After another loss at Mountain America Stadium this last Saturday, Arizona State will leave Tempe for the first time this season.
Saturday’s matchup marks the first away game for the 1-3 Sun Devils in the 2023 season. ASU faces the Golden Bears of California, who have a 2-2 record so far this season.
The Golden Bears have faced some tough competition so far. Their two losses have come at the hands of Auburn and Washington. Auburn currently sits at 4th in the SEC, while Washington is ranked No. 8 on the AP Poll. The Huskies beat California 59-32 after scoring 45 first-half points.
Ben Finley, a Phoenix native, has taken over the duties of quarterback for California. His predecessor, Jack Plummer, now plays for the Louisville Cardinals.
Finely, who transferred from NC State, has gotten into a new rhythm with the Golden Bears. His completion percentage is up 10% from last season, good for 62% on the season.
While he’s made progress, Finley also threw three interceptions in the game against the Huskies.
This has forced Cal head coach Justin Wilcox to look back toward redshirt sophomore quarterback Sam Jackson V, who began the season as the starter before getting injured in the first game of the season.
ASU has started slowly offensively, suffering from many of the same quarterback woes that Cal has dealt with.
However, there was an impressive display of offense and defense in the last game against the USC Trojans. ASU was able to stay in the game until the late 4th quarter, shocking many pundits and fans alike.
The offense has suffered a number of injuries, leading coach Kenny Dillingham to return to playcalling duties and work with a revolving door of quarterbacks over the last two weeks.
Redshirt junior Trenton Bourguet has been practicing throughout the week and could make his return as ASU’s starting quarterback this weekend.
Against the Trojans, junior tailback Cameron Skattebo was the star performer. He was integral to ASU’s success last Saturday.
“Were we better, did we drastically improve, was there growth, was there this? Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes. But better is nowhere to be confused with good,” said Dillingham. “We’ve got a long way to go to get to where I feel like the standard of an offense is.”
The offensive line for the Sun Devils has been a concern, with injuries limiting Dillingham to a rotation of about seven total players. In the last two games, Pyne was sacked 11 times.
The Golden Bears’ defense has been solid, holding Auburn to just 14 points. The Tigers would win by four points, but Cal’s defense kept the team in the game throughout.
The last time these two teams matched up was in 2019, as the 2020 match was canceled. Jayden Daniels and Eno Benjamin were the catalyst players in the game, leading to a Sun Devil victory. Benjamin had three touchdowns in the 24-17 win over the Golden Bears.
While Wilcox has been at Cal in the years following, this will mark the first road trip for Dillingham. The first-year head coach praised Wilcox’s work this year and has warned his team of the test that awaits it.
“They are constantly throwing counterpunches with their adjustments,” said Dillingham. “They know exactly what they’re doing, and they’re very sound doing it. It’s a really tough challenge.”
Dillingham went on to claim that the loss to Washington was not a fair reflection of this California team.
Like the Sun Devils, the Golden Bears are still putting the pieces together. On Saturday, the team that has more of the puzzle complete should reveal itself.
This will be the final matchup the Golden Bears and Sun Devils have together as Pac-12 teams.
Kickoff is scheduled for noon at California Memorial Stadium with TV coverage being provided by Pac-12 Network.
Leave a Reply