If last week’s loss to the Beavers was hard to take, this week was just as frustrating or disappointing to any of the Duck faithful.
Perhaps even more so.
For the first time in a very long time, Oregon was kept off the scoreboard in the second half and California managed to hang on for a 21-17 upset.
Despite their second straight loss, the Ducks still have a golden opportunity to win the Pac-12 North thanks to Stanford’s 31-26 win at Washington earlier in the day.
As it so happens, Washington comes into Autzen for the regular season finale next week.
But after another loss, the Huskies are the least of Oregon’s worries in the short term.
The Ducks have offensive line issues and getting quarterback Tyler Shough to understand that he can’t try to do too much.
Both issues showed their ugly heads at Cal and ultimately cost Oregon the win.
Shough didn’t receive much time in the backfield to throw the ball as he was just 14-of-26 for 231 yards and a touchdown. He also ran the ball 13 times for 53 yards, but in the process of running so much, Shough took a number of big hits. Shough also was stripped of the ball in a critical fourth quarter drive.
Down 21-17, Oregon drove to the Cal 42 with just nine minutes left. Faced with a second-and-10, Shough scrambled for four yards, but in his efforts to gain a couple more yards, he fumbled the ball and Cal recovered.
That wouldn’t be Oregon’s last opportunity to drive, score and possibly win the game. The Ducks were able to stop the Bears on a fourth-and-5 play and took over at the Cal 25 with 2:02 remaining and a couple of timeouts in their pocket.
The Ducks were able to cross midfield once again with 1:07 left and Shough hit Johnny Johnson on a crossing route, but when the defender spun him around, Johnson fumbled the ball away and the game was effectively over.
Oregon’s defense played well enough to win, something that couldn’t have been said last week in Corvallis. In the previous four games, the Ducks had allowed 260 yards per game. But tonight, Oregon held Cal to just 88 yards on the ground.
The Ducks scored first in the contest on a 21-yard field goal from Henry Katelman. But then Cal scored two touchdowns to take a 14-3 lead. But Oregon was able to cut into the deficit with a 39-yard touchdown to Johnson to make it 14-10.
Cal was unable to run the clock out and Oregon’s defense forced a punt and the Ducks took over on their own 25 with 42 seconds left. Instead of calling it a half and regrouping at halftime, Oregon was aggressive.
Shough found Travis Dye on a wheel route down the right sideline and watched the tailback run 67 yards down to the 8.
Two plays later, Cyrus Hibibi-Likio punched it in from one yard out and the Ducks had the 17-14 halftime lead.
Shockingly, that would be Oregon’s last score.
POST GAME; MARIO CRISTOBAL DISCUSSES LOSS TO CAL