Cal vs. Minnesota 2025: Keys to the Game and Predictions

It’s a Cal vs. Minnesota matchup in Week 3, and predictions for this 2025 contest are anyone’s guess. The California Golden Bears are at home once again this weekend to defend their turf against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Both teams are undefeated thus far in the season, and this might be the biggest game of the year for Cal. It’s a classic ACC versus Big Ten showdown in Berkeley that should make for a great game.

California Golden Bears vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers: Matchup History

This will be the seventh time these two programs have played one another. The last time these two schools played was back in 2009, when Kevin Riley and Jahvid Best defeated the Gophers in their house.

The Bears have a 4-2 advantage in the all-time record, with four wins to Minnesota’s two. The last two contests have been lopsided wins for Cal, but that was also nearly two decades ago.

Cal vs. Minnesota 2025: Keys to the Game and Predictions

Key Players for Cal

After the running back room was decimated in the transfer portal, Cal brought in a few players to fill the massive hole at the position. Many fans were wondering which running back would separate themselves from the pack, and last week they got their answer.

Kendrick Raphael transferred to Cal from NC State earlier this year and is already making noise as the starter. Last week against Texas Southern, the junior had 17 touches for 122 yards and a touchdown. He even showcased some of his speed, as we had heard about on a 33-yard run.

Big Ten schools are known for physical play in the trenches, and the Gophers’ defense has had a great start to the season. If the Bears want to move the ball and help their true freshman quarterback out, they need to run the ball early and often. Look for Cal to try to establish the run early with Raphael.

Star linebacker Cade Uluave will be out for the first half of this game due to a targeting call against Texas Southern last week. That left redshirt freshman Luke Ferelli to man the ship, and did he ever.

Ferelli finished the game as the team’s leading tackler with 11. Minnesota has some big boys up front on the offensive line, and they’re also going to want to establish the run against this Bears defense. It really hurts that Uluave won’t be there in the first half, but Ferelli showed last week that he can hold it down. This defense, led by Ferelli, will need to hold it down until Cal gets their star linebacker back in the second half.

Key Players for Minnesota

Redshirt freshman quarterback Drake Lindsey is going to be a challenge for this Bears defense. He didn’t play too much last week as Minnesota jumped out to a huge lead early in their game against Northwestern State. Lindsey only threw nine passes, but completed eight of them for 139 yards and a touchdown.

Lindsey is still very raw as a player, and there isn’t much film on him. Cal head coach Justin Wilcox needs to do whatever he can to make this quarterback uncomfortable in the pocket to get him off his spot. If they can do it, it might be a long flight home for the Gophers.

It’s still early in the season, but junior defensive lineman Anthony Smith is already up to two sacks. There’s been a much bigger emphasis this year in Cal to keep the quarterback clean, and if they want to do that this game, they’ll need to block Smith up front.

We’ve all seen what an effective pass rush can do to a young quarterback. Smith has great size for his position, standing at 6-foot-6 and 285 pounds. Keeping him contained and not letting him wreck the game will be very crucial for this Bears offense if they want to move the ball.

Who Wins in Week 3?

I have been going back and forth on this game for a while now. This will be a late primetime matchup against a very good program. PJ Fleck vs. Justin Wilcox feels like a major rock fight. Both of these coaches seem to always find themselves in close games that neither can win. It’s why predictions in this 2025 Cal vs. Minnesota matchup are all over the place.

A high-scoring affair seems unlikely, so it might come down to the final few drives. Turnovers are going to be huge, and whoever wins that battle probably wins the game. Cal cannot give them short fields, but neither can Minnesota. I’ll stick with my season preview prediction, but something tells me the Bears might get this one done.