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Oregon still in running for Pac-10 title

Nov 1, 2008 - 10:51 AM (24) Oregon (6-2) at California (5-2), 3:30 pm EDT

BERKELEY, California (Ticker) -- Oregon may be poised to make a run for the Pac-10 Conference title as it heads into the final month of the season.

With sophomore Jeremiah Masoli having solidified his status as the team's starting quarterback, the 24th-ranked Ducks go on the road Saturday to face California.

Masoli completed 17-of 26 passes for 147 yards and a touchdown in last week's 54-20 victory over Arizona State. He also rushed for 85 yards on eight carries as the Ducks (6-2, 4-1 Pac-10) remained tied atop the conference standings with Southern California.

Oregon's only Pac-10 loss was a 44-10 defeat at USC on October 4, meaning the Trojans would have the tiebreaker edge if the teams finished tied.

"I feel like I've got the starting job, for sure," Masoli said. "I feel like I proved to a lot of people that I can do a lot of good things. But we'll see."

While Masoli was making his fifth consecutive start, he may have had something to prove after passing for only 42 yards in Oregon's previous game, a 31-24 win over UCLA on October 11.

Justin Roper, Oregon's starter at the start of the season, played in the fourth quarter, his first action after missing four games with a knee injury, possibly fueling a quarterback competition.

But Oregon coach Mike Bellotti said that Masoli, who passed for 3,065 yards and 26 touchdowns last season at City College of San Francisco, likely would remain the Ducks' top signal-caller.

Oregon will be looking to avenge a 31-24 home defeat to California last year - the Ducks' only loss in their first nine games of the season as they claimed to as high a No. 2 in the national rankings.

However, Oregon lost three in a row after Heisman Trophy candidate Dennis Dixon went down with a season-ending knee injury, and had to settle for beating South Florida in the Sun Bowl.

A year later, Oregon is in position for a better bowl if it can run the table. First, the Ducks face what could be a difficult test against a California team that is coming off a 41-20 win over UCLA and has won three of its last four games. The Golden Bears (5-2, 3-1) are 4-0 at home this season.

Jahvid Best, the Pac-10's fifth-leading rusher, ran for 115 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries for Cal, which forced UCLA quarterback Kevin Craft to throw four interceptions, including two that were returned for touchdowns.