Justin Herbert, Oregon Beat California to Bounce Back from Stanford Loss

The No. 19 Oregon Ducks bounced back from last week's heartbreaking loss to Stanford to defeat the No. 24 California Golden Bears 42-24 at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, California, on Saturday night.

Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert turned in an efficient performance, going 16-of-22 for 225 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. He also added 31 yards on six rushing attempts.

The Ducks defense was the biggest difference-maker, though, as it forced five turnovers, including four interceptions.

Oregon linebacker La'mar Winston Jr. returned a fumble 61 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter, and safety Ugochukwu Amadi sealed the win with a pick-six with 3:02 remaining:

Ugochukwu Amadi with a Spectacular Defensive Touchdown vs. California Golden Bears

The Ducks improved to 4-1 with the win, while Cal suffered its first loss, falling to 3-1.

There was some danger in Oregon coming out flat Saturday after blowing a 24-7 lead in a 38-31 overtime loss to Stanford last week.

That wasn't the case, however, as Herbert threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to senior tight end Kano Dillon to take a 7-3 first-quarter lead:

Elkanah Dillon catches for a 30-yard touchdown vs. California Golden Bears

Cal quarterback Brandon McIlwain took the lead back with a 28-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, but Oregon then reeled off three consecutive touchdowns to end the half up 28-10.

Included in that onslaught was a 36-yard scoring strike from Herbert to top wideout Dillon Mitchell:

Dillon Mitchell with a 36-yard touchdown catch from Justin Herbert vs. California Golden Bears

Herbert took his foot off the gas a bit in the second half, as he deferred to running backs Travis Dye and CJ Verdell, who each topped 100 yards.

Even so, Herbert finished with a 94.5 QBR, per ESPN.com, and Bleacher Report's Ryan McCrystal believes he solidified his draft status:

There is still plenty of football to be played this season, but Herbert has been deadly accurate in recent games, and his mobility makes him even more dangerous.

His next chance to impress will come in two weeks, when the Ducks face the No. 11 Washington Huskies and their tough defense. Cal will face the Arizona Wildcats on the road next week.