Cal Football Preview Box: Bears Host Stanford Friday Afternoon
The 123th Big Game will be the first Big Game in which both Cal and Stanford enter the game winless, although each team has played only two games.
It’s the home opener for Cal, but no fans will be allowed to attend the game.
The Big Game is tied for the sixth-most-played FBS rivalry game. (See list at the end of the story.)
Cal defensive coordinator Peter Sirmon discusses Stanford's offense in the video above.
Here are the important facts for Friday’s contest:
CAL (0-2) vs. STANFORD (0-2)
SITE: Memorial Stadium, Berkeley, Calif.
WHEN: Friday, 1:30 p.m.
TV: FOX -- Alex Faust (Play-By-Play), Petros Papadakis (Analyst)
RADIO: KGO 810 AM - Joe Starkey (Play-By-Play), Mike Pawlawski (Analyst), Todd McKim (sideline reporter).
BETTING LINE: Cal is favored by 1 1/2 points (as of Thursday); Over/Under – 52
WEATHER FORECAST: Friday will bring sunny skies to Berkeley, with afternoon high temperatures reaching 61 degrees. There is no chance of rain.
CAL-STANFORD HISTORY: Stanford leads the series 64-47-11, but Cal ended a nine-game losing streak to Stanford by beating the Cardinal 24-20 last year at Stanford Stadium. Cal has not beaten Stanford in Berkeley since 2008, a string of five straight home losses to the Cardinal.
CAL STORYLINES: Cal was picked to finish second in the Pac-12 North, but the Bears were virtually eliminated from title contention by losing to Oregon State 31-27 last week . . . The Bears were without three starting offensive linemen as well as starting tight end Collin Moore, starting outside linebacker Braxten Croteau and running back Christopher Brown Jr. in the loss to the Beavers. Offensive linemen Jake Curhan, Valentino Daltoso and Will Craig are expected to miss the Stanford game as well as they go through the virus contact-tracing protocol. Brown, who sat out last week with an injury, is questionable for the Stanford game, as is center Michael Saffell, who was injured in the second quarter against Oregon State. The status of Moore and Croteau is unclear . . . The Cal offense, which was poor in the opening loss to UCLA, showed vast improvement in the first half against the Beavers, but struggled in the second half. Cal ranks 11th in the Pac-12 in points per game (185) and last in total offense (307.5) . . . The Bears average just 2.7 yards per rushing attempt, which is last in the conference and 123rd of 127 FBS teams . . . Cal ranks fifth in the conference in total defense, allowing 400.0 yards per game . . . Cal’s poor special-teams play on several occasions probably cost the Bears the game against Oregon State.
STANFORD STORYLINES: The Cardinal did not play this past weekend as its game against Washington State was canceled because of virus-related issues at WSU. It gives Stanford extra time to prepare for Cal, while the Bears are working on a short week . . . Stanford quarterback Davis Mills did not play in the Cardinal’s season-opening loss to Oregon because he tested positive for the virus, although it was later determined that it was a false positive . . . The Cardinal lost to Oregon 35-14 with Mills sitting out and lost to Colorado 35-32 with Davis in the lineup . . . Stanford has three quality wide receivers in Michael Wilson, Simi Fehoko and Connor Wedington, and wide receiver Osiris St. Brown is expected to be available for this game after missing the first two games for virus-related reasons. St. Brown had a team-high five receptions for 41 yards against Cal last year . . . Stanford ranks 10th in the Pac-12 in scoring (23.0 points per game) and ninth in both scoring defense and total defense.. . . Stanford finished 4-8 last season, its first losing season since 2008, which was the last of seven straight losing seasons.
**Stanford coach David Shaws discusses the effect of having last week's game against Washington State canceled:
CAL PLAYERS TO WATCH: WR Kekoa Crawford (10 receptions, 141 yards, 1 TD vs. Oregon State); QB Chase Garbers (61.3 completion percentage, 3 TDs, 3 interceptions); OLB Cameron Goode (3.5 tackles for loss); CB Camryn Bynum (Cal’s best cover man, 1 tackle for loss, 1 interception); ILB Kuony Deng (9 tackles in 2 games, still waiting for breakout game).
STANFORD PLAYERS TO WATCH: QB Davis Mills (31-for-56, 327 yards, 1 TD, 0 interceptions vs. Colorado); RB Austin Jones (100-yard rushing game vs. Oregon, 70 receiving yards for the season); WR Simi Fehoko (6-foot-4, 227-pound receiver averages 20.3 yards per catch); WR Conner Wedington (8 receptions, 77 yards in only game vs. Colorado); LB Curtis Robinson (team-leading 14 tackles).
CAL STATISTICS: Click here
CAL NOTES, DEPTH CHART: Click Here
STANFORD NOTES, STATISTICS, DEPTH CHART: Click here
JAKE'S PICK: Cal 27, Stanford 20
JEFF’s PICK: Cal 28, Stanford 27
R.J. ABEYTIA'S PICK (The Stanford Bootleg reporter): Cal 27, Stanford 24
Most-played FBS rivalries:
129 games -- Minnesota-Wisconsin
125 -- Georgia-Auburn
125 -- North Carolina-Virginia
124 -- Miami (Ohio)-Cincinnati
123 -- Oregon-Oregon State
122 -- Cal-Stanford
122 -- Purdue-Indiana
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Cover photo of Chase Garbers by Neville E. Guard, USA TODAY Sports
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