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