CAL AT TCU
Records: Cal (0-1, 0-0 Pac-12); TCU (1-0. 0-0 Big 12)
Kickoff: 12:30 p.m. Saturday at Amon G. Carter Stadium, Fort Worth, Texas
TV: ESPNU
Radio: KGO (810 AM)
Series history: TCU leads 1-0. The Horned Frogs won 10-7 in overtime at the 2018 Cheez-It Bowl in Phoenix, Arizona
Cal storylines: On the heels of losing 22-17 at home to Nevada last Saturday, the Bears will try to avoid starting 0-2 against two non-conference foes for the first time since 2001, when they lost their first 10 games under coach Tom Holmoe . . . Cal will attempt to develop some continuity on offense after scoring two first-quarter touchdowns against Nevada then posting just a field goal the rest of the way . . . . Will be interesting to see if the Bears are more stubborn with the running game. Against Nevada, four Cal RBs totaled 158 rushing yards on 21 carries, a healthy average of 7.5 yards per attempt . . . Eleven Cal players come from Texas, including a pair of defensive starters, OLB Cameron Goode, CB Josh Drayden . . . The Bears said they began hydrating early in the week in anticipation of afternoon temperatures in the mid-90s at Fort Worth on Saturday.
TCU storylines: The Horned Frogs were so dominant in their 45-3 opening win over FCS-level Duquesne that the coaches agreed at halftime to shorten the third and fourth quarters from 15 to 12 minutes . . . Senior QB Max Duggan, who in the summer of 2020 was briefly ruled out due to the discovery of a previously unknown heart condition, had a procedure completed that has allowed to him to play. Duggan passed for 1,795 yards with 10 touchdowns and just four interceptions and rushed for a team-best 526 yards and 10 more scores in 10 games last season . . . TCU plays a fast-tempo game and rotates as many as four running backs on and off the field . . . WR Derius Davis is also a dangerous return specialist, having averaged 14.5 yards with two touchdowns on punt returns a year ago . . . TCU has a bye next week, then faces in-state rivals SMU and Texas to kick off a stretch of 10 games in 10 weeks.
Cal roster updates: RB Christopher Brooks, who left the Nevada game late in the first half with an undisclosed injury, is expected to play, according to coach Justin Wilcox.
TCU roster updates: Starting RG Wes Harris, who missed the opener vs. Duquesne because of injury, is expected back for Cal. CB Noah Daniels, who was still recovering last week from a 2020 season-ending leg injury, is questionable. The status of OG Blake Hickey and DE Khari Coleman, who both missed the opening game with undisclosed injuries, is unknown.
Stats that matter: Cal has scored 30 points or more just five times in 31 games since the start of the 2018 season and has been held to 21 points or fewer in 17 of those games . . . TCU coach Gary Patterson, in his 21st season, is 7-0 all-time vs. current members of the Pac-12. Only one of those was a home game . . . Cal is 3-0 in regular-season, non-conference road games under Wilcox, with wins over North Carolina in 2017, BYU in 2018 and Ole Miss in 2019 . . . The Bears are 2-0 in Amon G. Carter Stadium, having beaten Air Force in 2007 and 2015 in the Armed Forces Bowl.
— JEFF FARAUDO