The Oregon Ducks, fresh off a season-defining victory over Chip Kelly and the UCLA Bruins, will head to Berkley, California, to take on a Golden Bears team in the midst of a three-game losing streak.
It has all the makings of a trap game, especially with Oregon securing the highest ranking of the season in the polls this past week.
While Cal isn’t a team that should be beating Dan Lanning’s team, the combination of a road atmosphere, the comedown from a big victory, and Cal’s veteran squad could cause some queasiness on Saturday afternoon.
However, the Golden Bears are also a bad defensive team, particularly against the pass, and Oregon’s defense should be able to make it a tough day for quarterback Jack Plummer.
Here are three keys to an Oregon victory on Saturday:
LET BO COOK
Cal is among the worst Football Bowl Subdivision teams in the country at defending the pass. Teams are averaging 275.1 passing yards per game against it this season, and that’s only going to go up after Bo Nix and the Ducks face them in Berkley on Saturday.
While Oregon’s rushing game is a big part of its success this season, the easiest way to attack Cal is in the air. It ranks 27th in the country with just 116.1 rushing yards surrendered per game, and while Bucky Irving and company should be able to find some green on Saturday – it’s best to focus on the air raid.
Nix has a chance to really put his name into the Heisman Trophy consideration with a couple hundred passing yards and a few touchdowns on Saturday, and that should be plenty to lead the Ducks to yet another victory.