Week 9 - Oregon State @ Cal Football: How To Watch, Preview, Time/Date, Storylines
After decades in the Pac-12 together, the Oregon State Beavers face the Cal Golden Bears on Saturday as non-conference foes. Both teams are in major need of a momentum shift, with OSU losing their last two games and Cal losing their last four. Who will swing their season with a big day in the bay?
Here's everything you need to know about the afternoon matchup.
Oregon State Beavers (4-3, Pac-12/Independent) @ Cal Golden Bears (3-4, 0-4 ACC)
Date: Saturday, October 26
Time: 1:00 PM PT // 4:00 PM ET
Location: California Memorial Stadium - Berkeley, California
TV: ESPN2
Radio: Oregon State Radio Affiliates
Betting Line: Cal - 9.5 on FanDuel
Storylines
Curse of Close Games
The last three weeks have been full of stressful finishes for the Beavers. The 39-31 win over Colorado State went to overtime on October 5. Then, the Beavers lost by five at Nevada and then by eight at home to UNLV.
Things have been even worse for Cal in the close finishes department. The Golden Bears have lost each of their last four games, all by five points or less. Two of those were to ranked teams: #8 Miami (39-38) and #22 Pittsburgh (17-15).
Adjustments in the Rushing Attack
Don't expect the Beavers to move away from the run game as the focal point of their offense. They are averaging 239 yards per game on the ground, maintaining control of the clock and leading the nation in average time of possession per game. However, as Jam Griffin continues to heal from injury, Anthony Hankerson is taking on more of the rushing load. Trent Bray indicated this week that balancing Hankerson's rushing load is a priority moving forward, primarily using freshman Salahadin Allah as well as Jake Reichle in short-yardage situations.
"We need to continue to push Salah to put him in at moments where we need to trust that he'll do it. Part of it is he's got to continue to grow and part of it is we've got to trust him and put him in there and see it," Bray said during his Monday presser. Allah has 26 carries for 130 yards through five games this season.
Bears Who Became Beavers
Oregon State has three current players who transferred from Cal. Defensive back Sailasa Vadrawale III, tight end Andy Alfieri, and tight end Jermaine Terry II. Terry, in particular, is on a tear for the Beavers with 11 catches for 174 yards in the last three games. That total surpasses his total of eight catches for 52 yards in 17 games over two seasons for Justin Wilcox's program.
More Reading Material From On SI
State of the Beavs: What Worked & What Didn't vs UNLV + Oregon State at Cal Preview
RECRUITING: Oregon State Lands Commitment From 3-Star 2025 QB Tristan Ti'a
WATCH: Oregon State Coach Trent Bray Looks Ahead To Cal Game in Berkeley
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Joe Londergan joined the SI brand in 2023 with G5 Football Daily. With over 15 years of experience in covering and working directly in college and pro sports, Joe's expertise has been featured in Front Office Sports, SB Nation, and XRAY.FM. He is a member of both the Football Writers' Association of America and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association. Joe holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Louisville and a master's degree in sports administration from Seattle University. Outside of his writing career, Joe enjoys golfing, although he admits that while he hits driver decently, his short game is a liability.