Washington State Cougars vs California Golden Bears Game Preview and Prediction - 10/02/2021

by Amedeus Mastrangelo

Thursday, Sep 30, 2021
Game Time: 5:30 pm ET, Saturday, October 2, 2021
Venue:  California Memorial Stadium, Berkeley, CA
Where to Watch:  Pac-12 Network

 

Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  WSU +7.5, Cal -7.5; Over/Under:  52.5 points
Bet365:  Point Spread:  WSU +7.5, Cal -7.5; Over/Under:  52 points
BetMGM:  Point Spread:  WSU +7.5, Cal -7.5; Over/Under:  52 points
 

Season Record

Washington State Cougars:  1-3 (6th place, Pac-12 North)
California Golden Bears:  1-3 (5th place, Pac-12 North)
 
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Washington State Cougars vs California Golden Bears Preview and Analysis

 
Recent Form
Washington State Cougars:  lost on the road on Sep. 25 against the Utah Utes 24-13.
California Golden Bears:  lost on the road on Sep. 25 against the Washington Huskies in OT 31-24.
 
 
 

Washington State Cougars Analysis

WSU is coming into this game with a 1-3 record overall and they are 0-1 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. This will be their 3rd conference matchup on their schedule and they are already off to a bad start as they are 0-2 in their conference games this season. Their 1 win came against the Portland State Vikings while their 3 losses came against the Utah State Aggies, the USC Trojans, and against Utah in their last game. Jarrett Guarantano really struggled in that game as he completed 25/36 passes for 248 yards, 1 touchdown and 3 interceptions. Deon McIntosh led the team in rushing with 59 yards on 13 carries but their run game was not that strong in that one. De'Zhaun Stribling had a nice day for the receiving corps as he led the team with 93 yards receiving and 1 TD on 6 receptions. Ron Stone Jr. led the defense with 6 solo tackles and 1 sack in that game. That was the only sack for the defense in that one and no one on the team had an interception either. They have scored 94 points in their first 4 games and they have allowed their opponents to score 119 points against them. Their offense is averaging 354.8 YPG while their defense is allowing 415 YPG.
 
 

California Golden Bears Analysis

Cal is coming into this game with a 1-3 record overall and they are 1-1 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. This will be their 2nd conference matchup of the season and they have also fallen behind the mark as they are 0-1 in their conference games this season. Their 1 win came against the Sacramento State Hornets while their 3 losses came against the Nevada Wolf Pack, the TCU Horned Frogs, and against Washington in their last game. That was a really close game against Washington as they ended up losing in overtime to them 31-24. Chase Garbers played well in that game but he also struggled at times as well. He completed 30/41 passes for 319 yards, 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. He also led the team on the ground with 71 rushing yards and 1 TD on 16 carries while Damien Moore had 18 carries for 67 rushing yards in that one. The receiving corps had a nice day as Kekoa Crawford led the receivers with 107 yards on 8 receptions while Jeremiah Hunter also put up 77 receiving yards on 6 receptions. Daniel Scott led the defense with 6 solo tackles and 2 assisted ones while Cameron Goode also played well with 5 solo tackles and 3 assisted ones. Ethan Saunders recorded the only sack in the game for his team while no one on the defense came away with an interception. They have scored 115 points in their first 4 games and they have allowed their opponents to score 117 points against them. Their offense is averaging 440.8 YPG while their defense is allowing 417.8 YPG.
 
 

 

Washington State vs California Prediction

WSU will have to sct fast in this game as they are already 0-2 in conference play and any chance they have is slowly slipping away from them. They will likely play hard in this game and try to pull off the win any way they can here. Cal is not the greatest team on offense or on defense so scoring on them will not be a big issue as well as stopping them on offense. Cal has played very close to teams in all of their games with none of their wins coming in a blowout. This will be a tight game as both teams look to get their first conference win here. The best bet to make in this game is on WSU to cover the spread here as they should make it a closer game.
 
Washington State California Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, October 2, 2021 (5:30 pm ET start time) is Cal 27 WSU 23.
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NCAAF Betting Trends

 
Washington State Cougars: 136-125 O/U in all games. 63-57 O/U in road games. 50-40 O/U when the total is between 49.5 and 56.
California Golden Bears: 161-174 ATS in all games. 65-94 ATS as a favorite. 78-85 ATS in home games. 115-122 ATS against conference opponents.
 

Key Injuries

 
Washington State Cougars:  B. Gray (WR) Out indefinitely - Undisclosed injury. J. De Laura (QB) Prob Sat - Knee injury. M. Borghi (RB) Prob Sat - Arm injury.
California Golden Bears:  D. Brooks (RB) Out Sat - Lower Body injury. B. Johnson (DL) Out indefinitely - Hip injury.
 

Players to Watch

 
Washington State Cougars: De’Zhaun Stribling is one player to watch here. He is coming off of a nice game where he scored a TD and led his team in receiving yards. They will need a good effort from him to make some big catches down field if they want a chance at pulling off the upset here.
 
California Golden Bears: Damien Moore is one player to watch here. He leads the team in rushing yards and in touchdowns scored this season. He is coming off of a game where he fumbled on the 1 yard line in OT which ended up costing them the game. He will be looking to make up for that mistake in a big way in this game so look for him to have a big day on the ground here.
 

Notable Quotes

"We have so much respect for this team for how they played. I know we didn't win. I know we weren't great. But for them to go out and play as hard as they did with the news they got this morning about their teammate I think is a tribute to their character. All we can do right now is pray for Gray." - Nick Rolovich on the way his team played against Utah despite one of their receivers getting shot earlier that day.
 
 
"Obviously Damien wants that one back. We all do. Stuff happens in football, you get unlucky sometimes, but we're a really close group in the locker room so we're all there for each other." - Chase Garbers on Moore fumbling the ball at the 1 yard line in OT which ended up losing them the game.
 
 

Starting Lineups

 
Washington State Cougars
WR Stribling, De'Zhaun 
WR Ollie, Donovan 
WR Jackson Jr., Calvin 
WR Harris, Travell 
QB Guarantano, Jarrett 
RB Borghi, Max 
 
California Golden Bears
WR Hunter, Jeremiah 
WR Clark, Trevon
WR Remigio, Nikko 
TE Tonges, Jake 
QB Garbers, Chase 
RB Moore, Damien 

Statistical Leaders

 
Washington State Cougars
Passing: J. De Laura (575)
Rushing: M. Borghi (259)
Receiving: C. Jackson Jr. (281)
Touchdowns: T. Harris (4)
Sacks: R. Stone Jr. (1)
Tackles: J. Rogers (12)
 
California Golden Bears
Passing: C. Garbers (1093)
Rushing: D. Moore (304)
Receiving: T. Clark (267)
Touchdowns: D. Moore (5)
Sacks: C. Goode (2)
Tackles: D. Scott (19)
 
Coaches:
Washington State Cougars: Nick Rolovich (2nd season)
California Golden Bears: Justin Wilcox (5th season)
 

Weather Forecast

78 degrees F sunny, 61% humidity, 0% chance of rain, up to 10 mph wind speeds NW.


Amedeus Mastrangelo

About the Author:

Amedeus Mastrangelo has been heavily wagering on all sports for years and plays just about everything, including sides, totals, favorites, underdogs, against the spread, alternative spreads, first half, second half, player props, and futures. The bottom line is, if Mastrangelo can see an edge in any way shape or form, then he's going to take advantage.

All photographic images used for editorial content have been licensed from the Associated Press.

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