Oregon Football: No. 1 Ducks Put To the Test By Upset-Hungry Cal Bears

The point-a-minute offensive juggernaut that is the Oregon Ducks traveled to Berkeley Saturday for a Pac-10 match against the Cal Golden Bears.

Cal has played spoiler to Oregon's national title hunt on a few occasions, most recently in 2007 when the Dennis Dixon-led Ducks were handed a heartbreaking home loss at the hands of the Bears.

Undefeated at home this season, Cal looked to continue in it's role of spoiler Saturday evening at Strawberry Canyon. My Dad and I were fortunate enough to have front row seats for what turned out to be a defensive showdown with turnovers, officiating and special teams miscues playing a big part in the outcome.

I took all of the photos in this Bleacher Report in and around section L, row 1 in a dilapidated (and soon to be restored) Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, California.

These slides show the people I saw including both cheerleading squads and a guy who I think might be wearing footie pajamas, some new Oregon gameplay weapons, and some reasons why I think this close contest did more to make the case for the Duck's #1 ranking than to expose any weaknesses.

California Love.

So, just one punt return for a TD, you promise, right?

Like most FBS rosters, Oregon's team is stacked with players from California. Saturday's game was the Duck's only trip to Northern California this season so many of the NoCal guys had friends and family in attendance.

When my Dad and I parked at a church on Garber Street, we ended up next to Senior Linebacker Bryson Littlejohn's (very proud) Mother who lives in Elk Grove.

During warm ups, kick returner/cornerback Cliff Harris came over to where we were sitting to say hi to his little sisters and a couple of classmates from his high school in nearby Fresno.

Wide receiver Jeff Maehl from nearby Paradise, CA said that he had lots of family in the stands and that playing near home one last time in this his senior season, was a very powerful experience.

There's No Place Like Home.

Cal Memorial Stadium.

It would be safe to say that Cal's Memorial Stadium has seen better days.  The home to college football's most famous play is being completely renovated and the 2010 season is the last to be played in the stadium's current incarnation.  Boy does it need it.  

I would imagine that when compared to the facilities at say, Oregon's Autzen Stadium and surrounding compounds, recruiting must take some extra effort at Cal.  Everything was really rundown and not designed to facilitate 65,000 people.  Lines for everything are terrible and getting out seemed like a major safety hazard.

The walk to the stadium, however was awesome. The total college experience.  The hills winding up though the University took you through fraternity and sorority row and the game day experience was in full effect.  Outdoor parties, DJ's signs, the whole deal.

All the Cal fans I met were super nice and very welcoming.  I hope they feel the same way when they come to Autzen. 

Cool Dudes In A Loose Mood.

LaHeisman James gets his groove on.

Two hours before the game, the Ducks were out on the field in warm-ups, passing the ball around and checking out the field.  There was a definite swagger within the country's number one team.

Full Pads = Down To Business.

Casey Matthews watches Justin Hoffman warm up.

When the team came back out with full pads and helmets on, the warm ups turned into full speed drills and some play calling.

Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em.

A pre-game peace offering from the very nice Cheer-Bears.

I think with the Care Bears, "Cheer Bear" was the one with the rainbow on it's tummy.

These Cheer Bears were very much ladies who at no point exposed their tummies. 

Double Rainbow.

The Oregon cheer squad, however, was nothing but midriff, even when it got chilly.  I attribute it to the superior facilities and conditioning.

Speechless.

Wow.

How about a "caption this" contest.  Put your caption of this photo in the comments.  Best one gets a full size print of the last slide.

Mine would be something like "Do these socks make me look fat?"

Go Time.

Last minute words of confidence from Head Coach Chip Kelly to Kenjon Barner.  Coach Kelly seems to have a personal moment with everyone on the team before kickoff.

Don't Look Directly Into His Eyes Or At That Baton. It's A Trick.

Cal's band was amazing.  I love a good old fashioned cadet-style marching band.  Oregon's band makes me want to vomit with those sweat pants.

I was very embarrassed for Cal's band, though, when at halftime they had to do some horrific skit involving the Trojan mascot guy, the Stanford Tree and (supposedly) Magneto from X-Men.  It was exactly as bad as it sounds.

Cal's Defense Was Tough All Night.

Cal's D was in Oregon's backfield all night causing trouble for QB Darron Thomas including a sack that caused a fumble to be recovered for a touchdown in the third quarter.

I Mean *Real* Tough.

Chris Conte told gravity to "shut up" as he continuously haunted Thomas by air and land, giving him no opportunity to find open receivers.

But Ducks Can Fly, Too.

Cal's Bryan Anger had to work hard to keep his punts from being blocked.

Brothers Gonna Work It Out.

Cliff Harris and Josh Huff are the best one-two punch kick returners in collegiate football.  Opposing teams just don't know what to do with them.

The 12th and 13th Man.

Tons of calls on Oregon for holding.  Phoney offsides calls, watching flopping that would make a World Cup (Copa Mundial in Español) player blush right in front of their faces.  Pac-10 officiating is normally pretty shady and intrusive, but this took the cake.

Not to mention...

Let Jeff Catch The Ball!

...I counted at least three times that Jeff Maehl was interfered with while trying to catch a pass.  The Bears played defense to within an inch of the rules and a little bit more, making it tough for Oregon's usually high-powered offense to score.

Don't Make No Nevermind.

Wide receiver Jeff Maehl ended up scoring Oregon's only offensive touchdown at the start of the 3rd quarter anyway.  His 29 yard catch happened after Cal fumbled the ball in their own territory.

I missed the photo because all the real pro photographers were standing directly in front of me obscuring my view.  My Dad  missed the TD because he was in line for coffee at Memorial Stadium's atrocious concessions.

I Forgot To Mention This Guy Was There.

He had big, puffy green fists on his hands.  He gave me a fist bump and it felt ridiculous.

And This Guy.

He was extremely relieved to not have to change his makeup, because that's always a hassle and you can never get it all off on the first try.

So Were These Girls.

They're at all the games and I always manage to take their picture.  They must think I'm a creep.

Almost Like A Night Off.

Puddles, Oregon's mascot, only had to do 23 push ups on Saturday.  Between you and me, he deserved a break.

When The Game Was Still A Toss Up, Oregon Maintained Perfect Composure.

Here's why this was a big win for Oregon, and a good win for Oregon:

Oregon's season has involved the following scenarios in each and every game:  The Ducks blow their opponent out, or the Ducks blow their opponent out by a huge margin.  There hasn't been a game this year where Oregon hasn't been in control by the end of the 3rd quarter.

A championship-caliber team needs to be to be able to pull itself out of a hole if it gets in one.  A national championship team has to be able to overcome the loss of key players (check), injuries (check), 21-3 deficits at home against a top 10 conference foe (check).

A #1 team needs to be prepared to do what it takes to win if the other team doesn't play by the script and disrupts your track-tested game plan.

California did that on Saturday.  Cal kept the score low.  Cal jammed the box making it hard for the Barner/ James combo to get anything going and their DB's and DE's took away the bubble screen as an option for Thomas.  It was the best thing a team could do for a national contender looking to face an SEC champ or hungry non-aq powerhouse.

Cal provided Oregon with a gut check and it turns out that the Ducks have guts and heart.

Slow-Motion Daydream.

They call the Oregon's offense the "blur" due to it's blink-and-you'll-miss-it, beyond "hurry up" pace.  It's so draining on opposing defenses that they resort to faking injuries just to slow the tempo enough to get their substitutions in.

The Ducks were having a hard time executing their business-as-usual tactic against Cal, and in the fourth quarter found themselves in a position where a Cal possession could end the game with a winning field goal and with it their chances at a national title shot.

Enter the newest Chip Kelly weapon involving tempo control, the Drive That Ate The Whole Quarter.

What do you do when teams get wise to your speedy ways?  Show them your other whip, the green Zamboni, you know, the one parked right next to the yellow Lamborghini.

All of a sudden, you're begging the Ducks to hurry up. For the love of God, hurry up.

All of a sudden, the little dives and off-tackles that you were so proud you could force the Ducks into being relegated to are straight killing you.  Thomas is using every single second of the 40 second play clock and each tick is loud, like in a nightmare.

You guys getting enough rest now?  Oh good, nice to hear it.

Time, Time, Time Is On My Side.

Yes it is.

Still Perfect.

Knocked around, dinged up and with more than a few torn up jerseys, the Ducks left Memorial Stadium with a perfect record and a lesson learned in perseverance and overcoming frustrations.

They will need every one of the thirteen days between now their match with Arizona on Black Friday. 

Add It Up.

Final Score:  Oregon 15, Cal 13

Record 10-0, 7-0 Pac-10

AP Poll, #1.  Harris Poll, #1.  USA Today Poll, #1.  BCS Standings, #1.

635 Miles back to Portland...

If you'd like to see all of my photos from Oregon vs. Cal, click here.