Cal vs. Oregon: Darron Thomas and LaMichael James Will Run Roughshod over Bears

It's easy to look at Thursday's Pac-12 matchup between No. 9 Oregon and Cal and think that the Bears actually have a fighting chance to win.

Last time these two teams met, the Ducks snuck out of Berkeley with a 15-13 win. Jeff Tedford's team stymied Chip Kelly's "Quack Attack," holding them to "just" 317 total yards, 162 of which came on the ground.

But the box score doesn't always tell the full story. The Cal defense took a number of obvious dives in that game as a tactic for slowing down Darron Thomas, LaMichael James and the rest of the Oregon offense. The Ducks couldn't break so quickly into their no-huddle offense with Bears players writhing in "pain" and the team's medical staff on the field to attend to them.

With that went Oregon's biggest advantage—it's ability to put its opponents on their heels—and, in effect, the wide margin by which it likely would've won the game otherwise.

To be fair, it's not as though Cal's defense didn't do anything when they weren't busy faking injuries. Defensive linemen Derrick Hill and Cameron Jordan were physical in the trenches, putting the screws to Oregon's offensive line. In the process, they established the blueprint with which Auburn would come to defeat the Ducks in the BCS National Championship Game.

That being said, Hill and Jordan have since moved on to the NFL, as have most of those same offensive linemen for Oregon who were so summarily dominated.

As for Thomas and James, they're still suiting up for the Ducks in their ever-changing uniform combinations and doing as well as ever. James is as prolific out of the backfield as ever, with 613 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground through three games.

Thomas, meanwhile, has been his usual efficient self under center, with 12 touchdown passes against just one interception so far this season.

If nothing else, you can bet the Pac-12 officials will be watching closely for any funny stuff from the Bears in this game.

The Ducks also come into this game with an advantage of their own that won't show up on the stat sheet—a bye week. Under Kelly, Oregon has outscored its opponents 103-32 in regular season games after a bye.

Granted, it's a small sample size and those gaudy point totals came against UCLA and Washington.

But the fact remains, the Ducks have had plenty of time to prepare for this clash.

As have the Bears, though their most recent on-field action concluded in a 31-23 loss at Washington.

If you're looking for something that will show up in the box score in favor of Oregon, check the location—Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon, where the Ducks have won their last 18 contests. The Ducks enjoy arguably the most underrated home-field advantage in all of college football, which will come to their aid with crowds cheering wildly as Thomas and James find the end zone on Thursday night.

Time after time after time after time after...