Oregon takes on California in PAC-10 Showdown

The number 1 team in the country will be in for a battle Saturday. This may seem like it should be a walk in the park, but the California Golden Bears play a much different game at home. The Oregon Ducks have one of the best offensive attacks in college football history. They are averaging an incredible 55 points per game, and have a solid defense to back it up. This game has the potential to break 100+ points as both teams will do all they can to get in the end zone as much as possible.

The Bears are a completely different team at home then they do on the road. Last week’s win against Washington St was their first road win of the season, but they have been nothing short of dynamic at home. Cal is averaging almost 47 points per game at Memorial Stadium, but just 16 points on the road. Their 5-4 record is deceiving. All 4 games they have lost were to teams that are or were ranked in the top-25 at one point or another this season.

Quarterback Kevin Riley isn’t in the same mold as a Aaron Rodgers, but he does more than enough throwing the ball to keep defenses on their toes. He’s completed 60% of his passes and thrown 13 touchdown passes to just 6 interceptions. He is a solid quarterback, but isn’t asked to do too much as California’s offense is based mostly on the run. That being said, his season ending knee injury shouldn’t affect this team as much as experts believe it will. Brock Mansion has filled in over the last 2 weeks, and will need to be far better Saturday then he’s shown over his first 2 starts. Mansion has completed just 53% of his passes, and has been sacks 6 times in 2 games. You can bet that the Oregon defense will be bringing some serious pressure Saturday as they try to force turnovers. Shane Vereen may not be well known in the college football landscape, but his 886 yards on the ground are very impressive considering defenses are anticipating the run.

More impressive than Cal’s offense at home is the fact that they are giving up just over 8 points per game on defense. It’s a given that they will not maintain that pace against the most explosive offense in college football. If the Bears can get a few key stops of create a few turnovers, this game may be far closer than the college football experts are anticipating.

The Ducks are currently listed as 20 point favorites by NCAA football handicappers. This is a sign of how tremendous this team is as they are monster favorites against a team that averages a 47-8 win at home. Oregon hasn’t scored less than 42 points in any game this year, and will more than likely surpass that total Saturday. Quarterback Darron Thomas has been nothing short of extraordinary this season. He has already thrown for over 2000 yards, and has a QB rating of over 158. His accuracy throwing the ball and leadership has been the difference for this team this year. The Ducks have a deceptive rushing game that has baffled defenses all year long. LaMichael James has incredible this year. He’s currently 2nd in division 1 football in rushing yards, and is averaging an incredible 6.8 yards per carry. His 17 touchdowns are the reason that the Ducks are scoring at such an alarming rate. He can score in goal line situations, and can out-run secondary’s for long scores. Expect James to have another phenomenal outing against a inconsistent Cal defense that will spend much of Saturday’s game on the field.

This may have been a situation in which Oregon would have been ripe for an upset, but Riley’s injury makes this game all but a walk-over for Oregon. If you haven’t seen the Ducks play this season, then you need to tune in Saturday as they light up the scoreboard in what should be a dominating performance.

Related posts:

1. Oregon & Stanford in Pac-10 Top-25 Showdown
2. Pac-10 Thursday Night Battle: Oregon vs. UCLA
3. PAC-10 Game Day Battle: USC vs. Oregon
4. PAC-12 Title Fight: Stanford hosts Oregon
5. Texas faces California in Holiday Bowl

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