It's the 107th time Cal and USC are going at it Saturday evening, with the Bears having a semblance of momentum after a 33-20 win over Washington State last weekend. USC is coming off a 31-26 win over Arizona State, where QB Kedon Slovis threw for four touchdown passes in the first quarter.

On the Cal side, QB Chase Garbers will return to the starting lineup (more on that here), as the Bears look to beat the Trojans in back to back seasons for the first time since 1999-2000

When: November 16th, 2019

Where: California Memorial Stadium, Berkeley, CA

Time: 8:00 PM

TV: Fox Sports 1

Radio: Cal Bears Sports Network (KGO 810 AM locally), TuneIn Channel, KALX 90.7 FM

Line: USC -5.5 (O/U 48.5)

Series: USC Leads 70-31-5

- Justin Wilcox coached under Clay Helton at USC in 2015 after Steve Sarkisian was fired and Helton took the interim post. co-DC/ILB coach Peter Sirmon also coached at USC from 2014-15

- Wilcox is 4-2 all-time against coaches he previously coached under

- USC defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast coached at Cal from 2010-12. DB coach Greg Burns coached at Cal from 2015-16

- Former Cal RB Shane Vereen is on the call for FS1, along with former USC RB Petros Papadakis (Papadakis notably came to Cal first, participating in a week of fall camp in 1995 before leaving, per USC's game notes)

- A win would make Cal bowl eligible for the second consecutive season, something they haven't done since 2008-09

- This marks this 42nd annual Joe Roth Memorial Game. Roth, who passed away in 1977 (shortly after his senior season) after a battle with metastatic melanoma, has been honored every year since with a home game against one of the LA schools. Roth's number 12 is the only number retired by Cal Football.

- Cal will also be giving out 10,000 Jared Goff bobbleheads prior to this contest.

Cal: WR Nikko Remigio, WR Jeremiah Hawkins, WR Kekoa Crawford, and DB Traveon Beck are all week to week

USC: Starting center Brett Neilon is out, Justin Dedich will start in his place. In addition, RB Stephen Carr will be back for the Trojans.

QB Kedon Slovis - 69.3% completion, 2321 yards, 20 TDs, 9 INTs

The former protege of Kurt Warner, Slovis has taken over for JT Daniels without too much of a bump in the road. The true freshman has developed his game through the year, adjusting against different coverages that plagued him early in the year. Slovis has been injured on a couple occasions this year, but is slated to start this contest.

WR Amon-Ra St. Brown - 55 receptions, 666 yards, 5 TDs

Pure athleticism from the outside or in the slot. The Bears forced a fumble on St. Brown a year ago that turned the game around, but the former Mater Dei standout continues to impress in an offensive system that embraces the strength of the receiver group.

WR Michael Pittman Jr. - 71 receptions, 938 yards, 8 TDs

As good of a wideout Cal has faced this year, if not the best. Pittman has NFL size and NFL speed. Big test for Elijah Hicks and Cam Bynum to face. Has the highest PFF grade of any Trojan on offense.

DL Drake Jackson - 36 tackles, 9.5 TFLs, 3.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 safety

Jackson has the ability to take over a game, something you don't always see from a true freshman defensive lineman. Hasn't been healthy for every game, but he's been a force as a run defender.

S Talanoa Hufanga - 55 tackles, 2.5 TFLs, .5 sacks, 2 PBUs, 1 forced fumble

When he's healthy, one of the most athletic pieces for the Trojans on defense. Sure tackler, solid run defender, great in coverage.

1. Get to running

Chris Brown averaged 5 yards per carry against Washington State, but the median carry for him was 2 yards. They've got the offensive line continuity, with Saffell and Daltoso healthier than they've been in some time. Now they've got to capitalize on a USC defense that has struggled against the run at times. The Trojans allow 170 yards per game on the ground (4.7 yards per carry), and Cal needs to establish something, especially with Chase Garbers back from injury.

2. Get to Slovis

Slovis gets pressured about 22% of the time, and he shows that he's a freshman when pressured. His completion percentage drops from 76.1% to 45.2%, and yards per attempt drop to 4.5 (from 9.1). Cal may have success with some A-gap blitzes against Dedich.

3. Break One

Last week, it was Makai Polk busting a 52-yard catch and run. Last year, it was Vic Wharton busting one against single coverage. The Bears will need another one this year in order to combat an explosive USC offense that will get theirs.

This is going to be an interesting game, just because the Bears have had a ton of success against Air Raids. Before Garbers was announced to be back, I had USC 17-14. I'm going to flip that, as the Bears continue their strong play from a week ago.

Cal 17, USC 14