The Aztecs return to action after a week off. Will the time away be a remedy for all that ails the Aztecs?
Questions on both sides of the ball continue to nag Coach Lewis.
The Aztecs are a pronounced underdog, but need a strong performance.
GAME INFO:
Location: SnapDragon Stadium, San Diego
Date/Time: Saturday, September 20 at 7:30 (Pacific Time)
Television: CBS Sports Network
Streaming:
Radio: San Diego Sports 760
Betting Line: California is favored by 12.5 points. The over/under is 48.5 points which would
indicate a score of 30-18. This will be the tenth meeting between the two schools. California owns a 5-4 advantage. The Golden Bears won last year’s contest in Berkeley 31-10. Of note is that the visiting team has never won. The Aztecs last won in 2016, a 45-40 home win.
THE OPPOSITION: California Golden Bears
The Golden Bears come into the meeting with San Diego State on the heels of a 27-14 win Saturday over Big 10 foe Minnesota. Cal is 3-0 to start the season with wins over Oregon State, 34-15, and Texas Southern 35-3. They have a chance to go 4-0 heading into their ACC Conference play in two weeks. The Bears were led by quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele who threw for 279 yards and three scores on 24/38 passing against Minnesota. The Bears were bolstered on the ground with Kendrick Raphel and Brandon High Jr. combining for 76 yards to help sustain the ground game. Success was found through the air though as Keawe Sagapolutele found numerous receivers open . Leading the charge were Trond Grizzell with 60 yards, UNLV transfer Jacob De Jesus with 54 yards and a score, Jaiven Plummer with a 51 yard reception and Mark Hamper with 35 yards. Mason Mini and Jordan King both has scoring receptions. On defense the Bears had two sacks and four tackles for loss, being led by Luke Ferrelli with 11 tackles. Michael Kern was steady in the kick game, punting five times for a 47 yard average and dropping three inside the 20 yard line. Cal finds themselves near the top of the ACC pack with a few other teams notably undefeated.
All eyes and expectations from the Golden Bear fans lie with the continued improvement and expectations of Keawe Sagapolutele. With Cal 3-0, a big win over a lesser opponent might be just what the fans ordered. The underlying concern of coach Justin Wilcox and his ability to ‘play down to the level of competition’ is likely to raise its ugly head again this season.
New this season is longtime Cal faithful Ron Rivera as general manager. As a former player and coach, he brings a heightened sense of winning to the forefront. He is looking to avoid the under achievement he saw last season, losing some tight, winnable games. Bryan Harsin oversees the offense and if he can replicate some of his past successes at Boise State, this might be successful. If he decides to follow his example he had at Auburn, it might be a tough remainder of the season. The Bears offensive line looks to be vastly improved, with experience and competition to improve upon their 50 sacks from last season.
Coach Lewis pressured to improve the Aztecs overall play.
Bickering and displeasure are being displayed among the Aztec faithful who are beginning to say that Coach Lewis might be on a short leash. After being humbled two weeks ago, 36-13 by Washington State, the Aztecs saw the same Cougars ripped to shreds by North Texas, 59-10. This does not bode well for a vastly superior California team. The jury is still out on quarterback Jayden Denegal who has 340 yards passing in three games with only two touchdown tosses. Lucky Sutton has accumulated 188 yards on the ground but has failed to gain more than 17 yards in a play. Jordan Napier has been the workhorse of the wideouts with 10 catches for 87 yards. Of greater threat is Jacob Bostick who has snagged six catches for 101 yards and two scores. The overall body of work for the Aztecs is not great. One easy FCS opponent and one weak FBS opponent leaves the Aztecs on shaky ground. The Aztecs will need to play with a winning intensity. Basic football, gap integrity, execution, game plan and enthusiasm. It might be difficult for the Aztecs to play inspired ball with expectations low, but a win over a quality opponent will go a long ways to keep and retain Coach Lewis.
What will the likely outcome of the game be?
Throwing talent out the window, the Aztecs need to play this game with all focus on this game and not look past it. It is a winnable game as the home team has had the advantage in the past. Whether fans will show up will be determined on Saturday. Cal should have a large base of Southern California Alumni who can go to Snapdragon Stadium with memories of their time visiting Tight Wad Hill in Berkeley. If the Aztecs play their game, they can pull out a close 24-21 contest. In all likelihood, they still have work to do, while California’s trajectory will continue to climb. Until the Aztecs show they dan win a game convincingly, this will be a convincing Golden Bear win, 38-17.
Around the Mountain West Conference
All hail New Mexico! It wasn’t but a few weeks ago, that most pundits had New Mexico being the Welcome mat for the conference. That has changed since their 35-10 thrashing of UCLA. Following a respectable 34-17 loss at Michigan, the Lobos won a close 32-22 game at home against Idaho State. They now have a week off. Last week saw somewhat limited action. Wyoming fell back to mere mortals, losing 31-6 to Utah. Fresno State has climbed out of the doghouse, demolishing Southern 56-7. Hawaii continues to show they are a contender beating FCS Portland State 23-3. Nevada found out that old ways are hard to shake, giving up 14 points in the final seven minutes in losing to Middle Tennessee State. Finally, Utah State is climbing the board and is looking strong, in a convincing 49-30 win over Air Force.
There’s a full slate of games ahead this weekend besides the Aztecs and Bears. Undefeated UNLV travels to winless Miami and a slight favorite to win. Idaho visits San Jose State in a must win for the winless Spartans. Nevada goes to Western Kentucky in what looks like a Hilltopper win. Boise State looks to continue their winning ways in Colorado Springs against Air Force. Utah State hosts FCS McNeese State. Colorado
State is at home in an intriguing game against UT San Antonio. The Roadrunners are 4.5 point favorites. I’ve got this one as an entertaining game. Next is Wyoming traveling to Colorado in back to back Big 12 matchups. I don’t see the Cowboys winning this regional game. Finally, another conference game with 3-1 Fresno State travelling to the Islands to take on 3-1 Hawaii. This is the conference game of the week. I predict the winner will become a bowl eligible team. The Bulldogs enter the contest as 2.5 point favorites.
There have been a few bright spots, but mostly questions so far in this early season. No one expected New Mexico to upset UCLA or even play Michigan tough. Boise surprised in their opening game thrashing. Utah State and quarterback Bryson Barnes are the talk of the Mountain West so far (along with UNLV quarterback Anthony Colandrea). Hawaii has added some excitement and spark. Fresno is showing improvement from their early start. Nevada continues to disappoint, showing their lack of ability to close out a game. Probably the biggest surprise is San Jose State’s first week loss to Central Michigan, who got shellacked by Michigan 63-3 last week. Walker Eget and company need to find answers to their still comatose offense. They will have an opportunity against Idaho. San Diego State has met lowered expectations, but the season is not over. Wyoming, Colorado State and Air Force all have questionable paths to success with none of them showing what it takes to be at the top of the conference.
