Pregame Prep: Things You Should Know Before the Game
- Kickoff: 7 p.m. ET
- TV / Radio: ESPN2 / 93.9 The Ville
- Uniforms: Both teams TBD as of Thursday morning
Notable Numbers:
- This is the first-ever meeting between Louisville and California. Louisville is 1-2-1 all-time against FBS teams from the state of California, their only win coming against San Jose State in 1993.
- When California visits L&N Stadium on Saturday, they will be the furthest opponent (geographically) that the Cardinals have faced since the stadium opened in 1998. Berkeley, CA is 2,310 miles away from Louisville and would take 34 hours to drive, according to Google Maps (or a five-hour flight nonstop).
- Running back Keyjuan Brown has stepped up in a big way this season. The redshirt sophomore has had 22 carries for 189 yards and three touchdowns in his last two games, averaging 8.6 yards per carry in that stretch. He also had 84 yards on 12 carries with two touchdowns as the feature back in Louisville’s 40-17 win over Bowling Green back in September. For the season, Brown has 321 yards on 6.2 yards per carry with six touchdowns.
First Down: Meet the 2025 Cal Golden Bears
Cal joined the ACC with Stanford and SMU last season, but finally makes the journey to Louisville on Saturday. The Golden Bears are led by ninth-year head coach Justin Wilcox, who is 47-54 all-time in Berkeley.
Powered by the Calgorithm, Cal enters this weekend with a 5-4 record, but have lost all four games in the last six contests.
Second Down: Cal Golden Bears Offense Breakdown
After offensive coordinator Mike Bloesch was let go in the 2024 offseason, Cal moved quickly to hire Bryan Harsin as their new offensive coordinator. Harsin re-enters the coaching circuit after a very turbulent head coaching run at Auburn, where he went 9-12 before being fired after the 2022 season.
This season, Cal had a surprising development at quarterback when Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele (or JKS) beat former Ohio State quarterback Devin Brown to win the starting job. JKS became just the second Cal true freshman quarterback in program history to start a season opener (the other being current Detroit Lions signal caller Jared Goff), and he’s hoping to be the latest Hawaiian quarterback to make waves in the college scene after Marcus Mariota, Tua Tagovailoa, and Dillon Gabriel have all found varying degrees of success.
JKS’ raw numbers don’t jump out on paper, but watching tape you can see the potential for him to be a star player for the next couple years. JKS is willing to push the ball downfield and be aggressive, which is good to see from a true freshman but it has often times led to mistakes. JKS has nine interceptions and often times take bad sacks, which isn’t unusual for first-year players that are thrust into a starting role. Still, the arm talent makes JKS an exciting prospect and he could blossom into a big-time quarterback.
He also has an underrated receiver duo in Jacob De Jesus and Trond Grizzell helping him out, and both guys could be among the better wideouts that Louisville sees this year. De Jesus is a reliable slot receiver that can get separation and make plays in the middle of the field, with Grizzell being more of a vertical, big play threat. Tight end Mason Mini (34 receptions, 382 yards, four TDs) is another matchup problem that should be noted, especially after Boston College and Virginia were able to utilize their position groups with success against Louisville.
Cal is averaging just 78.6 rushing yards per game (worst among 17 ACC schools), but Kendrick Raphael has been really solid as a feature back in the offense. The NC State transfer has ten rushing touchdowns and is another receiving threat, one that Louisville hasn’t seen much of from the running back spot.
Key Players:
- QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele: 61% completion, 2,195 yards, 11 TDs/nine INTs
- WR Trond Grizzell: 34 receptions, 528 yards, TD
- TE Mason Mini: 34 receptions, 382 yards, four TDs
Third Down: Cal Golden Bears Defense Breakdown
Peter Sirmon left defensive coordinator duties at Cal to take an assistant job with the New Orleans Saints, so the team also had to hire a new DC. Terrence Brown and Vic So’oto both were elevated to co-defensive coordinator in spring practice.
Cal’s front seven hasn’t generated much havoc with just 15 sacks (15th in ACC) and 44 TFLs (13th in the ACC). Cal runs a lot of two-down lineman fronts, which gives the team a lot of speed but could give Louisville’s offensive line a strength advantage when it comes to running the ball. Cal relies a lot on their linemen to eat up gaps and let linebackers run free to make plays.
Making matters more concerning is that star linebacker Cade Uluave (81 tackles, 10.5 TFLs, three sacks, six PBUs) is injured and could miss the game on Saturday. If the Bears are without Uluave, that leaves Cal without a dynamic linebacker that can, quite literally, do everything for their defense. He’s excellent in almost every facet at the position and is a candidate for All-ACC First Team honors this season.
Cal’s linebacker group has talent outside of Uluave though, as TJ Bush, Jr. leads the team in sacks and has six TFLs this season. Freshman Luke Ferrelli (65 tackles, four TFLs, INT) has been a bright spot in the group as well and gives the Bears another future star on that side of the ball. If Uluave isn’t able to go, I’d expect Ferrelli or reserve linebacker Aaron Hampton (28 tackles, TFL) to try and fill the void.
Their pass coverage has been excellent throughout the season, ranking third in the ACC in pass defense (198.8 YPG allowed). Hezekiah Masses leads the team in pass breakups (ten) and interceptions (four), with Brent “Paco” Austin coming off a six pass breakup game against Virginia last week (Austin also has ten pass breakups entering this week, tied with Masses for the team lead). They’ve managed to bottle up teams with inconsistent play from the quarterback spot, so Louisville’s Miller Moss will have to play an efficient game and keep the Cards offense on schedule.
Key Players:
- CB Hekeziah Masses: 31 tackles, four INTs, ten PBUs
- LB Cade Uluave: 81 tackles, 10.5 TFLs, six PBUs, three sacks
- LB Luke Ferrelli: 65 tackles, four TFLs, INT
Fourth Down: Keys to the Game
When Louisville has the ball…
All eyes will likely be on Keyjuan Brown on Saturday for Louisville fans, as the sophomore (likely) enters the game in a feature back role with Isaac Brown out for multiple weeks. Duke Watson’s status will be one to monitor throughout the week, as his possible return would definitely elevate a position group that sorely needs depth amidst the injuries that have plagued it this year.
What does it look like if it’s just Keyjuan Brown and no Isaac Brown or Duke Watson? You could see Caullin Lacy utilized more as a gadget player similar to how he was featured in the Bowling Green play, but it could also lead to reps for Braxton Jennings or Shawn Boykins, Jr. as backups. Louisville should look to utilize their run game regardless, and I think it could be a huge day for Keyjuan Brown, as the Bears have allowed 156.6 rushing yards per game (14th in ACC).
When California has the ball…
Look for Cal to drop back and spread the ball around to their playmakers. They generally pass the ball at about a 60/40 split, with the Golden Bears looking to push the ball to their guys in De Jesus, Grizzell, and Mini. Raphael generally handles most of the load on the run game and can have productive outings, but Cal just doesn’t lean on it.
Louisville will have to continue their momentum in pass coverage, playing tight man coverage and forcing JKS to hit accurate throws. It could be a risky gamble given JKS has serious arm talent, but given the Cards’ track record on defense, you’re willing to give that group the benefit of the doubt here.
