Cal Football Game Preview: Bears host No. 15 Virginia

.Cal will host 15h-ranked Virginia on Saturday afternoon.

The preview:

CAL (5-3, 2-2 ACC) vs. NO. 15 VIRGINIA (7-1, 4-0 ACC)

SITE: California Memorial Stadium, Berkeley, California

WHEN: Saturday, 12:45 p.m.

TV: ESPN2 -- Mike Couzens (Play-by-Play), Kirk Morrison (Analyst), Dawn Davenport (Sideline Reporter)

RADIO: KSFO (810 AM) -- Justin Allegri (Play-By-Play), Mike Pawlawski (Analyst), Ben Ross (Sideline Reporter)

BETTING LINE: Virginia is a 6.5-point favorite at several betting sites as of Saturday morning, and the Cavaliers are favored by 6 points and 5,5 points at other sites. Over/Under is 52.5 points

WEATHER FORECAST: Saturday afternoon in Berkeley will be mostly sunny, but there may be some mist and reduced visibility at times. The temperature will be about 64 degrees when the game begins and will rise to about 72 degrees during the game. There is a 10% chance of rain in the morning, decreasing to about 5% by the afternoon.

CAL-VIRGINIA HISTORY: Cal and Virginia have never faced each other on the football field.

CAL PLAYER AVAILABILITY: Starting safety Aiden Manutai as well as running backs Brandon High Jr. and LJ Johnson Jr. have all been ruled out for Saturday’s game. Offensive lineman Lamar Robinson has also been ruled out for this game.

VIRGINIA PLAYER AVAILABILITY: Starting wide receiver Cam Ross, who missed last week’s game, is listed as probable, so he is likely to play.

CAL STORYLINES:

---Cal has lost 13 consecutive games to teams ranked in the AP top 25. The last time Cal beat a ranked team was in the shortened 2020 season when the Bears defeated 23rd-ranked Oregon in Cal’s fourth and final game of that season. The last time Cal beat a team ranked in the top 15 was 2018 when the Bears knocked off 15th-ranked Washington 12-10. Both of those Cal wins were played in Berkeley.

---Cal needs one win in its final four games to become bowl-eligible for the third straight year. However, Cal could be an underdog in all four of those games.

---Cal must win two of its final five games (including a possible bowl game) to finish with a winning overall record for the first time since 2019. The Bears must win two of their final four ACC games to finish with a conference record of .500 or better for the first time since 2009.

---Justin Wilcox’s job security could be on the line if the Bears do not fare well over their final four games, starting with this game against Virginia. A win over the nationally ranked Cavaliers would go a long way toward enabling Wilcox to keep his job for another season. His contract runs through the 2027 season.

---The Bears will try to rebound from last week’s double-overtime loss to Virginia Tech when the Bears defense gave up 357 rushing yards, the most allowed by a Cal team since Justin Wilcox became head coach prior to the 2017 season. Virginia ranks fifth in the ACC in rushing yards per carry (4.7), and Cal’s defense ranks 15th in the conference in rushing yards allowed per rushing attempt (4.7).

---Cal true freshman quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele is a focal point of every Cal game in terms of his progress and potential. He has thrown 11 touchdown passes with seven interceptions, which is not a great ratio, although he did not thrown any interceptions in the past two games.

---Bears slot receiver Jacob De Jesus has been the Bears’ most consistent receiver this year and has the ability to make big plays as a receiver or punt returner. He had 21 receptions over the past two games, and his 55 receptions for the season rank second in the ACC.

---Cal linebacker Cade Uluave is coming off a game in which he had a career-high 19 tackles against Virginia Tech, earning him ACC linebacker of the week honors. Uluave leads the ACC and is seventh nationally in tackles with 81, and he is tied for second in the conference and is 13th in the country in tackles for loss with 10.5.

---Cal receivers have dropped 11 passes over the past two games -- six drops against North Carolina and five against Virginia Tech.

---Cal did not turn the ball over in the past two games and committed no turnovers in four of its games this season.

---Bears cornerback Hezekiah Masses leads the nation in passes defended with 13 (four interceptions, nine passes broken up).

VIRGINIA STORYLINES:

---Virginia is riding a six-game winning streak, but three of its last four wins have come in overtime, and the fourth victory in that span was a two-point win over Washington State when a safety in the final two minutes provided the margin of victory.

---The Cavaliers No. 15 ranking this week is their highest AP ranking since 2004, when they were ranked as high as sixth. Virginia finished that 2004 season ranked No. 23.

--- Virginia has played four football games in the Pacific time zone in its history, and the Cavaliers are 0-4 in those games. The Cavaliers lost road games against Washington (1976), USC (2010), UCLA (2015) and Oregon (2016). The 2,369-mile trip from Charlottesville, Virginia, to Berkeley is the fourth-longest regular-season road trip in Virginia history and the longest since the 2015 game at UCLA.

---Virginia is in good position to earn a berth in the ACC championship game. Virginia and Georgia Tech are the only two teams unbeaten in ACC play, and the Cavaliers don’t face Georgia Tech during the regular season. After Cal, Virginia has home games against Wake Forest and Virginia Tech sandwiched around a road game against Duke. Virginia’s most recent ACC championship came in 1995, when the Cavaliers shared the title with Florida State. The Cavaliers have never been an outright champion in any conference in their history.

---The Cavaliers have clinched their first winning season since 2019 and their first winning season under Tony Elliott, who is in his fourth season as Virginia’s head coach. One more win would assure Virginia of a winning conference record for the first time since 2019 and for just the fifth time since 2004.

---Right-handed Virginia quarterback Chandler Morris has been bothered by a left shoulder injury in recent games but is expected to play without limitation. He is playing for his fourth FBS team, having played for Oklahoma, TCU and North Texas previously.

---A victory over Cal would give Virginia its first three-game ACC winning streak since 2011. It would also give the Cavaliers an 8-1 record, which would be their best nine-game record since 1990, when they also began the season 8-1.

---Virginia is among the nation’s leaders in turnover margin at plus-8. The Cavaliers have 14 takeaways and have committed six turnovers. They have not lost a single fumble this season.

---Virginia defensive lineman Fisher Camac had four tackles for loss, including three sacks, against Cal in last year’s LA Bowl while playing for UNLV, which won that game 24-13. He transferred to Virginia after the season.

---Five questions to a Virginia beat writer about the Cavaliers football team---

Virginia coach Tony Elliott’s Tuesday press conference

CAL PLAYERS TO WATCH: QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele (11 TD passes, 7 interceptions); LB Cade Uluave (81 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss); WR/PR Jacob De Jesus (55 catches, 11.4 yards per punt return); CB Hezekiah Masses (4 interceptions, 13 passes defended); TE Mason Mini (team-leading 4 TD receptions); WR Jordan King (14 catches over the past 4 games)..

VIRGINIA PLAYERS TO WATCH: QB Chandler Morris (12 TD passes, 5 interceptions, 170 rushing yards); RB J’Mari Taylor (581 rushing yards, 23 receptions); WR Cam Ross (28 catches, 10.1 yards per punt return, out last week, but back this week); WR Trell Harris (4 TD catches); DE Mitchell Melton (6.5 tackles for loss, 1 interception, 3 pass breakups, 4 QB hurries); CB Ja’son Prevard (3 interceptions, 3 pass breakups); LB Kam Robinson (team-leading 48 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 1 interception in just 5 games played).

CAL 2024 STATISTICS: Click here

CAL GAME NOTES, DEPTH CHART: Click here

VIRGINIA STATISTICS: Click here

VIRGINIA GAME NOTES, DEPTH CHART: Click here

JAKE'S PICK: Cal 28, Virginia 24

JEFF'S PICK: Virginia 27, Cal 21

GREG MADIA’S PICK (Charlottesville Daily Progress): Virginia 29, Cal 24

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