LOUISVILLE CARDINALS (7-1, 4-1) vs. California Golden Bears (5-4, 2-3)
Game Time: 7 p.m.
Location: L&N Stadium: Louisville, Ky.
Television: ESPN2
Announcers: Dave Flemming (play-by-play), Brock Osweiler (analyst) and Stormy Buonantony (sideline)
Favorite: Louisville by 18.5
All-Time
Series: First Meeting
Statistics:
Depth Chart:
Louisville Uniforms:
Cal Uniforms:
Unknown
Relevant Videos:
Injury Reports:
Louisville Cardinals
OUT
- RB #1 Isaac Brown
- DB #13 Justin Agu
- QB #17 Travis Egan
- RB #33 Jamarice Wilder
- LB #43 Trent Carter
- RB #43 Shammai Gates
- OL #76 Tyler Folmar
QUESTIONABLE
- LB #6 Stanquan Clark
PROBABLE
- RB #26 Duke Watson
- OL #72 Sam Secrest
Cal Golden Bears
OUT
- RB #11 LJ Johnson Jr.
- DB #14 Aiden Manutai
- OLB #18 Serigne Tounkara
- DB #23 Isaiah Crosby
- RB #24 Jayden Parker
- DB #30 Mayze Bryant
- OLB #43 Ryan McCulloch
- OL #70 Sam Bjerke
- OL #78 Lamar Robinson
- DL #88 T.J. Bollers
- TE #89 Ben Marshall
- DL #98 Nate Burrell
PROBABLE
ILB #0 Cade Uluave
About Cal:
OFFENSE
No team has been talked about more after hot starts in the ACC over the last two years than Cal has. Last season, they raced to a 3-0 start before losing four straight games by about 10 total points. This season, they started off 3-0 again before being dominated by San Diego State 34-0. The expectations have come back down to earth again, but Justin Wilcox has a chance to get to 9 wins this year, which would be an outstanding season for the program.
The hype of the season started when Jaron-Keawe Sagopalutele torched Oregon State and Minnesota while putting up highlight throws that you don’t normally see from a true freshman. The five-star from Hawaii was headed to Oregon until January, when he changed his mind and transferred to Cal as the clear starter. He started the season by completing his first 9 passes before finishing the game with 3 touchdown passes.
JKS is a star from a talent standpoint, but he still makes the obvious mistakes you expect from a freshman. His arm strength is unbelievable, and he can put pace on the ball like few others can on intermediate throws. He reminds me of Michael Penix in the way that he can effortlessly put the ball onto a receiver in a hurry. However, he can force the ball because of his faith in his arm strength, and he takes a lot of sacks that he has no business taking. Louisville will have to be sticky in coverage so that they don’t give him clear windows to put the ball into.
Cal has the second-worst rushing attack in the country, but they do have a talented running back in Kendrick Raphael. After being a solid reserve for NC State for a few years, Raphael headed to Cal after they lost their entire running back room to the portal. Louisville will have to ensure they don’t let Raphael break out into the open field, as he has the speed to break a big run.
The receivers for Cal have had a rash of drops this year, while also somehow being extremely productive. Jacob De Jesus is sixth in the country in targets on the year, and the slot receiver is very reliable as a possession receiver with a solid ability to run after the catch. He and Trond Grizzell are key targets for JKS, with Grazzell being the most likely option down the field. They join Mason Mini at tight end to form a strong group of pass catchers for an offense that is in the top-20 nationally in passing attempts per game.
The Cal offensive line is not nearly as bad as the basic stats would lead one to believe. The sacks can be attributed to JKS holding onto the ball too long. The rushing numbers are abysmal, but they also don’t run the ball very much. Add in the sack yardage from JKS, and those numbers aren’t as bad as they seem, as well. But, they are still not very good up front, overall. They struggle with simple things like getting good snaps back to the quarterback. They are also very young, which likely leads to some of their issues with picking up blitzes. The Cards should have a big advantage up front, and taking advantage of it should help them contain this passing attack.
DEFENSE
Justin Wilcox made his career as a high-level defensive coordinator before taking over in Berkeley. His tenure started out okay, but the fanbase is starting to get a little restless after five straight losing seasons. His 2025 defense isn’t really the issue, but it hasn’t helped much in the goal of getting over the hump to a winning record. Wilcox has areas of his defense that have excelled, but getting them to put it all together each game has been a struggle.
Cal runs a 3-3-5 with great size up front on the line. Louisville won’t likely see an interior defensive lineman under 305 pounds on Saturday night, and they also won’t likely see any of these players making plays that show up on the stat sheets. TJ Bollers and Aidan Keanaaina spend their time eating up blocks and being disruptors. Keanaaina has 18 run stuffs on the season, but the defensive line as a whole has combined for 2.5 tackles for loss.
The edges of Cal’s defense are solid, with TJ Bush being one of the better pass rushers in the ACC. The Liberty transfer has 6.5 tackles for loss and 22 total pressures on the season, and he plays with a good motor to chase down plays away from him. Miami transfer Jayden Wayne hasn’t been as productive, but he is a solid player at the line of scrimmage. Louisville should have an advantage up front with Cal’s struggle to stop the run, but the 3-3-5 alignment could cause some issues with blocking assignments.
The Bears have one of the best linebackers in the ACC, Cade Uluave, who is second in the conference in tackles. Uluave is all over the field when you watch Cal. He plays extremely hard, and he runs like a safety. Cal’s big interior linemen do a great job of keeping Uluave clean, and he repays them by making plays all over the field. He leads the team in tackles for loss with 10.5 and 3 sacks. Uluave has 15 pressures on the year, and he’s also just super fun to watch.
Depth isn’t much of an issue for the Bears, either. Luke Ferrelli combines with Uluave to make a strong tandem in the middle. Harrison Taggart is a former high-level recruit who has made some plays this year, as well. Aaron Hampton is a former walk-on who has also provided solid depth for the Bears. I don’t expect Uluave to miss many snaps, but the Bears have some guys who can spell him if needed.
A good argument that will likely come up at the end of the season will be over the top cornerback in the conference. One player in that argument will be Hezekiah Masses. Masses has allowed an opposing quarterback rating of 37.6, while allowing only 44% of passes to be completed, 10 PBUs, and 4 interceptions. If Cal had a better pass rush, he’d probably be one of the best corners in the country. Cal is ranked 4th in the country in PFF’s pass coverage grade, and Masses is a key reason for that.
While Brent Austin isn’t having the season Masses is, he is no slouch on the opposite side of the field. Austin is only allowing 47% of passes to be completed against him, but he hasn’t picked off a pass this year, and he hasn’t been targeted as often. Austin does have 10 PBUs on the year, and he fits the aggressive approach Wilcox’s defense deploys. The Bears play a lot of press-man coverage, which leads to some penalties, but these corners can run, and they play physical in coverage.
Safety is another strong spot for Cal’s defense, with strong coverage numbers and good run support. True freshman Aiden Manatui is the leader of the group when it comes to snaps played, and the first-year player has been solid for the defense. Manatui pairs with Dru Polidore at the other safety spot, with Jordan Sanford getting plenty of snaps as well. This group doesn’t jump out on film, but the staff mixes up how they use them. They will rotate down into the box and blitz in certain situations. UofL’s main concern with this group is how they help in run support.
Motivational Tweets:
Excitement Level: 8.8
Every win makes it go up. In more ways than one.
Game Attire: Red Louisville bomber jacket
It’s parents night out at the game. Only Cards game I’ve worn this to was a basketball blowout last season, so I feel like this is the play.
Pregame Meal: Various tailgate foods, beer
Gonna feel like old times.
Bold Prediction: Duke Watson and KeyJuan Brown both rush for 85+ yards
We have once again started fast and then gone ice cold in the middle part of the season. Time to get hot for the stretch run.
Jeff Brohm Tick Play Alert Level: Outrageous Orange (above average)
I’m feeling it more than I probably should given the various situations at play. Won’t be shocked if we see a Jeff special that sends the Saturday night crowd into a tizzy.
Predicted Star of the Game: D’Angelo Hutchinson
Big pick in a big spot comin’ … plus your typical solid Hutch stuff.
Notable:
—A win by Louisville on Saturday night would give the Cardinals a 5-1 conference start for the third time since joining the ACC in 2014. Their most recent 5-1 start came in 2023, Jeff Brohm’s first season as head coach.
—Louisville, ranked No. 15 in this week’s AP Top 25 poll, is 88-35 all-time when playing as a team ranked in the AP Top 25. The Cards are 9-7 in such games under head coach Jeff Brohm, including 2-0 this season.
—This is the 165th week in program history that Louisville has been ranked in the AP poll.
—Louisville is 51-10 all-time in home games when playing as a team ranked in the AP poll.
—Louisville has scored 22 touchdowns in its five home games so far this season. The Cardinals are averaging 36.8 ppg, at home.
—A win by Cal would make the Bears bowl eligible for the third straight year for the first time since going to seven consecutive bowl games from 2003-09.
—In its win over Virginia Tech last week, Louisville snapped a 10-game losing streak in games where the Cardinals force no turnovers and record no sacks. Their last win in such a game had come in 2002.
—Cal has rushed for two or more touchdowns in each of its last five games.
—Cal has recorded at least one sack in 21 consecutive games.
—Louisville has won 49 consecutive games when shutting out its opponent in the second half, something the Cardinals did last week in their 28-16 win over Virginia Tech. Louisville’s last loss in such a situation came in 1996.
—Louisville has won four straight games when allowing a safety.
—Cal’s passing defense ranks third in the ACC, averaging 199.1 yards allowed through the air per game. The Bears are tied with Wake Forest for the fewest passing touchdowns allowed by opponents this season (7).
—Cal ranks fourth in the ACC in defensive efficiency (120.5).
—Caullin Lacy leads the country in punt return yards, punt return yards per game, punt returns of 20 yards or more, 50 yards or more, 70 yards or more and 80 yards or more.
—Two Cal cornerbacks – Hezekiah Masses and Brent “Paco” Austin – lead the ACC in passes defended in 2025. Both enter Saturday with 10 pass breakups apiece.
—Masses’ four interceptions are tied for second in both the NCAA and the ACC.
—Cal QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele is the only Power 4 QB and second true freshman in FBS history to pass for 200 or more yards in each of the first nine games of his college career, and one of only three in FBS history with seven or more.
—Cal enters Saturday with the second-worst rushing offense in the FBS.
—Louisville is 0-2-2 all-time in games against teams from the state of California.
—The state of California has produced four Kentucky Derby winners: California Chrome (2014), Decidedly (1962), Swaps (1955) and Morvich (1922).
—Louisville has outscored its opponents 75-39 in the 4th quarter so far this season, and 270-192 in 4th quarters under Jeff Brohm.
—Louisville has had nine come-from-behind victories under head coach Jeff Brohm, including four this season.
—Louisville WR Chris Bell is 8 yards shy of hitting 2,000 receiving yards for his career. He would become the 16th 2,000-yard receiver in U of L history.
—Louisville head coach Jeff Brohm has never coached against Cal. He is 0-2 in games against teams from the state of California.
—Cal head coach Justin Wilcox has never coached a game against Louisville.
—Louisville has scored at least 24 points in 22 consecutive games, the longest such streak in the FBS. Memphis State has the second longest streak at 16 consecutive games.
—Louisville hasn’t lost by more than 7 points in 21 consecutive games, the third longest streak in the country.
—Louisville enters Saturday ranked 11th in the country in total defense, allowing just 280.5 yards of offense per game.
—Louisville is allowing an average of 3.4 yards per carry — the 23rd-best mark nationally.
—Under Jeff Brohm, Louisville is 13-1 in games in which it rushes for 200 yards or more.
—Louisville has forced a total of 53 turnovers since the start of the 2023 season.
—Louisville has not allowed an opponent to rush for 200 yards in a game this season.
—The Louisville defense has allowed just one rushing play of 20 yards or more this season.
—Louisville is one of eight FBS teams to score in every game it has played for the last 25 years, joining Boise State, Florida, Georgia, Nebraska, Southern California, Texas Christian, and Virginia Tech.
—Louisville is 167-176-5 all-time in the month of November.
—Louisville is 5-10 all-time in games played on Nov. 7. Their last appearance on the date was a 41-17 home win over Virginia Tech in 2015.
—Louisville is 7-2 in the month of November under head coach Jeff Brohm.
—Louisville is 14-0 in ACC regular season games under Jeff Brohm when allowing fewer than 30 points. They are 2-5 when allowing 30 points or more.
—Louisville is 53-42 all-time in ACC games, and 16-5 in ACC games under Jeff Brohm.
—No ACC head coach has won more games since the start of the 2023 season than Jeff Brohm.
—Louisville leads the nation in rushes of 60 yards or more (5).
—Louisville is 12-0 under head coach Jeff Brohm when it doesn’t commit a turnover.
—Louisville is 16-0 under Jeff Brohm when it wins the turnover battle and 10-9 when it doesn’t. Louisville’s only loss this season came in a game against Virginia where the Cardinals lost the turnover battle, 2-0.
—Louisville has a 17-game winning streak when committing fewer turnovers than its opponent, last losing 31-16 at Clemson on Nov. 12, 2022.
—Louisville is 24-2 over the past five seasons when shutting out its opponent in the first quarter.
—Louisville has won 38 of its last 43 games when holding teams to less than 300 yards of offense. The Cards lost to Virginia earlier this season despite holding the Cavaliers to 237 yards of offense.
—Louisville has won 17 straight games when holding its opponent scoreless in the first half.
—Since 2019, Louisville is 35-4 when winning the turnover battle, and just 8-25 when losing it.
—Louisville is 23-1 under Jeff Brohm when allowing fewer than 30 points.
—Louisville is 209-16 all-time when scoring 35 or more points in a game.
—Louisville is 142-4 all-time when scoring 40 or more points in a game, including an 83-3 mark since 2000. The Cards are 6-123 all-time when allowing opponents to score 40 or more points.
—Louisville is currently riding a consecutive game scoring streak that spans 322 games dating back to a 31-0 loss to Florida State during the 2000 season. The streak ranks as the second longest in the ACC behind only Virginia Tech, and the 8th-longest nationally.
Quotable:
—”I think for us, internally, we talk about a one game season a lot and the importance of the next game. I think if you do that as much as we do, you don’t have to talk about all the things going on around you as much. I think [the players] are fully aware – and I’ve talked about the stakes getting higher and higher every week – so, they’re fully aware that the stakes are higher each and every week.” —Jeff Brohm
—“We have to block and we have to tackle. Without that, we have no chance. I don’t care what scheme you have. You just have a dry-erase marker at that point.” —Cal head coach Justin Wilcox
—”He can throw the football. He’s very good. This is a good quarterback who can see the field and is very accurate. The passing game has been very effective for them.” —Jeff Brohm
—”Well, the quarterback, I mean he can make all the throws. He reminds me of [Micheal Penix Jr.], I was back at Indiana in 2018, 2019, and 2020, when we had Micheal Penix Jr.” —Mark Hagen
—“Whoever is getting the ball (for Louisville) is a very talented player.” —Cal head coach Justin Wilcox
—“We’re pretty confident right now. We just have to tighten up some screws and start faster. If we play together as one team, we’re unstoppable.” —Cal CB Paco Austin
—There is a lot to play for. Every game matters, there’s a lot to play for and that’s what makes it fun and if you win; You’re giving yourself a chance. We just want to try to continue to improve and play our best football that we can every time we step on the field. We know it’s not going to be perfect, but we’ve got to try to make it as great as we can every game.” —Jeff Brohm
Card Chronicle Prediction: Louisville 33, Cal 27
