In securing a bowl game berth with its season finale victory over UCLA, Cal was selected to play at the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl Dec. 16. The Bears’ opponent, the Texas Tech Red Raiders, like Cal, also finished with a 6-6 record. That puts Texas Tech in a tie for eighth in the Big 12, and its 5-4 conference record was tied for seventh in the league.
The Red Raiders’ season, much like Cal’s, was up and down. They began 1-3, and were later 3-5, but went on a three-game win streak — defeating TCU, then-No. 19 Kansas and UCF — to get to six wins and earn bowl eligibility. However, the team’s momentum stalled with a 57-7 blowout loss against the playoff-bound No. 3 Texas Longhorns.
This game will be a rematch of the 2004 Holiday Bowl, when a 10-1 Cal team was beat out by Texas for a BCS bowl berth. Cal, with Aaron Rodgers and Marshawn Lynch at the helm, wound up losing to a then-underdog Texas Tech by a score of 45-31.
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Players to watch
Tahj Brooks
The Red Raiders’ star player is running back Tahj Brooks, a top-four rusher in the nation. Brooks, who recently announced his decision to stay with the Red Raiders for another season, had a breakout senior year. He finished with 1,443 rush yards and nine touchdowns. Brooks is at the center of Texas Tech’s offense, and his 1,570 yards accounted for nearly a third of the Red Raiders’ offensive production. Brooks ranks third in the nation in rush attempts this season.
According to PFF, Brooks has 91 missed tackles forced after a rush, which leads the nation. He is also fourth in yards after contact with 919 yards. A pure power back, he also has a relatively low 31.2 % breakaway percentage. As a team, Cal has a 60.9 tackling grade, which ranks 105th in the FBS according to PFF. The Bears’ linebacker room is also thinned out, considering that Kaleb Elarms-Orr will not be playing due to entering the transfer portal and Jackson Sirmon is out for the season.
Simply put, Brooks is the identity of the Texas Tech offense. The key to victory for Cal is finding a way to maintain his impact on the game. In the regular season finale, the Bears had 21 missed tackles against UCLA. If they want to keep the score down and maintain time of possession, improving tackling will be key.
