Bo Nix shines as Oregon Ducks cruise past Cal for seventh straight win
After a sluggish start, Oregon roared to life in the second quarter and never looked back on Saturday.
The No. 8 Ducks (7-1, 5-0) trounced the Cal Golden Bears (3-5, 1-4) 42-24 in Berkeley to notch their seventh straight win.
Ducks’ quarterback Bo Nix further bolstered his Heisman campaign and tallied six touchdowns — three on the ground, and three through the air — and threw for 412 yards. He also threw two interceptions, one of which came on a dropped pass, and the other on a hail mary just before halftime.
Noah Whittington led the Ducks with 66 rushing yards on 10 carries, and also caught five passes for 66 yards.
DJ Johnson came up with two quarterback sacks, and Bryan Addison intercepted a pass for the second time in as many games.
How it happened
The Golden Bears became the first Pac-12 team to hold the Ducks scoreless in the first quarter this season and forced the Ducks to punt twice in the opening period. But Oregon got on the board immediately in the second quarter when Nix ran in a 4-yard touchdown to give the Ducks a 7-3 lead.
Cal answered back with an impressive 75-yard scoring drive that was highlighted by Jeremiah Hunter’s 57-yard reception. J. Michael Sturdivant capped off the series with a 6-yard touchdown grab.
The Golden Bears had a chance to take hold of the game when, on Oregon’s ensuing drive, Troy Franklin dropped a pass from Nix that was intercepted by Orin Patu.
But Oregon’s defense stood tall and forced Cal to punt. Nix responded by leading a 63-yard scoring drive that ended with his second rushing touchdown of the day and gave the Ducks a 14-10 lead.
Oregon then took hold of the game for good when Trikweze Bridges intercepted a pass from Plummer at midfield. Nix needed just three plays to drive the Ducks 52 yards for another score – this time via a 12-yard run-and-catch by Bucky Irving.
Once the second half began, the Ducks did not take their foot off the gas. Noah Whittington caught a 29-yard touchdown from Nix on Oregon’s first drive of the third quarter to push the lead to 28-10.
Cal attempted a 39-yard field goal on its next drive, but it was blocked by Oregon cornerback Christian Gonzalez. That play put the Golden Bears away for good.
The Ducks put the finishing touch on the victory late in the fourth quarter when Nix connected with fourth-year sophomore tight end Patrick Herbert for his first career touchdown.
The Ducks will look to push their winning streak to eight next Saturday when they travel to Boulder to face Colorado. The kickoff time for that game had not yet been announced at the time of publication.
