The oldest rivalry in the west is back once again. The 124th edition of the Big Game pits a 3-6 Cal team against a 3-7 Stanford team in a year where both teams have struggled with injury and consistency.
Cal comes in off losing a significant portion of their roster due to a COVID outbreak prior to a game against Arizona, but will return the vast majority of the group for the game against the Cardinal. Stanford returns their most effective quarterback in Tanner McKee, along with continuing to work top receiver Michael Wilson into the mix.
Notes
Where: Stanford Stadium, Stanford, CA
When: 4 PM, November 20th, 2021
TV: Pac-12 Network (Ted Robinson and Yogi Roth on the call)
Radio: KGO 810
Spread/Line: Cal -1.5
Other Notables:
- Some family will be on opposite sides of the field, as Stanford's Elijah Higgins and Ari Patu will be across the field from brother's Kaleb and Orin of Cal. The younger Patu will be out after suffering an injury last week, while Kaleb Higgins hasn't appeared in a game for the Bears
- Longtime Cal coaches Ron Gould and Pete Alamar stand on the other side of the field from Justin Wilcox, as they all were on the same Cal staff from 2003 to 2005
Injuries
Cal:
Out: LT Will Craig, OLB Kuony Deng, DL Brett Johnson, OL Brian Driscoll, DL Stanley McKenzie, S Craig Woodson, ILB Blake Antzoulatos, OLB Patrick Hisatake, OLB Kaleb Elarms-Orr
Probable: CB Collin Gamble, WR Jeremiah Hunter
Day to Day (Likely gametime decision): OL McKade Mettauer, OL Bastian Swinney, ILB Femi Oladejo
Stanford:
Probable: QB Tanner McKee, LB Ricky Miezan, DE/TE Tucker Fisk, CB Kyu Blu Kelly, and S Jonathan McGill.
Questionable: LB Tristan Sinclair, WR Elijah Higgins, and RB E.J. Smith (trending towards probable).
Out: QB Ari Patu, LB Stephen Herron, RB Casey Filkins, and RG Branson Bragg. Bragg is out for the rest of the year.
Players to Watch
Cal:
LT Brayden Rohme/RG Everett Johnson/RG McKade Mettauer: Rohme will get the start, but there is some thought that Mettauer might be available for the game. He may not have the conditioning there if he was out for Covid related reasons, which makes Everett Johnson an important piece to watch. Stanford has struggled to stop the run, and the Bears meshing as a unit is important to grind down the Cardinal.
DL JH Tevis - The son of a former Stanford offensive lineman, Tevis had two sacks in the Big Game a year ago and will be needed to pressure McKee
CB Collin Gamble - Gamble, if ready to go, will be tasked with one of Elijah Higgins or Michael Wilson, two talented receivers who can give the Bears problems.
QB Chase Garbers - the hero of the 2019 Big Game will be back and in action, and his legs may be as important as his arm in combating Stanford's defense. Stanford has done well against the pass, but Garbers has had success against the Cardinal in the past through the air.
Stanford
QB Tanner McKee - The key to Stanford's engine, McKee is a big armed pocket passer who has been solid and accurate while in. He is recovering from a knee injury, and it's unknown how healthy he is after missing the past two games.
TE Ben Yurosek - One of the more dangerous tight ends in the conference, Yurosek is a threat as a blocker and vertically as a pass catcher. Cal has done well enough with Stanford's tight ends and big wideouts the past couple of years, but Yurosek has stepped up big in a down year for the Cardinal.
DB Kyu Blu Kelly - One of the best cover corners in the league, Kelly's length presents problems for the Bears, even though they managed to throw over him in the 2019 matchup.
DL Thomas Booker - Booker blocked the potential game-tying extra point a year ago, and he has been the best defensive lineman for the Cardinal on the year. He's always a person of interest to watch on special teams units
Keys to the Game
Run the dang ball - Stanford has not been good against the run this year, and Cal needs to run as well as they did against the Cardinal in 2020 (241 yards) and stick to it as the game goes on.
Knock off the Rust - A handful of players were isolated for 10 days and may have lost some of their conditioning built up, which is something they may not completely be able to build back to in the week leading up to the game. How much getting rest actually helped is unclear, but the Bears did have an unexpected bye to get a little bit healthier, which may also make a difference.
Sweep the Leg - If there's an opportunity to put away the Cardinal, without turning it into a game that's too close. That means the Bears, whose third quarter struggles have been well documented, have to come out of the half strong and take down an eminently beatable Stanford team.
Score Prediction
Cal 20, Stanford 14
