Dennis' menace: wind, rain, Golden Bears.

Byline: Bob Clark The Register-Guard

It's no time to be making a change at quarterback with bowls and rankings to be decided, but there Oregon is with Dennis Dixon replacing the injured Kellen Clemens.

It could also be no day to be making a debut, but what choice does the Oregon sophomore have in the matter?

`You'd rather play on a sunny day to have your first game,' Dixon said, `but I have to be ready for whatever.'

The weather forecast affirms that, with `high winds' and `heavy rains' listed as likely when 15th-ranked Oregon and 23rd-ranked California kick off at 12:30 p.m. for a sold-out Autzen Stadium and a regional television audience provided by ABC.

Welcome to November.

`The wind is a factor,' UO coach Mike Bellotti said. `When you play on artificial turf, the wetness is more of a nuisance than anything else.'

It is, though, somewhat of a different experience for both teams. Oregon hasn't played in truly inclement conditions this year. There was a steady rain in 2004 at Stanford, but the last rainy and windy day at Autzen Stadium, based on game summary descriptions, was in 2002 against Washington.

That, recall, was a day when Clemens as a freshman was thrown in for his first action when a game was on the line and threw an interception and two incompletions, looking like a quarterback who hadn't been prepared for the situation. Dixon has had game experience, and the past two weeks of running the first offense in practices.

`We're going to find out a lot in the game,' Bellotti said. `His grasp of the offense is very good, I don't question that at all. It's the execution of it on the field' in a game that remains in doubt.

The inclement conditions will only add to the challenge, though both teams will face the same weather problems, and Oregon has at least practiced in it this week. A California spokesman said that a review of game summaries listed `light rain' falling on games twice in the past five seasons for the Bears.

To prepare for today, Cal practiced with footballs moistened by a bath in a trash can. The Ducks let nature take care of it.

`The big key is ball security,' said Dixon.

Make sure on the snap from center. Don't make sloppy handoffs. Have a good grip before pitching or passing.

Dixon said he played in bad weather when he was in high school, `hail, rain ... but mud was the worst.'

One obvious antidote for poor weather is more of an emphasis on the running game, which the Ducks feel certain they'll see from the California offense. The Bears are averaging 247 yards rushing this season, a mark that is seventh-best in the nation and makes Cal the only team in the Pac-10 that averages more yards running than passing.

Both Justin Forsett and Marshawn Lynch average 108 yards rushing, a clear sign the Bears don't miss the graduated J.J. Arrington, who ran for 188 yards against Oregon last season.

`We have to make sure we keep track of them in piles,' Oregon linebacker Brent Haberly said. `Last year, they popped a couple on us when we had them wrapped up. If we have 'em, hang on to 'em and let the herd come and knock 'em down.'

Obviously, with Cal gaining that much yardage by the rush, the offensive line is doing well. The Bears have been hit with some injuries in that group but should be closer to full strength with massive and talented tackle Ryan O'Callaghan back from a concussion.

`They've got some tough guys up front, some hard-nosed guys who take pride in running the football,' UO defensive end Devan Long said. `They get after it.'

Bellotti said Oregon's defensive line has to get at least a standoff with the Bears for Oregon to deal successfully with the Cal running game.

`You have to impede the offensive line from getting to your linebackers,' Bellotti said. `If your linebackers can run free and strike (ball carriers) at the line of scrimmage with momentum, they can stop them. If a back has his momentum coming through the line of scrimmage, he's very hard to stop.'

Oregon is third in the Pac-10 in rushing defense, allowing an average of 121.4 yards. Only two opponents have gone over that number against the Ducks, USC with 278 rushing yards and Arizona two weeks ago with 212.

The Trojans doing it is one thing. The Wildcats? They rank last in the Pac-10 in rushing offense, with an average of 97.0 yards. They more than doubled that against Oregon.

`A fluke,' Long said. `They found a little gap in our defense and we've tightened that up. For as long as I've been here, nobody's been able to run the ball on us unless somebody made a mistake.'

The Ducks could use a boost from their running game, which maybe not coincidentally had its lowest numbers - 65 against USC, 67 at Arizona - in the two games when the opponent ran well. Oregon doesn't need to put more pressure on its first-time starting quarterback today, who is likely to have his share of nervousness.

Said Dixon: `Going into the game I may, but after the first play I'm as loose as a goose.'

After that, he may be wetter than a Duck, or a Bear, is used to being.

OREGON VS. CALIFORNIA

12:30 p.m. today at Autzen Stadium. TV: ABC. Radio: KUGN-AM (590).