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Friday, December 13, 2002
No. 7 Oregon 25, Cal 17
Associated Press
BOX SCORE
EUGENE, Ore. -- Joey Harrington ran for two second-half
touchdowns and passed for another as No. 7 Oregon clinched at least
a tie for the Pac-10 title by rallying to beat California 25-17
Saturday.
|  | | Oregon's Samie Parker just misses this ball, but the Ducks came back and are one game away from the Rose Bowl. |
The Ducks (9-1, 7-0 Pac-10) could earn their first Rose Bowl
berth since the 1994 season if Arizona beats Oregon State later
Saturday night.
Kyle Boller completed 15 of 39 passes for 197 yards and a
touchdown as Cal (3-7, 2-5) nearly pulled off a huge upset despite
its usual offensive struggles.
Harrington was 20-of-35 for 252 yards in an erratic performance,
but his 29-yard scoring pass to Keenan Howry with 12:38 to play was
the difference. Howry reached up and hauled the pass in with his
fingertips to give the Ducks an 18-17 lead.
Oregon added another score after the Golden Bears botched a
punt, giving the Ducks the ball at the Cal 14. Five plays later,
Harrington's 1-yard run made it 25-17 lead with 4:48 to go.
Cal got the ball back twice more, but Boller threw an
interception and was unable to move the team on the last
possession.
Oregon won its 20th straight home game and 15th of 16 games
overall.
For the third straight week, however, Oregon had to score a
touchdown in the fourth quarter to win.
Geoff McArthur scored on a 63-yard pass play to put the Golden
Bears ahead 17-12 with 3:36 left in the third. The teams traded
punts, and Harrington began the Ducks' first possession of the
fourth quarter by hitting Marshaun Tucker in stride for a 52-yard
gain.
Two plays later, Howry gained a step on cornerback Jemeel
Powell, and Harrington led him perfectly for the go-ahead score.
Last week, Oregon scored a touchdown and 2-point conversion to
tie Washington State in the fourth before winning in overtime; the
week before at Arizona State, Harrington threw two touchdown passes
in the final 3½ minutes of regulation, and the Ducks prevailed
56-55 in two overtimes.
Cal came in with the lowest-ranked offense in the Pac-10, but
neither team could move the ball early. They combined for only 60
rushing yards on 29 carries in the first half.
Cal took a 7-0 lead just 2:18 into the game on a 1-yard dive
over the top by Joe Igber. The play was set up by a 26-yard pass
from Boller over the middle to a diving Phillip Pipersburg.
Cal started the drive at the Oregon 27 after the Ducks lost 20
yards on their opening possession, shanked a 33-yard punt and then
got called for a 15-yard penalty.
The Bears did little to build on their lead, however, gaining
just 53 yards on their next five possessions of the half.
Harrington threw long and behind his receivers the entire first
half, but he got the Ducks in position for two field goals by Josh
Frankel, from 34 and 43 yards. A 31-yard run by Harrington on third
and 8 set up the latter kick to cut the lead to 7-6 at halftime.
Harrington directed the Ducks on a 75-yard, seven-play drive,
which ended with him scrambling a 2 yards to put Oregon back ahead
12-7 with 10:19 left in the third. The 2-point conversion pass
failed.
With Igber getting stuffed, Cal went to third-string tailback
Saleem Muhammad, who ran three straight times for 36 yards to
loosen up the Bears' ground game. A 15-yard run by Igber moved the
ball to the Oregon 21, but Cal couldn't get closer and settled for
Mark Jensen's 38-yard field goal.
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Oregon's Joey Harrington goes untouched for the 2-yard touchdown run.