No. 8 Oregon left the door open time and again for Cal to make a move early in Saturday's game at California Memorial Stadium, but the Bears (3-5, 1-4 Pac-12) simply could not get out of their own way when those moments presented themselves.
The Ducks looked flat and even uninterested, at times, in the first half, and Cal took advantage of it by connecting on some big plays.
However, when it came time to deliver a finishing blow, the Bears simply came up short. A missed assignment here, a mishap in coverage there, a holding on a completed pass, a blocked field goal or even more costly — interceptions.
Every time it looked like Cal was ready to truly break through and gain some control against Oregon, a negative play seemed to follow.
The Bears forced a turnover on downs and an interception in the first half but only came away with points in one of those instances, a 28-yard field goal from Dario Longhetto to put Cal up 3-0 after the defense came up with a stop in the red zone.
Later in the half, the drive after Orin Patu intercepted Oregon quarterback Bo Nix at the 4-yard line encompassed the theme of the day for the Bears.
At the time, Cal was up 10-7 after a near-perfect drive put together by the offense that featured a 57-yard pass from Jack Plummer to Jeremiah Hunter on the first play. It was capped with 6-yard pass play from Plummer to J. Michael Sturdivant.
When Patu then came up with his interception, it looked like an upset might be on tap in Berkeley.
Instead, the offense was knocked backward on a third-down sack of Plummer ending the drive.
The Ducks then drove 63 yards on eight plays before eventually regaining the lead, 14-10.
The middle of the game tends to gain plenty of attention from coaches. It is often when a game is won and lost. Oregon outscored the Bears 21-0 from the 4:14 mark of the second quarter to the 12:45 mark of the third.