Tag: Cal Golden Bears

First Half Takeaways: Ducks flaws continue to haunt them in 10-7 half vs. Cal

The Ducks dealt with some very familiar flaws in the first half vs. California, with penalties and poor third-down defense allowing just a 10-7 lead.

After another slow start to the game — something that has hurt the Oregon Ducks all season long — things seemed to click into gear for Mario Cristobal and his squad in the second half against the California Golden Bears. The Ducks put together a scoring drive that gave them a 10-7 lead, but another chance to put points on the board was thwarted by the Golden Bears when Anthony Brown was sacked and fumbled with less than 30 seconds left in the half.

All in all, Oregon goes into the break with a three-point lead. Here are some major takeaways from the half:

  • Penalties continue to be an issue for the Ducks. They had a promising opening drive of the game but allowed two tough penalties to halt momentum and force them to settle for a field goal. Oregon later had an unsportsmanlike conduct after stopping Cal on 4th and 4. A block in the back on Mycah Pittman made it 1st and 20 from the Cal 27 instead of 1st and 10 from the 17. In the half, they have 4 penalties for 40 yards.
  • Anthony Brown has actually been pretty good in this game. Outside of a few mistakes and poor reads in the pocket, he is running the offense successfully and moving the ball. In the first half, he has 132 yards of 12-for-17 passing with 0 touchdowns.
  • Camden Lewis is a consistent weapon. He made a career-long 49-yard field goal on the opening drive of the game, and added at PAT as well.
  • Third down continues to be a miserable spot for the Oregon defense, with an inability to get off the field. Cal was 3-for-6 on 3rd-down in the first half, completing their first three straight.
  • Travis Dye is clearly the focal point of this offense now that CJ Verdell is out for the season. He racked up 109 yards and 1 TD in the first half and touched the ball 12 times.
  • Anthony Brown found a nice connection with WR Devon Williams in the first half, connecting 3 times for 57 yards, all of which went for more than 10-yards downfield. Oregon has struggled to develop any sort of a legitimate passing game that takes place more than 5-yards down the field, but it has been working so far in this game.

Final score predictions for No. 10 Oregon’s bounce-back opportunity vs. Cal Golden Bears

The Ducks need a dominant win in the worst way, and there’s a good chance they get that on Friday night vs. the Cal Golden Bears.

The Oregon Ducks need a win in the worst way.

Strike that — the Oregon Ducks need a dominant win in the worst way. Beating the California Golden Bears by a measly 7-10 points on Friday night will not feel like a success to this fanbase that can be described as having high standards all season long. A game that is still considered a game in the fourth quarter against one of the worst teams in the conference will not do. In order to get the critics off of their backs, Mario Cristobal and his team will need to show something in front of a nationally televised ESPN audience.

How will they accomplish this? By putting up points early and often, and getting QB Anthony Brown comfortable in the passing game for arguably the first time all season.

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That’s easy to say, but it’s a feat that the Ducks have yet to accomplish this year. While they sit with a 4-1 record and an outside chance to make the College Football Playoff at the end of the year, Oregon has struggled to pull away from inferior teams, and shown a tendency to play down to their opponent. One of the main reasons for this is an inability to find the endzone often in the first half, and allow opposing teams to hang around late into the third or fourth quarter.

I expect that to be different on Friday, with the Ducks having had two weeks to prepare for this game. They will be without star RB CJ Verdell, which hurts the running game, but it also opens up more opportunities in the passing attack. That means screens, dump-offs, and quick passes over the middle that will keep the defense honest and likely get Brown into a rhythm in the pocket.

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In a perfect world, that allows Brown to get confident enough to connect on a couple of deep shots, but we don’t want to get too greedy here.

If the offense is able to take care of business and put points on the board, then we have to ask the defense to hold stout as well. Luckily for all of us, there should be some supreme confidence in that happening on Friday. With Bradyn Swinson, Adrian Jackson, and Mase Funa all reportedly 100% healthy and ready to go, this front seven is as ready to go as they have been since Week 1 of the season, where they were dominant before the injury bug took root. Of course, Kayvon Thibodeaux will miss the first half due to a suspension that carries over from a questionable targeting call against Stanford, but that shouldn’t stop the Ducks’ defensive front from shutting down the Golden Bears.

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Assuming our notions are correct, this should be a second half where the Ducks are able to get a litany of young players into the game, and we could potentially see 2-3 quarterbacks take the field on the day.

In the end, give me a comfortable Oregon win that quiets the critics for the time being.

Final Score Prediction: Oregon 38, California 17

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3 keys to victory for No. 10 Oregon Ducks against Cal on Friday

The Oregon Ducks need a commanding victory in a major way on Friday night against Cal. Here are three keys to ensuring that happens.

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

(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

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.

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LOOK: Oregon Ducks announce all-black uniforms for Friday night ESPN game vs. Cal Golden Bears

Black out the night at Autzen Stadium. With a national TV ESPN audience tuning in, the Ducks released this beautiful all-black uniform combo.

Friday Night Lights are usually reserved for high school football showcases, while the college players get to own the first day of the weekend, but that won’t be the case this week with the Oregon Ducks hosting the California Golden Bears on ESPN at 7:30 PM.

As they do so, and as the world tunes into the primetime game of the night, the Ducks will be looking sharp, wearing a classic all-black uniform combination that is sure to impress anyone and everyone tuning in.

The hits just keep coming for the Ducks when it comes to a uniform standpoint this season. After a blazing start with the green and yellow combination against Stony Brook, arguably topped by the icy all-white look in the major upset on the road against Ohio State, the Ducks arguably took the cake in Week 4 against Arizona with a green and black combo that ranks among the best of all time for some Oregon fans.

If you’re a stickler for the details, you’ll notice that these uniforms don’t have the wings on the shoulder like others have had this season, but simply a stripe down the arm. It’s clean, and a nice change of pace.

So will this all-black combo garner the same type of love as past weeks? Only time will tell, but it’s hard to think that a blackout game in front of a national audience will be disappointing.

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What QBs in the transfer portal could be Penn State targets?

James Franklin says Penn State will only add a quarterback from the transfer portal if the right fit is available. So what’s available now?

Penn State has been active in the transfer portal this offseason. But if things do not develop as James Franklin hopes, it is possible Penn State could still target at least one more player out of the transfer portal to fill the depth at various positions, including at the quarterback position.

Franklin made it known what his preference is for the quarterback position on the roster at the beginning of the spring. While Franklin would consider moving forward with three scholarship players, he would really like to move into the fall with four or five. Sean Clifford is entrenched as the team’s starting quarterback after two years as the team’s starter, but the experience behind him is raw. With the transfers of Will Levis and Michael Johnson Jr., Penn State has just Taquan Roberson and true freshman Christian Veilleux currently on scholarship.

Locked On Nittany Lions Podcast: James Franklin’s spring expectations at QB

This makes the transfer portal all the more intriguing for Penn State if the need for another quarterback is pressing at the end of the spring. But Franklin made note that his program won’t add a quarterback out of the transfer portal just for the sake of numbers. Whatever quarterback is potentially pulled from the portal ahs to be the right fit for the Nittany Lions.

What qualifies as the right fit may be open to some interpretation, but this much we know. Penn State has hired Mike Yurich as the new offensive coordinator, and his offenses have tended to operate with quarterbacks lining up under center far more often than Penn State fans have grown accustomed to seeing in recent years. One of Penn State’s first recruiting victories since the hiring of Yurcich was the commitment of pro-style quarterback Drew Allar, suggesting Penn State is ready to move with a player more prone to a pro-style offense.

So, with all of that in mind, what are some potential options still lurking in the transfer portal? There are some interesting names to potentially keep an eye on, just in case. Here’s a look at who is still currently available.

Note: Source for updated transfer portal data comes from 247 Sports, as of March 28, 2021.

Oklahoma 2021 WR target J. Michael Sturdivant commits to Cal

Fireworks have started for July 4 on the recruiting trail, but Oklahoma is not the ones firing them off quite yet. 

Fireworks have started for July 4 on the recruiting trail, but Oklahoma is not the ones firing them off quite yet.

One of the many targets for the Sooners that announced they would be committing on America’s Independence Day was Flower Mound, Texas, native and three-star wide receiver JJ. Michael Sturdivant. The Marcus High School product had a final four of Cal, LSU, UCLA and Oklahoma.

Sturdivant is heading out to the west coast to play for the Golden Bears.

Sturdivant is a recruit Oklahoma offered in early Feb. and recruited up until the end. A year ago, another Dallas-Fort Worth area recruit in Marvin Mims made an early commitment to Stanford. Oklahoma’s pursuit of Mims after his original commitment led the Sooners to flip him from the Cardinal and be a member of the 2020 recruiting class.

The 6-foot-3, 182 pound Sturdivant is a receiver that fits the mold of an X-receiver—the same position CeeDee Lamb played in 2017 and ’18—in Oklahoma’s offense and one to still watch.

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College Football News Preview 2020: Cal Golden Bears

College Football News Preview 2020: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Cal Golden Bears season with what you need to know.

College Football News Preview 2020: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Cal Golden Bears season with what you need to know.

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Schedule Analysis
– Cal Previews 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015

2019 Record: 8-5 overall, 4-5 in Pac-12
Head Coach: Justin Wilcox, 4th year, 20-18
2019 CFN Final Opinion Ranking: 38
2019 CFN Final Season Formula Ranking: 61
2019 CFN Preview Ranking: 45

No one knows what’s going to happen to the 2020 college football season. We’ll take a general look at where each team stands – doing it without spring ball to go by – while crossing our fingers that we’ll all have some well-deserved fun this fall. Hoping you and yours are safe and healthy.

5. College Football News Preview 2020: Cal Golden Bears Offense 3 Things To Know

– The Cal offense is a far cry from where it was just a few years ago, struggling to get to a whole lot going – it only scored 30 or more twice – and finished the season last in the Pac-12 in both scoring and total offense, averaging 329 yards and 21.2 points per game.

However, part of the problem was its quarterback issues – starter Chase Garbers missed four times in the middle of the season, and wasn’t 100% for another two games with a shoulder injury. Cal lost five of those six games.

He’s back and healthy – Cal was 8-0 when he played a full game – and former UCLA transfer Devon Modster is back as the No. 2 man. Now the passing game has to be sharper after finishing last in the Pac-12 in efficiency and yards.

CFN in 60 Video: Cal Golden Bears Preview
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– The receiving corps needs to get more work. Leading target Nikko Remigio is back, but he only caught 38 passes for 513 yards and three scores. Second-leading receiver Jordan Duncan is gone, but ten of the top 11 wideouts and tight ends are back. 6-5, 230-pound junior TE Jake Tonges returns after averaging over 20 yards per grab.

– The O line was very young, and now the growing pains should pay off with all five starters expected back for a line that struggled to keep defenses out of the backfield and was the worst in the Pac-12 in sacks allowed. It’s not a massive line, but it can move. Now it has to do more for a running game that averaged a pedestrian 132 yards per game.

230-pound thumper Christopher Brown returns after leading the way with 914 yards and eight scored, but he’s not alone. Backups Marcel Dancy and DeShawn Collins return, but they all need more work and room to move.

NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: Cal Golden Bears Defense 3 Things To Know

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Cal 2020 Preview: CFN in 60

Cal Golden Bears 2020 Preview: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead with what you need to know.

Photo Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

Cal Golden Bears 2020 Preview: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead with what you need to know.

Photo Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

A former Badger running back finds a home in the Pac-12

Former class of 2015 three-star recruit Bradrick Shaw announced yesterday that he will be finishing his college career at the University…

Former class of 2015 three-star recruit Bradrick Shaw announced yesterday that he will be finishing his college career at the University of California.

Shaw played in 28 games during this four-year Badger career but missed the entire 2018 season due to a turn ACL suffered at the end of the 2017 campaign.

His most impressive season came in 2016 as a redshirt freshman when he rushed for 457 yards and five touchdowns on 88 carries.

His final season in 2019 saw the Alabama native show flashes of his 2016 form but then saw Nakia Watson win the backup job and Shaw only receive 18 total carries.

The grad transfer will now join Justin Wilcox and the Golden Bears where he joins a busy running back room led by sophomore Christopher Brown Jr.