Cal Blown Out in Second Half, Fall 59-17 to Ducks

November 10, 2012; Berkeley, CA, USA; Oregon Ducks wide receiver Josh Huff (1) celebrates with running back Kenjon Barner (24) after scoring a touchdown against the California Golden Bears during the second quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-US PRESSWIRE

Don’t be misled by the final score – this game was actually a pretty close one in the first half.

The Cal Bears entered tonight’s game against No. 2-ranked Oregon at a huge disadvantage, without starting quarterback Zack Maynard due to a knee strain.

So they had to go with backup Allan Brigford, who actually held his own in the first two quarters. After Oregon scored first with a touchdown midway through the first quarter, Brigford found Darius Powe with a nice lob throw in the end zone on the ensuing drive to tie the game at 7-7. That was Brigford’s first career touchdown pass.

The Ducks took a 24-10 lead into halftime, but Cal managed to cut the lead in half when they drove 79 yards to begin the second half, finished off with a four-yard touchdown run by Isi Sofele.

From that point, Oregon straight-up dominated, and before you could blink, the Ducks were up 52-17 late in the fourth quarter.

Jeff Faraudo explains the turning point of the game:

But with the Ducks clinging to a seven-point lead midway through the third quarter, linebacker Boseko Lokombo changed everything.

He intercepted Cal quarterback Allan Bridgford’s first real mistake, and the Ducks’ quick-strike offense had the opening it needed. Quarterback Marcus Mariota threw the third of his school-record-tying six TD passes on the next snap, a 35-yarder to Josh Huff for a 31-17 lead with 6:20 left in the third quarter.

From there, the Ducks coasted home to their tenth win of the year and remain undefeated. For the Bears, they fall to 3-8 and will face Oregon State next Saturday in their final game of the season.