While No. 13 Oregon used its first bye week to get healthier, California suffered multiple losses on one damp Friday night last week.
In a fall-from-ahead 24-17 setback to Arizona State, the then-No. 15 Golden Bears not only fell from the unbeaten’s ranks, but saw quarterback Chase Garbers leave the game in the first half with an apparent shoulder injury.
Garbers helped Cal (4-1, 1-1 Pac-12) upset then-No. 14 Washington on Sept. 7 and notch a win at SEC foe Ole Miss two weeks ago. He was 9 of 12 for 117 yards against the Sun Devils before injuring himself on a scramble late in the first half, and the Bears’ offense left when he did.
Backup quarterback Devon Modster, a UCLA transfer who struggled badly in the second half, will have to make significant improvements Saturday if Cal is to hand the Ducks (3-1, 1-0) their first Pac-12 Conference loss in Eugene, Ore.
Modster hit on just 5 of 14 passes for 23 yards and an interception after relieving Garbers, and said afterward his performance was terrible. With Garbers out indefinitely, Modster can’t afford to struggle again for the Bears to have any chance in Autzen Stadium.
“I definitely think he can play better,” Bears coach Justin Wilcox said. “We have confidence in Devon and the rest of the guys to step up to the challenge.”
That challenge, particularly this week, will be considerable. A rested Oregon team on its home field figures to be formidable, especially given how well it has played since a season-opening, neutral-field loss to unbeaten Auburn.
The Ducks’ 21-6 win on Sept. 21 at Stanford doesn’t really speak to how well they controlled the Cardinal. Oregon outgained Stanford 320-234 and played a clean game, committing no turnovers and earning only two penalties for 30 yards.
Quarterback Justin Herbert was typically efficient, completing 19 of 24 passes for 259 yards and three touchdowns. Through four games, Herbert has connected on 74.4 percent of his 129 attempts for 1,127 yards with 14 scores and no interceptions.
And Herbert might get a boost. The Ducks could add true freshman Mycah Pittman (shoulder) and senior Brenden Schooler (foot) to a receiving corps that also includes 6-5, 250-pound tight end Jacob Breeland (18 catches, 265 yards, five TDs), Johnny Johnson (22-264-2) and Jaylon Redd (17-149-3).
Pittman and Schooler have not played yet this season.
“I think both those guys, as long as they continue to progress throughout the course of the week, we feel that (they) have a really good chance of playing,” Oregon coach Mario Cristobal said.
While the Ducks might have lost realistic hopes at reaching the College Football Playoff semifinals due to the Auburn loss, they appear to be the favorite to spend New Year’s Day in Pasadena as the Pac-12 champ. They have outscored their last three opponents 133-15.
This will be the schools’ 82nd meeting. Cal leads the series 40-39-2, but Oregon has won nine of the last 10 matchups.
