BERKELEY – San Diego State leaves home for the first time this season to take part in a game between former and future members of the Pac-12.
Let that sink in for a moment.
On Saturday, SDSU will play Cal, which moved to the ACC this season after the Pac-12 imploded last year.
The Aztecs announced Thursday morning that they will join the Pac-12 along with Boise State, Colorado State and Fresno State on July 1, 2026. They join Oregon State and Washington State in a rebuild that will include at least two other members.
Perhaps the Aztecs can persuade Cal to return during a visit to the Berkeley campus.
Are the Bears really looking forward to traveling across the country to play in the ACC? They’ll have to travel to Florida (Florida State), North Carolina (Wake Forest), Pennsylvania (Pitt) and Texas (SMU) this season.
And that’s after they already traveled to Alabama for a nonconference game against Auburn. (At least Cal made the trip worthwhile with their 21-14 win over the Tigers last week.)
SDSU takes an 18 1/2 point lead into this game at Cal’s Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. (ESPN).
Here are five things to look out for:
1. SDSU quarterback
SDSU’s starting quarterback is in question after Daniel O’Neil suffered a knee injury in last week’s loss to Oregon State. He practiced this week wearing a brace that went from the thigh to the calf of his left knee.
The true freshman from Indiana watched most of the practice sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday, with backups Javance Tupou’ata-Johnson And AJ Duffy Sales representative.
Because Thursday’s practice was not open to the media, it was unclear whether O’Neil had increased his activity.
SDSU Coach Sean Lewis said during the week that in order to play, O’Neil would have to “run around and be able to defend at a really high level.”
Don’t be surprised if Tupou’ata-Johnson, a redshirt freshman, makes his first collegiate start.
The 6-foot-4, dual-threat quarterback played the final series in the season opener against Texas A&M-Commerce. He ran once for seven yards but did not attempt a pass.
There will be a lot of people watching in Tupou’ata-Johnson’s corner. He is an Oakland native who grew up near the Cal campus and expects several family members and friends at the game.
2. Cal quarterback
Disruptive Cal quarterback Fernando Mendozaa 6-foot-5 redshirt sophomore from Florida, will be one of the Aztecs’ biggest tasks.
Mendoza completed 25 of 36 passes for 233 yards and two touchdowns against Auburn. He completed 19 of 21 passes in the first half.
“He’s really comfortable in their system and knows how to operate it at a high level and distribute the ball really well to all the playmakers around him,” Lewis said.
Cal was missing two injured wide receivers, but Mendoza was still able to distribute the ball to nine others.
One player to keep an eye on is Cal wide receiver Nyziah Hunterwho had touchdown catches of 19 and 13 yards against Auburn.
Wide receivers Tobias Merriweather And Kyion Grayes According to Cal coach, “from week to week” Justin Wilcox and are expected to miss their third consecutive game.
They are among the five offensive players who had to miss the game. Two offensive linemen, center Will McDonald and guard Sioape Vaticanihave been out since the beginning of the season and will probably be absent.
The Golden Bears could also do without a running back Jayden Ottwho had to leave the game against Auburn with an ankle injury. This would shift the rushing load to teammate Jaivian Thomaswho had eight carries for 53 yards in Auburn.
3. Cal Secondary
Cal leads the nation with seven interceptions.
Lewis noticed the speed, distance and aggressiveness of the football defense, especially in the secondary.
“They take advantage of the opportunities they get the ball in their hands,” Lewis said, adding: “They fly (around) and overlap really, really well and they have great vision.”
Cal defensive backs were responsible for five turnovers in Auburn. Four interceptions were made by Noel Williams (two), Lu-Magia Hearns III And Jair Smith while Craig Woodson recovered a fumble.
4. Duration of ownership
The Aztecs’ offense has averaged just 23 minutes on the field through two games, ranking 128th among 133 FBS teams nationally in time of possession.
The statistics are distorted by the 21-0 loss to Oregon State, which had the ball for more than 41 minutes.
It was the most lopsided possession time for the Aztecs since Army had the ball for 46 minutes in the 2017 Armed Forces Bowl.
Lewis called it a “courageous effort” by his defense to stay on the field for so long.
In fact, SDSU’s defense kept the Aztecs in the game, which was 7-0 through three quarters.
However, the Aztecs cannot expect a successful result if the offense does not do a better job of maintaining the attacks and giving the defense time to breathe.
5. Penalties
SDSU has committed the third-most penalties (24) in the country, just less than Texas State (27) and Nevada (29).
At least the Aztecs are moving in the right direction.
After committing 16 penalties in its season opener against Texas A&M-Commerce, SDSU reduced the number to eight against Oregon State. Only one of those came in the second half.
Several of the violations against the Beavers were committed on the offensive line, resulting in three first-down runs by Marquez Cooper.
Avoiding mistakes will be key. The focus will again be on SDSU’s offensive line, which is still trying to regain its footing after losing its left tackle. Joe Borjon due to a knee injury that meant the end of the season for him.
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