Cal Football Preview: Bears Host No. 8 Oregon Saturday
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Cal looks to break a three-game losing streak in a home game against heavily favored and eighth-ranked Oregon on Saturday afternoon.
The first 10,000 fans will receive a Cam Jordan bobblehead honoring the former Cal star and seven-time Pro Bowl selection who is now a defensive end with the New Orleans Saints.
Facts of the game:
CAL (3-4, 1-3 Pac-12) vs. NO. 8 OREGON (6-1, 4-0 Pac-12)
SITE: Memorial Stadium, Berkeley, Calif.
WHEN: Saturday, 12:30 p.m.
TV: FS1 – Tim Brando (play-by-play), Spencer Tillman (analyst)
RADIO: KGO 810 AM -- Joe Starkey (Play-By-Play), Mike Pawlawski (Analyst), Todd McKim (sideline reporter).
BETTING LINE: Oregon is favored by 17 points (17.5 points on some sites) after being a 13.5-point favorite at the start of the week. Over/under is 58 points.
WEATHER FORECAST: Saturday afternoon will bring partly cloudy skies to Berkeley with a high of 68 degrees with 67% humidity and just a 7% chance of rain. Temperatures will drop to 52 degrees Saturday night.
CAL-OREGON HISTORY: The alltime series between the two teams is tied 41-41-2. Oregon has won 11 of the past 13 games against Cal, but many of them were close. The ninth-ranked Ducks beat Cal last year in Eugene 24-17, but the Golden Bears won the most recent matchup in Berkeley when Cal defeated 23rd-ranked Oregon 21-17 in 2020.
---Pac-12 bowl projections entering this weekend---
CAL PLAYER AVAILABILITY: Wide receiver Jeremiah Hunter is expected to return after missing last week’s game against Washington. Starting cornerback Lu-Magia Hearns III and wide receiver Mason Starling are questionable with undisclosed injuries, but the chance of them playing is better than 50%. Offensive lineman Matthew Cindric is out for the remainder of the season. . . . Femi Oladejo has been moved back to inside linebacker after playing outside linebacker the past few games.
CAL STORYLINES: Cal will try to end a three-game losing streak with a game at home, where the Bears are 3-1 this season and have won six of their past seven games overall . . . The Bears have been unable to win close games. They are 1-3 in games decided by seven points or fewer this season and 1-8 in those games since the start of the 2021 season. Cal lost the last two games in overtime (to Colorado) and by seven points (to Washington, 28-21) . . . Offense has been the Bears’ shortcoming. They rank 11th in the Pac-12 in scoring (23.3 points per game), but have been better at home, averaging 26.2 points in Berkeley and 13.0 points on the road . . . . The Bears' last win over a top-10 team came on Oct. 13, 2017, a 37-3 victory over No. 8 Washington State. This will be Cal's first game against a ranked opponent since the 24-17 loss to No. 9 Oregon last October. . . Cal QB Jack Plummer was slowed a bit by a leg injury against Washington, but he should be healthier for this week’s game. He ranks 10th in the Pac-12 in passer rating and has been sacked 23 times. Washington State is the only Pac-12 team that has allowed more sacks . . . . Jaydn Ott ranks fourth in the Pac-12 in rushing yards per game (88.3), but he has been limited to 70, 47 and 38 yards in his past three games since rushing for 274 yards against Arizona . . . WR J.Michael Sturdivant has made some remarkable catches in recent games and is currently the Bears’ top receiver with 37 catches and five touchdown receptions. . . The chief task of Cal’s defense will be to slow down Oregon potent run game, which ranks fifth in the country in rushing yards per game.
Oregon's wardrobe choice for Saturday's game:
OREGON STORYLINES: The Ducks are the only Pac-12 team unbeaten in conference play . . . Following their 45-30 victory over previously unbeaten UCLA last week, the Ducks have their highest ranking of the season this week, at No. 8. They started the season at No. 11, but dropped completely out of the top 25 following their 49-3 loss to Georgia in the opener. Since then Oregon has won six in a row and scored more than 40 points in each of those six games . . . The Ducks are the front-runner for a Rose Bowl berth and if they win the rest of their games they’ll be in contention for a College Football Playoff berth . . . The Ducks rank seventh in the country in scoring offense, averaging 42.4 points per game. . . . Oregon has allowed just one sack, which is the fewest in the country. . . . Oregon quarterback Bo Nix was named Pac-12 player of the week and earned several national player-of-the-week honors for his performance in the win over UCLA. He was 22-for-28 with five touchdown passes and no interceptions to go along with 51 rushing yards in that game. For the season, Nix has completed 71.5% of his passes with 17 TD passes and three picks while rushing for 382 yards. . . . Running back Bucky Irving averages 76.6 rushing yards per game. . . Oregon ranks first in the Pac-12 and fifth in the nation in rushing offense, and its 6.14 yards per rushing attempt ranks second in the country.
---Oregon beat writer answers five questions about the Ducks---
CAL PLAYERS TO WATCH: QB Jack Plummer (12 TD passes, 3 interceptions); RB Jaydn Ott (6.0 yards per carry, 21 receptions); WR J.Michael Studivant (20 catches over the past three games); ILB Jackson Sirmon (team-leading 63 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble); CB Collin Gamble (6 tackles for loss over the past 3 games); WR Jeremiah Hunter (expected to return this week after missing the Washington game).
OREGON PLAYERS TO WATCH: QB Bo Nix (17 TD passes, 1 interception during six-game win streak); WR Tony Franklin (35 catches, 16.1 yards per catch, 5 TDs); RB Bucky Irving (6.8 yards per carry for the season, 107 rushing yards against UCLA); ILB Noah Sewell (first-team all-Pac-12 last season); DE Brandon Dorius (6.5 tackles for loss); OLB DJ Johnson (team-leading 4.0 sacks)
Here is ESPN's take on the game
No. 8 Oregon at California (3:30 p.m., FS1). Cal responded to a dreadful loss to Colorado by giving Washington all it could handle last week. Can the Golden Bears offer a smoking hot Ducks team any resistance? Probably not, but watch this one just for the sheer, sexy ruthlessness of the Oregon offense. Current line: Oregon -17 (up from -15.5 on Sunday) | SP+ projection: Oregon by 16.9 | FPI projection: Oregon by 13.2.
CAL STATISTICS: Click here
CAL NOTES, DEPTH CHART: Click here
OREGON STATISTICS: Click here
OREGON NOTES, DEPTH CHART: Click here
JAKE'S PICK: Oregon 30, Cal 20
JEFF'S PICK: Oregon 35, Cal 24
MAX TORRES' PICK (Duck Digest): Oregon 52 Cal 22
TICKETS: Click here. StubHub: Click here. TicketMaster: Click here.
CAL FOOTBALL PARKING AND TRANSPORTATION: Click here
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Cover photo of J.Michael Sturdivant by Ron Chenoy, USA TODAY Sports
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