How Stanford Comes Away With a Win Over Cal on Saturday

The biggest game of Stanford's season is finally here. Set to take on arch rivals, the California Golden Beras in the 128th Big Game, the Cardinal will return home after a road game against North Carolina and a bye week in the hopes of beating the Golden Bears for the first time since 2020.

Finishing 3-9 the previous four seasons, a win would not only give the Cardinal the Stanford Axe back, but it would also give them their highest win total since 2019.

But beating Cal will not be easy. Currently at 6-4, the Golden Bears have showed signs of just how tough they are to beat, picking up big wins over teams such as Louisville, North Carolina and Minnesota.

Despite the low likelihood of making the ACC Championship game or the College Football Playoff, the Golden Bears are bowl eligible for third straight season and will surely give Stanford a challenge. Here are the keys for Stanford to earn a victory and pick up that elusive fourth win.

Contain Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele

Since joining Cal at the start of this season and earning the starting job out of training camp, Sagapolutele has shown flashes of brilliance in his true freshman season, currently having 2,518 passing yards, 13 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

In only his first season of college football, JKS has shown that he has what it takes to potentially be Cal's longterm starter, assuming he does not hit the transfer portal.

But Sagapolutele also is known for taking sacks, as his rushing page shows 47 carries for -111 yards. He has also made some questionable decisions that have lead to turnovers. If Stanford's defense comes out firing and ready to go, and is able to contain his ability, then it could be a very long game for Cal's offense and set Stanford up for a big day at the office.

Move the Ball

Cal's defense is actually a major bright spot for the program this season, ranked 36th in the nation, while also putting up some impressive performances in those big wins that the Golden Bears pulled off.

In fact, while the offense has had some strong moments, the defense is a big reason why the Golden Bears are in the position that they are in and why they are bowl eligible for the third straight season. And for Stanford, exploiting Cal's defense could be the secret to a win.

Taking over as Stanford's new starting quarterback in favor of Ben Gulbranson ahead of the North Carolina game, redshirt freshman Elijah Brown will be the one under center against Cal. This is a game in which he really needs to play well.

Up 21-10 in last season's contest before losing 24-21, Stanford's defense may have struggled at the end, but it was the offense that came up short, unable to take the ball down the field in the final drive.

Brown, who has looked promising at times, will start in his first-ever Big Game, and if he can move the ball well and get Stanford to score some points, it will bode well for his future with the program. Brown has shown he can move the ball this season, but typically those efforts have come when the final outcome has been decided late in games.

Focus in all Three Phases for All Four Quarters

This one may seem like an obvious one, but given how the game ended last season, Stanford will not want to take anything for granted this time around.

While Cal was a better team last season, Stanford's fast start to last year's Big Game set them up for the win, but late game blunders and a perceived lack of focus at the end cost the Cardinal their most important win of the season.

Under interim head coach Frank Reich, the point of emphasis has been sound football in all three phases: offense, defense and special teams. And since Stanford and Cal are so familiar with each other, this game could come down to who is more prepared.

Contain Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele

Move the Ball

Focus in all Three Phases for All Four Quarters

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