Oregon Football: 3 implications of tight home win over Cal

It wasn’t pretty, but Oregon football picked up an important win on Friday night over Cal, 24-17.

Cal took the Ducks down to the wire at Autzen Stadium which was something no one saw coming, especially with the Golden Bears starting the season 1-4. Oregon fell behind 17-10 early in the fourth quarter, but the defense made some key stops and the offense scored when it mattered thanks to some clutch plays by Anthony Brown and Travis Dye.

A lot of credit needs to go to the defense for a huge fourth-and-goal stop with five seconds left. That side of the ball kept the Ducks in the game when the offense sputtered.

Let’s take a look at some implications of the tight win.

3. Kayvon Thibodeaux is still that dude

Forced to sit out for the first half because of a targeting call in the second half of the Stanford loss, Kayvon Thibodeaux was licking his chops on the sidelines because he knew he could handle that Cal offensive line. He knew he could have a huge impact on the defensive side of the ball to breathe some life into the team.

Thibodeaux came in to start the second half and immediately had an impact. He finished fourth on the team with five tackles, a sack, and a quarterback hurry in just two quarters.

We may not have seen a ton of Thibodeaux this season, but when he is on the field, he’s a menace. He is a nightmare for opposing offensive linemen and quarterbacks and as long as he stays healthy over the final two months, he’s going to be one of the most productive defenders in college football.