Cal-Oregon Game Thread: Bears Win Their First, Upset No. 23 Oregon, 21-17

Oregon arrived averaging 38.5 points, but was shut out in the second half

Photo by Kelley L. Cox, USA Today

After sabotaging itself the past two weeks, Cal delivered a mostly mistake-free performance to claim its long-awaited first victory of the season, a 21-17 upset of No 23 Oregon.

The Bears (1-3) took the lead for good on Chase Garbers' 28-yard touchdown pass to Nikko Remigio midway through the fourth quarter, and let defense do the rest.

Kuony Deng forced a pair of fourth-quarter fumbles, Cameron Goode had 3.5 tackles for loss among his seven tackles and Braxten Croteau, back after missing two games while in quarantine, made a big fourth-down stop deep in Cal territory early in the fourth quarter.

Here's how the game unfolded: 

PLAYER AVAILABILITY: Cal announced that starting offensive guard Valentino Daltoso, who was among three O-linemen who missed the past two games while in quarantine to meet COVID-19 tracing protocols, will sit out again. The other two, tackles Jake Curhan and Will Craig, were cleared earlier in the week. Also out is freshman guard guard Stanley McKenzie, who will miss his fourth straight game with an undisclosed injury.

FIRST HALF

Meanwhile, Oregon wide receiver Devon Williams did not make the trip to the Bay Area.

12:59 1st Qtr: Cal forces Oregon to punt on first possession. Bears take over at their own 27.

11:25 1st Qtr: A three-and-out for the Bears. Oregon fair catch on the punt at its own 22.

8:06 1st Qtr: Ducks draw first blood. They go 74 yards from their own 23 to the Cal 3 before settling for a 21-yard FG by Henry Katleman. Tyler Shough with a 12-yard run and an 18-yard completion to Travis Dye on the drive and two defensive penalties against the Bears fuel the scoring drive. Oregon 3, Cal 0.

2:23 1st Qtr: Impressive drive by the Bears, who go 75 yards in 13 plays, even after Oregon makes a couple stops from the 1-yard line. Chase Garbers gets the TD on a 1-yard sneak. Garbers was 6-for-7 for 58 yards on the drive, including conversions on a couple of third-down passes. He competed passes to 5 different targets. And the made made the PAT. Cal 7, Oregon 3.

END OF 1ST QTR: Cal faces a 2nd-and-14 from its own 16 when the second quarter begins. The Bears had 84 total yards in the quarter. Garbers was 7-for-7 for 65 yards. The Bears rushed for just 19. Oregon had 76 yards, including 3-for-6 for 39 yards by Shough. The Ducks ran for 37 yards. Time of possession and total plays just about even. Cal 7, Oregon 3.

5:31 2nd Qtr: Cal goes 80 yards in a time-consuming 19-play drive, finally scoring on a 1st-and-goal run by Bradrick Shaw from the 1 after the third costly penalty against the Ducks. Oregon seemingly had stopped Cal on fourth-and-goal when Garbers threw incomplete to tight end Jake Tenges. But Oregon safety Brenden Williams was flagged for pass interference -- a call that appeared shaky on replay. Earlier, Oregon kept Cal's drive alive when penalized for too many on the field as the Bears were punting Then Ducks star D-lineman Kayvon Thibodeaux was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct for shoving Cal OT Jake Curhan after a third-down pass play was short of the first down marker. Cal now has a 35-16 edge in plays and a 158-76 lead in yards. Cal 14, Oregon 3.

2:08 2nd Qtr: Shough steps up in the pocket and finds Johnny Johnson III alone down the right sideline for a 39-yard touchdown on a third-and-16 play. The Ducks go 75 yards on seven plays. A 22-yard pass from Shough to Jaylon Redd was a key play on the drive. Two penalties on the Oregon PAT pushed the ball back to the point where Katleman had to kick the equivalent to a 41-yard field goal to get the 1-point PAT. He made it. Cal 14, Oregon 10.

0:23 2nd Qtr: Oregon takes advantage of a matchup advantage, with Shough throwing deep down the right side to RB Dye, who simply ran past Kuony Deng for a 67-yard completion to the Cal 8. Shough ran 7 yards to the 1 and RB Cyrus Habibi-Likio piled into the end zone from there. The Ducks went 75 yards in 3 plays in a "drive" that consumed just 23 seconds. Cal contributed with a poor effort on its previous possession, giving Oregon another shot. Oregon 17, Cal 14.

HALFTIME SUMMARY: The Bears controlled the first 25 minutes of the half with a ball control that forged a 14-3 lead on the strength of two drives that consumed 152 yards on 32 plays and took 15:34 off the clock. But the Ducks showed their offensive firepower with the final two possessions, going 150 yards in just 10 plays that required just 3:46 of game time.

Oregon goes into halftime with not only the lead, but also a 236 to 168 edge in yards. First downs were even (11-11) and neither team had a turnover. Garbers was 10-for-16 for 94 yards and the Bears rushed for 74 yards (2.8 per carry). Shough was 7-for-11 for 171 yards and a touchdown. The Ducks had 65 rushing yards (4.3 per carry). The Ducks showed that time of possession isn't everything. Cal had the ball for 18:53, Oregon for just 11:07. But . . . Oregon 17, Cal 14.

SECOND HALF

5:14 3rd Qtr: On its third possession of the half, the Bears retake the lead. Runs of 9 and 14 yards by Marcel Dancy get things started before Chase Garbers throws 10 yards to Nikko Remigio to the Oregon 28, then finds him in the end zone for a 28-yard touchdown play. Cal makes its third straight PAT, no small matter after week. Remigio had 4 catches for 9 yards through Cal's first 4 games. Tonight: 4 catches for 63 yards. Cal 21, Oregon 17.

END OF 3RD QTR: Oregon will have a first down at the Cal 46 when the quarter begins. Total yards through three quarters: Oregon 284, Cal 270. First downs: Cal 17, Oregon 13. Cal as a 62-40 edge in plays, but the Ducks are gaining 7.1 yards per snap to 4.4 for the Bears. Garbers is 18-for-27 for 175 yards and a touchdown. Remigio lives! Has 5 receptions for 76 yards and a TD. Shough is 8-for-18 for 182 yards and a TD. Cal 21, Oregon 17. 

12:48 4th Qtr: Braxten Croteau with a big stop on Oregon's CJ Verdell on fourth-and-1 from the Cal 18. Verdell loses a yard and Cal takes over. Cal 21, Oregon 17.

8:47 4th Qtr: Game's first turnover produced by the Cal defense. Kuony Deng knocks the ball loose from QB Tyler Shough and Cameron Goode recovers at the Bears' 46 yard-line. Cal 21, Oregon 17.

0:52 4th Qtr: Kuony Deng knocks the ball loose from wide receiver Johnny Johnson III and freshman Mo Iosefa recovers with 52 seconds left to ice the win. Final score: Cal 21, Oregon 17.

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PRE-GAME

This was going to be the day Cal challenged Oregon for supremacy in the Pac-12 North.

Of course, that was before the coronavirus pandemic reshuffled civilization, along with the college football world.

Nothing this fall has been what anyone expected. Oh sure, Alabama still entered the day undefeated but pretty much everything else has been dramatically shook up.

Picked second in the Pac-12 North, the Bears (0-3) arrive at Dec. 5 still searching for their first victory. Cal has started a season 0-4 just three times since 1882.

No. 23 Oregon (3-1), the heavy North favorite, comes off a 41-38 loss to rival Oregon State that highlighted the Ducks’ defensive struggles.

So who knows what might transpire today at Memorial Stadium. There will be no fans and, frankly, no expectations for how the day might turn out. As most of 2020 has demonstrated, there simply is no way to know what’s coming next.

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*** Cal coach Justin Wilcox talks earlier this week about the improvement by the Bears' defense over the past two weeks: 

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*** Wilcox shares his thoughts on senior center Michael Saffell, who overcame injury to play last week in the Big Game: 

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

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