STANFORD, CA - NOVEMBER 20: California Golden Bears' Marcel Dancy (23) heads for the end zone and touchdown against the Stanford Cardinal in the third quarter of the 124th Big Game at Stanford Stadium in Stanford, Calif., on Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021. (Anda Chu/Bay Area News Group)
UC DAVIS at CAL
2021 Records: Cal – 5-7 overall, 4-5 Pac-12; UC Davis – 8-4, 5-3 Big Sky
Kickoff: 1 p.m. Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley
TV: Pac-12 Network Bay Area
Radio: KGO (810 AM)
Series history: Cal leads 10-0 in a series that began in 1932. The Bears won six of the first seven meetings by shutout. Their most recent matchup, in 2019, was the most competitive: The Aggies led 10-0 before Cal rallied for a 27-13 victory. Davis is 2-23 all-time vs. current members of the Pac-12, most recently scoring a come-from-behind 20-17 win at Stanford in 2005.
Cal storylines: The Bears hope to get off to a better start to their season than a year ago, when they lost their first two games and began 1-5 with four of those defeats by seven points or fewer . . . Cal plays next week at home vs. UNLV before visiting Notre Dame on Sept. 17 to close out its non-conference schedule . . . There are seven new starters on offense, led by Purdue transfer Jack Plummer, who replaces Chase Garbers at quarterback . . . The Bears hope freshman Jaydn Ott, with speed and elusiveness, provides a counter-punch to starting running back Damien Moore . . . The defense took a big hit last week when junior lineman Brett Johnson was declared out for the season after a lower-body injury unrelated to the hip ailment that sidelined him for all of 2021.
UC Davis storylines: The Aggies started last season with a road win over FBS foe Tulsa on the way to an 8-1 record. But they lost their final three games, including a 56-24 defeat against South Dakota State in the FCS playoffs . . . Davis is ranked No. 22 in the preseason AFCA FCS coaches poll. The Aggies are among six Big Sky teams in the top 25 . . . Coach Dan Hawkins, who received a contract extension through 2027 in the offseason, was head coach at Boise State in 2001-02 when Cal coach Justin Wilcox was a graduate assistant. Hawkins was 53-11 in five seasons at Boise, then just 19-39 in five years at Colorado. He has a 31-22 record with the Aggies . . . Senior running back Ulonzo Gilliam Jr. is second on the Aggies’ career rushing list with 3,435 yards, including 89 vs. Cal in their 2019 matchup. Gilliam is the Big Sky preseason Offensive Player of the Year and is on the watch list for the Walter Payton Award, which goes to the best player in FCS . . . Three former Cal players will suit up for the Aggies: McCallan Castles, a preseason FCS All-America tight end, starting linebacker Evan Tattersall and reserve quarterback Jack Newman.
Stats that matter: Cal set school records last season for fewest turnovers (10) and fewest lost fumbles (2) in a 12-game season . . . Senior inside linebacker Jackson Sirmon, the son of Cal defensive coordinator Peter Sirmon and a transfer from Washington, had 92 tackles last season, second-most among any returning Pac-12 player . . . Cal is 25-0 all-time vs. current members of the Big Sky Conference.
Originally published at Jeff Faraudo