Cal Football Game Preview: Bears Visit San Diego State

Cal looks to improve to 4-0 when it travels to San Diego State on Saturday for its final nonconference game and its third night game of the season

The preview:

CAL (3-0. 0-0 ACC) vs. SAN DIEGO STATE (1-1, 0-0 Mountain West)

SITE: Snapdragon Stadium San Diego, California

WHEN: Saturday, 7:30 p.m.

TV: CBS Sports Network -- Alex Del Barrio (Play-By-Play), Randy Cross (Analyst), Lauren Green (Sideline Reporter)

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

BETTING LINE: Cal is a 14-point favorite as of Saturday morning. Over/Under is 47.0 points

WEATHER FORECAST: The temperature in San Diego will rise to 81 degrees Saturday afternoon but will drop to about 72 degrees by game time Saturday nigh. By the time the game ends, the temperature will be about 66 degrees. The sky will become cloudy Saturday night and humidity will be at 88%, but there is only a 9% chance of rain.

CAL-SAN DIEGO STATE HISTORY: Cal leads the alltimes series 5-4, but what is interesting is that Cal has won all five games played in Berkeley and has lost all four games played in San Diego, site of this year’s game. Cal beat the Aztecs 31-10 in last year’s game in Berkeley, but the Bears lost to San Diego State 45-40 the last time the teams met in San Diego in 2016, even though Cal quarterback Davis Webb threw 72 passes for 522 yards and five touchdowns, albeit with three interceptions.

CAL PLAYER AVAILABILITY: Cal kicker Abram Murray is unavailable for Saturday's game. Chase Meyer will do all the place-kicking against San Diego State. Meyer and Murray have each made all three of their field-goal attempts this season. Murray is being used to kick Cal's long field-goal attempts this season. When the Bears play their ACC opener, Cal will be required to submit an injury report in the days leading up to the game.

SAN DIEGO STATE PLAYER AVAILABILITY: Aztecs linebacker Tano Letuli, the team’s leading tackler and a preseason all-Mountain West selection, injured his left shoulder at Washington State two weeks ago but is expected to play against Cal. San Diego State wide receiver Ben Scolari is out for the season with an injury.

CAL STORYLINES:

---Cal is hoping to improve to 4-0 for the first time since 2019, when the Bears won their first four games but then lost their next four in a row. Cal finished 8-5 in 2019, which was the last time Cal finished with a winning record.

---Cal true freshman quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele has been impressive in the Bears’ first three games and he was named ACC newcomer of the week for the second time this season based on his performance in Cal’s 27-14 victory over Minnesota last week. He completed 24-of-38 passes for 279 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.

---Despite its success through the air, Cal has not run the ball very well. The Bears had just 61 yards on the ground against Minnesota despite being ahead much of the game, and they are averaging 118.7 rushing yards per game, which ranks 13th in the ACC. Kendrick Raphael Leads Cal in rushing with 201 yards and a 5.2 yards-per-carry average.

---The Golden Bears have won three straight games by double-digit margins for the first time since 2016, when they opened the season with wins over Maryland (52-13), Eastern Washington (59-7) and Minnesota (35-21).

---Cal needed to improve its efficiency in the red zone this season and has done so to this point. The Bears are the only team in the ACC and one of 27 teams in the country to have scored on every trip inside the opponent’s 20-yard line this season. Cal has reached the red zone 13 times, and 10 of those trips have resulted in touchdowns, which is 76.9% touchdown production. Last season Cal scored touchdowns on 51.1% on its red zone opportunities.

---Cal ranks second in the ACC in rushing defense, yielding 82.3 yards per game and 2.9 yards per rushing attempt. Redshirt freshman linebacker Luke Ferrelli leads the team in tackles with 27, which ranks fifth in the ACC.

---Golden Bears cornerback Hezekiah Masses is tied for the national lead in interceptions (three) and leads the country in pass breakups (six) and passes defensed (nine). He has picked off one pass in each game this season. Cal’s Nohl Williams led the nation in interceptions last season with seven.

---Field-goal kicking was a problem last season, but the Bears are 6-for-6 on field-goal tries this season. Abram Murray, who kicks Cal’s long field goals, is 3-for-3 with a long of 49 yards, and Chase Meyer, who kicks the shorter field goals and extra points, is also 3-for-3 with a long of 43 yards. However, Murray is unavailable for Saturday's game against San Diego State.

SAN DIEGO STATE STORYLINES:

---San Diego State is coming off a bye following its 36-13 road loss to Washington State on September 6, so it has two weeks to prepare for Cal. The Aztecs won their opener 42-0 over Stony Brook, an FCS team, at Snapdragon Stadium, but San Diego State was just 2-4 in home games last season.

---On July 1, 2026 San Diego State will officially join the Pac-12. Boise State, Colorado State, Gonzaga (for men’s basketball only), Fresno State, Texas State and Utah State are the other teams that will be added to the Pac-12 along with current Pac-12 members Oregon State and Washington State.

---San Diego State running back Lucky Sutton leads the Mountain West in rushing, averaging 94.0 yards per game. He rushed for 100 yards and two touchdowns in the opening win over Stony Brook, and he had 88 yards on the ground in the loss to Washington State. He is averaging 4.9 yards per carry.

---Sean Lewis is in his second season as San Diego State's head coach, and he has a 4-10 record with the Aztecs. He was Colorado's offensive coordinator under Deion Sanders in 2023 and was the head coach at Kent State before that.

---San Diego State is the only team in the country that has not had a single turnover by either team this season. The Aztecs have committed no turnovers in their two games, and they have forced no turnovers by their opponents. There were no turnovers in San Diego State’s last game of 2024 either, running its streak to three consecutive turnover-free games.

---Aztecs place-kicker Gabe Plascencia has made 14 straight field goals dating back to last year, and that is tied for the fifth-longest active streak in the nation. He attended Oakland’s Bishop O’Dowd High School and came to San Diego State as a walk-on after attending College of San Mateo for two years. An injury prevented Plascencia from playing against Cal last year.

---San Diego State might use two quarterbacks – Jayden Denegal and Bert Emanuel Jr. – but Denegal, a transfer from Michigan, is expected to start and get most of the playing time. In his two games, he has completed 50.9% of his passes for 340 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. He has minus-12 yards rushing.

---San Diego State defensive end Trey White was the preseason Mountain West defensive player of the year after recording 12.5 sacks last year. He has yet to get a sack this season, but he had 2.5 sacks against Cal last season.

---San Diego State is averaging 27.5 points per game and giving up 18.0 points per game. The Aztecs have recorded three sacks and have allowed three sacks.

---Five questions to a San Diego State beat writer about the Aztecs---

CAL PLAYERS TO WATCH: QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele (6 TD passes, 1 interception); LB Cade Uluave (24 tackles, 3 tackles for loss); WR Trond Grizzell (175 receiving yards); WR Jacob De Jesus (17 receptions, 15.4 yards per punt return); CB Hezekiah Masses (3 interceptions, 9 passes defensed); ILB Luke Ferrelli (team-leading 27 tackles).

SAN DIEGO STATE PLAYERS TO WATCH: RB Lucky Sutton (Mountain West’s leading rusher); EDGE Trey White (preseason Mountain West defensive player of the year); LB Tano Letuli (preseason first-team all-Mountain West selection); CB Chris Johnson (67 tackles, 1 interception, 4 pass breakups, 3 forced fumbles in 2024); K Gabe Plascencia (made 14 straight field goals, including a 50-yarder); WR Jordan Napier (7 catches vs. Washington State);

CAL 2024 STATISTICS: Click here

CAL GAME NOTES, DEPTH CHART: Click here

SAN DIEGO STATE STATISTICS: Click here

SAN DIEGO STATE NOTES, DEPTH CHART: Click here

JAKE'S PICK: Cal 28, San Diego State 17

JEFF'S PICK: Cal 33, San Diego State 13

BERNIE WILSON’S PICK (San Diego State Aztecs on SI): Cal 31, San Diego State 14

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