Will Saturday afternoon at Utah’s Rice-Eccles Stadium be a rude reality check for the Cal football team?
Or can the progress made by the Bears’ offense — which jumped to a new level after Fernando Mendoza’s encouraging debut at quarterback — show some staying power against one of the nation’s best defensive teams?
Although the Bears (3-3, 1-2 Pac-12) are 13.5-point underdogs against the 16th-ranked Utes (4-1, 1-1), there is an optimistic buzz surrounding the Cal offense we haven’t seen before during coach Justin Wilcox’s seven-year regime.
“I’ve heard Utah is an electric atmosphere,” Mendoza said this week, “so I’m really looking forward to it. These are the moments you live for.”
Cal fans hope this isn’t a case of be careful what you wish for. The Utes have won 17 in a row at home and will welcome their 80th consecutive sellout. The Bears lost 35-0 at Utah in their most recent meeting in 2019, and have not won in Salt Lake City since 1963.
The Bears will rely on more than a redshirt freshman from Miami who helped the offense generate 40 points in a loss to Oregon State last week and seemingly has won over his teammates and coaches with his preparation and enthusiasm.
Cal’s run game has been the team’s consistent strength all season and ranks 11th nationally at 217.3 yards per game. The Bears are on pace to have their most prolific rushing season since 2005, when Marshawn Lynch and Justin Forsett powered them to 235.3 yards per game.
The Bears went for 241 yards on the ground against a Beavers defense that hadn’t allowed more than 106 yards in a game, and they did it despite star back Jaydn Ott sitting out most of the second half of the 52-40 loss with an injury.
Ott, who leads the Pac-12 with 111.6 yards per game, is expected to play Saturday.
It hasn’t been all Ott. Graduate transfer Isaiah Ifanse, who came from FCS-level Montana State, has transitioned nicely to FBS. He ran for 86 yards against OSU and had 137 against Idaho State when Ott was out.
“That guy plays so hard every time he carries the ball, you just see how much will he has. The entire stadium can see it,” Wilcox said. “I just love the spirit he plays with and how tough he is.”
Wilcox credits Cal’s often-criticized offensive line with significant improvement under first-year O-line coach Mike Bloesch. Offensive coordinator Jake Spavital cited the play of center Brian Driscoll as key to the Bears’ ability to create the fast tempo they want.
But Utah has been elite defensively for a long time. “It’ll be an incredible challenge,” Wilcox said.
The Utes rank third nationally against the run (allowing 67 yards per game) and are tied for fifth in scoring defense (11.8 points). They have 17 sacks in five games, 40 tackles for loss and eight takeaways.
Spavital expects the Utes to pack the box up front in an attempt to take away the run and put more on Mendoza’s shoulders. “I think they’re going to try to make him win the game,” Spavital said. Mendoza has studied the Utes to the point where he was able to identify defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley by name. He knows what he’s getting into.
Even so, he added, “I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. I wanted to be thrown into the fire, playing two ranked opponents as my first two starts.”
The Utes are favored and at home, but they might not be as solid as their record might indicate because injuries and ineffective play have combined to drain the life from Utah’s offense.
Utah is last in the Pac-12 in both passing offense (153.8 yards per game) and total offense (297.6 ypg). Major injuries to offensive linemen, running backs, receivers and quarterbacks have rendered Utah’s offense increasingly toothless as the season has progressed.
“We’ve looked at it from every single angle. Are we doing something wrong in practice? Are we training wrong in the offseason?” Utes coach Kyle Whittingham said. “It could just be bad luck. It’s an unfortunate situation, but you move on.”
Things bottomed out in a 21-7 loss to Oregon State two weeks ago. The Utes totaled 198 yards against the Beavers and averaged only 3.1 yards per play.
The Utes are without star quarterback Cam Rising, and two running backs, Chris Curry and Micah Bernard, have already suffered season-ending injuries. Injuries have also slowed lead back Ja’Quinden Jackson, who sat out the OSU game.
Rising’s return remains a persistent question mark. The senior revealed on a Salt Lake area radio station during Utah’s bye week that the knee injury he suffered in the Rose Bowl in January was worse than originally reported. In addition to tearing his ACL, Rising also tore the MCL, MPFL and meniscus in the same knee.
Rising’s replacements, Bryson Barnes and Nate Johnson, have struggled to lead the offense. They have combined for 769 yards through the air over five games. Johnson endured a nightmarish outing at Oregon State, completing just 8-of-23 passes for 101 yards and a touchdown.
Despite being inconsistent on offense, the Utes have committed only three turnovers this season, which is tied for fourth among FBS teams. Cal leads the Pac-12 with 14 turnovers gained.
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