By Derek DeBurger
For the first time ever, No. 15 Louisville and the California Golden Bears will face off on the gridiron.
Here to give the inaugural take on the matchup is Philip Luongo of The Daily Californian.
For the second year in a row, Cal has gotten off to a hot start only to tumble in conference play. Do you think the two collapses are parallel or are they different?
There’s no way to look at these two collapses in the exact same way because Cal’s roster has changed so drastically this season compared to last. But there are some similarities for sure.
Last year’s four-game losing streak to open ACC play was completely demoralizing after a hot 3-0 start that included a win over Auburn on the road. The 14-9 loss at Florida State in Week 4 was embarrassing, to say the least. This year, the Bears came out guns ablazing in the first three weeks, only to get blown out in another humiliating Week 4 game they should have won at San Diego State. While this year’s collapse has been less drastic, it’s still the same old story.
Cal starts hot, fans get on the hype train and the Bears find a way to immediately bring that train to a screeching halt.
Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele has shown at times this season why he was a five-star recruit, but he’s lacked consistency for much of the season. How exciting is the future of Cal football with him at the helm and how scary is the prospect of him transferring?
While the Sagapolutele excitement has certainly settled down a bit since the first few weeks of the season, Cal fans are still in full support of the young freshman from Ewa Beach, Hawaii. His numbers don’t necessarily jump off the page and his decision-making could use some improvement, but there’s a lot of promise in this rightfully-rated five star.
While the prospect of him leaving for another program like his predecessor is definitely daunting, Sagapolutele and his parents have told The Daily Californian that they love Berkeley. If he can develop the mental side of his game and general manager Ron Rivera can build a talented wide receiver room around him, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him on Heisman watch lists in the near future. Blue and gold fans all around are beyond excited to see Sagapolutele sling the rock at California Memorial Stadium for years to come.
After the mass exodus from the running backs room in the offseason, Kendrick Raphael has stepped up in a major way as the workhorse back. However, Louisville’s defense has held opponents to under 200 yards rushing in every game this season. How successful do you expect the run game to be and what adjustments do you think could be made if it’s not?
Cal head coach Justin Wilcox and offensive coordinator Brian Harsin have relied on the ground game heavily, in part due to the fact that Cal receivers drop a lot of passes. Raphael has taken a huge step in the starting role, already finding the end zone 10 times on the ground and once through the air. He’s eclipsed the century mark multiple times.
I’d say the Cardinals’ defensive line poses just about as big a threat as the Cavaliers did last week. At home vs. Virginia, the Bears struggled to get the ground game going—Raphael only averaged 3.5 per carry—so they had to rely on creative offensive play calls and using the back as a receiver. Raphael finished with by far his season-high in 66 receiving yards; I’d expect something similar to happen at Louisville. Cal will try to establish the run in the first half, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see a more pass-heavy offensive attack in the second, especially if the Bears are down.
Just how much do these games three time zones over effect the play of the Golden Bears? The game is scheduled for 7 p.m., so there’s some mitigation done on the part of the ACC, but is it too little for such a large task?
I don’t think the time change should be any concern for the Bears. After all, the game is only at 4 p.m. PST and they’re used to playing games at that hour. What’s more worrisome is the travel time. Since joining the ACC, Cal and Stanford have ranked at the top of the nation in terms of flight mileage. At a certain point, you have to wonder how much it all adds up.
Finally, what’s your prediction? Who wins and what’s the score?
I have been a Cal fan my whole life. I told myself earlier this year that I would never pick against the Bears this season. But at some point you have to be realistic and I don’t see this squad beating a top-four ACC team in 7-1 Louisville. I’ll pick the Cardinals to win, 35-18.
Photo Courtesy / Tanay Eedarapalli / Louisville Athletics
