LA Bowl Prevew: Cal Faces UNLV Wednesday

CAL (6-6, 2-6 ACC) Vs. NO. 24 UNLV (10-3, 6-1 Mountain West)

SITE: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California

WHEN: Wednesday, December 18, 6 p.m.

TV: ESPN -- Bob Wischusen (Play-By-Play), Louis Riddick (Analyst), Kris Budden (Sideline)

RADIO (National): ESPN Radio – Roxy Bernstein (Play-By-Play), Max Starks (Analyst)

RADIO (Cal): 810 AM and Sirius XM Radio (Sirius XM 113 and 202) -- Justin Allegri (play-by-play), Mike Pawlawski (analyst), Kevin Danna (sideline reporter)

BETTING LINE: UNLV is favored by 3.5 points as of Wednesday morning. Over/under is 46 points. (Cal opened as a 2.5-point favorite the day the bowl pairing was announced, and the point spread increased to 4.5 points in favor of Cal the next day on several betting sites. But the point spread began decreasing when Fernando Mendoza entered the transfer portal. Cal was still favored by 1 point on Monday of this week, but on Tuesday morning UNLV became a 1-point favorite and by Tuesday afternoon most betting sites had elevated UNLV to a 3-point favorite. The spread increased to 3.5 points the morning of the game. A few mnutes before the start of the game, a few prominent betting sites reduced the point spread to 3 points. The over/under has dropped 5.5 points since its opening number.)

WEATHER FORECAST: SoFi Stadium has a roof but no walls, so weather is not much of a factor for the players but it could be for spectators. Only lightning and extreme temperatures could affect the players, and thunderstorms are not predicted for Wednesday. Wednesday afternoon will be mostly cloudy with a high of 65 degrees. The temperature will drop by the time the game starts and will be down to about 50 degrees late Wednesday night. Rain is not expected.

CAL-UNLV HISTORY: Cal has played UNLV only once in football, and that was in 2022 when the Bears beat UNLV 20-14 in Berkeley.

CAL PLAYER AVAILABILITY: Cal quarterback Fernando Mendoza and wide receiver Nyziah Hunter entered the transfer portal so they will not be available for the LA Bowl. Cal quarterback Chandler Rogers is unlikelyto play, and starting offensive tackle Nick Morrow is out for the game with an injury.

CAL STORYLINES:

---There is a good chance that fifth-year sophomore CJ Harris will be Cal's starting quarterback on Wednesday, and true freshman quarterback EJ Caminong may get some playing time too. Senior Chandler Rogers would be Cal’s starting quarterback against UNLV if he were sufficiently recovered from the injury he sustained in the final regular-season game against SMU. However, as of Tuesday, it seemed unlikely that he will play in the LA Bowl. Harris was 6-for-11 for 65 yards, no touchdowns and one interception against SMU after replacing Rogers. Those are his only passing statistics of the season. Harris did play in a bowl game while at Ohio, and he was named the MVP of Ohio's overtime victory over Wyomng in the 2022 Arizona Bowl.

---Freshmen can play in the bowl game without losing their redshirt season, so some freshmen who have not played during the season may see action in the LA Bowl. Quarterback EJ Caminong is an example of a true freshman who might make his college debut in Wednesday’s game.

---More Cal players may enter the transfer portal after the bowl game, because the window to enter the transfer portal is open until December 28. Some may wonder why Mendoza did not wait until after the bowl game to make his move.

---Cal needs to win Wednesday’s game to achieve its first winning season since 2019, when the Bears went 8-5. That 2019 season was also the last time Cal won a bowl game, beating Illinois in the Redbox Bowl. This is the second straight year Cal will play in a bowl game. The Bears lost to Texas Tech 34-14 in the 2023 Independence Bowl.

---Cal has replaced most of its offensive assistant coaches in the past week, and it’s unclear which will be active for the LA Bowl. Two members of the 2024 staff -- quarterbacks coach Sterlin Gilbert and tight ends coach Mike Saffell -- were responsible for putting the game plan together, so it is assumed they will be present on Wednesday to help run the show offensively. Head coach Justin Wilcox said play-calling will be a collaborative effort, but one person has to have the say with a play clock running.

---Cal is coming off a 38-6 loss to SMU in its final regular-season game. Mendoza did not play in that game because he had flu-like symptoms.

---Cal is expected to have both running backs, Jaydn Ott and Jaivian Thomas, available for the bowl game. Ott has been hampered by an ankle injury all season and has gained 301 yards while averaging 2.9 yards per carry. Thomas missed the game against SMU with an injury, but he is expected to play Wednesday and is the Bears’ leading rusher with 598 yards and a 6.6 yards-per-carry average.

---Cal has a turnover margin of plus-12, which ranks eighth in the nation. Cal has intercepted 17 passes, which ranks tied for fourth in the country. Nohl Williams leads the nation with seven picks.

UNLV STORYLINES:

---UNLV head coach Barry Odom left to become the head coach at Purdue the day the LA Bowl pairing was announced. Dan Mullen has been hired as the Rebels new head coach, but wide receivers coach Del Alexander will serve as UNLV’s head coach in the LA Bowl.

---UNLV offensive coordinator Brennan Marion will not be with the Rebels for the bowl game and reportedly is the top candidate to become the next head coach at Sacramento State. Marion received praise for the work he did with the Rebels offense, which averages 36.2 points per game and is known as the Go-Go offense. It's unclear who will be calling the offensive plays for the Rebels against Cal

---UNLV ranks fifth in the country in rushing yards per game, averagng 251.2. Three Rebels players have run for more than 600 yards this season. UNLV has a strong run defense as well.

---The Rebels are coming off a 21-7 loss to Boise State in the Mountain West Conference championship game. UNLV’s only losses this season were to Syracuse at home in overtime and twice to Boise State, by five points and 14 points, both on Boise State’s home field.

---UNLV is seeking its first bowl win in 24 years. The Rebels last won a postseason game in 2000, when they beat Arkansas 31-14 in the Las Vegas Bowl. John Robinson was the Rebels’ head coach at the time. Since then, UNLV has lost to North Texas 36-14 on January 1, 2014 (2013 season) in the Heart of Dallas Bowl and lost to Kansas 49-36 in last year’s Guaranteed Rate Bowl.

---UNLV has its second straight winning season and its second straight bowl berth after having nine straight losing seasons immediately before that. The 2024 and 2023 seasons are two of only three seasons in the past 24 years that the Rebels finished with a winning record.

---This season is the first time since 1984 that UNLV has won as many as 10 games. If the Rebels win the LA Bowl it will match its 1984 season for the most wins in school history – 11.

---Hajj-Malik Williams took over as UNLV’s starting quarterback in the fourth game of the season after Matthew Sluka left the team following an NIL dispute. Williams has been outstanding and was a second-team all-Mountain West selection. He has completed 62 percent of his passes with 17 touchdowns and five interceptions. He has also rushed for 825 yards and nine touchdowns.

---UNLV wide receiver Ricky White III is a two-time first-team all-conference selection who this season caught 79 passes for 1,041 yards and 11 touchdowns this season. The 11 receiving touchdowns rank fifth in the nation. White was also the Mountain West special teams player of the year after blocking four punts in 2024. UPDATE: White will not be available for the LA Bowl.

---Rebels linebacker Jackson Woodard is this year’s Mountain West Conference defensive player of the year. He has made 124 tackles, including 17 tackles for loss, and he has intercepted four passes and broke up nine pass attempts.

CAL PLAYERS TO WATCH: RB Jaydn Ott (2.9 yards per carry); RB Jaivian Thomas (6.6 yards per carry); CB Nohl Williams (AP second-team All-American); ILB Teddye Buchanan (first-team all-ACC); TE Jack Endres (49 receptions); OLB Xavier Carlton (third-team all-ACC); QB Chandler Rogers (questionable to play); QB CJ Harris (may make his first Cal start)

UNLV PLAYERS TO WATCH: QB Hajj-Malik Williams (second-team all-Mountain West); WR Ricky White III (two-time first-team all-Mountain West, not available for LA Bowl); LB Jackson Woodard (Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year); K Caden Chittenden (first-team all-Mountain West, made 25 field goals in 2024); S Jalen Catalon (first-team all-Mountain West, third-team AP All-America); DE Fisher Camac (8.5 tackles for loss in the last 6 games).

CAL STATISTICS: Click here

CAL GAME NOTES: Click Here

UNLV STATISTICS: Click here

UNLV GAME NOTES: Click here

JAKE'S PICK: UNLV 21, Cal 14

JEFF'S PICK: UNLV 24, Cal 17

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