California Offensive Players to Watch vs. No. 9 Oregon
The Golden Bears come to Eugene after a bye week following their recent 21-6 loss at the hands of Washington State at home in Berkeley. Here are the biggest names to know on their offense ahead of Friday's matchup at Autzen Stadium.
Chase Garbers-Quarterback
California Golden Bears quarterback Chase Garbers (7) scrambles out of the pocket during the second half against the Washington Huskies at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium.
© Stephen Brashear-USA TODAY Sports
Quarterback is always a great spot to start when evaluating an offense. Garbers is now in his fifth season at Cal and Bill Musgrave is already seeing the benefits of a full offseason that allowed him to properly install his offense after the 2020 pandemic season.
The coaching staff is looking get Garbers more involved in the run game as evidenced by his team-high 11 carries against Washington State. He's a decent quarterback when given time to operate, and he's proven capable of airing out the deep ball. It's just a matter of whether or not he'll have the confidence to let it fly against the Ducks.
The redshirt senior isn't the best at improvising in the face of pressure, so the defense needs to get some pressure on him against an offensive line that allows on average just over two sacks per game.
Stats vs. Washington State: 14/30, 152 yds, 1 INT | 11 car, 43 yds
Trevon Clark-Wide Receiver
California Golden Bears wide receiver Trevon Clark (80) catches a pass for a first down against the TCU Horned Frogs.
© Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Now in year two of the Bill Musgrave offense, we've seen some signs of improvement from Cal. Perhaps chief among them is explosive plays, due in large part to senior wide receiver Trevon Clark, who is averaging 20.1 yards per catch in 2021 to lead all Pac-12 wideouts.
Clark had his strongest game of the year against TCU. He only grabbed two passes, but what was impressive is what he did with them, turning those opportunities into 122 yards and a touchdown.
He's not the fastest receiver you'll see, but he's capable of getting behind a defense and has been one of Garbers' favorite targets this season. The Ducks have excelled in preventing deep shots all season and they'll need to stay vigilant again this week.
Stats vs. Washington State: 3 rec, 55 yds
Nikko Remigio-Wide Receiver/Return Specialist
California Golden Bears wide receiver Nikko Remigio (4) runs against Washington State Cougars linebacker Jahad Woods (13) during the third quarter at FTX Field at California Memorial Stadium.
© Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Remigio is a do-it-all weapon for Cal, excelling as both a receiver and a return specialist. He's caught a lot of passes in his three previous seasons, but he hasn't been known for explosive offensive plays in the same vein as Clark.
Despite being more of a possession receiver than a playmaking wideout, Remigio can do a lot of damage in the return game, and has a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to his credit that came earlier this season against Sacramento State.
With the expectation that Tim DeRuyter will focus a lot of his attention on Clark, it's important not to forget about Remigio. He's averaging nearly 30 yards per kick return and shouldn't be overlooked by the Oregon defense.
Stats vs. Washington State: 3 rec, 11 yds, | 1 car, 11 yds
Bonus: Christopher Brooks-Running Back
California Golden Bears running back Christopher Brooks (34) catches a pass during the first quarter against the Sacramento State Hornets.
© Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
Brooks is another experienced player on this Cal offense. Even though he hasn't played extensively thus far, he figures to be a factor moving forward as the Golden Bears experiment with their running back rotation, as Damien Moore has fumbled in each of the last two games.
Listed at 6'1", 235 pounds, Brooks is a bruiser of a back who battles for every yard and is tough to bring down in space. He makes the most of each touch and only needs a bit of daylight to break a big play.
He, along with sophomore running back Christopher Street, have both been battling for snaps, and Street impressed in his first taste of significant reps against Washington State. The Ducks look to get more stout in the trenches this week, as their run defense is ranked sixth in the Pac-12, surrendering 133.8 rushing yards per game.
Stats vs. Cal: 8 car, 40 yds, 1 TD | 1 rec, 6 yds
More from Ducks Digest
Oregon defensive players to watch vs. Cal
Join the Community
Follow Max on Twitter: @mtorressports
Listen to the latest episode of the Ducks Digest Podcast HERE
