Five Cal Players to Watch vs. Oregon Ducks

The Ducks need to zero in on these players come Saturday.

Graham Metzker | Oct 27, 2022

The Oregon Ducks are coming off a strong 45-30 win over the UCLA Bruins. The win was the cherry on top of the ESPN College GameDay sundae that hit Eugene in week 8.

It also marks six straight wins for the Ducks, and cements them as the team to beat in the Pac-12.

With all the excitement around Dan Lanning's Ducks, it could be easy to write off Oregon's next opponent, the 3-4 Cal Bears. But don't sleep on them.

Justin Wilcox, who reportedly declined the Oregon head coaching gig before it was offered to Lanning, has a track record of gritty, low-scoring games against Oregon. Looking at the last three games between these two, none of them have a combined score of more than 41 points. Last season's 24-17 win for Oregon came down to one final play in the red zone for Cal.

Here are five players to look out for when the Ducks travel to Berkeley this Saturday.

1. Jaydn Ott-Running Back

California Golden Bears running back Jaydn Ott runs against Washington State.

True freshman running back Jaydn Ott was a day-one starter for the Bears, and was a day-one baller. In his college debut, Ott went for 130 scrimmage yards and a score -- the first Cal debutant to do so since Keenan Allen in 2010.

Since then, Ott has become the third-best rusher in the Pac-12 with 617 rushing yards and seven total touchdown. Against Arizona, Ott went off for 274 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.

Ott was a four-star prospect who stared at Las Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman. The talented ballcarrier was committed to the Ducks ate one point before eventually ending up at Cal.

The Ducks' strong run defense will now face one of the Pac's best backs.

2. Jackson Sirmon-Linebacker

California Golden Bears linebacker Jackson Sirmon snags his second career interception against the Colorado Buffaloes.

The Golden Bears haven't utilized the transfer portal nearly as much as some other college programs. But Coach Wilcox has made some solid pick-ups, the foremost of them being inside linebacker Jackson Sirmon.

Sirmon is in his fifth year of college ball, with the first four being played at the University of Washington. Last season with the Huskies was Sirmon's best: starting all 12 games, recording a career-best 92 tackles, and being named an honorary All-Pac-12 selection.

As a Bear, Sirmon is on pace to easily set a new career best. His 62 tackles and nine tackles per game are both third-best in the Pac. Sirmon is a big reason why the Bears own the third-best run defense in the Pac, ceding just 120 rushing yards per contest.

3. Jack Plummer-Quarterback

Jack Plummer has started every game for Cal since transferring from Purdue.

While Sirmon may be the best success from Cal's ventures into the transfer portal so far, quarterback Jack Plummer stole the headlines in the off-season.

Plummer is coming from Purdue, where he only started 13 games over four years. Since arriving in Berkeley and starting all seven games this season, Plummer has been efficient.

LOOK: Oregon releases uniforms for Cal matchup

Despite ranking in the back-half of the conference's starting quarterbacks in passing yards and touchdowns, Plummer has been smart for the Bears. He's turned the ball over just four times, and hasn't thrown more than one interception in a game since his 2019 freshman season at Purdue.

A precise short-passer, Plummer won't give the Ducks many mistakes to capitalize on.

4. J. Michael Sturdivant-Wide Receiver

California Golden Bears wide receiver J. Michael Sturdivant scores a 48-yard touchdown against the Washington Huskies.

J. Michael Sturdivant has had an unorthodox start to his college career. Sturdivant was redshirted as a freshman in 2021, and only saw the field as a part of the special teams unit.

But since earning his start at his preferred position of wide receiver in the 2022 opener against UC Davis, Sturdivant has gotten better each game. Following that logic, Sturdivant had the best game of his young career last week against Washington.

Sturdivant was the best Bears player last weekend in Berkeley, leading all receivers with 108 receiving yards and two touchdowns on eight receptions. His second touchdown was a 48-yard catch-and-run that tied the game at 14.

His 37 receptions and 5.3 receptions per game are both seventh-best in the Pac, but are sure to rise as Plummer continues to see Sturdivant as his top pass-catcher.

5. Daniel Scott-Safety

California defensive back Daniel Scott is in his sixth year with the Golden Bears.

Cal has a duo of capable safeties at their helm, with both sixth-year senior Daniel Scott and junior Craig Woodson. Both are neck-and-neck as far as statistics: Scott has 40 tackles, two passes defended, and two interceptions; Woodson has 37 tackles, three passes defended, and two interceptions.

The reason Scott gets the nod from me is because of his track record at Berkeley.

Scott is the only remaining Bear that was on the team when Wilcox took over as head coach six years ago. As such, it's no big surprise that Scott is the program's active career leader in games played, starts, tackles and interceptions.

Coming off a First-Team All-Pac-12 season with 82 tackles and three interceptions, Scott is both a leader and one of the most talented players in the Cal locker room.

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Published Oct 27, 2022

GRAHAM METZKER

Graham Metzker is a junior at the University of Oregon’s School of Journalism and Communication. Hailing from Long Beach, California, Graham is also a reporter for DuckTV covering news and sports.