(20) California (3-1) At Oregon State (2-1)
GAME NOTES: A pair of Pac-10 teams will do battle in Corvallis this weekend as the 20th-ranked California Golden Bears take on the Oregon State Beavers. California was expected to make some noise this season, but after a 35-18 loss to Tennessee in the opener, some thought the Golden Bears may have been overrated. Since that defeat, however, the club has reeled off three consecutive wins, including a 49-21 romp over Arizona State last week to open league play. Cal has now topped 40 points in each of its last three outings, proof of the explosiveness of the offense. As for Oregon State, it has won two of the three games it has played thus far, including a 38-0 thrashing of Idaho last weekend. While both wins came over inferior opponents, the lone loss came by a wide margin against Boise State (42-14). The hope is that the Beavers will use the home crowd to their advantage this weekend to knock off a favored group of Golden Bears. Cal leads the all-time series with OSU, 32-26, but the Beavers have won six of the last seven meetings.
California racked up 42 points in the first half against Arizona State and cruised to victory in that contest. Nate Longshore threw four touchdown passes, including one to DeSean Jackson who also returned a punt for a score. The offense accounted for 409 yards and easily overcame a pair of turnovers. Standout tailback Marshawn Lynch carried the ball 17 times for 124 yards and caught a touchdown pass as well. Cal is ranked 12th nationally in both scoring offense (37.8 ppg) and total offense (444.5 ypg). To the surprise of many, the club has relied more heavily on its passing game than the run to score points. Longshore, a sophomore with tremendous size, has completed 66 percent of his passes for 880 yards with 10 touchdowns and three interceptions. Jackson has clearly been his top receiver, as he has hauled in 20 balls for 371 yards and six touchdowns. As for Lynch, he has posted 449 yards and three scores while averaging a sensational 7.2 ypc.
Sure, Cal surrendered 414 total yards and 21 points to Arizona State, but the Sun Devils were blanked in the fourth quarter and were never able to get on a roll. The defense made a ton of big plays for the Golden Bears, who finished the contest with four interceptions and a fumble recovery. Add five sacks to the mix and Cal was causing havoc all day. Daymeion Hughes obviously came to play, as he tied for the team lead with 10 tackles and registered two interceptions. Both Zack Follett and Nu'u Tafisi registered a pair of sacks. Teams are scoring 22.2 ppg against the Golden Bears, who are surrendering 388.2 total yards. Of the 11 touchdowns that the defense has allowed, eight have come through the air. Opponents are recording 13.8 yards per catch, suggesting that big plays can be made against the Cal secondary. The run defense has been mediocre at best, yielding 4.3 ypc to opposing runners.
Oregon State scored 56 points in the season opener against Eastern Washington before being held to 14 points by Boise State. Last weekend, the OSU offense bounced back strong with 31 of the team's 38 points against Idaho. The Beavers mixed the run and the pass evenly, with 38 rushes and 35 passes. A total of 23 first downs and 380 yards were posted, and three different players scored a rushing touchdown. The leading ground gainer was Yvenson Bernard, as he compiled 117 yards on 23 carries. As for the passing attack, Matt Moore completed 16-of-31 throws for 169 yards with one score and one interception. Despite a pair of giveaways, Oregon State still held the ball for well over 34 minutes. The Beavers are averaging 36.0 ppg and 375.3 total ypg. Both Moore and Sean Canfield have seen time under center, and both have done an adequate job. Joe Newton has just 10 catches to his credit, but three have resulted in touchdowns. As for Bernard, he has compiled 330 rushing yards and four touchdowns while averaging five yards per carry.
Defensively, Oregon State dominated Idaho last week as expected. The Beavers intercepted four passes, recovered a pair of fumbles and posted three sacks, and those big plays led to the shutout victory. Idaho ran the ball 24 times for just 57 yards and completed only 8-of-23 passes. Oregon State is only allowing 19.7 ppg and 239.3 total ypg despite the blowout loss to Boise State in week two. The club ranks 15th nationally in total defense, but that stat is a bit deceiving. With 11 takeaways and 11 sacks through only three weeks, it is obvious that there is some big-play ability present on the defensive side of the ball. Alan Darlin currently leads the Beavers in tackles with 18, and three of his stops have resulted in lost yardage. Vea Akau'ola is tops with 4.5 TFLs, and he has two sacks to his credit.
Oregon State has looked great against a pair of cupcakes and even started well against Boise State, but the Beavers completely fell apart against their only quality opponent. Expect Cal to take care of business on the road.
Sports Network Predicted Outcome: California 37, Oregon State 20
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