Bob Highfill
Record Staff Writer
Cal and Oregon are coming off bye weeks. The players healed their bumps and bruises, while the coaches spent the extra hours watching film, devising and scheming. Both teams are bowl eligible and about as healthy as they have been all season. It should be a wild, high-scoring affair when No. 23 Cal 6-2, 3-2 Pac-10 and No. 15 Oregon 7-1, 4-1 play in a key Pac-10 matchup at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. "I don't know if the bye was an advantage for us over them," Cal coach Jeff Tedford said. "It was an advantage for us because we had the chance to get fresh, healthy, things like that." The Bears expect to have receivers Robert Jordan and DeSean Jackson, offensive lineman Ryan O'Callaghan and defensive tackle Brandon Mebane back in the fold, though Mebane probably won't play the entire game. Oregon defensive lineman Devan Long should play, so the Ducks will be near full strength, with one huge exception. Senior quarterback Kellen Clemens is out for the season with a broken ankle. Sophomore Dennis Dixon will make his first start, and sophomore Brady Leaf will be the back up. "We're the healthiest we've been probably since fall camp," Ducks coach Mike Bellotti said. "That was the most positive aspect of the week off. The second positive obviously was the opportunity to get two or three days of practice for our young quarterbacks and get them more full-speed reps." Dixon has performed mop-up and spot duty in seven games this season and has completed 15 of 20 passes for 130 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. "He's very elusive, fast, has good speed, very athletic, throws the ball well," Tedford said. "He's got tremendous tools." Cal quarterback Joe Ayoob also will garner plenty of attention. The inconsistent junior has shown signs of improvement. Ayoob threw two touchdowns in the final 9 minutes of the fourth quarter to help the Bears come back from a 10-point deficit and beat Washington State 42-38 on Oct. 22.
No comments:
Post a Comment