Cal Football Game Preview: Bears Travel to UNLV Saturday

Cal plays its final nonconference game of the season when it faces UNLV in Las Vegas on Saturday afternoon.

The preview:

CAL (2-2, 1-1 ACC) vs. UNLV (2-2, 1-0 Mountain West)

SITE: Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, Nevada

WHEN: Saturday, 12:30 p.m.

TV: CBS Sports Network – John Sadak (Play-By-Play), Randy Cross (Analyst), Hailey Sutton (Sideline Reporter)

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

BETTING LINE: UNLV is favored by 2.5 points, according to FanDuel and Draft Kings as of Friday. Over/Under is 52.5 points, according to FanDuel, and 53.5, according to DraftKings.

WEATHER FORECAST: Allegiant Stadium is a fully-enclosed domed stadium so the weather will not be a factor in the game. A high of 96 degrees is predicted for Saturday afternoon in Las Vegas under clear, dry skies.

Cal-UNLV History

This will be the third meeting between Cal and UNLV and each team has won once in the series. Cal defeated UNLV 20-14 in Berkeley in 2022, and the Rebels beat Cal 24-13 in the 2024 LA Bowl at SoFi Stadium. Saturday's game will be the Bears’ first game against the Rebels in Las Vegas and their first game at Allegiant Stadium. Cal was scheduled to play UNLV on August 29, 2020, at Allegiant Stadium, which would have been the first college football game ever played Allegiant Stadium. But the game was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

CAL PLAYER AVAILABILITY: Cal's top two running backs, Adam Mohammed and Carter Vargas, are questionable for the game. Defensive lineman Nate Burrell and edge Solomon Williams are questionable. (Cal does not issue an injury report for nonconference games.)

Cal Storylines

---The game against UNLV is Cal’s final nonconference game of the season, and the Bears need a victory to improve their chances of getting a bowl berth for the fourth straight season. None of the eight experts we cited this week projected the Bears to be in a bowl game.

---Cal is coming off one of its worst offensive performances in years in its 24-10 loss to Clemson last week. The Bears’ offense failed to score a touchdown in a home game for the first time since 2018, and Cal’s 231 yards of offense were its fewest in four years. In preseason Cal’s offense was expected to be the Bears’ strength.

---Bears head coach Tosh Lupoi said this week that he was changing the roles of some assistant coaches to try to improve Cal’s offense. He did not say whether offensive coordinator Jordan Somerville will have his play-calling duties taken away, but he did not rule it out.

---Cal could be short-handed at running back. It’s top two running backs, Adam Mohammed and Carter Vargas, are questionable for Saturday’s game.

---Cal’s offense has not scored a point in the fourth quarter in any of its three games against FBS opponents.

---The Bears have been tied or in the lead in every game this season with less than 19 minutes left in the contest.

---Cal’s defense has enabled the Bears to stay in every game. The Bears defense outscored the Cal offense 7-3 last week, and the Cal defense has scored the same number of points (14) as the Cal offense in the Bears’ two ACC games – a 21-18 win over Syracuse and the 24-10 loss to Clemson.

---Cal’s defensive backs have been getting consistently high marks, and the Bears rank fifth in the country in passing efficiency defense. They will be challenged by a UNLV offense that is second in the Mountain West in total offense and third in passing offense.

---Cal sophomore quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele is coming off the worst game of his career, when he threw for a career-low 119 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions.

---Bears safety Kingston Lopa did not have an interception last week, but his five interceptions for the season lead the nation. No other player has more than three.

---Cal is 1-2 at home, but the Bears are 1-0 on the road, with a chance to be 2-0 away from home. Cal was 3-3 in road games last season.

UNLV Storylines

---UNLV is coming off a 38-10 road win over Akron after having a bye the previous week. The Rebels lost a road game against North Texas 44-6 the week before that bye. UNLV lost to Memphis in its opener and defeated Hawaii on the road in its only Mountain West game.

---This will just be UNLV’s second home game of the season, and the Rebels lost the first one, to Memphis, 27-21. UNLV was 5-1 in home games last season. In its four games, UNLV has played in four different time zones.

---UNLV has a 12-4 record against nonconference opponents since the start of the 2023 season, and that includes a 5-2 record against Power Conference teams.

---UNLV has reached the Mountain West Conference title game each of the past three seasons, but lost to Boise State all three times. Boise State is no longer in the Mountain West Conference, and UNLV was picked to win the 2026 Mountain West Conference title in a preseason media poll.

---UNLV running back Jai’Den “Jet” Thomas was a first-team all-Mountain West selection last year and is the focal point of the Rebels’ offense this season. He rushed for 72 yards in UNLV's 24-13 victory over Cal in the 2024 LA Bowl. In last week’s win over Akron, he rushed for 113 yards and a touchdown and caught three passes for 54 yards and two touchdowns.

--Rebels quarterback Jackson Arnold is a transfer from Auburn who is effective as a passer and a runner. He had his best passing game of the season last week when he threw three touchdown passes. The 6-foot-1, 220-pound Arnold ran for 89 yards in the victory over Hawaii.

---Two former Cal stars, Nohl Williams and Jacob De Jesus, both played at UNLV before finishing their careers at Cal.

---UNLV had scored at least 20 points in 36 consecutive games before losing to North Texas 44-6 on September 12.

---Rebels wide receiver Taz Reddicks had 116 receiving yards on just four receptions last week against Akron.

---UNLV averages 21.5 points, which ranks sixth in the Mountain West, but it averages 404.5 yards of total offense, which ranks second. The Rebels rank in the middle of the pack in the conference in defense.

Cal Players to Watch

QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele – Coming off the worst game of his Cal career.

RB Ashten Emory – If Adam Mohammed and Carter Vargas cannot play, Emery will be the Bears’ No. 1 running back. He has rushed for 54 yards and 3.4 yards per carry this season.

S Kingston Lopa – Leads the nation in interceptions with five, and leads the team in tackles with 27.

WR Chase Hendricks – Leads the team with 24 receptions.

S Isaiah Crosby – He had 11 tackles and an interception against Clemson last week.

UNLV beat writer answert five questions about the Rebels football program

UNLV Players to Watch

RB Jai’Den “Jet” Thomas – 337 yards rushing, 5.9 average, and 10 receptions for 106 yards.

QB Jackson Arnold – Threw three touchdown passes last week against Akron and has run for 160 yards this season.

S Jake Pope – UNLV’s leading tackler with 28 stops

S Tre Fulton – 27 tackles, including three sacks

LB Cam Santee – 27 tackles, one interception

WR Taz Reddicks – 236 receiving yards

CAL STATISTICS: Click here

CAL GAME NOTES: Click here

UNLV STATISTICS: Click here

UNLV GAME NOTES, DEPTH CHART: Click here

JAKE'S PICK: Cal 21, UNLV 18

JEFF'S PICK: Cal 27, UNLV 21

DONOVAN HICKS’ PICK (Las Vegas Review-Journal): UNLV 28, Cal 24

TICKETS: Click here. StubHub: Click here. SeatGeek: Click here

• Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

Follow California Golden Bears on SI on X: https://x.com/jakecurtis53

Find California Golden Bears on SI on Facebook by going to https://www.facebook.com/si.calsportsreport

Add us as a preferred source on Google