After an embarrassing loss last weekend to San Diego State, the Cal Golden Bears (3-1) are back on the road to face off against Boston College Eagles (1-2). Both teams are desperate to get back in the win column. It’s the start of conference play for Cal, and a win in this game would go a long way toward erasing the memory of last week’s catastrophe. Boston College is coming off a bye, but the weekend before, they also lost in embarrassing fashion to Stanford. Can the Bears find a way to get the job done on the road? It’s a Cal vs. Boston College showdown in Week 5, so let’s dive into this 2025 game preview.
California Golden Bears vs. Boston College Eagles: Matchup History
This will be the first time these two teams have played against each other since 1986. In that matchup, Boston College won in what appeared to be a close game. Now, these two teams are in the same conference and will see each other more often, but things look a lot different than they did in 1986. Both teams really want to win this game, and both teams feel like they probably should win this game.
Cal vs. Boston College 2025 Preview: Keys, Players, and Predictions
Key Players for Cal
It might be best for Cal to throw away the tape from last week, especially for true freshman quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele. Yes, he had a bad game against the Aztecs, but it certainly wasn’t his fault. The whole team was off, and nothing went right.
I’m unsure of what the game plan is this weekend, but Cal needs to do all they can to help him out. The Bears need to establish a run game to get Sagapolutele in more favorable passing situations. At times, the offense looks much like the offense last year, where they struggle to pick up any yards on first and second down. Constantly putting your young quarterback in third-and-long situations isn’t a recipe for success. Yet, the Boston College defense is ripe for the picking. If Cal can gel on offense early in this game, Sagapolutele could be in store for another huge performance to start his collegiate career.
Fans have grown accustomed to this Cal defense being top-tier in the Justin Wilcox-era. I’m not sure what happened last weekend, but the defense was anything but top-tier. The defense gave up big plays through the air and was gashed on the ground. If there was ever a game for star linebacker Cade Uluave to set the tone early, it’s this one.
Boston College may have two losses, and they do struggle to run the ball, but they can definitely throw it. Uluave and the rest of the defense need to shut the run game down early and keep this team in third and long situations. They’ll be tested yet again by another program that is coming off a bye with an additional week of preparation. Hopefully, Uluave can come out and set the tone early for this defense and prove that their past performance was just a fluke.
Key Players for Boston College
We see what happens when the Bears fail to generate any sort of pass rush. One game that comes to mind is against Syracuse last year. Kyle McCord had all day to throw, and he made the team pay. Cal cannot let Boston College quarterback Dylan Lonergan stand comfortably in the pocket and pick them apart.
Through three games, Lonergan has already thrown for 991 yards and nine touchdowns. He’s also completing his passes at a high clip this season with a 73.2 completion percentage. The Eagles really want to throw the ball, and in the past two games, Lonergan has thrown a total of 89 passes. The Bears defense has to keep him in check, or he’s going to pick them apart.
On the defensive side of the ball, Boston College has struggled this season. One play in particular has not, and that is defensive back Omar Thornton. Thornton is an aggressive player who likes to come up and make big plays in the run. He’s second on the team in tackles, and has five tackles for a loss, one sack, and one forced fumble. JKS needs to be aware of where he is at all times. Boston College is going to blitz frequently, and Thornton is one of the guys that they like to bring.
2025 Game Preview: How Cal Can Win This Game
There is a mountain to climb for the Golden Bears to win this game. Justin Wilcox’s teams are not good in games a the end of September and early October, with a bad conference record to boot. And, this team is travelling across the country to play a program that is also coming off of a bye like San Diego State was. That’s a lot of glaring issues, and probably too much to overcome for past Cal teams.
Cal has the better roster in this matchup, and this is a player’s league. The Bears will need to start out hot in this game. Just because Boston College lost to Stanford does not make them a bad team. This could be a high-scoring affair, and one where whoever has the ball last is going to win. Still, the Bears got their wake up call last weekend and will come out and play more passionately. If the Bears win this game they will start off conference play 1-0 to improve to 4-1 on the season.
Final Score: Cal 33 Boston College 28
Discover more from The League Winners
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
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.