Bears Open Pac-12 Slate With USC
FB9/19/2017 1:45 PM | By: Cal Athletics
Cal and USC Battle In Joe Roth Game
- TV: ABCÂ - Dave Pasch (Play-By-Play), Greg Mcelroy (Analyst), Tom Luginbill (Sideline)
- *Radio: KGO 810 AM - Joe Starkey (Play-By-Play), Mike Pawlawski (Analyst), Todd McKim (Sideline Reporter) *also available on the Cal Bears Sports Network Powered by Learfield and TuneIn (tunein.com) and Sirius XM Satellite Radio (Sirus 145/XM 198/Internet 960)Â
- ^Student Radio: KALX 90.7 FM - ^also available at kalx.berkeley.edu
California concludes its three-game homestand Saturday by hosting No. 5/5 USC after winning its three nonconference games to open the season. Â
Cal is seeking its first win over USC since 2003, which also marked the last time Cal beat a top-five team as the Trojans were ranked third in that contest.Â
Justin Wilcox has won his first three games as head coach at Cal. He is one of three of the last eight Cal head coaches to win their first three games along with Steve Mariucci and Jeff Tedford. Mariucci won his first five games in his lone season as Cal's head coach in 1996, while Tedford won his first three in a row in 2002. Six of the 22 first-year FBS head coaches remain undefeated. Â
Devante Downs totaled a career-high and game-high-tying 14 tackles, as well as career and game highs in sacks (2.0) and tackles for loss (3.0), while adding his fifth career interception and second of the season to lead Cal to a 27-16 win over Ole Miss. He earned Pac-12 Player of the Week honors for the second time this season and was also selected by College Sports Madness as National and Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week. Â
Saturday's contest is the Joe Roth Game, named after the former Cal quarterback (1975-76) who led the Bears to a co-Pac-8 Championship in 1975, including a victory over No. 4 USC. Shortly after graduating from Cal, Roth passed away from cancer in February of 1977. Every year, the home game against USC or UCLA is named in his honor. Cal will wear throwback uniforms from the Roth era on Saturday. Â Â
The current combined records of Cal's first seven opponents are 17-4. Cal's next four opponents are all 3-0 and currently nationally ranked in both major polls. Cal has never played four consecutive ranked opponents in the history of the program.Â
After allowing 42.6 points last season, Cal's defense has allowed an average of only 22.0 points per game in the first three games of the 2017 campaign. The last time Cal allowed fewer than 22.0 ppg was in 2008 (19.5 ppg).
Cal has a plus-four turnover margin with its nine turnovers gained tied for third in the nation. Cal has forced three or more turnovers in three straight games for the first time since 2015.
All three Cal wins have been second-half comebacks, including trailing in the fourth quarter in the first two games. The Bears shut out Weber State and Ole Miss in the second half. Â
Cal received 19 votes in the AP Top 25 and 18 in the Amway Coaches in the latest Week 4 rankings. The Bears have received votes in at least one of the two polls in the last three weeks
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