College Sports

Shough, No. 21 Oregon still chasing Pac-12 title

Posted December 03, 2020 6:00 am

By The Associated Press

No. 21 Oregon (3-1, No. 23 CFP) at California (0-3), Saturday at 7 p.m. EST (ESPN).

Line: Oregon by 10.

Series record: Cal leads 41-39-2.

WHAT'S AT STAKE?

Oregon is still chasing a Pac-12 title as the realistic goal with its hopes dashed in the College Football Playoffs with last week's loss to rival Oregon State that dropped the Ducks to 23rd in this week's CFP rankings.

KEY MATCHUP

If healthy enough from an injury, Cal's Christopher Brown Jr. will have more touches this week against an Oregon run defense that struggled last week in allowing Oregon State star Jermar Jefferson to rush for 226 yards and two touchdowns - including a career-best 82-yard TD run. Brown ran for a late score in Friday's 24-23 loss to rival Stanford in the Big Game but was limited to four carries for 26 yards as coach Justin Wilcox remains cautious with the junior running back.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Oregon: Sophomore quarterback Tyler Shough is only the second Oregon player to pass for more than 200 yards in each of his first four career starts. In addition, his 1,361 total yards are most by any Ducks quarterback through his initial four collegiate starts. He also is one of five quarterbacks to pass for 200-plus yards and run for more than 80 in at least two games.

California: Redshirt senior linebacker Cameron Goode, playing what could be his final home game, leads the Bears defense. He has at least one tackle for loss in each of Cal's three games, including 2.5 and a half-sack against Oregon State on Nov. 21.

FACTS & FIGURES

The Ducks want to clean up their offensive mistakes - namely five lost fumbles and four interceptions by Shough, two of those last week. ... Oregon has won the past three meetings with Cal since a 52-49, two-overtime defeat in Berkeley on Oct. 21, 2016, and 10 of the last 11 in the series overall. ... The Ducks lost last week for only the second time in 15 Pac-12 games. ... Under third-year coach Mario Cristobal, Oregon is 6-0 playing in California.

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More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25.

FILE - In this Sept. 7, 2019, file photo, California cornerback Camryn Bynum, left, intercepts a pass intended for Washington tight end Hunter Bryant (1) during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Seattle. Bynum changed his mind and returned to the Cal program after previously having announced he would enter the 2021 NFL draft. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File) The Associated Press

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