September 22, 2009

Chris Nguon
BearTerritory.net Senior Writer

While every game on the schedule is important, there is always something special in the air when Cal faces Oregon on the gridiron.

As head coach Jeff Tedford and his staff begins prepping for the Ducks this week, BearTerritory takes a look back in time at the memorable matchups between these two rival programs, starting with the epic "lights out" game in Eugene back in the 2003 season.

Once the offensive coordinator for Oregon, Tedford has built quite a program down south in Berkeley. Because of Cal's ascension, these two teams have played some truly noteworthy games over the years.

Make no mistake about it: These two teams know a lot about each other.

Some of the Cal coaches (Tedford, defensive coordinator Bob Gregory) used to coach at Oregon, the two schools are separated by less than 1,000 miles and both programs battle along the same recruiting trails.

The Bears have played the Ducks six times during the Tedford era, holding a 3-3 record in those six games.

Cal is a perfect 3-0 at Memorial Stadium and 1-2 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene.

Since Saturday afternoon's matchup pitting No. 6 Cal and Oregon will be up north, the task will be much tougher for Tedford and company.

Check out some of the statistics that the Bears have piled up in their games again the Ducks, split between the friendly confines of Memorial and the hostile environment of Autzen.

While you can make a strong case that a bounce here and there during the games in 2003 and 2005 would see Cal holding an undefeated record against Oregon, there's no doubt things are never easy playing at Autzen Stadium, and the stats really move that point.

In fact, the three games the Bears have played at Autzen Stadium in the Tedford era have been separated by a total of 18 points. In other words, less than a touchdown score have separated the two teams in the three games played in Eugene.

Here is a look back at the recent history of the Bears vs. the Ducks:

Oregon 21, Cal 17 (2003):

The return of Tedford to Autzen Stadium also marked one of the more gut-wrenching losses in the Tedford Cal era, the Bears held a 10-point lead with 10:07 left in the fourth quarter but let the contest slip away in the waning minutes.

Not a particularly great outing statistically for the Cal offense, quarterback Aaron Rodgers and company were efficient though, scoring touchdowns in the second (Adimchinobe Echemandu 1-yard TD) and fourth (Garrett Cross 18-yd TD catch) quarters to build the cushion.

However, known around Cal as the "blackout" game, the lights in Autzen Stadium went out early in the fourth quarter, prompting a 23-minute delay. Whether it was the lights or the Oregon offense finding its groove, there's no question that the momentum the Bears had built up to that point went away once the lights came back on.

Oregon quarterback Kellen Clemens hit tight end Tim Day for a 31-yard touchdown with 4:19 left to go to pull the home team to within 17-14 and after a Cal three-and-out, the Ducks marched right down the field and scored the game-winning touchdown when Terrence Whitehead plunged into the end zone from 1-yard out.

A very clean game all around, the battle was marked by solid defense and a late rally by Oregon. Rodgers completed 15-of-27 passes for 188 yards while Echemandu rushed for 65 yards on 24 carries. Geoff McArthur led Cal in receiving with 5 catches for 42 yards. Cross had 3 catches for 59 yards and the score.

For the Ducks, Clemens was benched in the first half but returned to the game in the fourth quarter in time to lead his offense down the field. The now NY Jet completed 9-of-18 passes for 117 yards and a touchdown. Samie Parker led all receivers with a game-high 6 grabs for 63 yards and a touchdown.

The Bears had one last chance to win when they took over with 47 seconds left and drove down to the Oregon 33 before Rodgers was intercepted by Keith Lewis with four seconds remaining.

Cal 28, Oregon 27 (2004):

A victory that Old and Young Blues alike believed solidified Cal as BCS participant at the time, the contest could've and probably should've ended in a loss for the Bears.

With Cal holding a 28-27 lead in the last seconds of the game, Oregon quarterback Kellen Clemens on fourth down found a wide open Keith Allen at the 25-yard line that would've set up a fairly decent field goal attempt.

Instead, Allen had the ball hit him in both hands and drop to the turf, giving the Bears the win and because of that, having Cal fans across the country believing that fate was indeed finally on its side. As it turned out, none of that mattered because a month later Texas jumped Cal in the last week of the BCS rankings (despite being behind Cal the entire season) and went to the Rose Bowl instead.

Regardless of what happened after that game though, the last second drop by Allen defined one outstanding game between two very competitive teams. The Bears were still steaming from the previous year, where they felt they let one slip away in Eugene while the Ducks came into the contest still right in the thick of the Pac-10 race.

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers completed 21-of-32 passes for 275 yards and three touchdowns while J.J. Arrington rushed for 188 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries. Wide receiver Geoff McArthur once again led the charge for the Bears down the field, hauling in 8 passes for 121 yards and two touchdowns.

The Bears found themselves down 27-14 after Clemens (19-of-33, 218 yards, 4 TDs) tallied his fourth touchdown pass of the day with 4:35 left in the second quarter but Cal came back out at halftime and was able to rally.

Two key mistakes made the difference: Jared Siegel missed an extra point in the first quarter, and Oregon's final drive ended when Allen dropped the easy fourth-down pass that would have put the Ducks well within field goal range.

Cal snapped a seven-game losing streak against Oregon with Tedford's first victory over the school where he served as Mike Bellotti's offensive coordinator for four years.

"I'm extremely proud of our kids and the character they showed in the second half," Tedford said after the game. "In the first half, we had a little bit of trouble slowing them down. But there was never any doubt. We came out and moved the ball very well in the second half."

Oregon 27, Cal 20 OT (2005):

One of two rain drenched games that these teams have played in the Tedford era, this contest was marked by Oregon third-string quarterback Brady Leaf, who out-dueled Cal starting quarterback Joe Ayoob in an overtime thriller that had fans and players frustrated after the contest.

The Bears had a chance to tie the score at 27-27 in the first overtime period but Ayoob's pass intended for a wide open David Gray down the middle of the field sailed way high. After the game, even Ayoob's own teammates didn't hold back their comments.

"From my view it looked like David was wide open, but the only thing I saw was the ball go about 10 yards over his head," said cornerback Tim Mixon at the time. "That was really disappointing to me. There was no one around him."

"We shifted out into a certain formation, and Oregon must've gotten really confused because normally you don't get guys that wide open," Tedford added. "David was the intended guy all the way and there wasn't anyone near him."

Ayoob completed 10-of-26 passes for 88 yards, which included three interceptions. Ayoob also fumbled the ball three times.

Both of Cal's touchdowns came by the legs of Marshawn Lynch, who broke off 189 yards on 25 carries, which included a 52-yard burst late in the third quarter that tied the score at 20-20.

Meanwhile, Leaf - the younger brother of former top-pick Ryan Leaf - came in for an ineffective and then-freshman Dennis Dixon and performed well despite the pouring rain - completing 9-of-13 passes for 93 yards and a touchdown, which included the 4-yard strike to James Finley in overtime.

The Bears never led in the contest and the loss signaled essentially an official end to their chances at winning the Pac-10 title that season. Cal had a chance to win in regulation, but Tom Schneider missed a rushed, 53-yard field goal attempt. The Bears lost three of their last four games up to that point.

The only loss for Oregon (8-1, 5-1) at the time had come against top-ranked USC.

Cal 45, Oregon 24 (2006):

"I went to the right and there were a lot of Ducks," said DeSean Jackson.

"I was just trying to get away," Jackson concluded.

Jackson sure did "get away" and some, as Cal rolled Oregon in arguably the most electric atmosphere ever at Memorial Stadium in the Tedford era.

In a game that pitted two teams ranked in the top-25, this contest ultimately decided the number one contender for USC's conference title later in the season. And unlike the game the previous year in Eugene, this one was decided right away.

The Bears notched one highlight after another, but none was bigger than Jackson's 65-yard punt return for a touchdown that put an exclamation point on one of the greatest wins Tedford has ever had as a head coach.

Cal racked up 424 yards of net offense, while holding Oregon well below its previous offensive production that year. On the first play of the game, Ducks' quarterback Dennis Dixon was rushed out the pocket and eventually picked off by Brandon Hampton, signaling the events that would come in the following minutes.

Justin Forsett rushed for a game-high 163 yards and 1 touchdown, while Marshawn Lynch added 50 yards on the ground before he had to leave the game on a bum ankle after his massive stiff arm on that posterized Oregon safety Patrick Chung.

At half, the Bears led 28-10 and they cruised the rest of the way. Nate Longshore completed 14-of-26 passes for 189 yards and three touchdowns while the receiving was spread around to several different players. Statistically speaking, the most impressive stat Cal notched was its run defense against Jonathan Stewart, who rushed for only 25 yards on 18 carries.

Cal also forced four turnovers, as linebacker Zack Follett and company were all over the field.

All week leading up to the game, Tedford desperately encouraged fans attending the game to make noise. When game day rolled around, fans were handed small sheets of paper with Tedford's image and a quote box saying, "Make Noise." The game also marked the first time in the Tedford era that the student section mike men were allowed to use the stadium-wide speaker.

Suffice to say, the fans responded big time.

Right as the clock hit 0:00, Tedford ran over to the student section, hopped on a bench and clapped his hands in admiration in front of the student crowd. To date, that was the first and only time Tedford has done such a thing as head coach at Cal.

Cal 31, Oregon 24 (2007):

Who could forget how this game ended?

With 22 seconds to go, Oregon's Dennis Dixon hit receiver Cameron Colvin, who fumbled trying to reach the ball into the end zone when he was hit by Marcus Ezeff. The loose ball went through the end zone and was ruled a touchback and possession for Cal. The play was reviewed, the call stood and time ran out for Oregon.

"That had huge significance right there, so they had to get it right," Tedford said. "We knew when we saw it on the big board that there was no way it would be overturned."

In yet another close, back-and-forth, thrilling battle between these two programs, the contest could've went either way up to the final seconds.

From Cal's perspective, the offense finally got in gear when the third quarter rolled around, as Justin Forsett and the offensive line began to assert itself against the Oregon front-4. Forsett and Cal were held to just 3 points in the first half, but exploded for 28 points in the second frame.

The star offensively though was once again DeSean Jackson. As fans know, Jackson always played well in front of the national audience and with ESPN College GameDay in attendance, Jackson put on arguably the best single-game performance in his Cal career.

Jackson caught 11 passes for 161 yards and 2 touchdowns, including a tip-toe 31-yard touchdown scant down the right sideline early in the fourth quarter to put Cal up 24-17.

Forsett rushed for 101 yards and two touchdowns while Nate Longshore completed 28-of-43 passes for 285 yards and two scores. Unlike the game the previous year where the Cal defense held the Oregon offense in check, Dixon and running back Jonathan Stewart earned their fair share of yards, as both athletes had tremendous games.

Robert Jordan added 5 catches for 33 yards and Jahvid Best had an outstanding outing as a special teams defender, including a fumble recovery, as the game saw both teams show off their respective shill-sets to the highest degree on every possession.

However, the game will forever be remembered by the last play of the contest.

Cal 26, Oregon 16 (2008):

This game proved that having two good quarterbacks on the roster is a major luxury.

After starter Kevin Riley was knocked out of the game after a shot in the head in the first half, Nate Longshore came in and continued to move the offense down the field, despite a game that was marked by constant rainfall.

Longshore completed 13-of-27 passes for 136 yards and a touchdown, while Jahvid Best rushed for 93 yards on 16 carries. Before he left, Riley completed 7-of-12 passes for 80 yards and a score.

Oregon actually got on the board first when quarterback Jeremiah Masoli sprinted into the end zone on a 17-yard scamper early in the first quarter. From that point on though, Cal controlled the momentum of the contest, as it held a lead the whole way after responding to the Masoli touchdown when Riley hit Jeremy Ross on a 22-yard post pattern down to tie the score.

Matt Russi recovered Oregon's fumble on a punt return to set up Shane Vereen's 2-yard touchdown run with 8:57 to play to persevere the victory.

Cal won despite struggling on offense for most of the final three quarters, but two Ducks turnovers allowed the Bears to make mercifully short scoring drives in miserable conditions at Memorial Stadium.

Masoli rushed for 97 yards but passed for just 44 for Oregon and Jeremiah Johnson rushed for 117 yards and a score. The Ducks actually made fewer mistakes than Cal in the muck, but Jairus Byrd's fumbled punt and Masoli's interception in the closing seconds of the first half set up the Bears for short scoring drives.

Chris Nguon is the lead football writer for BearTerritory. He's well known for his recruiting and game coverage in the star-studded Oakland Athletic League, plus his numerous contributions with The Daily Californian, UC Berkeley's only independent, student-run newspaper. Nguon is also a correspondent with the Oakland Tribune, and will cover Cal football and men's and women's basketball in 2009.