Cal plays a home game against 21st-ranked Wake Forest on Saturday night.
The game preview:
CAL (3-3, 2-1 ACC) vs. NO. 21 WAKE FOREST (5-1, 3-1 ACC)
SITE: California Memorial Stadium, Berkeley, California
WHEN: Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
TV: ESPN2 -- Chuckie Kempf (Play-by-Play), Dustin Fox (Analyst), Lauren Sisler (Sideline Reporter)
RADIO: 810 AM -- Justin Allegri (Play-By-Play), Mike Pawlawski (Analyst), Ben Ross (Sideline Reporter)
BETTING LINE: Wake Forest is favored by 9.5 points, according to FanDuel, and Wake Forest is favored by 10 points, according to DraftKings as of Friday. Over/Under is 53.5 points.
WEATHER FORECAST: The temperature will be about 66 degrees when the game starts but will drop down to about 58 degrees by the time the game ends. Skies will be mostly clear, but there is a 6% chance of rain toward the end of the game.
Cal-Wake Forest Tech History
This will be just the second meeting between Cal and Wake Forest on the football field, and their first meeting in Berkeley. The only other Cal-Wake Forest matchup came in 2024, when the Bears defeated Wake Forest 46-36 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The only Cal players who started in the 2024 game and are expected to start in Saturday’s game are offensive linemen Frederick Williams III and Sioape Vatikani
CAL PLAYER AVAILABILITY: Quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, running back Adam Mohammed, wide receiver Cooper Perry and safety Kingston Lopa are questionable. Running back Carter Vargas and defensive lineman Nate Burrell are out.
WAKE FOREST PLAYER AVAILABILITY: Wide receiver Carlos Hernandez and defensive lineman Langston Hardy are questionable.
Cal Storylines
---Cal is coming off its best win of the season, a 25-20 victory over favored Virginia Tech. Cal scored the winning touchdown with 18 seconds left, but nearly blew it when Virginia Tech got to the Cal 7-yard line with three seconds remaining. Hokies quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer threw an incompletion in the end zone on the final play.
---Cal needs to win at least three of its final six games to reach a bowl game for the fourth straight year. The Bears and first-year head coach Tosh Lupoi are hoping to improve their record to 4-3, which would match Justin Wilcox’s record after seven games in his first season as the Bears’ head coach in 2017.
---Cal quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele is listed as questionable for Saturday’s game, and if he can’t play it would be the second straight game he has missed after suffering a concussion late in the first half against UNLV two weeks ago.
---Jackson Brousseau would make his second start at Cal if Sagapolutele cannot play. Brousseau played well in the win over Virginia Tech and was productive in the second half against UNLV the week before. In the three halves in which he has played Cal has scored 49 points, which is not an overwhelming number but much better than Cal’s offense had been scoring previously.
---Cal assistant coach Pat McCann took over the play-calling for the offense in the second half of the UNLV game two weeks ago, and Brousseau’s playing time has paralleled McCann’ time as the play-caller. McCann’s creativity and game-plan choices have improved the Bears’ offensive productivity considerably.
---Cal’s running game has not been productive. The Bears’ 92.8 rushing yards per game and 3.3 yards per carry both rank 16th in the 17-team ACC, ahead of only Stanford. Cal’s leading rusher, Adam Mohammed, is questionable for the game and might miss his third straight game. With No. 2 running back Carter Vargas definitely out, Ashten Emory would be the Bears’ primary ball-carrier if Mohammed can’t play.
---Cal ranks 14th in the country in passng offense, averaging 304.3 passing yards per game. This is significant because Wake Forest's defense is much better against the run than the pass.
---Cal’s pass defense is much better than its run defense. The Bears rank fifth in the ACC in pass defense, and Cal defensive backs Kingston Lopa, Isaiah Crosby and Daniel Harris have been playing at a high level. However, Lopa, who leads the nation in interceptions with five, is questionable for the game.
---Cal has used a lot blitzing under defensive coordinator Michael Hutchings, and it has been effective. The pressure it put on Virginia Tech quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer limited his effectiveness. Linebacker AJ Tuitele leads the Bears in sacks with three, but he has been ejected from two games this season for targeting.
---The Bears defense has not been effective in limiting quarterbacks who scramble to the perimeter. That is significant this week because Wake Forest quarterback Gio Lopez is elusive and can make plays by scrambling outside the pocket.
---Coming into this week, Cal was penalized more yards than any other team in the country. The Bears have been penalized 57 times, and only Syracuse and Liberty have been penalized more often, but Cal has been docked 538 penalty yards, more than any other team. Cal’s negative 538 yards for penalties are only slightly less than Cal’s 557 rushing yards for the season.
---Cal is still searching for a consistent place-kicker. Towns McGough handled field-goal attempts last week, and he made both his field-goal attempts, but neither was longer than 35 yards. He is 4-for-6 for the season, but is 0-for-2 beyond 39 yards. Chase Meyer is the Bears’ other kicker and he is 3-for-5 with no makes beyond 38 yards. Angus Davis has been effective as a punter, averaging 43.8 yards per kick, with nine of more than 50 yards and six downed inside the 20-yard line.
---Cal is 0-2 in night games this season and 3-1 in day games.
Wake Forest Storylines
--- Wake Forest is coming off two straight dominating wins – a 57-3 victory over Stanford and 38-14 over North Carolina State last week. The Demon Deacons’ only loss came against Miami, and they were competitive in that game before losing 33-20. Wake Forest’s 3-1 ACC mark is the second best in the conference, putting the Deacons in position to land a berth in the ACC championship game.
---Wake Forest is ranked for the first time this season this week, coming in at No. 21. It’s the first time the Demon Deacons have been ranked since 2022. They were ranked as high as 10th in 2022 when they started 6-1, but they finished the season 8-5 and unranked. The Deacons are the second-highest ranked ACC team this week, behind only No. 3 Miami.
---Since Jake Dickert became Wake Forest’s head coach in 2025, the Demon Deacons have a 14-5 record. Wake Forest has chance to post consecutive seasons of nine wins or more for just the second time in school history. The only other time was 2006 and 2007, when they won 11 and nine games, respectively.
---Wake Forest wide receiver Carlos Hernandez, who leads the nation in receptions with 49 and is third in the country in receiving yards with 720, is questionable for the game. He had 12 catches for 117 yards and a touchdown last week against North Carolina State. If he cannot play it will hurt the Deacons’ passing game significantly.
---Demon Deacons quarterback Gio Lopez, in his first season at Wake Forest after previously playing at South Alabama and North Carolina, ranks fourth in the ACC in passing yards per game, fourth in touchdown passes (13) and fifth in passer rating. He has accounted for 19 touchdowns overall this season. More importantly he is an elusive quarterback who can scramble, either to run or extend plays to pass. Cal’s defense has struggled against quarterbacks who scramble effectively.
---Wake Forest defensive end Langston Hardy, who is tied for second in the ACC in tackles for loss with 9.5, is questionable to play against Cal. Wake Forest defensive line is the team’s defensive strength.
---Wake Forest has a good run defense, but its pass defense ranks 13th in the ACC in passing yards allowed and 15th in defensive passer rating.
---The Demon Deacons average 36.8 points per game, which ranks fourth in the ACC.
---Wake Forest was picked to finish 13th in the ACC this season in the preseason media poll but are currently in second place. Last year the Demon Deacons were picked to finish 16th and they wound up tied for seventh and had a 9-4 overall mark.
---Wake Forest has been penalized 479 yards this season, and only five teams in the country have been docked more penalty yards this season. Cal is one of the five teams that has amassed more penalty yards..
Wake Forest beat writer answers five questions about the Demon Deacons
Cal Players to Watch
QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele/Jackson Brousseau – Whichever one starts will be the key to success for the Bears against a Wake Forest defense that is vulnerable against the pass. Sagapolutele did not play last week and is questionable this week after getting a concussion two weeks ago against UNLV.
WR Ian Strong – He had 97 receiving yards against Virginia Tech.
WR Chase Hendricks – Hendricks leads the team in receptions with 39, which ranks tied for fourth in the ACC.
RB Ashten Emory – If Adam Mohammed does not play, Emory will be the Bears’ top ball-carrier. He ran for 48 yards against UNLV and 46 yards against Virginia Tech.
S Kingston Lopa – He leads the nation in interceptions with five but did not play the past two games after getting a concussion on the first defensive play against UNLV, and he is questionable for Saturday night’s game.
TE Taimane Purcell – He has just nine catches but he’s becoming a bigger part of the offense.
LB AJ Tuitele – He leads the Bears in sacks with three and will be eligible today despite being ejected twice for targeting.
Wake Forest Players to Watch
QB Gio Lopez – He has completed 67.4% of his passes for 1,680 yards and 13 touchdowns with one interception. He also has run for 203 yards and is a capable scrambler.
WR Carlos Hernandez – He leads the nation in receptions (49) and is third in the country in receiving yardage (720). However, he is questionable to play against Cal.
WR Jack Foley – He had eight receptions for 156 yards last week against North Carolina State.
DE Langston Hardy – Hardy has 9.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and four quarterback hurries, but he is questionable for Saturday night’s game.
RB Deuce Lawrence – Lawrence and Clark share the running back duties. Lawrence has run for 281 yards, 5.1 yards per carry and two rushing touchdowns. He has six receptions.
RB Ty Clark III – He is the other half of Wake Forest’s one-two punch at running back. He has rushed for 275 yards, 4.4 yards per carry, three touchdowns, and he has one catch.
LB Vincent Firenze – He has 46 tackles, four tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and two pass breakups.
CAL STATISTICS: Click here
CAL GAME NOTES: Click here
WAKE FOREST STATISTICS: Click here
WAKE FOREST GAME NOTES: Click here
JAKE'S PICK: Cal 27, Wake Forest 20
JEFF'S PICK: Wake Forest 28, Cal 24
JUSTIN KONTUL’S PICK (Wake Forest Demons Deacons on SI): Wake Forest 27, Cal 20
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