Oregon Football: Defense Shows Promise In Win vs Cal

Oregon Football beat Cal 45-24 on Saturday night and one bright spot was the Oregon Defense that showed 5 weeks of work is paying dividends.

Before the game it was announced that Safety AJ Hotchkins would not play, but his teammates stepped up to the challenge. The most eye popping statistic, Oregon held the Cal Bears Ground Game to a total of 8 yards on the night. There was some positive momentum, but it was the Ducks interior getting several key tackle for loss plays.

The Oregon Defense had 11 tackles for loss led by Troy Dye, who again was all over the field. He had 9 tackles, 7 of them solo to go with a sack and 2.5 tackles for loss. At times, Jim Leavitt dialed up the blitz and Oregon ran it to perfection. They were shifty, able to get around blocks and on one play in the fourth quarter, two Defenders barreled toward Cal Quarterback Ross Bowers sacking him for a loss on third down.

When the Oregon Offense lost three starters to injury over the course of three consecutive series, the Defense kept Oregon ahead on the scoreboard until Backup Quarterback Taylor Alie found his bearings. Alie was not perfect, but the Oregon Running Game was strong enough to help pick up a big win over the Golden Bears.

The job this week will be different. Washington State comes in with momentum, and a win over a Top 5 team under their belt. Oregon will again have to play lights out on Defense and continue the momentum they have built throughout the season.

Next: Run Game Powers Oregon To Win In Injury Plagued Game vs Cal

Oregon and Washington State will kickoff at 5pm Pacific Time Saturday on FOX.