Both Cal and Oregon are coming off the bye week and boy, did they ever need it. The time off gave a chance for wideouts DeSean Jackson and Robert Jordan to heal and allowed offensive tackle Ryan O'Callaghan to recover from a concussion.
The bye week for Oregon meant extra snaps in practice for Dennis Dixon who will be replacing Kellen Clemens at quarterback this week. Clemens, who broke his ankle two weeks ago, will be forced to hang up his cleats for the year. Haven't heard of Dixon? Not too many people have. The guy has never made a collegiate start and that could be a problem facing an underrated Cal defense. Despite the major setback at the QB position, Oregon (4-1 Pac-10, 7-1 overall) still comes in winners of four straight, with their lone loss coming at the hands of the mighty Trojans. (3-2, 6-2) Cal meanwhile, has not looked good at all. In fact, they have looked downright bad. They escaped with a win against Washington State two weeks ago after blowing a big lead and lost two games in a row before that. Quarterback Joe Ayoob has been under some heat from the fans, and the defense, despite forcing turnovers, has been surrendering a lot of points. With Dixon under center for the Ducks, Oregon will have to get their running game in motion. Cal, up against an average defense, should look to use Marshawn Lynch and Justin Forsett to rack up the yards on the ground as well.
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