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By Jared Green 

Daily Planet Staff 

The Cal Bears gave their worst performance of a dismal season on Saturday, putting up a lackluster effort in losing, 48-7, to Oregon. The Bears were shut out until a meaningless fourth-quarter touchdown pass from Kyle Boller to Joe Igber, and the defense allowed 463 total yards to the Ducks, including 257 yards on the ground. 

“I’m completely flabbergasted by our total lack of execution,” Cal offensive coordinator Al Borges said after the game. “There’s no excuse for playing like that.” 

The Bears were equally helpless on offense, defense and special teams. Quarterback Kyle Boller followed up his outstanding effort in a loss to Washington two weeks ago with a terrible game, completing just 18 of 40 pass attempts and getting yanked in the fourth quarter. The Bears turned the ball over five times, including interceptions on backup Eric Holtfreter’s first two series in the game and a fumbled punt by return man Ray Carmel.  

On defense, Cal missed a busload of tackles, including one play that looked like a Three Stooges schtick, as Oregon wide receiver Sami Parker took a simple out pattern and scored a 37-yard touchdown while three Bears fell over each other trying to tackle him. 

That score was one of three for the fifth-ranked Ducks in the first quarter, giving them a 21-0 lead and snuffing any Cal hopes for an upset. Harrington scored on a two-yard sneak to open the scoring, and running back Onterrio Smith went in from the same distance on a sweep as the quarter wound down. 

“The first couple of series, everything they did was right,” Cal head coach Tom Holmoe said. “On defense, it seemed like every time we called a play they were right on it.” 

Even when the Bears caught a break, they couldn’t take advantage. Oregon tailback Maurice Morris dropped a pitch early in the second quarter, and Cal freshman defensive end Lorenzo Alexander was there to fall on it at midfield. But the Bears went three-and-out, missing their best chance to score before halftime. 

Carmel’s fumble came with just 1:28 left in the half, and Oregon linebacker Wesly Mallard recovered on Cal’s 24-yard line. Four plays later, Oregon quarterback Joey Harrington found tight end Justin Peelle for a 16-yard touchdown pass as Cal safety Bert Watts slipped down on the coverage, and the Ducks had a commanding 28-0 halftime lead. 

Oregon scored two more touchdowns in the third quarter as the Ducks piled up 140 rushing yards in the period, including a 40-yard scramble by the slow-footed Harrington. Morris scored from 13 yards out shortly afterward, juking Cal safety Dewey Hale out of his shoes on the way to the end zone. Wideout Keenan Howry then scored on a 25-yard reverse, using a nice lead block from Harrington to get around the corner. 

“I’ll do anything I have to in order to win the game,” Harrington said of his block on the 280-pound Alexander. 

Although the announced attendance at the game was 34,452, Memorial Stadium emptied quickly after halftime, as the Cal student section found more enjoyable entertainment outside the stadium. By the fourth quarter, the only noise was coming from the sizeable Oregon contingent.  

The deserters missed Cal’s lone score, a six-yard pass from Boller to Igber that capped a 69-yard drive. Morris put the final nail in Cal’s coffin soon after, however, on an 11-yard scoring run. 

NOTES: This Saturday’s game against undefeated UCLA means Cal has yet to face a team with a loss coming into the matchup. The Bears’ first six opponents are a combined 32-2 so far this season... Oregon freshman Ramone Reed, who starred for Berkeley High last year, had 3.5 tackles on Saturday, including a hit on Charon Arnold on the opening kickoff. Reed narrowly missed a sack on Holtfreter late in the game.