The San Diego State Aztecs roll into Berkeley this Saturday night to take on the California Golden Bears. It’s a matchup between two California-based schools. With a win this weekend, Cal will be undefeated heading into a pivotal football matchup with FSU in Week 4. It’s Cal vs. San Diego State in an interstate matchup in Week 3.
Cal Football vs. San Diego State Matchup History
These two schools have faced off a total of eight times with each team being a perfect 4-0 at home. The last time they played was in 2016 when San Diego State beat Cal with a final score of 45-40. This game will be played at California Memorial Stadium for Cal’s second home game. It’s another primetime game for the Bears and will be aired on ESPN at 7:30 PST.
Key Players – California Golden Bears
The Aztecs have one of the better running backs in the country in Marquez Cooper. It’s going to be crucial for the Bears defense to limit the run game to force the Aztecs into long third downs. However, one player that can make a huge difference is defensive lineman T.J. Bollers.
Bollers has been a monster in his first season with Cal after transferring from Wisconsin. The redshirt junior has made a major impact in the run game, as well as his ability to rush the quarterback. He’s recorded three total tackles, one sack, two pass deflections, and one quarterback hurry. His ability to clog the lanes against Auburn was key for the defense in limiting the Tigers rushing attack. For Cal to have success stopping the run again, Bollers will need to play a major part.
It’s no surprise that after the game he had last week, head coach Justin Wilcox named quarterback Fernando Mendoza the starter going forward. His first half against Auburn was very Aaron Rodgers-esque when he finished 19-21 in the first half. He was calm, cool, and collected in last week’s impressive win.
San Diego State’s defense is surrendering an average of 300 yards per game early in the season. Fernando Mendoza has yet to throw an interception this year and will need to play flawlessly again this weekend. Hopefully, he can carry his strong play over from last week.
Key Players – San Diego State Aztecs
As mentioned earlier, San Diego State has an elite running back. Cooper is a problem for any defense he faces. After all, he’s finished the last three seasons with over 1,000 yards rushing.
Cooper had an impressive first game against Texas A&M-Commerce where he rushed for 223 yards in a blowout victory. He is the bell cow for this Aztecs offense and they’re going to try and feed him the ball early to establish their run game.
The Cal offense will more than likely be without starting wide receivers Tobias Merriweather and Kyion Grayes once again. San Diego State has very good cornerbacks on their roster including Chris Johnson.
While Johnson doesn’t have much statistics in pass coverage besides one pass deflection, he’s a very physical corner. This season, he’s already forced two fumbles and has 10 total tackles. It’ll be interesting to see who he lines up against on the Cal offense, but he’s one player that the Bears need to pay attention to.
Cal vs. San Diego State – Keys to the game
After last week’s win against Auburn, the Golden Bears need to keep their foot on the gas against the Aztecs. Far too often a college team will have a big win, only to follow it up with a stinker.
Following this game against SDSU, Cal plays football games at Florida State, then home against Miami. This has the feeling of a trap game, and Cal cannot afford to look ahead.
Superstar running back Jaydn Ott might not play in this game, but Cal needs to establish the run with Jaivian Thomas and Kadarius Calloway.
The Aztec offense has a true freshman quarterback under the helm in Danny O’Neil. With the way the defense has started this season, the Golden Bears defense should make life pretty hard for him.
With that being said, Cal is the favorite in this football game, and simply the better team right now. Hopefully, they can get a little revenge from the last time these schools faced off and improve to 3-0 on the season.
Cody Henderson
I root for teams that only let me down. Talking all things Las Vegas Raiders and Cal Bears football. Follow me on X where I post my dramatic takes.