Oregon football: Huge second quarter leads Ducks to win

Oregon football needed a spark to take care of Cal, and they got one in the form a 28-0 run in the second and third quarters. Now the Ducks turn to Washington.

After a devastating loss to Stanford last week that saw the Ducks blow not one but two leads in the second half, Oregon could’ve rolled over and gotten lazy. They could’ve sat around feeling bad for themselves, thinking back on what they could’ve done better instead of shifting focus forward like they needed to.

They didn’t though. They accepted the loss, and moved forward, putting all their attention on this week’s matchup with Cal. It showed, as Oregon looked prepared, and showed no signs of wear from the previous week, winning 42-24 over Cal in a game that was really never super close. That’s the sign of a good team, and the sign of a good coach.

When Oregon got smacked in the mouth, they turned around and beat a top 25 team easily. After having his great performance wasted, Justin Herbert delivered another one here, hitting on 16 of his 22 passes for 225 yards and two scores. Travis Dye and CJ Verdell both looked great on the ground. The receivers were open all night long, and the defense was very solid.

Oregon could’ve been gutted by their loss to Stanford, but they weren’t. They stood tall, and did exactly what they were supposed to this week. They may not be back to what they were under Chip Kelly, and they may not be a great team, but this Oregon team is very good, and they’re only going to get better. Let’s get to the biggest takeaways from this big win for Oregon, and tough loss for Cal.