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Cal plays Oregon Saturday, so DT brings roasted duck to press conference

nick bromberg
College football and motorsports writer

Cal defensive tackle Mustafa Jalil got his point across during his Tuesday press conference.

Jalil brought a pan of roasted duck from a local restaurant into the media gathering. Yes, you guessed it, Cal plays Oregon on Saturday.

"It's 100 percent Duck. We're not joking about this one," Jalil said via the San Jose Mercury News. "Why not get the feast started?"

Cal coach Sonny Dykes said he was not a fan of duck so he wasn't going to try the bird.

It's not the first time a team's mascot has been used as food motivation this year. Before a game against Florida, Ole Miss ate alligator.

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The Rebels lost that game handily. Cal is hoping to avoid that fate and also avoid a four-game losing streak. After starting the season 5-0, the Golden Bears have lost to Utah, UCLA and USC. So maybe it's a good omen that Oregon doesn't start with a U?

Cal hasn't beaten Oregon since 2008 and a 26-16 victory. A win Saturday means the Bears have the inside track on second place in the Pac-12 North thanks to a previous win over Washington State. And it also makes the Bears bowl eligible for the first time since 2011 when Cal lost to Texas in the Holiday Bowl. The Bears beat the Longhorns earlier in the season on the way to that 5-0 start.

"We took three good punches in the face, but to start the season off we gave five good punches," Jalil said. "We'll see how good the team is when we come back Saturday and give them a punch.

"I think everyone's jaw is a little bit hurt for the past three weeks. We're trying to go out there mean and aggressive and truly show what 5-0 meant."

For more Cal news, visit GoldenBearReport.com. 

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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!