Cal Football: Oregon Game Thread- Bears Buried by Ducks

Cal dropped its fourth straight Pac-12 game, falling 42-24 to No. 8 Oregon in a game that wasn't nearly as close as the final score.

The Ducks (7-1, 5-0) led 35-10 before redshirt freshman Kai Miller came on late to throw his first two career touchdown passes. Oregon remains alone atop the Pac-12 standings.

Bo Nix threw three touchdowns and ran for three as Oregon finished with 586 yards.

Cal (3-5, 1-4) plays at No. 10 next Saturday night.

The thread:

Coin toss: Oregon wins the toss and defers. The Ducks will kick off to Cal to open the game. Cal will defend the south goal.

*** Former Cal quarterback and radio analyst Mike Pawlawski in the video at the top of this story examines what the Bears need to do to free up freshman running back Jaydn Ott.

*** The teams are warming up and wide receiver Jeremiah Hunter, who missed last week's game with an undisclosed injury, is dressed and active with his team. But cornerback Lu-Magia Hearns III and wide receiver Mason Starling are not dressed.

Also out: ILBs Muelu Iosefa and Blake Antzoulastos, OLB Braxten Croteau and CB Kaleb Higgins.

8:10 1st Q: Each team has had the ball twice and neither has scored. The Ducks just went for it on fourth-and-4 from the Cal 14, but Bo Nix threw incomplete so the Bears take over. Yardage so far is one-sided: Oregon 59, Cal 6. But . . . Cal 0, Oregon 0.

4:01 1st Q: Cal on the scoreboard first as Dario Longhetto converts a 28-yard field goal, capping a nine-play, 77-yard drive. The big plays: Jack Plummer passes of 35 yards to J.Michael Sturdivant, 11 yards to Jermaine Terry II and 14 yards to Mavin Anderson. Cal 3, Oregon 0.

END OF FIRST QUARTER: Cal 3, Oregon 0. The Bears shut out the Pac-12's highest-scoring team for the first quarter -- the first time that's happened to Oregon since their opening game at Georgia. Even so, the Ducks will have a third-and-goal from the 4 when the second quarter begins. The stats:

Total yards: Oregon 117, Cal 76

Pass yards: Oregon 82, Cal 72

Rush yards: Oregon 35, Cal 4

First downs: Oregon 5, Cal 4

Turnovers: Oregon 0, Cal 1

14:56 2nd Q: Oregon takes the lead when QB Bo Nix jukes safety Daniel Scott and scores on a 4-yard keeper. Oregon's scoring drive: six plays, 47 yards. Oregon 7, Cal 3.

13:08 2nd Q: The Bears strike back quickly, set up by Plummer's 57-yard completion to Jeremiah Hunter to the Oregon 18-yard line. It was Cal's longest pass play pf the season and a career-long for both Plummer and Hunter. On second-and-goal from the 6, Plummer hits Sturdivant on the left corner of the end zone for the score. Plummer goes 4-for-5 for 75 yards on the drive. Cal 10, Oregon 7.

9:42 2nd Q: Biggest defensive play the game as LB Orin Patu intercepts a deflected pass from Nix that went off the hands of Troy Franklin as he was hit by Jackson Sirmon. The play came on second-and-goal from 8, and gives Cal possession at its own 4-yard line. Cal 10, Oregon 7.

4:14 2nd Q: Oregon marches 63 yards in eight plays, going ahead on a 1-yard sneak by Nix on second-and-goal. Big play was a 22-yard completion to tight end Terrance Ferguson to the Cal 24-yard line. Oregon 14, Cal 10.

1:54 2nd Q: The Ducks stretch out the lead after an off-target pass by Plummer is picked off by cornerback Trikweze Bridges, giving Oregon possession at the Cal 48. It took the Ducks just three plays and 35 seconds to cash it in as Nix completed passes of 25 and 11 yards to Kris Hutson and hit Bucky Irving in the left flat with the running back running through two would-be tacklers and into the end zone. Oregon 21, Cal 10.

HALFTIME: Oregon 21, Cal 10. LB Femi Oladejo intercepts Nix's Hail Mary attempt from the Cal 45-yard line on the final play of the half. The Ducks have piled up a huge statistical advantage:

Total yards: Oregon 315, Cal 182

Passing yards: Oregon 208, Cal 174

Rushing yards: Oregon 107, Cal 8

First downs: Oregon 18, Cal 8

Turnovers: Oregon 2, Cal 2

Plummer was 15-for-23 for 174 yards with a touchdown and two INTs (he had just three all season before today). Ott, giving no place to go by the O-line, had nine rushes for 17 yards.

Oregon will get the third-quarter kickoff.

12:45 3rd Q: Well, that didn't take long. The Ducks started at their own 25 after the second-half kickoff and zipped 75 yards in five plays. Nix was 4-for-4 for 72 yards, including a 26-yard completion to Kris Hutson. He tossed the ball over the middle to RB Noah Whittington, who scooted 29 yards into the end zone for Oregon's third TD in a span of 6 minutes, 29 seconds of game clock. Big trouble for the Bears. Oregon 28, Cal 10.

7:40 3rd Q: The Bears moved to the Oregon 21 before Longhetto's 39-yard field try was blocked by Christian Gonzalez. Ott had his most productive series of the afternoon, carrying five times for 40 yards. Oregon 28, Cal 10.

3:06 3rd Q: Cal keeps itself (sort of) in the game with a goal-line stand. On fourth-and-1 from the 5, Oregon's Jordan James is stopped for no gain by Femi Oladejo and Nate Burrell, giving the ball back to the Bears. Oregon 28, Cal 10.

END OF THIRD QUARTER: Oregon 28, Cal 10. We all know where this is headed.

The stats:

Total yards: Oregon 455, Cal 252

Pass yards: Oregon 326, Cal 214

Rush yards: Oregon 129, Cal 38

First downs: Oregon 24, Cal 14

Turnovers: Oregon 2, Cal 2

7:38 4th Q: Redshirt freshman Kai Millner takes over at QB for Plummer and directs the Bears on a 13-play, 75 yard scoring drive. His 11-yard connection with wide receiver Monroe Young is the first career TD for both players. Millner was 5-for-8 for 38 yards on the drive. Oregon 38, Cal 17.

3:16 4th Q: Oregon tacks on one more score, marching 75 yards in eight plays before Nix threw his third TD of the game, a 40-yarder to Patrick Herbert. Oregon 42, Cal 17.

2:21 4th Q: Millner throws his second TD of the quarter, a 55-yarder to Justin Richard Baker. Oregon 42, Cal 24.

Cover photo of Cal coach Justin Wilcox by Darren Yamashita, USA Today

Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo

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