Buffs Vs. Bears: What You Need To Know
COLORADO BUFFALOES (1-4, 0-2)
vs. CAL BEARS (0-5, 0-2)
KICKOFF: 1:40 p.m., (MT), FTX Field (62,467)
TV, RADIO: The game will be televised by the Pac-12 Network with Roxy Bernstein (play-by-play) and Lincoln Kennedy (color). The radio broadcast will be carried by KOA (850 AM, 94.1 FM) with Voice of the Buffs Mark Johnson and Gary Barnett in the booth and Bobby Pesavento on the sidelines. KOA's coverage begins at 11:30 a.m. with the pregame show.
ON THE INTERNET: The game can be heard on the internet at CUBuffs.com, and www.850koa.com in the Denver-Boulder metro area. Live statistics will also be available at CUBuffs.com.
THE COACHES: Colorado head coach Karl Dorrell is in his second year at the Buffs' helm. Last year's Pac-12 Coach of the Year, Dorrell is 6-6 at CU and 41-33 overall as a head coach. Justin Wilcox is in his fifth year at Cal, where he is 22-26. Dorrell is 3-2 all-time against the Bears (all as UCLA's head coach). Wilcox is 1-1 against the Buffaloes.
THE SERIES: Cal holds a 6-4 all-time edge, including a 4-0 mark in Berkeley. The five games between the two schools since the Buffs joined the Pac-12 have all been high scoring affairs, with a combined 375 points scored; the fewest being 54 combined (in 2018); and each team has scored at least 21 points. CU has scored 195 of those points, Cal 180.
WHAT'S AT STAKE: The Buffs still have their sights set on a bowl berth and moving up in the Pac-12 South standings. Cal is still looking for its first conference win of the season.
LAST OUTING: Colorado put together its best performance of the season in a 34-0 win over Arizona last week. The Bears flirted with an upset of Oregon before finally dropping a 24-17 decision.
TEAM LEADERS: CU's duo of LB Nate Landman on the inside and DE Carson Wells on the edge gives the Buffs a terrific one-two punch. Landman is averaging 10.2 tackles per game with six tackles for loss, seven third-down stops and four pass breakups this year. Wells, who had four tackles for loss last week, including a sack, has eight tackles for loss (two sacks) and seven quarterback pressures.
Offensively, wide receiver Brenden Rice is becoming a big play threat after his three-catch, 111-yard performance last week. Quarterback Brendon Lewis has thrown for 723 yards and four touchdowns and has run for 130 yards. RB Jarek Broussard leads the Buffs on the ground with 309 yards.
Arizona's offense is led by QB Chase Garbers, a four-year starter who has thrown for 1,492 yards and nine touchdowns and rushed for 211 yards and a pair of scores. Five Cal WRs have at least 13 catches, led by Nikko Remigio with 22. Damien Moore leads the Cal ground game with 360 yards and five TDs.
Defensively, safety Daniel Scott leads the team in tackles with 39. Linebacker has 26 tackles, including three for loss. DL Luc Bequette is in his seventh collegiate season. He played his first five at Cal, played last season at Boston College and returned to Cal this year. He has 30 tackles this year, including 2.5 sacks.
KEY MATCHUPS: Colorado's linebackers vs. Garbers. The Buffs have to keep Garbers contained. He has 31 pass completions for at least 15 yards and also has seven rushes for at least 15 yards. CU must get pressure on him in the pocket and prevent him from extending plays with his feet or moving upfield ... Colorado offensive line vs. Cal defensive line. The Bears are allowing just 133 yards per game on the ground. The Buffs need to control the tempo up front and give their run game a boost.
UP NEXT: The Buffs play at Oregon next Saturday, with the game time to be announced late Saturday or Sunday morning.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu