First look: WSU vs. Cal
Time: 2 p.m. Saturday. TV: None
The records: Cal, 5-1, 3-0 Pac-10; WSU. 4-2, 2-1 Pac-10.
Last week: Cal defeated Oregon 45-24 at home; WSU defeated Oregon State 13-6 on the road.
Last time: Cal defeated WSU 42-38 in a bizarre, back-and-forth contest played in Berkeley on Oct. 22 of last year. The Cougars trailed 28-10 at halftime with Alex Brink throwing interceptions on back-to-back offensive plays in the second quarter, but then Brink found Hill for three third-quarter touchdowns to take the lead. The Cougars called for an ill-fated fake punt in the fourth quarter up by 10 points, and it was all Bears after that as the home team rallied late to grab the win.
The line: Cal by 71/2
What it means for Cal: The Golden Bears are playing like the team with the best shot at overtaking USC for the Pac-10 title – and some would argue Cal has been more impressive than the Trojans. They are the last undefeated teams in conference play, which means every week is a must-win for Cal to keep pace, in all likelihood. The Bears are back in the Top 10 this week after sliding to 23rd following a season-opening loss, and future wins will only serve to position the Bears better for a BCS bowl run.
What it means for WSU: The Cougars have to be feeling good after securing their second Pac-10 road win last week. But a good first half of the season would turn into a news-making run if WSU manages to get its first home conference win and knock off the Bears. The Cougars are in good shape to make it to a bowl game, but beating a Top 10 team would have a lot of people around the league talking and would make the Cougars instant contenders for an upper-echelon conference finish.
Key matchup: Nate Longshore vs. Mkristo Bruce
The Cal quarterback would like nothing more than to make this matchup a non-event. Bruce leads the nation with 10 sacks and to disrupt the potent Cal offense he’ll need to get pressure on Longshore to throw off the timing of Jeff Tedford’s renowned offensive system. If Longshore is able to throw without pressure from the Cougars, especially Bruce, he could pick apart the WSU defense. But if Bruce manages to pad his sack total, look for the Cougar D to be competitive.
Injury update: Washington State wide receiver Jason Hill is not expected to practice, at least not at the start of the week. But Hill said Monday he wants to play despite a shoulder sprain suffered against the Beavers. “It’s a little sore, but I think it’ll be all right,” Hill said. “This is my last year, I don’t want to miss a game, especially due to injury.” In addition, the Cougars will be without starting tight end Cody Boyd (high ankle sprain) and No. 3 tight end Ben Woodard (knee sprain). California expects to have everyone on its two-deep ready to play against WSU, including star running back Marshawn Lynch, who sprained an ankle against Oregon on Saturday.
Glenn Kasses