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With the start of the 2024 season just around the corner, BeaversEdge kicks off the first in an opponent preview series diving into all 12 of Oregon State's opponents in 2024...
Next up on the schedule is a road matchup with the Cal Bears...
MORE: PFF: OSU's Top Returning Defenders | Beaver Baseball To Be On CW | Day 14 Nuggets: RB Allah Stands Out | WATCH: Defense Talks Day 14 | Day 13 Nuggets: Gabarri Johnson Impresses
THE GAME
Date: Saturday, October 26th
Time: TBD
Location: Memorial Stadium - Berkeley, CA
TV: TBA
Oregon State 2023 record: 8-5 (5-4 Pac-12)
Cal 2023 record: 6-7 (4-5)
Cal Head Coach: Justin Wilcox (36-43, 21-37 P12)
Cal 2023 Recap
After three straight seasons of not making the postseason, the Golden Bears finished with a 6-6 mark in 2023, good enough for an at-large bowl berth against Texas Tech in the Independence Bowl.
The Bears fell to the Red Raiders, finishing the year at 6-7, so it wasn't a winning campaign for Justin Wilcox and Co., but a step in the right direction after a couple of down seasons. They won a combined 15 games in Wilcox's second and third years, but have won just 16 in the four years since...
After defeating North Texas to open the season, Cal missed a golden opportunity to earn a marquee nonconference win, falling to Auburn at home by just four points. They rebounded with a win over Idaho the following week, before losing to Washington to open conference play.
The Bears earned their first Pac-12 win with a three-point victory over ASU before suffering a four-game skid at the hands of Oregon State, Utah, USC, and Oregon.
Cal rallied and took advantage of a winnable late stretch, winning their final three games against Washington State, Stanford, and UCLA to earn a bowl berth.
The Bears' offense was mostly lackluster until the Bears turned to freshman quarterback Fernando Mendoza in week six against Oregon State. The Beavers would ultimately win that game, but Mendoza super-charged the Bears' offense down the stretch of the season, helping them reach the six-win plateau.
Regarding the ground game, running back Jaydn Ott was one of the best in the Pac-12, rushing for 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns and adding 141 receiving yards and two scores.
Defensively, the Bears had a very inconsistent defense, and that was a bit of a surprise from a Wilcox-lead squad. The Bears have always yielded a sneaky-good defense under his leadership, and it's largely been the offensive inconsistencies that have held the Bears back over the years.
Cal was great at generating turnovers on defense, forcing 28 on the season, but their inability to keep teams out of the endzone cost them. They finished ninth in the conference in opponents scoring per game, allowing 32.7 points per game on the year.
Best Win: vs UCLA (33-7)
Worst Loss: vs Auburn (14-10)
Cal 2024 Outlook
Returning a solid amount of experience and playmaking on both sides of the ball, the Bears figure to be better this season, but we'll see how they fare with an ACC schedule...
Offensively, the biggest obstacle will be overcoming the loss of OC Jake Spavital, who was hired away by Baylor. He was instrumental in getting Mendoza to play his best ball, and was effective in utilizing the full skillset of Ott.
Wilcox seems to always have a rotating door at OC, as this is now his fourth different one in his eight seasons at the helm. Replacing Spavital is 2023 offensive line coach/run game coordinator Mike Bloesch, who Wilcox elevated following the departure.
The Bears also brought in added depth at quarterback to push Mendoza, adding Chandler Rogers from North Texas, who is coming off a season with the Mean Green where he threw for 3,382 yards and 29 touchdowns against two interceptions. He also added four rushing scores.
As of writing this article, the competition between Mendoza and Rogers is still ongoing, but both of those guys have proven capable of being effective starters.
Ott also returns, and he's going to be in line for another big season after being so effective in 2023. Wide receiver is a bit more of a question mark after losing a few pieces in the offseason, but they return Trond Grizzel after nearly 600 yards and five scores.
Improving defensively will be of high importance to Wilcox and DC Peter Sirmon, and the Bears figure to improve on that side of the ball as they've got one of the better and more experienced linebacking cores.
Getting pressure on the QB from the DL will be a question mark, as is getting improved play from a secondary that allowed nearly 300 yards per game through the air a season ago, but the pieces are there led by a solid veteran in Craig Woodson.
Season Projection: 7-5
Key Players: QB Fernando Mendoza, QB Chandler Rogers, RB Jaydn Ott, WR Trond Grizzell, DB Craig Woodson, LBs David Reese, Xavier Carlton, & Cade Uluave
Early Prediction
This game feels like it'll be a tough one for the Beavers...
Cal has improved from a season ago, and they gave the Beavers a tough game in Berkeley last season. I see the Bears being slightly favored going into the matchup, and doing just enough to get past the Beavers at home.
This is a winnable game for the Beavers to be sure, but I think Cal will be a sneaky-good team this year and I think they're able to do just enough on their home turf to hold off the Beavers in what'll be a very close game.
PREDICTION - Cal 35, Oregon State 31
Previously
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