CAL VS. BYU
RECORDS: BYU 7-4; Cal 5-6.
KICKOFF: 1:30 p.m., Memorial Stadium
TV/RADIO: Pac-12 Networks/810-AM.
series history: BYU leads 2-1. Cal won the most recent meeting, 35-28 at the 2005 Las Vegas Bowl as Marshawn Lynch rushed for 195 yards and three touchdowns.
STORYLINES: Cal needs a win to become bowl eligible for the first time since 2011. The Bears started the season 4-1 but have lost five of their past six. … BYU, in its fourth season as an independent, has won its past three games against teams with a combined record of 8-27, including a 64-0 win last week over Savannah State, an FCS team with an 0-12 mark. … BYU lost four games in a row at midseason after star quarterback Taysom Hill broke his leg. But replacement Christian Stewart, a walk-on from a Utah junior college, has thrown for 1,829 yards and 17 touchdowns the past seven games. … This is the first time Cal has closed its regular season with a nonconference game since facing Southern Miss in a 2004 game that was moved from Sept. 16 to Dec. 4 because of the threat of Hurricane Ivan on the Gulf Coast.
INJURY UPDATE:
Cal — LB Jake Kearney (abdomen) is doubtful; LB Jalen Jefferson (shoulder) is questionable; DT David Davis (knee) is out.
BYU — RB Algernon Brown (ankle) and WR Jordan Leslie (ankle) are probable; LB Fred Warner (back) is out.
matchup to watch: Cal’s offensive line vs. BYU’s defensive front. The Bears need a stout effort from the men who block for sophomore quarterback Jared Goff, held to a season-low 182 passing yards against Stanford’s defense last week in the Big Game. The Cougars have similar muscle and length up front with four players standing 6-foot-4 or taller, including 6-7, 265-pound linebacker Bronson Kaufusi, who has six of BYU’s 24 sacks.
STATS THAT MATTER: Junior running back Daniel Lasco needs 15 yards to become Cal’s first 1,000-yard rusher since Isi Sofele in 2011. … Goff needs one touchdown pass to become Cal’s single-season leader. He shares the record of 31 with Pat Barnes (1996). Currently No. 5 with 7,088 career passing yards, Goff would move to No. 3 with 273 yards. … Cal ranks last nationally in pass defense, having allowed 3,973 passing yards through 11 games. If BYU throws for 277 yards Saturday, Cal will have allowed more yards through the air than any FBS team in history.
— JEFF FARAUDO
