Cal Football Game Preview: Bears Host Oregon State Saturday

Bears hope to end a four-game losing streak in this nonconference game against the Beavers in Berkeley

Cal faced Oregon State in Berkeley last yearCal faced Oregon State in Berkeley last year / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Cal faces a familiar foe for one of the few times this season when it hosts Oregon State on Saturday afternoon. What is odd is that this will be a nonconference game.

Here are the facts of the game:

CAL (3-4, 0-4 ACC) Vs. OREGON STATE (4-3)

SITE: Cal’s Memorial Stadium, Berkeley, California

WHEN: Saturday, 1 p.m.

TV: ESPN2 -- Mike Monaco (Play-By-Play), Kirk Morrison (Analyst), Dawn Davenport (Sideline Reporter)

RADIO: 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: Cal is favored by 10.5 points. Over/Under is 49.5 points

WEATHER FORECAST: Saturday afternoon in Berkeley will be cloudy with an expected temperature of 69 degrees at kickoff rising to about 72 degrees by the time game ends. There is only a 2% chance of rain Saturday afternoon.

CAL-OREGON STATE HISTORY: Cal leads the alltime series 39-37, although the Beavers have won four of the last five meetings, including the last two in a row. Oregon State won last year’s game in Berkeley 52-40, when Cal QB Fernando Mendoza made his first collegiate start. Saturday’s game will be their first nonconference meeting since 1960, when Cal was a member the American Association of Western Universities and Oregon State was an independent. Oregon State and Cal first played each other in a football game in 1905, and Cal won that game 10-0, although Oregon State was known as the Oregon Aggies at the time. Cal also played St. Vincent, Williamette and Sherman Indians in that 1905 season.

CAL PLAYER AVAILABILITY: Running back Jaydn Ott, a first-team all-Pac-12 selection last year, has missed the past two games with a leg injury, but he practiced this week and might play against Oregon State. Wide receiver Tobias Merriweather, who was projected to be a starter, practiced this week for the first time this season, and there is an outside chance he will play Saturday. Guard Sioape Vatkkani, who has played just one game this season, is questionable to play, and offensive tackle T.J. Session is unlikely to play. Tight end Corey Dyches, who missed the past two games, is questionable again this week. Nickelback Matthew Littlejohn and outside linebacker Ryan McCulloch are both unlikely to play Saturday. Kyion Grayes, the other wide receiver projected to be a starter, has not played this season and is unlikely to play Saturday.

CAL STORYLINES:

---Cal is riding a four-game losing streak, and it lost those four games by a combined margin of nine points. The Bears’ margin of defeat in its past three games combined was just four points. All four games in the losing streak were against ACC opponents.

---Bears running back Jaydn Ott and wide receiver Tobias Merriweather might play this week. Ott has missed the past two games and three games altogether this season, but he has practiced this week, giving him a shot at playing against Oregon State. He has rushed for just 135 yards this season, averaging 2.9 yards per carry. Merriweather also returned to practice this week, so he has an outside chance to make his 2024 debut on Saturday. If Merriweather doesn’t play this week, he should be available for the November 8 game against Wake Forest. A transfer from Notre Dame, Merriweather was projected to be a starter this season and provide a deep threat.

---Cal quarterbacks have been sacked 27 times, and only two FBS schools have allowed more sacks than that. However, Oregon State has recorded only five sacks, tied for the fewest in the nation.

---Cal has not announced who the Bears’ place-kicker will be this week. Freshman Derek Morris replaced Ryan Coe after Coe was just 7-for-14 on field-goal attempts and missed a 40-yard kick in the closing moments of the loss to Pitt. Morris made his first three field-goal attempts against North Carolina State but missed a 28-yard attempt with 1:37 left and the Bears trailing by one point. Justin Wilcox said the two would compete during practice this week to determine who would be the place-kicker against Oregon State. Cal kickers have missed six field goals of 40 yards or shorter, and two of those probably cost the Bears victories.

---Cal is tied for fourth in the country in turnover margin at plus-11 (16 takeaways, 5 turnovers), and typically that would suggest a successful season. In fact, the other four schools with a turnover margin of plus-11 or better have a combined record of 22-5. Of the top 38 teams in the nation in turnover margin, Cal is the only one with a losing record. Cal has not lost the turnover battle in any of its seven games this season, but is still just 3-4.

---Cal has 13 interceptions, which is tied for the second-most in the country, and Bears cornerback Nohl Williams leads the nation in interceptions with six. Williams has 13 career interceptions (8 with Cal, 5 with UNLV) and that is tied for the most by any active FBS player.

---Cal has a bye next week, then plays a game on Friday, November 8, at Wake Forest, which will be Cal’s fourth cross-country trip of the year.

OREGON STATE STORYLINES:

---Oregon State has lost two in a row, including last week’s 33-25 loss to UNLV when the Beavers got to the UNLV 6-yard line before throwing an incompletion on the final play of the game.

---The Beavers are one of two members of the Pac-12 this season (along with Washington State), and they are playing what amounts to an independent schedule this season. Seven of their 12 opponents this season are members of the Mountain West Conference. Oregon State plays Cal again next season in Corvallis in a nonconference game in both teams’ season opener on August 30, 2025. What is weird about the Beavers’ 2025 schedule is that they will face Washington State twice, both times in November 2025.

---Trent Bray is in his first season as Oregon State’s head coach, and this is his first season as a head coach at any level. He is a former Oregon State linebacker and was the Beavers’ defensive coordinator the past two seasons. He was promoted to head coach after Jonathan Smith left to become the head coach at Michigan State.

---Oregon State runs the ball more than it passes it, averaging 239 yards on the ground vs. 191.29 yards through the air. In a 38-21 victory over Purdue back on September 21, the Beavers ran the ball 57 times and passed it 18 times. However, Oregon State averaged just 3.7 yards per rushing attempt last week against UNLV.

---The Beavers have recorded just five sacks this season, which is tied for the fewest in the country. This is good news for Cal, which has allowed its quarterback to be sacked 27 times. Only two FBS teams have allowed more sacks than that.

---Oregon State has posted winning records, both overall and in the Pac-12, in each of the past three seasons, and they played in bowl games each of the past three seasons. The Beavers finished in the top 20 of the final College Football Playoff rankings each of the past two seasons, including No. 14 in 2022, when they went 10-3.

---Oregon State quarterback Gevani McCoy was a first-team all-Big Sky selection last year at Idaho before transferring to Oregon State. However, he has played a game against Cal. When Cal hosted Idaho last year, McCoy completed 27-of-46 passes for 269 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. He helped Idaho, a BCS school, take a 17-0 lead on the Bears before Cal rallied for a 31-17 victory.

---Two Oregon State players – Jermaine Terry II and Andy Alfieri – started their college careers at Cal. Terry has caught 11 passes this season as the Beavers’ starting tight end in his second season in Corvallis. Alfieri is a reserve outside linebacker who gets significant playing time after transferring from Cal this past offseason. Alfieri is listed as a tight end on Oregon State’s roster, but he was recently switched to defense.

---An Oregon State beat writer answers five questions about the Beavers---

CAL PLAYERS TO WATCH: QB Fernando Mendoza (8 TDs, 3 interceptions); RB Jaydn Ott (might play this week); RB Jaivian Thomas (6.2 yards per carry); CB Nohl Williams (6 interceptions, tops in the nation); ILB Teddye Buchanan (71 tackles, 8.0 tackles for loss); TE Jack Endries (17 receptions over the last two games); OLB Xavier Carlton (6.5 sacks, 3 quarterback hurries)

OREGON STATE PLAYERS TO WATCH: QB Gevani McCoy (3 TD passes, 5 interceptions); RB Anthony Hankerson (700 yards rushing, 100.0 yards per game); WR Trent Walker (46 catches, 468 yards); DB Skyler Thomas (47 tackles, 1 interception); OLB Nikko Taylor (6 tackles for loss, 6 quarterback hurries, 2 forced fumbles).

CAL STATISTICS: Click here

CAL NOTES, DEPTH CHART: Click Here

OREGON STATE STATISTICS: Click here

JAKE'S PICK: Cal 28, Oregon State 17

JEFF'S PICK: Cal 27, Oregon State 21

LES GEHRETT’S PICK (Corvallis Gazette-News): Cal 28, Oregon State 24

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