Cal Bears Defensive End Mustafa Jalil Dishes On Oregon Ducks

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At a Tuesday press conference before this weekend’s showdown between Pac-12 rivals Oregon and Cal, Golden Bears defensive tackle Mustafa Jalil thought it would be a good idea to bring a particular dish along. After Jalil had some choice words for Oregon, including his statement that “Oregon doesn’t want this as badly as we do”, he left his dish at the stand, which was–of course–roasted duck according to the San Jose Mercury News.

Needless to say, it’s on. Or, at least in the eyes of Oregon Ducks fans, it’d better be.

While the move might have been a clear tactic to motivate his fellow Bears, Jalil–much like the Cal program in general–doesn’t have much else to boast about thus far in the season.

Cal currently sits at 2-3 in the Pac-12. Oregon is 3-2 (ESPN2). Again, not much substance in this comparison.

How about Cal’s overall record of 5-3? Oh, wait, Oregon is also 5-3. Never mind.

But wait! Oregon is winless against ranked opponents this year! (Michigan State and Utah).

…and so is Cal. (Utah)

As I alluded to before, this was most likely a motivational stunt by Jalil to galvanize a Golden Bear squad that is hoping to stop a 3-game losing streak.

However, what Jalil might have done was give the Ducks some bulletin board material to hopefully extend their 2-game winning streak.

Oregon finally seems to have some stability on offense, which oddly enough has a lot to do with the gun-slinging Vernon Adams looking less like a deer in headlights and more like the effective hurricane of randomness that he was at Eastern Washingon. After what seemed like a nightmare of a start to this season, the Ducks have somehow found themselves with a winning record and a 2nd place standing in the Pac-12 North. Not bad for a team that has played under three quarterbacks this year.

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This weekend will serve as a great chance for Oregon to continue salvaging their season by beating a Cal team that many pinned as a Pac-12 dark horse. Let’s just hope that Oregon arrives to the game as hungry as the California Golden Bears apparently are.

The Oregon Ducks host Cal on Saturday night at 7:30pm Pacific Time on ESPN2.