There’s a different kind of anticipation in the air as we approach Saturday’s game between the Ducks and Bears. Two weeks ago, this game was billed as a potential opportunity for the victor to assume the inside track for the Pac-12 North title. And while those implications haven’t completely faded, the magnitude of the game has been dulled some due to Cal’s loss last week to Arizona State and the long-term injury to Bears quarterback Chase Garbers suffered in that game.

Instead, the excitement around the game has somewhat shifted away from the opponent and towards a pair of key contributors the Ducks plan on welcoming back on Saturday in wide receivers Brenden Schooler and Mycah Pittman. How both players perform in their first action of the season could provide some insight into how this game ultimately plays out, but it won’t be the end all, be all.

With that, WFOD examines the primary keys to victory for the Ducks in their Pac-12 home opener this Saturday vs. Cal.

1. Harass Devon Modster

Ask any member of the Cal roster, coaching staff, or fan base, and they’ll likely tell you that traveling to Eugene without the availability of starting quarterback Chase Garbers is a less than ideal scenario. Not necessarily because Garbers was setting the world ablaze with his play, but more so because Garbers provided the Cal offense with the kind of stability and competency that had been missing at the position ever since Jared Goff moved on to the NFL.

That, for the time being at least, is no longer a luxury that Cal head coach Justin Wilcox and offensive coordinator Beau Baldwin have at their disposal. Instead, they’ll be turning to Garbers’ replacement, UCLA transfer Devon Modster. Modster experienced some success as the Bruins quarterback in 2017 (64.6 completion percentage, 671 yards, four TDs, 0 INTs), but endured a rough stretch of extended play last week vs. the Sun Devils, completing just 5-of-14 passes for 23 yards and one interception. He’ll be making his first start in a Golden Bear uniform against the nation’s 13th-ranked team in Eugene, operating behind a banged up offensive line (17 sacks allowed, worst in the Pac-12) that will be tasked with slowing arguably the Pac-12’s best and most disruptive defense. That’s what you call a bleak recipe for success. Capitalizing on those truisms, however, is a task in and of itself. If the Duck defense can consistently harass Modster and make life miserable for him on Saturday, it’s difficult to see Oregon faltering in this game.

2. Maintain balance on offense

The return of Schooler and Pittman should naturally bring about great balance to the Oregon offense. Not only in terms of providing Justin Herbert with more weapons in the passing game, but perhaps more importantly, by forcing the Cal defense to respect the Ducks aerial attack, allowing Oregon running backs CJ Verdell and Travis Dye to face defensive fronts that are a little lighter in terms of defenders in the box. 

This is easier said than done, of course, as Cal boasts a one-man wrecking crew at linebacker in senior Evan Weaver. As evidenced by his 78 tackles thus far this season (a mark that far and away leads all FBS defenders), Weaver is capable of not only covering up any miscues in the Bears’ front seven, but also single-handedly disrupting the flow of the opposing offense. Even if it’s conservative, a well-balanced offensive game plan that keeps the Cal defense on its heels and puts pressure on the Bears defensive line (which is also dealing with some injury concerns) should be enough for the Ducks to come away with the victory.

3. Be aggressive

Maybe it was the injuries at wide receiver the Ducks had been dealing with over the past several weeks, or perhaps it was just the way the game was playing out with the Oregon defense suffocating Stanford, but the Ducks didn’t exactly sprint away from the Cardinal in emphatic fashion in their dominant 21-6 win two weeks ago. In that game, Oregon seemed to take their foot off the gas and get away from some of the aggressive play-calling that had given them a commanding lead.

While a similar effort could be enough to dispose of Cal with relative ease this week, it would be an encouraging thing to see the Oregon offense – now at near full strength – be aggressive and stay aggressive for all four quarters. Given some of the injury concerns the Golden Bears carry with them, it’s not hard to envision this game getting away from Cal. And while the Bears defense is nothing to scoff at, it’s reasonable to expect that the Oregon offense will have its fair share of opportunities to put points on the board considering the issues the Cal offense has had this season. Seeing the Ducks stay aggressive when in possession of the football and play with a sense of urgency could make the kind of statement that reverberates throughout the conference as Oregon prepares to face the meat of their schedule.