39 -- 63 percent off the original price -- to help drum up interest.

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Rob Moseley of GoDucks.com reports that head coach Mark Helfrich would prefer Royce Freeman not get as heavy of a workload as he did against Washington. Freeman rushed the ball 29 times—the most by an Oregon back in two years.

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We need the committee,” [Helfrich] said. “For us, that committee’s good. But there are going to be things that happen in games, whether it’s game-plan related, readiness related, guys are going to have to carry the load differently.

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Samuel Chi of Bleacher Report, aka the playoff guru, currently has the Ducks ranked No. 6 in his College Football Playoff poll. However, he projects them to be in the inaugural College Football Playoff.  

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Thanks to the flurry of upsets over the last two weeks, the Ducks are back in the playoff picture. Oregon has righted its ship since its upset loss to Arizona, and now it is the Pac-12's best hope of landing a playoff spot. But since the Pac-12 is probably the best conference from top to bottom this season, the Ducks can't afford to look past anybody.

Projected bowl: Playoff at Rose Bowl

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Prediction

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

Cal has been one of the most surprising teams in the Pac-12 and has been competitive in every game this season outside of a 31-7 loss in Berkeley to Washington. Head coach Sonny Dykes has the Bears on the right track, and they’ll likely be bowl eligible this season. Props to them.

However, the Ducks are on a roll right now after a loss to Arizona, and they know that they cannot afford to drop another game. While a battle against Stanford on Nov. 1 looms, Oregon only has five more regular-season games to impress the College Football Playoff committee. And this nationally televised Friday night game provides the Ducks an opportunity to make a statement.

Here’s a prediction: Marcus Mariota will throw for 350 yards and five touchdowns. Want another one? The Ducks defense will force three or more turnovers. I'm feeling lucky, so here's another: Oregon will lead 38-10 at halftime. It’s going to be over early, folks. 

Oregon 52, Cal 24

Jason Gold is Bleacher Report’s lead Oregon writer. Statistics courtesy of NCAA.com unless otherwise stated. Follow Jason on Twitter @TheSportsGuy33.