Written Story by Charlie Martindale

All season long, Oregon football has been focused on setting a new tone and culture for the program. After a series of erratic seasons, and an offseason that saw an overhaul in personnel, the team has seemed dead set on proving to the college football world that they deserve to be on the same level as some of the top schools in the sport. This mission got off to a famously disastrous start, with Oregon being granted, and entirely squandering, a massive opportunity in the season opener vs. reigning national champion Georgia. In the eight weeks that have followed, the Ducks have gone undefeated, showing regular improvement and ability, and willing their way to the edge of the College Football Playoff Discussion. 

This trend took another step forward Saturday, with the team bouncing back from a slow offensive first quarter to cruise past California 42-24. Despite the seventh straight victory, the team still seems to keep the chip on their shoulder. First year head coach Dan Lanning repeatedly made it clear postgame that he felt the team could play better, saying that they were “hungry to improve”, and that sentiment was echoed by surging quarterback Bo Nix, who accounted for six touchdowns today, but agreed the team had work to do, saying “It’s nice to win when you don’t perform your best” 

Berkeley entered the game on a losing streak of three, but held their own with the Ducks at the outset of the game. Oregon was shut out in the first quarter for the first time since that Georgia game, and had trouble in the red zone throughout different points of the first half. The much-hyped Oregon offense, which entered Saturday with the highest points per game in the pac-12, righted the ship in the second quarter, with a steady stream of production from running backs Bucky Irving and Noah Whittington helping them move the ball down field, and the legs of Nix helping solve the red zone issues. 

Saturday’s game marked the most points and yards ever allowed by the Golden Bears in the Justin Wilcox era, and the Ducks defense came up with big interceptions by Bryan Addison and Trikweze Bridges, as well as a blocked field goal by Christian Gonzales, to help stifle a feeble Cal offense.

Nix threw and rushed for three touchdowns each, both Whittington and Irving scored their third touchdowns of the season, and TE Patrick Herbert scored his first career touchdown on a 40 yard reception. 

Its hard to see the Ducks moving up much in the rankings, as each of the seven teams ranked ahead of them in the AP poll won Saturday, but the continued improvement of the team, and insistence from its leaders that the best is yet to come, make this current one an exciting season for Oregon football.