A matchup between a Big 12 team and a Pac-12 program is a marquee game in late night action. The #11 Texas Longhorns travel to face the Cal Golden Bears in non-conference play Saturday night. The game kicks off from Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, California at 10:30 pm ET. The game is nationally televised courtesy of ESPN. The up to the minute line shows Texas as a 7 point favorite in this contest with the over/under set at 81 points.
Texas improved to 2-0 and rocketed up the rankings to the cusp of the top 10 with a 41-7 whipping of UTEP last week. Cal was in a back and forth battle with San Diego State before falling 45-40 last week. This is the seventh all-time meeting between the schools. Texas won five of the six previous meetings. Cal got their first win in the series in the last meeting. The Golden Bears picked up a 45-44 win in Austin last season.
Texas showed no ill effects from their double overtime win over Notre Dame in their season opener. The Longhorns didn’t let up against the Miners to remain unbeaten. After UTEP cut the Texas lead to 10-7 in the second quarter, the Longhorns reeled off 31 straight points to close out the game. The Longhorns held a 416-208 edge in total yards in the game. The Miners had 51 of their yards come on their lone scoring play. Texas finished with 23 first downs in the game while allowing only 10 in the game. It seems that Charlie Strong found the new quarterback for the Longhorns as freshman Shane Buechele continues to shine.
The Longhorns are 46th in passing offense (262.5 yards per game) and 53rd in rushing with 204 yards a contest. Texas is tied for 22nd in scoring offense (45.5 ppg) and stand tied for 80th in scoring defense, allowing 27 points a game. Buechele is 38 of 53 passing for 524 yards with six touchdowns and an interception. He has 67 rushing yards plus a score. Tyrone Swoopes is 1 of 2 for a yard with 56 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Chris Warren III leads the Longhorns with 34 carries for 141 yards and a score. D’Onta Foreman has 131 yards and a score on 24 carries. Jacorey Warrick leads the team with nine grabs totaling 108 yards and a touchdown. Former QB Jerrod Heard (eight catches, 119 yards, two TD) and John Burt (eight receptions, 139 yards, TD) are solid targets as well.
Cal couldn’t quite pull out a win in a wild, back and forth shootout against a very good San Diego State program. While the Golden Bears held a 604-463 edge in total yards and a 30-22 advantage in first downs, Cal struggled in other facets. The Aztecs held the ball for 34:30 to the Golden Bears’ 25:30. Cal committed four turnovers while forcing two San Diego State turnovers. The Golden Bears allowed a kickoff return and an interception return for a score. Those two return scores proved costly in a one score game. Cal’s inability to stop Donnel Pumphrey (29 carries, 281 yards, 3 TD) did the Golden Bears in as well.
The Golden Bears are second in the nation in passing offense with 481.5 yards per game. Cal is 94th in rushing with 135.5 yards per contest. The Golden Bears are tied for 22nd in scoring offense (45.5 ppg) and tied for 109th in scoring defense (38 ppg) this year. Davis Webb, the former Texas Tech QB, is 79 of 126 for 963 yards with nine touchdowns and three interceptions. Vic Enwere leads the ground game with 20 carries for 145 yards. Khalfani Muhammad (13 carries, 101 yards, TD) and Tre Watson (17 carries, 57 yards) are contributors as well. Chad Hansen leads Cal with a staggering 28 catches for 350 yards and three scores. Vic Wharton III (nine catches, 133 yards) and Bug Rivera (eight grabs, 100 yards, TD) are reliable targets. Matt Anderson hit all 10 extra points and five field goal attempts this year.
Cal has a 108 octane offense and a defense that can’t stop a Pop Warner team. That much was evident by last week’s performance. You can’t score 40 points and lose if you expect to be a good team. Texas was solid last week and showed no signs of a letdown. Buechele is playing beyond his years after just two college starts. Cal battles but their lack of defense does them in and allows Texas to improve to 3-0 on the year. Make sure you check us out for all your free college football picks!
Texas is 5-1 ATS in their last 6 vs. Pac-12 and 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games on fieldturf. Cal is 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games following an ATS win and 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games after allowing more than 450 total yards in their previous game.