Oregon Vs. Cal: Ducks Down Bears, 43-15; LaMichael James Injured

The Oregon Ducks hit the gas pedal in the second half to put away the California Golden Bears, 43-15. But the final score of the game is but a mere subplot at this point as Oregon fans wait to hear news on LaMichael James, the Heisman candidate running back who left in the second half with what appeared to be a serious elbow injury. James was carted off in an air cast after his elbow bent at an awkward angle during a pile-up near the goalline.

The Ducks actually trailed coming out of the half in this one, but put up 29 second points while holding Cal scoreless to secure the win. Before his injury, James was having himself a day, carrying the ball 30 times for 239 yards and a touchdown. Kenjon Barner added 88 yards and a score, with freshman De’Anthony Thomas carrying the ball once for 19 yards and a touchdown. Thomas also caught six passes for 114 yards and two touchdowns while stealing the show under the lights on Thursday night.

James’ arm was immobilized in a sizable air cast as trainers attended to him for a significant amount of time on the field. He was then place on a cart and driven off the field, all the while appearing to be in serious pain. James was taken straight from the field to the nearby athletic department building, not the locker room. It’s unclear what the extent of his injuries are at present.

James’ arm bent at an angle it’s not supposed to. As it stands, it’s a right elbow injury that looks pretty serious. James was having another great game, his third 200+ yard rushing game in a row, with 30 carries for 239 yards and a touchdown. He left the field on a cart with his arm in an air cast.

The opening drive plodded along slowly as the Ducks ran the ball seven straight plays, until Cal picked up a pass interference penalty. Cal began loading up for the run, which left De’Anthony Thomas in single coverage out of the backfield, and he he the defender to the corner of the endzone for the score.

Cal caught the ensuing kickoff in the endzone, but were only able to get the ball out to the 5-yard line.

Jeff Tedford then decided to go for two, with more than 6-minutes left in the half to bring the lead to 3, but Maynard missed on the pass.

I’m not sure how long field goals will keep up with 50-yard touchdown runs however, so the Bears are going to have to start getting the ball in the endzone.

How is Cal planning to counter Oregon’s “Fightin’ Ducks” uniform scheme? Simple: by countering the dark with light and going all-white for Thursday night’s matchup in Eugene. While the Ducks will wear flat black helmets, black pants and green jerseys with Puddles all over, Cal is going for simple, yet sophisticated.

Yes, that means everything, including the helmets, will be white. Of course, Cal will still accent its uniforms with the traditional school colors, but the look will be noticeably different for Thursday’s nationally-televised matchup.

And, because this is Oregon, the helmets will be flat black with the bright, neon ‘O’.

And because the theme of this jersey set is “Fightin’ Ducks,” you knew Puddles had to make an appearance on the helmet. Here’s the duck, which will be plastered across the foreheads of the team.

The unstoppable force will meet the immovable object on Thursday ... or something like that. Oregon’s LaMichael James is back atop the rushing leaders with an average 153.3 yards per game, but will face a stout defense in California, which is allowing just 78.3 yard per game. Cal’s rushing defense is ranked ninth in FBS.

Also of note, the Ducks will be debuting a sort of throwback uniform that will feature their mascot, Puddles, quite prominently.

It’s not quite the Domestic Abuse Puddles logo, but the more Puddles the better, regardless.

↵

Its Oregon-Cal week, which means it’s time to revisit this nonsense:

↵