Opponent Preview: Cal
At a Glance
California at Oregon State
When: TBA Saturday, Oct. 8
Where: Reser Stadium
TV/Radio: TBD/Beaver Sports Radio Network
Series history: Cal leads 35-32
Last meeting: Cal scored 20 points in the third quarter at Memorial Stadium to pull away with a 54-24 victory. Golden Bears QB Jared Goff threw for 453 yards and six TDs, two of which were to Maurice Harris, who had 97 yards receiver. Nick Mitchell threw two scores and ran for another to lead the Beavers, who all got 77 yards rushing from Paul Lucas.
2015 in Review
Record: 8-5 overall, 4-5 Pac-12 (5-1 home, 3-4 away, 1-0 neutral)
Bowl game: Defeated Air Force, 55-36, in the Armed Forces Bowl
Notable games: Put up 73 points in season opener against Grambling State; beat Texas on the road, 45-44; followed that game with a 30-24 win over Washington in Seattle; routed Air Force in the Armed Forces Bowl, 55-36.
Quick numbers
Points per game: 37.9, Opponents: 30.7; Rushing yards per game: 152.8, Opponents: 209.8; Passing yards per game: 376.3, Opponents: 243.9; Time of possession: 29:04, Opponents: 30:56.
Top performers
Passing: Jared Goff (4.719, 43 TDs, 13 INT, 64.5 percent completion rate); Rushing: Vic Enwere (505 yards, 8 TDs, 4.8 YPC); Receiving: Kenny Lawler (52 catches, 658 yards, 13 TDs); Tackles: Hardy Nickerson (112 tackles and 1 sack).
Key losses
Goff, Lawler, Nickerson, Bryce Treggs (45 catches, 956, 7 TDs), Darius Powe (47 catches, 560 yards, 8 TDs), Kyle Kragen (73 tackles, 7 sacks), Stefan McClure (61 tackles), Jale Jefferson (60 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT)
Oct. 8 Outlook
Key returners
Chase Forrest (RS Soph.): 162 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 55 percent completion rate; Vic Enwere (JR.); Chad Hansen (RS JR.): 19 catches, 249 yards, 1 TD; Damariay Drew (SR.): 71 tackles, two INTs; Luke Rubenzer (JR.): 43 tackles, 2 INTs; Darius Allensworth (JR): 41 tackles, 1 INT, 11 pass breakups.
Key strength
Cal returns its three top running backs from last season in Enwere, Khalf Muhammad (586 yards, 1 TD, 6.7 YPC) and Tre Watson (504, 3, 5.7) — all of whom rushed for more 500 and averaged nearly five yards per rush. So, don’t be surprised if the Golden Bears run the ball more than usual, especially early in the season, as they break in new starters at QB and WR.
Key question
Cal will be replacing a lot of talent on both sides of the ball, but most eyes will be on the QB and WR situations. Chase Forrest is the most inexperienced returner, but transfer Davis Webb is highly regarded. Who will emerge as the starter? Making the transition from the Goff era even more daunting is that the Golden Bear’s top five receivers also graduated.
Raju’s Take
Believe it or not, this game could present OSU with one of its better chances to win a conference game this season. While Cal could be humming along by its sixth game of the season, it’s a tall order with all the new starters they have. So, the Beavers need to come out of the gates strong and strike fast and hard. They should take some shots downfield to open things up for the running game.
If they can contain Cal’s three-headed rushing monster and force the receivers to make plays, that will be a game-changer. To do that, OSU will need to be physical and wrap up — they must set the tone early in the game. Keep the Golden Bears’ traditionally high-powered off the field, and the Beavers have a good shot. Offensively, they need to be able to sustain drives and finish them.
At first glance this game looks very unfavorable for the Beavers. But upon closer look, and the added bonus of it being home game, I like the Beavers odds. In fact, I am more concerned about the Colorado game than this one. That said, too many 3-and-outs for OSU and letting Cal’s running game get going could easily turn this game ugly.