The Oregon Ducks have had almost two full weeks to digest the difficult loss against Stanford – which pushed them down in the rankings and made the path to the College Football Playoffs significantly more daunting.
Season-ending injuries to CJ Verdell and Bennett Williams won’t help either, although a date with the Golden Bears could be just what Mario Cristobal’s team needs to get things back on track.
Cal is 1-4 on the year, and their defense has struggled to stop just about everyone they have faced – which should allow Oregon to put this one away early.
Of course, we’ve said that before, and the Ducks haven’t exactly played up to their level when facing inferior opponents, so this is far from a sure thing.
In order for Oregon to secure a much needed blowout victory, here are three key things that need to happen:
Travis Dye needs to ball out
Star running back and fringe Heisman Trophy candidate CJ Verdell is out for the rest of the season, a devastating blow for this Oregon squad after his dominance early in the year.
The Ducks are fortunate to have a stellar back next to him in Travis Dye, and he’ll be counted on in a major way for the rest of the season.
Dye was great against Stanford, one of the team’s few bright spots, and in a game where the Ducks should build a lead early – effectively running the ball and burning clock in the second half will be crucial. Dye is the man for the job at the moment, and how he does will be a big factor in this one.