Cal heads into their non-conference finale with Sacramento State needing a positive result to carry into conference play, with a 1-1 Sacramento State team coming in that has played their first two games since 2019.
Notes:
Where: California Memorial Stadium, Berkeley, CA
When: Saturday September 18th, 2021, 1:00 PM
TV: Pac-12 Network Bay Area
Radio: KGO 810
Series: Cal Leads 2-0
Last Meeting: Cal beat Sacramento State 55-14 in 2014
Other Notables:
- Sacramento State head coach Troy Taylor played quarterback at Cal from 1986 to 1989. He was Cal's all-time leading passer prior to Jared Goff's time at Cal, and passed for 8126 yards at Cal and 51 touchdowns.
- Sacramento State also has Vinnie Johnson, a former Cal offensive lineman, as a graduate assistant on staff. Johnson played at Cal from 2013 to 2016.
- On the Cal side, offensive line coach Angus McClure played his college ball at Sacramento State from 1987-91. He also coached there from 1997 to 2003 as the offensive line/assistant head coach
- In addition, Sacramento State defensive coordinator Andy Thompson and Cal running backs coach Aristotle Thompson were on the staff of NAIA school Eastern Oregon in 2004.
Injuries
Cal
Out: DL Brett Johnson, OLB Kaleb Elarms-Orr, OLB Patrick Hisatake, ILB Blake Antzoulatos, S Craig Woodson, OL Dylan Jemtegaard
Doubtful: OLB Kuony Deng (lower body) - Deng was on crutches after leaving the TCU game with an injury. Justin Wilcox termed him doubtful
Likely to Play: ILB Trey Paster - Paster did not travel to TCU last week, but is healthy for this week's game, per Wilcox
Players to Watch
Cal:
RT Valentino Daltoso - Daltoso held up well against TCU as a pass blocker after struggling against Nevada. With a defensive line set to move around in pre-snap situations, Cal's offensive line will have to continue to hold up in order to continue their success throwing deep.
ILB Mo Iosefa - Iosefa was in position for a handful of tackles during the TCU game but was credited with missing three of them by Pro Football Focus. Iosefa has been good at knowing where to be, but needs to continue working on finishing in space
WR Trevon Clark - Clark is leading the Bears in receiving yards thanks to his 122 yards against TCU. He'll have to continue having success over the top, as he'll have a height advantage on Sacramento State's starting corners, Prince Washington (5'9") and Munchie Filer (6')
CB Chigozie Anusiem - Anusiem played the most reps of any Bear on defense against TCU, and Wilcox noted during the week that Anusiem has probably left some plays on the table that the Cal corner knows he could make. With Pierre Williams, a talented wideout in his own right, likely lined up against Anusiem, the junior corner should have another challenge on his hands
Sacramento State
QB Asher O'Hara: A transfer from Middle Tennessee, O'Hara's a dynamic runner, having run for 1000 yards for Middle Tennessee in 2019. Sac State will run their quarterback, and O'Hara has as many carries (29, which doesn't include sacks) as Cal RB Damien Moore.
RB Elijah Dotson - Dotson is as much of a threat catching the ball as he is running it, catching 9 passes out of the backfield against Northern Iowa. Dotson was a preseason FCS All-American.
WR Pierre Williams - Williams was first team all-Big Sky in 2019, had 9 receptions for 122 yards against Northern Iowa, and has been one of the players most mentioned by Cal coaches during the week
TE Marshel Martin - A relatively smaller tight end at a listed 6'2" and 210, Martin has been one of the biggest touchdown threats for an explosive Sacramento State offense.
ILB Marcus Hawkins - The most tenured defender for the Hornets, Hawkins recorded 81 tackles in Sac State's last full season, and has 11 tackles with 3 TFLs over the first two games.
DE Josiah Erickson - The leader in sacks and tackles for Sac State so far, had 15 tackles for loss in 2019 as well.
Keys to Watch
Keep the ball rolling - Cal has shown their deep passing ability in week two, and their ability to run in week one. This is a week to put them together, to be efficient against a lower division opponent, and to end the non-conference schedule on an upswing.
Get off the field - The biggest issue for the Bears on defense a week ago was the inability to get off the field on a number of 3rd and 8+ situations. That can't happen, as the Bears look to stay healthy on defense moving forward and to play a complete game, which they haven't done two weeks into the season.
Keep it routine - Last week, a bad snap on a PAT and a fourth and 1 missed conversion led to the Bears chasing points all afternoon. Those plays, the ones you need to make, are the ones Cal needs to make simple and painless. This is a week to correct those issues.
Score Prediction
Cal 35, Sacramento State 16
