Bears dominate Ducks 45-24 in blowout victory

Cal returned to national television last night in a statement game, showing audiences around the country the real Bears. Memorial Stadium was sold-out packed, emotions were high, and the crowd roared with deafening noise. Oregon’s powerful offense was crushed by the Bears’ defense, as they were shut down on the run and struggled in the air to avoid interceptions (quarterback Dennis Dixon was picked off three times).

Meanwhile, Cal dominated Oregon offensively and on special teams. Despite losing Marshawn Lynch to injury early in the game, the Bears had no trouble dismantling Oregon passing or on the ground with Justin Forsett. WR/PR DeSean Jackson returned another punt for a breathtaking touchdown. The 45-24 result is hardly representative of the whooping Oregon received, primarly due to Coach Jeff Tedford‘s class (he did not run up the score) but also some terrible officiating by the now-infamous Pac-10 referees.

A few recap articles:

• AP/ESPN: “Longshore continues to shine as Cal thumps No. 11 Ducks”
• Contra Costa Times: “Cal’s ‘O’ rolls: Injury to Lynch doesn’t stop Bears”
• Daily Cal: “What a Win! Bears Pound Oregon in Front of Packed House, Extend Winning Steak to Five”
• Los Angeles Times: “Cal Sets the Gold Standard”
• Sacramento Bee: “Bears quack some heads: Cal overpowers Ducks, rolls to fifth consecutive victory”
• San Francisco Chronicle: “Cal in a runaway: Only one offense shines despite predictions of a shootout”
• San Jose Mercury News: “Golden touch: Cal, dressed for success, routs Oregon 45-24”
• Scout.com: “Cal’s Convincing Win Over Oregon 45-24”

Cal’s impressive victory also has turned heads back to Berkeley, and the Bears are receiving some attention that was there during the preseason but lost after Tennessee.

Sporting News’ Tom Dienhart: “Cal could be nation’s No. 2 team”

And so it went on this night during a — What else? — thunderous 45-24 Cal victory over Oregon. It was a showdown that would determine who is the second-best team in the Pac-10. But, who am I kidding? Given another unimpressive USC win (this time over Washington), this was a showdown to determine who was the best team in the Pac-10.

And it wasn’t even close. It’s Cal…

How good is 5-1 Cal? More on that later. This much I know for sure: The team I saw whip Oregon has to be as good as any squad in the nation not named “Ohio State.” It has to be.

Sports Illustrated’s Stewart Mandel: “Five Things We Learned This Weekend”

That the national title race is down to nine contenders. They are: Ohio State, USC, Michigan, Florida, West Virginia, Texas, Louisville, Tennessee and Cal. Why these nine? They are the only remaining teams (besides Boise State) that elicit enough confidence to suggest they could win the rest of their games. Obviously, most of them won’t (especially considering USC-Cal, Ohio State-Michigan and West Virginia-Louisville play each other), but if you had to bet your life savings on the matter, you’d be smart to stay within this pool.

ESPN’s Mark Schlabach: “Rejuvenated Bears dismantle Oregon”

The Bears were the team that everyone away from the Left Coast seemingly forgot. But they had won four consecutive games since losing to Tennessee, scoring 40 points or more…

Still, that winning streak wasn’t enough to erase the deflating loss at Tennessee… But by the time the sun had set Saturday night behind the picturesque hills that hover over this classic college football setting, it was clear Cal has something the Ducks — and possibly every other Pac-10 team besides USC — still lacks. Defense.

And the Bears sure have enough offense to go with it.