Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert’s first career road start did not end the way he wanted. Forced into overtime against Cal in 2016, Herbert was looking to win the game on a pass to wide receiver Jalen Brown, but was intercepted by Jordan Kunaszyk to end the game.
The true freshman brought excitement to an Oregon team in the midst of a four-game losing streak. Despite throwing for 258 yards and six touchdowns, Herbert was left with the bitter taste of that one interception.
“It was a tough game, but I thought we played pretty well,” Herbert said Tuesday reflecting on that start. “The offense kind of picked it up late in the game and unfortunately came up short, but it was a great learning experience.”
The 52-49 Cal loss in 2016 was tough. Last Saturday’s 38-31 overtime defeat against Stanford was devastating. Although faces of pain could be seen throughout the postgame press conferences, head coach Mario Cristobal, players and staff know they need to quickly move on in order to prepare for No. 24 Cal (3-0).
“I think we all acknowledge that getting close isn’t good enough,” Cristobal said. “It’s not what we train for.”
The game was possibly the most anticipated Ducks’ football game since the 2015 National Championship. Given the 4.3 million viewers, according to ESPN, it’s safe to say Oregon football skeptics watched the game, too.
Stanford wide reciever JJ Arcega-Whiteside (19) breaks the tackle. Oregon Ducks Football takes on Stanford at Autzen Stadium on Sept. 22, 2018. (Ben Green/Emerald)
The Ducks, specifically Herbert, were given a chance to earn national respect, and they did just that, leading the No. 7 Stanford Cardinal 24-7 in the second quarter. But the dream win was not to be. The Ducks never trailed in regulation, but still lost due to miscues and possible missed calls.
“I know for a fact that no one in Berkeley is going to feel sorry for us,” left guard Shane Lemieux said postgame. “We gotta wipe this game really fast. I am already thinking about Cal right now.”
Cristobal knows that Cal should not be taken lightly. The undefeated Golden Bears defeated BYU 21-18 Sept. 8. And the No. 20 Cougars went on to beat a top-10 Wisconsin 24-21 the following week.
“For our guys, it’s an exciting moment and a great challenge,” Cristobal said during his Monday press conference. “Our focus turned to that immediately after our film review of Saturday’s game, knowing we have a lot to prove to ourselves.”
The game will be Oregon’s first time away from Autzen in 2018. Road games have not been friendly to the Ducks in the Herbert-era. Oregon is just 1-4 in Pac-12 road games with Herbert starting.
“It’s a different mentality,” Cristobal said of road games. “It galvanizes and unifies a team more than anything else. Your trust and belief and accountability, whenever you go into a conference game on the road, has to be at the highest level.”
To be at their best, the Ducks need to rebound. Redshirt freshman running back CJ Verdell’s fumble and center Jake Hanson’s errant snaps received a lot of negative attention following last weekend’s loss. There is no time to dwell on mistakes. Both players deservedly expect to see the field as much as usual.
“They’ve done a great job all year,” Herbert said. “[A mistake] doesn’t define them. We’ll come back and have plenty of more opportunities, plenty of more games to make plays — I trust them and the rest of the team trusts them too.”
If there are any mistakes by the Oregon offense, Cal’s defense will look to take advantage. Head coach Justin Wilcox, an Oregon alum and Eugene native, has taken a defense that, three years prior to his arrival, was not in the top-100 FBS defenses and built them into the FBS’ No. 6 defense.
The Golden Bears’ defense has held their opponents to an average of 19.33 points a game, and is coming off a bye week, giving them an extra week to prepare for Oregon’s offense.
“They’ve done a nice job,” offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo said. “They’ve got good coaches, they’ve got good players, they’ve got a good scheme… They’ll be improved and they’ll be ready for us and we’ve got to go out there and get it done.”
The good news defensively for the Ducks is Cal’s lack of 6-foot-3-plus NFL-caliber receivers. Stanford’s 6-foot-7 tight ends and 6-foot-3 receivers were almost impossible to cover since Oregon’s entire defensive backfield is under 6-foot-2. This week, however, will be different. With Cal’s top-3 passing targets listed under 6-foot-2 as well, Oregon’s Thomas Graham Jr. and Deommodore Lenoir should not be outmatched.
Oregon Ducks wide receiver Dillon Mitchell (13) carries the ball. Oregon Ducks Football takes on Stanford at Autzen Stadium on Sept. 22, 2018. (Devin Roux/Emerald)
Possibly the most exciting part of the Stanford loss was that Oregon held Heisman-hopeful Bryce Love to just 89 rushing yards. The Cardinal’s run-game was seriously outmatched by the Ducks, which resulted in a switch to the successful jump-ball-only offense. Cal, like the rest of the country, has no one as talented as Love. Running back Brandon Laird has 144 rushing yards and Cal’s two quarterbacks, Brandon McIlwain and Chase Garbers have over 125 rushing yards as well.
Wide receivers Jordan Duncan (127 receiving yards and two touchdowns) and Kanawai Noa (113 receiving yards and one touchdown) are the main weapons in the passing game that the Ducks’ defense will be watching.
“They have a lot of playmaking ability,” linebacker Troy Dye said. “It’s the Pac-12. Every team has a lot of playmaking ability. … We just got to go out there, play an Oregon brand of defensive football and hopefully come out on the right end.”
Garbers and McIlwain will be sharing time at quarterback. McIlwain is a runner with 16 passing attempts and 23 rushing attempts. Garbers will be the main quarterback. As the more traditional of the two, Garbers 25 rushing attempts and 66 pass attempts (45-66) for 449 yards and six touchdowns.
“Both are great quarterbacks,” Dye said. “They understand their scheme and they understand the defensive scheme. It’s gonna be a fun game to go out there and compete.”
This year the expectations of Oregon are once again very high, but the only way to meet those expectations is to travel to Cal and beat the Golden Bears.
“We expect their best,” Cristobal said. “We know they’re a good football team.”
Follow Maverick Pallack on Twitter @mavpallack
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