Cal-Oregon State Preview: Bears Travel to Chilly Corvallis Saturday
Cal takes a five-game losing streak to Corvallis, Oregon, for a Saturday night game against Oregon State, and it's likely to be cold.
The Beavers have been outstanding at home, while the Bears are winless on the road this season.
The facts for Saturday's game
CAL (3-6, 1-5 Pac-12) vs. OREGON STATE (6-3, 3-3 Pac-12)
SITE: Reser Stadium, Corvallis, Oregon
WHEN: Saturday, 6 p.m.
TV: Pac-12 Network – Ted Robinson (Play-By-Play), Yogi Roth (Analyst)
RADIO: KGO 810 AM -- Joe Starkey (Play-By-Play), Mike Pawlawski (Analyst), Todd McKim (sideline reporter).
BETTING LINE: Oregon State is favored by 13.5 points. Over/under: 48.5
WEATHER FORECAST: A daytime high of 50 degrees will drop to 29 degrees Saturday night. It will be partly cloudy, but only a 9% chance of rain or snow. But it will be muggy with humidity reaching 94% Saturday evening.
CAL-OREGON STATE HISTORY: Cal leads the alltime series 39-35 and the Golden Bears won last year’s matchup 39-25 in Berkeley. Oregon State beat Cal the two previous season – 31-27 in Corvallis in 2020 and 21-17 in Berkeley in 2019.
CAL PLAYER AVAILABILITY: WR Mavin Anderson, who limped off the field last week against USCX, is expected to play, and offensive lineman Spencer Lovell, who has missed the past six games with an undisclosed injury, might return this week. Inside linebacker Mo Iosefa and cornerbacks Lu-Magia Hearns and Collin Gamble are all questionable.
OREGON STATE PLAYER AVAILABILTY: Quarterback Chance Nolan, who has missed the past four games with a neck injury, is not expected to play.
CAL STORYLINES: Cal has lost five straight games, which is the Bears’ longest losing streak since they lost 10 in a row in 2013 in Sonny Dykes’ first season as head coach. . . . The Bears are 0-4 on the road and 1-11 away from home since the start of the 2020 season. They have not won a game outside the Bay Area since the 2019 season . . . Cal is coming off a 41-35 loss to USC, which nonetheless represented one of the Bears’ best offensive performances of the season, especially in the second half. In that game QB Jack Plummer became the first Cal quarterback in six years to throw for more than 400 yards, recording 406 passing yards . . . Plummer had one of the best performances of his career last season against Oregon State when he was Purdue’s starting quarterback. In the fourth quarter of that 30-21 victory over the Beavers, Plummer was 8-for-9 for 123 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions . . . Cal needs to win all three of its remaining game to become bowl eligible. The Bears have already assured themselves of a losing conference record for the 13th consecutive season . . . Wide receivers J.Michael Sturdivant and Jeremiah Hunter have been impressive this season . . . Freshman running back Jaydn Ott is fourth in the Pac-12 in rushing, averaging 80.4 yards per game, but he has not rushed for more than 57 yards in any of the past four games. . . Cal ranks 10th in the Pac-12 in scoring at 24.5 points per game.
---Oregon State beat writer answers five questions about the Beavers---
OREGON STATE STORYLINES: The Beavers are 9-1 in home games since the start of the 2021, and they are outscoring their opponents by an average of 36.9-16.2 in those 10 games. Their only home loss in that span came this year – a 17-14 defeat against USC, which is ranked No. 8 in the country this week. The Beavers led that game until USC scored the go-ahead touchdown with 1:13 remaining . . . Oregon State is coming off a 24-21 road loss to Washington, and that loss dropped the Beavers out of the top 25 after being No. 23 the previous week . . . Ben Gulbranson is expected to make his fifth straight start at quarterback, and he is 3-1 as a starter . . . Freshman running back Damien Martinez is seventh in the conference in rushing and has run for more than 100 yards in each of the past three games. . . . The Beavers lead the Pac-12 in pass-efficiency defense, and they have intercepted 11 passes while allowing nine passing touchdowns . . . Oregon State is already bowl-eligible, and needs just one win to assure a second straight winning season. The last time the Beavers had consecutive winning seasons was 2012-2013.
CAL PLAYERS TO WATCH: QB Jack Plummer (16 TD passes, 6 interceptions); RB Jaydn Ott (725 rushing yards, 31 receptions); WR J.Michael Studivant (51 catches, 6 TDs); ILB Jackson Sirmon (team-leading 81 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 1 interception); WR Jeremiah Hunter (41 catches, 15.8 yards per reception); S Craig Woodson (57 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions).
OREGON STATE PLAYERS TO WATCH: QB Ben Gulbranson (5 TD passes, 3 interceptions, 3-1 record as a starter); RB Damien Martinez (624 yards, 6.4 yard per carry); WR Tre’Shaun Harrison (39 receptions, 3 touchdowns); DB Kitan Oladapo (52 tackles, 2.5 sacks); LB Omar Speights (51 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss); DB Jaydon Grant (3 interceptions, 3 tackles for loss).
CAL STATISTICS: Click here
CAL NOTES, DEPTH CHART: Click here
OREGON STATE STATS, NOTES, DEPTH CHART: Click here
JAKE'S PICK: Oregon State 24, Cal 14
JEFF'S PICK: Oregon State 28, Cal 17
NICK DASCHEL’S PICK (Oregonian): Oregon State 34, Cal 13
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Cover photo of Cal wide receiver Jeremiah Hunter is by Darren Yamashita, USA TODAY Sports
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