The Bears In Eugene Made Me Vomit Green and Yellow

In truth, I want to vomit. Oh, and the Bear's don't deserve a picture for thier play. As for Cal's offense, it seems that they have a difficult time with completing intermediate passes. From what we have seen so far, they are not right now a team that can pass to win. Meaning they can not move the ball steadily down field through short and intermediate passe. Most of their passes were wild hucks that fell harmlessly to the turf. If Jahvid Best is running mad, and they are winning the game, Riley can throw a few balls deep and get some completions to backs and screens.  If Jahvid Best is not busting 80 or 40 yard plays, and they are in a tight game, or loosing they don't seem to be able to consistently move the ball in the passing game. Truthfully, Cal reminds me of the 1990's Nebraska teams, if they are playing from behind, they really can't do all that much.

As for their defense, their alignment was killing me. The Defensive ends seemed to be aligned in 3 or 4 techniques (outside shade of the guard, or inside shade of the tackle, respectively). Where the outside linebackers seemed to be in a loose 9 technique (3 to 4 yards off of the tight end or tackle). With a down block on the defensive end, chip-block to the Middle Line Backer, and a kick out block on the OLB, Oregon had a gigantic running lane, with little skill or work.

In truth, the Oregon Offense did not look that impressive (this is what really scares me). The majority of their passing plays were either bubble screens, or something to Ed Dickson, their tight end. Masoli did not complete many passes to his recovers on deep or intermediate routs. Dickson’s 26 yard touchdown, their longest pass (not including run after catch) was when they faked the bubble screen. If you had told me that this was what Oregon was going to do before the game, I would have assumed that Cal would have won. Frankly, it reminded me of the type of offense that got Ron Zook fired at Florida.

Another thing that makes me want to vomit was the running game of Oregon. Most Spread-Option teams run primarily the zone read (Play side zone blocking, backside DE unblocked, Quarterback reads the BKS DE and decides whether to give the ball to the back or keep it himself). Oregon did some of this, but they also ran a formation that could be best described as a hybrid-pistol formation. This was where the running back lined up about a yard behind the QB and almost directly behind him. In this formation, they only seemed to a spread version of ‘power’ (one of the most common I-back runs, where a pulling player kicks out the end player, in the case of Cal’s defense the loose 9 tech, and the rest of the line down blocks) and bubble screens. When they lined up with the back even or ahead of the QB, they seemed to predominantly run a role out pass to the back’s side. The point that I am trying to make, admitted a little frantically and chaotically, what that Oregon’s offense was not something new, or exotic, or unpredictable. It could have been stopped and should have been stopped.

In the end, I do not know what kind of team Cal is. Are they bumbs that played an easy non-conference scheadual? Was this game a 'Mental Fart?' All I can tell you is that they looked like garbage today.