Cal football: What to know about Golden Bears’ COVID-delayed game against USC
USC at CAL
Records: Cal (4-7 overall, 3-5 Pac-12); USC (4-7, 3-5)
Kickoff: 8 p.m. Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley
TV: FS1
Radio: KGO (810 AM)
Series history: USC leads 70-31-5 and has won 15 of the past 16 meetings. Cal’s only win since 2003 was a 15-14 victory at the L.A. Coliseum in 2018. The Bears and Trojans played each other every season since 1926 until last year’s game was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is the first time the teams have met in the season finale since 1918 and is being played Saturday because the original Nov. 13 matchup was postponed due to multiple cases of COVID-19 among the Golden Bears.
Cal storylines: Cal will miss playing in a bowl game for the second straight year and the seventh time in 10 seasons after losing 42-14 last week at UCLA. The Bears beat Stanford 41-11 in the Big Game the previous week and are attempting to score wins vs. the Cardinal and Trojans in the same season for the first time since 2003 when their quarterback was Aaron Rodgers . . . Twenty-six seniors likely will play at Cal for the last time, although some of them could use the extra year of eligibility the NCAA provided in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic to return . . . Senior quarterback Chase Garbers, held to a season-low 125 passing yards with two interceptions at UCLA, continues to lead the Pac-12 in total offense (280.0 yards per game). No other quarterback on the roster who is expected to return next season has taken a snap in a game . . . Defensive back Josh Drayden will add to his ongoing Cal record by playing in his 55th career game.
USC storylines: The Trojans will play their final game under interim coach Donte Williams, who was handed the reins after two games when Clay Helton was fired. USC hired Oklahoma’s Lincoln Riley, who will take over the program after this game . . . The Trojans will play their third straight game without 2020 All-Pac-12 quarterback Kedon Slovis, sidelined by a leg injury. They also are without wide receiver Drake London, who caught 88 passes through the first eight games before suffering a season-ending fractured ankle. And running back Keaontay Ingram, a transfer from Texas who has rushed for 911 yards this season, is questionable for Cal with a rib injury . . . Freshman quarterback Jaxson Dart, who has taken over for Slovis, has passed for 1,162 yards with eight touchdowns and five interceptions in five games.
Stats that matter: Both of these teams will finish the season with just a single victory over an FBS opponent with a winning record. Cal beat Oregon State and USC defeated Washington State . . . Cal senior Nikko Remigio, who had kickoff returns of 58 and 67 yards against UCLA last week, leads the Pac-12 and ranks ninth nationally at 29.7 yards per return . . . USC averages 30 points per game but is last in the Pac-12 in scoring defense, allowing 32.5.