Cal Football Preview: Bears Host No. 24 USC Saturday
Cal hosts 24th-ranked USC on Saturday afternoon in what represents the end of a long and popular rivalry.
Cal and USC have played each other 109 times in football, and the Trojans have played Cal more than any other USC opponent. When Colorado and Utah were added to the conference in 2011 to form the Pac-12, putting Cal and USC in different divisions, Cal would not agree to the expansion until it received a guarantee that it would play USC and UCLA every year.
But Saturday might be the last time Cal and USC play each other for quite a while, because both teams will be in different conferences next year. Cal will be in the Atlantic Coast Conference and USC will be a member of the Big Ten.
This game will not be a Joe Roth Game, but Cal has not given up on continuing to honor Roth with future games, as noted in our report on the issue.
Here are the facts about Saturday's game:
CAL (3-4, 1-3 Pac-12) vs. NO. 24 USC (6-2, 4-1 Pac-12)
SITE: California Memorial Stadium, Berkeley, Calif.
WHEN: Saturday, 1 p.m.
TV: Pac-12 Network – Ted Robinson (Play-By-Play), Yogi Roth (Analyst)
RADIO: 810 AM -- Justin Allegri (Play-By-Play), Mike Pawlawski (Analyst), Kevin Danna (Sideline Reporter)
BETTING LINE: USC is favored by 10 points (down from 10.5 points). Over/under is 66.5 points.
WEATHER FORECAST: Saturday afternoon will be partly cloudy in Berkeley with a high temperature of about 71 degrees and humidity at 50% with just a 6% chance of rain. Temperatures will go down to about 50 degrees Saturday night.
CAL-USC HISTORY: This will be the 110th time Cal and USC meet on the football field, with the first meeting being in 1912. USC leads the series 72-32-5 and won last year’s game in Los Angeles 35-41. The last time the teams met in Berkeley was 2021, and Cal won that game 24-14. In 2018, Cal ended a 17-game losing streak to USC when it beat the Trojans 15-14 in Los Angeles. Twenty years ago, in 2003, Cal upset No. 3 USC 34-31 in triple overtime. Aaron Rodgers was Cal's starting quarterback in that game, but the Trojans went on to win a national championship that season.
CAL STORYLINES:
--Redshirt freshman quarterback Fernando Mendoza is scheduled to make his third straight start on Saturday, and all three have been against ranked opponents. He has performed fairly well, but he is 0-2 as a starter.
--Cal has lost two straight games, falling to Oregon State and Utah, and giving up 86 points in those two games combined. Neither has the offensive firepower that USC does. Cal has allowed more than 50 points twice this season, and the Bears rank 11th in the Pac-12 and 107th in country in scoring defense, allowing 31.1 points per game.
--Cal still has an outside chance for its first overall winning record and first bowl berth since 2018, when it finished 8-5. However, the remaining schedule is daunting. USC will be the third straight ranked team Cal has faced, and next week it will be four straight when Cal travels to No. 8 Oregon. The Bears then face Washington State and Stanford and finish with a game against 23rd-ranked UCLA.
--The Bears need to win four of their last five games to avoid finishing with a losing conference record for the 14th consecutive season. The only FBS team with a longer active streak of losing conference records is Kansas, which is trying to avoid its 15th straight Big 12 losing record.
--Cal sophomore Jaydn Ott leads the Pac-12 in rushing, averaging 100.2 yards per game, and Cal ranks third in the Pac-12 in rushing offense. The Bears rank 11th in the Pac-12 in passing yards per game.
--The Bears are tied for the Pac-12 lead and are tied for sixth in the country with 14 turnovers gained. However, Cal has committed 12 turnovers, which ranks tied for 85th in the country, leaving the Bears with a modest plus-2 turnover margin.
USC STORYLINES:
--The Trojans started the season 6-0 but have lost their last two games, to Notre Dame and Utah, and they have not lost three in a row since 2021. USC lost to Notre Dame 48-20, then lost to Utah 34-32 on a 38-yard field goal on the final play of the game, ending the Trojans’ 11-game home winning streak. Nonetheless, the Trojans are still very much in contention for a Pac-12 title because Washington and Oregon are on their remaining schedule.
--USC defensive lineman Bear Alexander, who has 24 tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss, is ineligible to play in the first half of Saturday’s game. He was ejected for targeting in the second half of last week’s game against Utah, which means he cannot play the first half of the next week’s game. Alexander will be eligible to play the second half against Cal.
--Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams was the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner and is a contender for that prize again this season. He is second in the country in touchdown passes with 23 and third in passer rating. He is expected to be the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft if he decides to turn pro after this season. But with the amount of money Williams is making through NIL, he might consider returning to USC next season.
--USC currently is ranked No. 24, its lowest ranking of the season. It was ranked as high as No. 5 after two games.
--USC has been outstanding on offense this season but has struggled on defense. The Trojans rank third in the country in scoring offense (45.4 points per game) but rank 105th in scoring defense, yielding 30.5 points per game. However, the Trojans have 64 tackles for loss, which is just one TFL behind the national leader.
--Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley missed practices Monday and Tuesday because he had pneumonia, but he returned to practice Wednesday and will be available for Saturday’s game. He calls the offensive plays for the Trojans.
---USC beat writer answers five questions about the Trojans---
CAL PLAYERS TO WATCH: WR Jeremiah Hunter (team-leading 30 catches but none against Utah); RB Jaydn Ott (601 rushing yards for the season, but just 48 against Utah); WR Taj Davis (14 receptions over the past two games); ILB Kaleb Elarms-Orr (Pac-12’s leading tackler with 9.3 stops per game); QB Fernando Mendoza (62% completion rate, 4 TDs, 2 interceptions); RB Isaiah Ifanse (7 rushing TDs).
USC PLAYERS TO WATCH: QB Caleb Williams (70% completion rate, 23 TDs, 4 interceptions); PR/KR/WR Zachariah Branch (big-play freshman has 2 TD receptions, averages 21.6 yards per punt return, returned a kickoff 96 yards for a TD); RB MarShawn Lloyd (651 rushing yards, 7.9 yards per carry); WR Tahj Washington (30 catches, 20.3 yards per reception); WR Brenden Rice (Jerry’s son has 8 TD catches); S Calen Bullock (40 tackles, 2 interceptions, 5 pass breakups)
CAL STATISTICS: Click here
CAL NOTES, DEPTH CHART: Click Here
USC STATISTICS: Click here
USC NOTES, DEPTH CHART: Click here
JAKE's PICK: USC 38, Cal 29
JEFF'S PICK: USC 37, Cal 24
Ryan Kartje (Los Angeles Times): USC 34, Cal 24
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Cover photo of Caleb Williams by Kirby Lee, USA TODAY Sports
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