No one needs to be told to watch Marcus Mariota and Jared Goff when the Ducks and Bears play Saturday. They’re going to do that unconsciously. And while both of those quarterbacks are exceptional and deserve all the attention they’re getting, there are plenty of other players to keep an eye on.

Below are two (in Oregon’s case, three) players from each team to watch on Saturday.

California:

Brendan Bigelow — Cal’s top running back doesn’t have a touchdown this year and is only averaging 4.0 yards per rushing attempt, but Bigelow is still a huge threat. The junior was extremely productive in limited touches last season and he’s gone up against two excellent run defenses in No. 17 Northwestern and No. 4 Ohio State. For Oregon’s defense, Bigelow will be the first above-average running back they’ll face all season.

Chris Harper — This is what Oregon’s Ifo Ekpre-Olomu said about Cal’s sophomore wide receiver: “He’s a great athlete and he makes plays on the ball.” Harper’s certainly shown that ability this season with plays like this. That touchdown catch-and-run shows just how versatile Harper is. He can catch in traffic, make players miss and outrun just about any defender. There’s a reason he leads the Bears in receiving yards and touchdown catches with an excellent yards-per-catch average (15.4). Ekpre-Olomu and Terrance Mitchell are both excellent cover cornerbacks, but they’ll both be tested when they go up against Harper.

Oregon:

Colt Lyerla — Lyerla famously missed the Tennessee game due to “circumstances,” so it will be interesting to see if he can perform against Cal. He’s only had two catches for 26 yards and zero touchdowns this season. He also has to deal with Johnny Mundt (five catches for 121 yards and two TDs against the Volunteers) and Pharaoh Brown, who’s returning from a leg injury. Maybe the Ducks will rotate all three players in and out, but Lyerla is listed as the number one tight end on the depth chart. If he can perform well against Cal, he will relieve some of the pressure from Oregon’s other talented tight ends.

Brian Jackson and Avery Patterson — Ekpre-Olomu and Mitchell will obviously have their hands full with receivers Harper and Bryce Treggs, but safeties Jackson and Patterson will be just as important. They’ll have to be all over the field if they can be successful monitoring all of Cal’s receivers. Goff will get uncomfortable and be more likely to make mistakes. Plus, Oregon’s front seven will have more opportunities to get sacks and focus more on stopping Bigelow and the rest of Cal’s running game.

Patterson, by the way, is from a town near Berkeley, Calif., and tore his ACL when the Ducks played the Bears last season. The injury ended his season, and he sounds motivated to finish Saturday’s game on a much higher note.

California’s Chris Harper has been the leading receiver for one of the most prolific passing attacks this season, but throughout his career, the routes he’s taken haven’t always been so smooth.

“I feel like I’ve been an underdog all my life,” Harper said. “I’ve always had a chip on my shoulder.”

Harper ended up accepting an offer from Southern Methodist University, but shortly after he committed, he went to visit California, his dream college. The Golden Bears’ coaches were so impressed with Harper, they immediately offered him a scholarship, which he eagerly accepted.

“It was one of the greatest feelings in the world,” Harper said on the California scholarship.

Harper wasn’t just impressed with California’s football program, though. In fact, when Harper refers to the great feeling he had getting that scholarship, he immediately references California’s pristine academic reputation.

“If football ever doesn’t work out for me,” Harper said, “I just know that I have an education to fall back on. I have a back up plan.”

So far, Harper’s first plan has worked out pretty well. As a true freshman in 2012, he caught 41 passes for 544 yards and two touchdowns.

Oregon’s Ifo Ekpre-Olomu remembers playing against Harper last year, and the Ducks cornerback says he’ll be watching out for Harper when they square off on Saturday.

“He was a pretty good receiver last year when I went against him,” Ekpre-Olomu said. “All-around, I think he’s a great athlete and he makes plays on the ball.”

Harper says he’s still not satisfied after his breakout first year. Even through his first three games of this season – he’s caught 21 passes for 324 yards and three touchdowns – he’s still looking forward. And the individual accolades are just a part of his overall goals.

“I’m always trying to get into the end zone and getting into the end zone will help the offense,” he said. “Any goal I have personally always goes into a bigger picture in the offense.”

Bears running back Brendan Bigelow says he loves being around Harper, even though Harper always beats him in video games. Bigelow also notes how impressed he is with Harper on the field.

“He’s a great player, a great wide receiver,” Bigelow said. “Overall, he’s just a good guy.”

Harper might find it hard to complain about where he currently is. He’s the leading receiver for one of the nation’s best passing teams. When he’s not on the field, he’s walking around the campus of his dream school taking classes that will help provide another career option if the NFL – his ultimate dream destination – doesn’t work out.

Wherever he end ups, Harper expresses total confidence in the route he’s running.

After the first two rounds of the St. Mary’s Invitational, the Oregon men’s golf team sits in fifth place.

The Ducks are only two strokes behind the second-place team and host of the tournament, St. Mary’s. The five golfers representing Oregon at the Invitational in Seaside, Calif. combined to shoot 14-over par (590 total strokes) on Monday. The Ducks carded a 9-over 297 score at Bayonet Golf Course during the first round but improved in the second, firing a 5-over 293 score at Blackhorse Golf Course .

However, the first place team — California — is a full 18 strokes ahead of St. Mary’s and the only team that is currently under par (6-under).

To put it another way, the Ducks are closer to 14th place (out of 19 teams) then they are to first.

On the individual players side, three Oregon golfers posted even-par or better rounds, with Brandon McIver’s 71 in the first round being the best of the day for the Ducks.

McIver shot a 75 in round two but still finished with the best overall score among the five Oregon players. He is tied for 12th place overall.

Jonathan Woo shot a pair of 74s, placing him second on the Ducks and tied for 23rd overall.

Thomas Lim, who won the title in the individual competition (separate from the team competition) last week at the Husky Invitational, finished with a 78 in the first round on Monday. He bounced back in the second round, though, firing an even-par 72 to put him one stroke ahead of teammate Rak Cho.

Cho also shot a 72 in round two, but he carded a 79 in the first round at Bayonet.

Unlike Lim and Cho, Oregon’s final participant, Ryan Ree, regressed from round one to round two. He shot a 74 at Bayonet and a 79 at Blackhorse.

All 19 teams with tee off early Tuesday morning for their third and final round, which will be held at Bayonet. Live team and player leaderboards can be found here.

Note: In each round, only four scores from each team are counted towards the team’s total score.

How he spent his weekend off

“I went to Portland and visited Wieden and Kennedy (advertising agency).  Then I went to Florence and went fishing for the first time, so that was pretty sweet. I caught about a 15-pounder. A salmon. I cut it up and I’ve still got some in my freezer. It was me, Rodney Hardrick and Tony Washington [who went fishing]. The salmon was delicious.”

His relationship with Hardrick, who went to the same high school as Malone

“We’ve been hanging out ever since we met each other, basically. We’ve been good friends since I was a sophomore in high school and he was freshman, and we’ve just been rolling ever since. He’s one of my best friends and we have great chemistry right now.”

Monday’s practice

“It was great. We had great energy, everyone was flying around, we had a great time today.”

Preparing for Cal on Saturday

“This was the first day we were on the field practicing for Cal. They’re a great team. They’ve got great backs, a great quarterback, great receivers. They have a lot of weapons. We’ve got to make sure we bring out A-game but we’re looking like a solid team. We’ve just got to make sure we prepare properly because I know we’re gonna get after it and bring our best game.”

If he or the defense, as a whole, feels pressure facing Cal’s prolific offense

“No pressure at all, as long as we prepare properly. I feel like we’re really confident. We take our approach just like we approach any other week.”

After 110 minutes of game time, the Oregon women’s soccer team left Papé Field with a 1-1 tie against the San Francisco Dons.

“Sure, a tie is disappointing,” junior forward Bri Pugh said after the match, “but we came back and we have to be proud of that and look at the positives and just keep moving forward from there.”

Oregon’s journey on the comeback trail began in the 49th minute, when Dons forward Lexie Krueger perfectly placed a left-footed shot in the back left corner of the net. That goal was especially painful for the Ducks because it came directly after a failed clear from Oregon’s Achijah Berry.

However, in the 78th minute, redshirt sophomore defender Reilley Moore was able to come up big for Oregon. Junior midfielder Lilly Archer kicked from the left corner on the play, placing it right in the middle of a large scrum in front of the net. The ball bounced back towards midfield, taking a hop in the middle of the 18-yard box and bouncing right to Moore. Moore promptly rocketed a left-footed kick over the goalkeeper’s outstretched arms and barely under the crossbar, straight into the back of the net.

The goal wasn’t just a first for the Ducks in the match, it was a first for Moore.

“It was really cool to see her get that goal, especially after not scoring her whole college career,” Pugh said. “I’m really proud of her.”

Moore’s goal ended a frustrating drought for the Ducks, who had several close chances at scores throughout the match.

Oregon had opportunities throughout the match that they just couldn’t convert on, especially Pugh, who had one of her shots deflected in the first half. That scenario that was painfully familiar the entire night for Oregon, who had most of their shots in the second half.

“It’s a frustrating game,” Pugh said. “You play 90 minutes and how many shots do you get on goal that don’t go in? It’s frustrating, but you just can’t let it get to you.”

Pugh, who had a team-high 25 shots on goal going into Friday’s match, was aggressive all night, almost to her detriment on one play.

In the 56th minute, Pugh and a San Francisco defender both sprinted towards each other going for the ball. The defender got to the ball first and kicked it hard off of Pugh’s head. To make matters worse, Pugh was called for a hand ball directly after getting hit. She was visibly shaken up, walking gingerly after the hand ball call.

“That one hurt,” she said, “but, whatever. It’s fine. I feel fine.”

Both Pugh and head coach Kat Mertz had positives to take away for tonight’s match, with both noting that the team was able to come back from down a goal and score on a set piece.

“We were getting a lot of corners,” Mertz said, “so it was nice to be able to score on a set piece.”

Friday marked Oregon’s last non-conference match of the season. Mertz said she looks at the season in two different segments, and the first segment (the nonconference schedule) is now a thing of the past. With Friday’s match done with, Oregon is getting ready for the second segment: Pac-12 play, which begins on September 26 at home against Washington State.

“Now,” Mertz said, “the season starts over.”

After practice on Thursday, Oregon head coach Mark Helrich mentioned the word “rhythm” several times. While he often used this term to talk about his players’ on-field performance, he brought up another area where rhythm is crucial for the Ducks.

“With the normal rhythm of a game week,” Helfrich said, “we try to maintain that as much as possible.”

Because the Ducks are currently in a bye week, the routine for the players and coaches is not like it was the previous three weeks when they had games to prepare for each Saturday. Helfrich said he and the other Oregon coaches have already begun preparing for their next opponent, the California Golden Bears, but the preparation for the players is currently and purposely being delayed.

“We’ve already looked at all of [the film on Cal] and done a little bit of game-planning, but the nuts and bolts of that we’re certainly going to go over on Monday,” Helfrich said. “For the players, part of our strategy going into this week was to keep next week as much of a normal game week as possible. They are creatures of habit.”

Oregon senior linebacker Boseko Lokombo said the focus for he and his teammates this week has been much more internal.

“We haven’t really looked at Cal yet,” Lokombo said. “We’re kind of just focused on ourselves right now and trying to get better.”

Part of the focus on themselves includes taking a break this weekend. Helfrich said he’s been using this bye week to “recharge,” and he’ll be taking Saturday off to spend time with his family and watch some college football.

Lokombo is going home to Vancouver for three days.

“I love this week,” Lokombo said.

The Ducks might be using this week to recharge, but Helfrich notes multiple areas his team is focusing on that he hopes will help them later in the season.

“We want to get a little ahead from the game-planning standpoint and get some young guys a lot more reps,” Helfrich said. “Hopefully, that will pay off a few weeks down the road.”

Game weeks aren’t the only thing Helfrich hopes to keep consistent with his players. Helfrich expressed how impressed he’s been with the offense, who have committed zero turnovers this season.

“That number of turnovers is great,” Helfrich said. “That’s what we like, that’s what we preach constantly, and we can’t talk about. It’s like a no-hitter. You don’t talk about it. We talk about the things we can do to contribute to that.”

But as good as the Ducks have been this season, Helfrich said he isn’t completely satisfied.

“Every phase we can improve,” he said, “but so far, so good.”

The college football season might only be three weeks old, but it’s never too early to project who will win the Pac-12′s post-season awards.

While the lists for players and coaches of the year will undoubtedly change as the season goes on, there have been several performers who have separated themselves from the pack as the 12 teams head into conference play.

Below are the top players and coaches to keep an eye on these next few months.

Offensive player of year

De’Anthony Thomas (RB, Oregon): Thomas leads the Pac-12 in rushing touchdowns and is third in rushing yards, while dabbling in the receiving and return games as well. With his performance so far this season, he’s the current front-runner for this award.

Marcus Mariota (QB, Oregon): Mariota has been Heisman-like this season without being entirely consistent from game to game. If Mariota can find consistency, he has a greater potential to be the offensive player of the year.

Sean Mannion (QB, Oregon State): Manion is second only to Cal’s Jared Goff in passing yards among quarterbacks in the entire nation, not just the Pac-12. Unlike Goff, though, Mannion has a spectacular TD-to-INT ratio (12 to 1) and completion at 73.1 percent.

Brett Hundley (QB, UCLA): He’s an efficient passer who — unlike Mannion — is a threat to run. If not for Mariota, Hundley would easily be the best dual-threat quarterback in the conference.

Other players to watch: Jared Goff (Cal), Paul Richardson (Colorado), Brandin Cooks (OSU), Marqise Lee (USC), Keith Price (Washington), Bishop Sankey (Washington).

Defensive Player of the Year 

Ifo Ekpre-Olomu (CB, Oregon): The player who wins this award usually has a huge interception and/or sack total, which might cost Ekpre-Olomu the honors. But the cornerback, who is expected to be a high NFL draft pick — absolutely blankets opposing receivers, which should keep him in the discussion even if he never records a pick.

Will Sutton (DT, Arizona State): Sutton is the defending player of the year on his side of the ball but hasn’t put up huge individual numbers so far this season (3 tackles, 0 sacks). However, Sutton should never be dismissed because of his ability to plug holes for running backs and open them for his linebackers.

Anthony Barr (LB, UCLA): Barr hasn’t recorded a sack yet (he had 13.5 in 2012), but he leads the conference in tackles for loss and forced fumbles. Plus, he provides incredible value simply by occupying blockers.

Trent Murphy (LB, Stanford): Murphy and Barr will be jockeying for the “Best Pass Rusher in the Pac-12” title all season. So far, Murphy has a leg up simply because he’s recorded two sacks.

Other players to watch: Tra’Mayne Bondurant (Arizona), Tony Washington (Oregon), Scott Crichton (OSU), Ed Reynolds (Stanford), Shayne Skov (Stanford), Devon Kennard (USC) and Josh Shirley (Washington).

Coach of the year

Mark Helfrich (Oregon) and David Shaw (Stanford): For these two, the formula to win this award is pretty simple: at least 11 wins, conference championship and BCS bowl appearance, (national championship, preferably).

Jim Mora Jr. (UCLA): Mora doesn’t need to be quite as successful as Helfrich or Shaw, but UCLA has to at least make it to the Pac-12 championship for him to have a shot.

Mike MacIntyre (Colorado): If Colorado can finish at least 4-5 in the Pac-12 and get to a bowl game, MacIntyre might earn this honor. That’s how miserable it’s been in Boulder these past seven seasons.

Oregon cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu talked with Emerald after Wednesday’s practice about how he judges his performance, what it’s like to be part of Oregon’s renowned secondary, and how he’s preparing to face California on September 28.

How he’s played this season.

“I really just base it off how I think I did each play. I don’t really depend on if the ball’s coming my way, I just look at if I’m in the right place and using the right technique. That’s the only way I’d really grade it.”

If it’s better to get interceptions or prevent opposing teams from throwing his way.

“I really just want to make sure I’m in the right position to make a play, each play, so then if it is thrown my way, I have an opportunity [to make a play]. Sometimes I might get in the right position, and sometimes [the other team] just wanted to throw the other way that play.”

Being part of a secondary that many consider to be one of the best in the country.

“It’s great that people think that. Our secondary prides ourselves on working hard and trying to figure out how we can get better at one thing, and I think that’s really helped us in the past couple years, especially with our team chemistry. In the secondary, I feel like we’re able to read in react to what each person does better than playing with other guys. With Avery Patterson, Brian Jackson, Terrance Mitchell, we’re all able to play off each other a lot better than I ever have in my life.”

On facing California, who are tied with Oregon State for the most passing yards in the Division 1-A football.

“I think it’s great. That means we’re gonna get a lot of opportunities to make plays, so that’s better than just sitting around watching the game. They’re gonna pass a lot, they’re gonna try to test us, but I think we’ll be fine as long as we just stick with our keys and play a fundamental game.”

Freshman kicker Matt Wogan has been primarily used on kickoffs this season, occasionally kicking extra points and field goals (he has attempted and made one field goal, a 38-yarder against Tennessee). Wogan talked with the Emerald after Tuesday’s practice, discussing his performance this year and Oregon’s main field goal kicker and punter, Alejandro Maldonado.

His performance this year

“There are a lot of places I need to improve in kickoffs and especially field goals. Some kickoffs are line drives, some go out the back [of the end zone], but it’s not about that. It’s about kicking a good ball. If I put one out there and the returner gets tackled inside the 10 [yard line], that’s better than kicking a touchback.”

How coaches reacted to his two out-of-bounds kicks against Nicholls State

“Like they should. ‘What the heck are you doing?’ they said, pretty much. ‘Kick the ball, focus.’ They weren’t necessarily dogging me and saying all this bad stuff, they were just telling me, ‘You’re better than that, do what you can do.’ They were pushing me but, at the same time, kind of encouraging me.”

His relationship with Alejandro Maldonado

“That kid, he’s an unbelievable help to me. He’s been through a lot with a bunch of different things and he’s just helped me out with the mental aspect. In the first game, if I had a bad kick, he’d come over to me and we had toilets in our hand — fake toilets, obviously — and we’d flush [the bad kick]. It’s done. Next kick. We both challenge each other. We both hold ourselves to a high standard. He’s gotten so much better and he’s gotten me so much better.”

On the criticism Maldonado has received

“That’s not really my place to say, but he’s come back every single year. He could’ve said, ‘I’m done with this, I’m done kicking,’ but he has a huge heart and a huge mind and he knows he can do it. I know he can do it. That’s why he’s still here and that’s why he’s still competing. He’s faced more adversity than probably anyone on this team has, and he’s continued to battle back and fight through it.”

After the first day of the fall season’s first tournament, the Oregon men’s golf team team sits tied for fifth place. The Ducks, like the other 14 teams in the Kikkor Golf Husky Invitational, have five golfers participating, and each of them played 36 holes on Monday at Gold Mountain Olympic Course in Bremerton, Wash.

Oregon finished 4-over par 580 after Monday’s two rounds, showing positive signs going into Tuesday after the second round ended, the Ducks hit that 4-over mark after the first round.

The big performer for the Ducks was Ryann Ree, who improved in the second round. Ree backed up his first round 71 (-1) with a 70 (-2) in round two, making him the only Duck to finish the day under par and finish each round below 72. His 3-under score tied him for third among all 75 golfers in the tournament through Monday.

Ree wasn’t the only Oregon golfer to shoot an under-par round on Monday. Sulman Raza was tied with his teammate Ree after the first round, shooting a 71 of his own. Raza couldn’t carry the momentum into the next round, though, firing an 80 (+8) that put him in last place among his teammates.

Jonathan Woo’s day was practically the opposite of Raza’s. After shooting a 5-over 77 in round one, Woo matched Ree’s second round with a 70. That score propelled Woo into second place for Oregon and tied for 31st overall.

Zach Foushee shot a pair of 74s and Rak Cho finished at 6-over to round out the day for Oregon.

The Ducks are only five strokes behind second-place San Diego going into the final round of the Invitational, but they’ll need to play a phenomenal 18 holes on Tuesday in order to take the top spot. Washington finished Monday 10 strokes ahead of San Diego, with three players finishing under par. The Huskies also dominated the Invitational last year, winning by nine strokes.

BYU and Oregon State are currently tied for third place, and Arizona State is tied with Oregon for fifth. The entire team and player standings can be found here.