A true freshman the last time he entered the Rose Bowl, Cal quarterback Jared Goff didn’t throw a touchdown pass in that 37-10 loss to UCLA on Oct. 12, 2013. (Keith Birmingham/Staff)
UCLA Bruins (4-2, 1-2) vs. No. 15 Cal Golden Bears (5-1, 2-1)
Kickoff: Thursday, Oct. 22, 6 p.m., Rose Bowl
TV: ESPN (Joe Tessitore, Jesse Palmer, David Pollack, Kaylee Hartung)
Radio: AM 570 (Bill Roth, Matt Stevens, Wayne Cook)
Scouting report: Cal’s defense has gone from atrocious to acceptable through Sonny Dykes three seasons, allowing 7.1 yards per play in 2013, 6.3 last fall, and 5.6 through their first six games this year. … The Bears’ defensive front has performed surprisingly well. Their 19 sacks rank No. 20 in the FBS, and already exceeded their own 2014 season total by three. Seven sacks did come against Washington State, which is 116th in the country with 20 sacks allowed. … Cal is susceptible to giving up big plays, particularly through the air. It’s given up 11 catches of at least 30 yards, more than anyone in the Pac-12 except Arizona State, Arizona and Colorado. … Before his five interceptions at Utah, quarterback Jared Goff had thrown multiple picks just twice since his career debut as a true freshman. That game sank his pass efficiency from 170.46 to 157.15 — still a top-15 mark nationally.
Series history: UCLA leads the all-time series, 51-32-1, and has taken three of the last four games. Cal notched a 43-17 upset in 2012, but has only beaten the Bruins on the road once in its last seven tries.
Key players:
QB Jared Goff, Jr., 6-4, 215 — 150/225, 1,970 yards, 17 TD, 9 INT
— He threw a career-worst five interceptions at Utah less than two weeks ago, but it’s hard to imagine the likely first-round pick looking as bad again the rest of the season.
WR Kenny Lawler, Jr., 6-3, 195 — 34 catches, 465 yards, 8 TD
– Goff’s favorite target has caught multiple touchdowns three times this season, and made at least six catches in all but one game.
RB Vic Enwere, So., 6-1, 230 — 63 carries, 290 yards, 5 TD
– Cal’s run game has been inconsistent since Daniel Lasco missed two games with a hip injury. Only nine of Enwere’s carries have gone for at least 10 yards this season, but one of them got the Bears a first down on third-and-36.
DE Kyle Kragen, RSr., 6-2, 245 — 35 tackles, 6 TFL, 5 sacks, 1 forced fumble
— The son of former All-Pro defensive tackle Greg Kragen, Kyle is playing at an all-conference level after missing all of 2014 due to mononucleosis.
S Stefan McClure, RSr., 5-11, 205 — 28 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 pass breakup, 1 fumble recovery
– The veteran ranks fifth on the team in tackles, and was responsible for Cal’s first touchdown on a fumble return since 2011.
Line: UCLA opened as a 7.5-point favorite, but the line has since closed to 3.5.
Opponent in GIF form:
Fun fact: Cal used live bears on and off through the 1930s. Oski began filling that role instead in 1941, when William Rockwell and Warrington Colescott designed his (rather creepy-looking) mask — basing it on a cartoon that ran in the school newspaper. In 1990, Oski was suspended after throwing a pie into the stands at a basketball game, one that splattered Gary Payton’s family. In 1999, the student government tried to pass a bill to slim him down.