Cal Football Preview: Bears Host Oregon State Saturday Night

It's Homecoming for Cal, and redshirt freshman Fernando Mendoza is expected to start at quarterback for the Bears

Cal faces 15th-ranked Oregon State in the Bears' Homecoming game on Saturday night in Berkeley.

This is the first of five straight games against ranked foes for Cal.

Cal redshirt freshman quarterback Fernando Mendoza apparently will get his first collegiate start in this game.

Here are the facts about Saturday's game:

CAL (3-2, 1-1 Pac-12) vs. NO. 14 OREGON STATE (4-1, 1-1 Pac-12)

SITE: California Memorial Stadium, Berkeley, Calif.

WHEN: Saturday, 7 p.m.

TV: Pac-12 Network – J.B. Long (Play-By-Play), Max Browne (Analyst)

RADIO: 810 AM -- Justin Allegri (play-by-play), Mike Pawlawski (analyst), Kevin Danna (sideline reporter)

BETTING LINE: Oregon State is favored by 9.5 points. Over/under is 51.5 points.

WEATHER FORECAST: Saturday afternoon will be partly cloudy in Berkeley with a high temperature of about 86 degrees, but the temperature will drop to 58 degrees Saturday night. Humidity will be 72% Saturday night but there is only a 3% chance of rain in the evening.

CAL-OREGON STATE HISTORY: Cal leads the alltime series 39-36. Oregon State beat Cal 38-10 last year in Corvallis, and the Bears defeated Oregon State 39-25 the last time the teams met in Berkeley in 2021.

CAL STORYLINES:

--Cal head coach Justin Wilcox has not announced who his starting quarterback will be for Saturday’s game, but apparently redshirt freshman Fernando Mendoza will get his first college start on Saturday.  He has attempted one pass this season and it was incomplete.  That was late in the fourth quarter against North Texas when Cal had a big lead.

--Cal’s game Saturday night against 15th-ranked Oregon State is the first of five consecutive games the Bears play against teams that are currently ranked in the AP top 25. The next four games are against No. 18 Utah, No. 9 USC, No. 8 Oregon and No. 13 Washington State.

--The Bears need three more wins to become bowl-eligible but only two of their remaining games are against unranked opponents – Stanford and UCLA.

--Cal is coming off a 24-21 victory over Arizona State, although the Sun Devils outgained Cal by more than 100 yards – 430-326.

--The Bears are averaging 212.6 rushing yards per game, which is Cal's highest since the 2005 team averaged 235.3 yards per game. Cal ranks second in the Pac-12 and 11th nationally in rushing. However, Oregon State has one of the best rushing defenses in the country.

--Cal’s Jaydn Ott leads the Pac-12 in rushing and is sixth nationally in that category, averaging 117.8 yards per game (although the NCAA statistics list his rushing average at 118.2 yards per game). He had 165 yards last week against Arizona State, but he will be challenged to reach his average against Oregon State’s strong rushing defense.

--Cal ranks 10th in the Pac-12 and 90th nationally in passing yards per game, at 217.8 yards per game.

--The Bears rank second nationally in takeaways, forcing 13 turnovers by their opponents. Only Western Kentucky, with 16 takeaways in six games, has more.

--Cal inside linebackers Kaleb Elarms-Orr (9.4 tackles per game) and Jackson Sirmon (8.4) rank second and third, respectively, in the Pac-12 in tackles per game.

OREGON STATE STORYLINES:

--The Beavers are coming off an impressive 21-7 victory over then-No. 10 Utah. Oregon State kept the Utes off the scoreboard until the final five minutes of the game. That win improved the Beavers national ranking from No. 19 to No. 15 this week. Oregon State’s only loss was a three-point defeat to Washington State in Pullman, Wash.

--If Oregon State beats Cal it would be 5-1 for the first time under head coach Jonathan Smith and for first time since 2013, when the Beavers started 6-1.

--Oregon State ranks fourth in the country in rushing defense, allowing just 67.2 yards per game. The Beavers are third in the nation is rushing defense per carry, allowing just 2.29 yards per rushing attempt. The Beavers limited Utah to 57 rushing yards last week. Cal’s strength on offense has been its run game.

--The Beavers rank 76th in the country in pass defense, allowing 234.0 passing yards per game. In Oregon State 38-35 loss to Washington State, Cougars quarterback Cameron Ward passed for 404 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions.

--Oregon State quarterback DJ Uiagalelei has completed 57.5% of his passes, with eight touchdown passes and four interceptions. He ranks eighth in the Pac-12 in both passing yards per game and passer rating. Remember, the quarterbacking standards are extremely high in the Pac-12. Uiagalelei is also a good runner.

--Beavers running back Damien Martinez was a first-team all-conference selection and the Pac-12 offensive freshman of the year in 2022. This season he ranks second in the Pac-12 in rushing yards per game at 99.4 yards per game, and his 6.8 yards per carry rank fourth in the conference.

---Oregon State’s offensive line is considered one of the best in the country. The Beavers rank third in the Pac-12 in rushing, and they have allowed six sacks, the third-fewest in the conference.

--Oregon State’s 5-foot-8 Silas Bolden is a threat as a receiver, runner and kick returner. He had 100 receiving yards and a touchdown and 53 rushing yards and a touchdown in the win over Utah. He is averaging 42.5 yards on his two punt returns this season.

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

Oregon State coach Jonathan Smith apologized for his "milking the clock" gesture:

Milk… the clock… Jonathan Smith is a literal guy: https://t.co/gxi2njIXXo

— John Canzano (@johncanzanobft) September 30, 2023

CAL PLAYERS TO WATCH: QB Fernando Mendoza (Cal needs to throw the ball effectively against Oregon State); RB Jaydn Ott (rushed for 165 yards last week); WR Jeremiah Hunter (27 receptions, more than twice any other Cal player); PK Mateen Bhaghani (made his only field attempt, a 39-yarder); P Lachlan Wilson (put four punts inside the Arizona State 15-yard line last week); LB Kaleb Elarms-Orr (47 tackles, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble)

OREGON STATE PLAYERS TO WATCH: RB Damien Martinez (rushed for 982 yards last season); QB DJ Uiagalelei (powerful 6-foot-4 Clemson transfer has rushed for 117 yards, passed for 1,032 yards, 8 TDs); WR Silas Bolden (dangerous big-play receiver, runner, returner); RB Deshaun Fenwick (5.9 yards per carry, 4 TDs); LB Easton Mascarenas-Arnold (42 tackles, 2 interceptions, 2 tackles for loss); Offensive line (opens holes, protects the quarterback).

CAL STATISTICS: Click here

CAL NOTES, DEPTH CHART: Click Here

OREGON STATE NOTES, STATISTICS, DEPTH CHART: Click here

JAKE's PICK: Oregon State 21, Cal 14

JEFF'S PICK: Oregon State 31, Cal 20

LES GEHRETT (Corvallis Gazette-Times) Oregon State 31, Cal 13.

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Cover photo of Damien Martinez by Soobum Im, USA TODAY Sports

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