Cal Tries To Capture The Axe In 118th Big Game

Cal Athletics

118th Big Game Tonight

Cal Tries To Capture The Axe In 118th Big Game

By Cal Athletics on Tue, November 17, 2015

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California Golden Bears at No. 15 Stanford Cardinal

Saturday, Nov. 21 | 7:30 pm PT

Stanford Stadium | Stanford, CA

TV: ESPN – Dave Flemming (Play-By-Play), Chris Spielman (Analyst), Todd McShay (Field Analyst

Radio: KGO 810 AM – Joe Starkey (Play by Play), Mike Pawlawski (Analyst), Todd McKim (Sideline)

Live Stats: calbears.com

Live Audio: TuneIn Radio

SiriusXM Satellite Radio: Sirius (137) and XM (197)

Cal Student Radio: KALX 90.7 FM – Glenn Borok (Play by Play), David Straub (Analyst)

Series History: Stanford leads series, 60-46-11

First Meeting: Stanford 14, Cal 10 (March 19, 1892) ... San Francisco

Last Meeting: Stanford 38, at Cal 17 (Nov. 22, 2014)

Last Meeting At Stanford: at Stanford 63, Cal 13 (Nov. 23, 2013)

Last Cal Win: Cal 34, at Stanford 28 (Nov. 21, 2009)

Current Win Streak: Stanford, 5

Press Conference Videos: Sonny Dykes, Jared Goff, Maurice Harris, Stefan McClure

Quick Hitters
Cal heads to Stanford to face the Cardinal this week in the 118th Big Game to continue a series that is tied for the sixth-longest active running series and tied for the eighth-longest all-time between Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams. Cal will be looking for its first win over Stanford a 34-28 victory on The Farm in 2009.
Cal became bowl eligible for the first time since 2011 with last Saturday’s win over Oregon State. The Bears are 10-10-1 all-time in bowl games with Cal’s last bowl appearance a 21-10 loss to Texas in the Holiday Bowl on Dec. 28, 2011. Mustafa Jalil is the only player on the 2015 Cal roster to play in the game and one of 11 current players that were on the roster in 2011. Cal played in eight bowl games during a nine-year span from 2003-11 with the lone exception the 2010 season, compiling a record of 5-3 during the run.
National honors candidate Jared Goff is a semifinalist for the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award. Goff was named the Pac-12 Player of the Week on Monday after tying the school-record for touchdown passes in regulation with six last Saturday against Oregon State to go with a season-best 453 passing yards. Goff ranks second in the conference and among the nation’s top 10 in six passing categories in 2015 – passing yards (3324, #6 NCAA), touchdown passes (30, #T6 NCAA), completions per game (24.90, #7 NCAA), passing yards per game (332.4, #7 NCAA), points responsible (186, #9 NCAA) and points responsible for per game (18.6, #9 NCAA). Goff holds 26 Cal records including school-record career totals of 10,805 passing yards and 83 touchdown passes. Goff became the sixth player in Pac-12 history to throw for 3,000 yards in three seasons and the second to accomplish the feat in his first three seasons.
Each of Cal’s four losses this season have come to opponents (at Utah, at UCLA, vs. USC, at Oregon) ranked in the top 10 at some point in 2015, with UCLA and Oregon both in the top five at one point.
Cal boasts 24 turnovers this season, ranking tied for fifth in the nation in turnovers gained, as well as tied for eighth in fumble recoveries (10) and tied for 13th in interceptions (14).
Cal set a school record with 760 yards of total offense last Saturday vs. Oregon State, surpassing the previous record of 729 (Washington, 2003). The 54 points scored by the Bears were the most since last year’s 60 points scored at Washington State. Cal rushed for a season-high 307 yards that were also the most in the Sonny Dykes-era and since Oct. 13, 2012 at Washington State (318). Tre Watson set career highs with 110 rushing yards and 54 receiving yards, good for a career-high 164 all-purpose yards. He also scored his first career receiving touchdown (third total this season) on a career-high 45-yard reception. Vic Enwere rushed for a career-high 89 yards and scored his team-leading seventh rushing touchdown this season and ninth of his career.
Bryce Treggs has caught at least one pass in his last 36 games and 42 of his 43 contests overall at Cal, while Kenny Lawler has caught at least one pass in each of the 33 games he has played. Treggs’ streak is tied for sixth best in the nation. Cal is the only team in college football to have two players with current consecutive catch streaks of at least 30 games.
Maurice Harris had career highs of 97 yards receiving and two touchdown catches against Oregon State last Saturday as one of 12 Cal receivers with at least one reception. Trevor Davis had a season-high 188 all-purpose yards (90 receiving, 98 kick return).
Jared Goff – National Honors Candidate
Goff ranks second in the conference and among the nation’s top 10 in six passing categories in 2015 – passing yards (3324, #2 Pac-12, #6 NCAA), touchdown passes (30, #2 Pac-12, #T6 NCAA), completions per game (24.90, #2 Pac-12, #7 NCAA), passing yards per game (332.4, #2 Pac-12, #7 NCAA), points responsible (186, #2 Pac-12, #9 NCAA) and points responsible for per game (18.6, #2 Pac-12, #9 NCAA).

Goff earned Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week honors for the first time in his career and became Cal’s first conference player of the week on offense since 2009 for a record-setting performance in Cal’s 54-24 victory over Oregon State last Saturday that made the Golden Bears bowl eligible for the first time since 2011. Goff equaled his own school record with six touchdowns that tied for the most in a game in the nation in 2015 while completing 26-of-37 passes for a season-high 453 yards. He was also named the College Sports Madness Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week and is a nominee for the Manning Award Quarterback of the Week and the Las Vegas Bowl Nevada State Bank Pac-12 Player of the Week.

Goff is a semifinalist for the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award and a candidate to become a finalist for the Manning Award when the 10 finalists are released December 2. Goff began the season on watch lists for nearly every quarterback and player of the year award and had been as high as No. 3 on the USA Today Heisman Hot List and tied for sixth on the ESPN Heisman Watch after the Golden Bears started 5-0 but fell off both lists after the team’s first loss of the season at Utah and has yet to return to either.

The 5-0 start Goff led the Bears to in 2015 was Cal’s best since the Bears also won their first five games in 2007 and was one victory away from the school’s best since the 1950 team won its first nine contests. Cal was ranked as high as No. 19 in the Amway Coaches Poll and No. 20 in the AP Top 25 in the Week 8 national rankings to mark its highest rankings in six seasons.

Goff has started all 34 games possible at Cal from the beginning of the 2013 campaign and is the only quarterback in school history to have ever started his first game at Cal as a true freshman.

Goff holds 26 Cal records including career marks for passing yards (10805), touchdown passes (83), total offense (10684) and completions (859).

Goff leads all active FBS players in passing attempts (1426), while ranking second in passing yards, passing yards per game (317.8) and total plays (1547), third in touchdown passes and fourth in total offense.

Goff ranks among the all-time leaders in the Pac-12 and NCAA in career completions (#6 Pac-12, #T57 NCAA), touchdown passes (#6 Pac-12, #T59 NCAA), passing yards (#7 Pac-12, #63 NCAA), passing attempts (#8 Pac-12, #67 NCAA), total plays (#12 Pac-12, #115 NCAA), total touchdowns (84, #11 Pac-12, #T107 NCAA) and passer efficiency (140.61, #19 Pac-12, #148 NCAA) and completion percentage (62.1%, #22 Pac-12, #146 NCAA).

Goff’s 2015 season (155.35) and career (140.61) and passing efficiency marks currently rank second and third on Cal’s single-season and career lists.

Goff has 268 yards of passing or more and at least two touchdown passes in 11 straight contests and each of his 10 games in 2015.

Goff ranked No. 5 on the SF Chronicle’s list of the Bay Area’s 10 Most Exciting Athletes in September of 2015 behind only Stephen Curry, Buster Posey, Madison Bumgarner and Carlos Hyde. Goff was the only non-professional athlete listed.

THE CONNING TOWER by Keith Conning

Saturday, November 21, 2015