Oregon Football: ASU Loss Could make Cal a Season-Defining Game

After a 3-0 start to this season, there was a lot of hype around the Oregon football program. After a loss to Arizona State, however, their season is about to reach a defining moment.

In 2016, head coach Mark Helfrich and the Ducks had just suffered a close loss to the Nebraska Cornhuskers in Lincoln. The loss dropped their record to 2-1 heading into Pac-12 play.

The game was probably one that Oregon could have won, having missed five two-point conversion opportunities.

The next week, the Ducks returned home with a chance to bounce back against the Colorado Buffaloes, who were then considered a lowly opponent. Despite losing in Lincoln, Duck fans still felt fairly confident about their chances to pull out the win at home.

They didn’t.

Oregon lost at home to Colorado in heartbreaking fashion, losing on a last-minute interception in the end zone that capped a 41-38 Colorado win. Instead of rebounding with a win at home and moving on with the rest of the season, the loss sent Oregon football into a tailspin.

The Ducks would go on to win only two more games the rest of the season, finishing with a 4-8 record, and resulting in the firing of Helfrich and the rest of the coaching staff.

Fast forward to present day, and Willie Taggart’s Ducks face a similar situation.

Will Oregon rebound at home against an opponent they should beat, or will the mistakes of last Saturday compound into another loss?

The game at home against Cal on Saturday will say a lot.

The Ducks are a young team, and by no means am I saying that a poor season would put Taggart on the hot seat.

However, whether they rebound or not will say a lot about whether or not this team has really turned a page from the failures of last season.

The 2016 team seemed to fold after a couple losses, and it compounded itself into a losing season. How will this team react?

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Sane Oregon fans were not expecting a playoff run or a Pac-12 championship, but to keep the hype around the Taggart era going, the Ducks need to keep winning.

A major reason for hope that this season is different comes from the surprisingly effective play of the defense.

New defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt, in a short time, has turned around this usually porous Duck defense.

They have turned into a bright spot for Oregon this season.

The Duck defense ranks 13th in the nation this season with nine takeaways, and 46th in total defense, which is impressive considering this was a unit that ranked 126th last year.

Oregon’s offense leads the nation in scoring, but that was to be expected. The play of the defense, however, has been a very pleasant surprise.

TEMPE, AZ – SEPTEMBER 23: Linebacker La’Mar Winston Jr. /

Last season, the Ducks lost in heartbreaking fashion against Cal, making a comeback just to lose in double overtime.

Now the Bears come to Eugene looking to compound the misery of Oregon fans.

The biggest challenge that the Bears will present when they visit Autzen Stadium this Saturday is the their defense.

Despite leading the nation in scoring, Herbert and the Oregon offense have been shaky and mistake prone at times. The Ducks currently rank 126th in terms of penalties per game, which has made it tough for the offense to find a rhythm. It was a big problem in the loss against Arizona State, as they totaled 12 penalties.

To beat this Cal team and their defense, Oregon will have to stop beating itself.

Make the same mistakes as they did in Tempe last weekend, and the Ducks will be looking at an 0-2 Pac-12 record. This Saturday, when Taggart and his team will walk onto the field facing what could be a season-defining game. Will it end like it did in 2016, or is this truly a different team heading in a different direction?

Next: Despite Defensive Effort, Offensive Miscues Cost Ducks

Oregon and Cal meet on Saturday at 7:30pm Pacific Time on Fox Sports 1

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