THE 125TH BIG GAME When Stanford has the ball
Story line: Stanford has lost its past three games by a combined score of 132-34. Cal owns a six-game skid and hasn’t won since September. Each team rightfully might think the other is the cure for its ills. The Bears rank 10th in the Pac-12 in yards per game at 362.1, one spot ahead of the Cardinal at 356.8. The Bears rank ninth in the conference in yards allowed per game at 420.2, one spot ahead of the Cardinal at 436.5. Stanford leads the series 65-48-11 and has won the past six Big Games in Memorial Stadium. The Bears rolled 41-11 last year.
• Injuries to the offensive line and running backs — fifth-stringer Mitch Leigber will start for the third straight game — have taken their toll on QB Tanner McKee. He has thrown one touchdown pass in the past five games. Stanford has allowed the most sacks (34) in the Pac-12, but Cal has recorded only 13. If the Cardinal can provide McKee with just enough time, he can be plenty effective. “He’s got a very quick release,” Stanford head coach David Shaw said, “so he can get the ball out with people around him.”
• Injuries have sidelined Cal defensive back Lu-Magia Hearns III for the past four games and defensive back Collin Gamble for the past two. The Bears sorely could use either or both to return Saturday to try to contain Elijah Higgins, who leads the Cardinal with 44 receptions for 558 yards.
• If it comes down to a field-goal game, give the edge to the Cardinal. Joshua Karty has hit on all 14 of his field-goal tries this season, including nine from beyond 40 yards. Cal’s Dario Longhetto is 9-for-15 on field-goal tries with a long of 42 yards. Freshman Michael Luckhurst replaced him and nailed a 36-yarder in the Bears’ 38-10 loss at Oregon State last Saturday.
When Cal has the ball
• Cal fired offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave and offensive line coach Angus McClure on Sunday. The Bears said the game planning and play calling will be a “collaborative effort” among the remaining offensive coaches and head coach Justin Wilcox. “We’re still going to be running some similar stuff,” quarterback Jack Plummer said, “just tweaking things here and there and seeing if we can maybe add a play or two to help us generate some more offense.”
• The Bears would love to get freshman running back Jaydn Ott in gear again. He gained 274 yards on 19 carries in Cal’s last win, a 49-31 decision over Arizona on Sept. 24. In the six games since then, Ott has gained a combined 282 yards on 83 carries. The Cardinal’s injury-thinned defense could provide a boost: Stanford has allowed 909 rushing yards and 10 rushing TDs in its three-game skid.
• If it comes down to a turnover game, give the edge to the Bears. Cal has committed only eight turnovers (one lost fumble) and has collected 16 for a plus-eight margin that’s tied for second in the conference. Stanford has committed 19 turnovers (12 lost fumbles) and has collected nine for a minus-10 margin that ranks 11th in the Pac-12.