UNLV at CAL
Records: Cal 1-0, 0-0 in the Pac-12; UNLV 1-0, 0-0 in the Mountain West Conference
Kickoff: 1 p.m. Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley
TV: Pac-12 Bay Area
Radio: KGO (810 AM)
Series history: First meeting
Cal storylines: The Bears fell behind UC Davis 7-0 in the first quarter last Saturday then went on to a 34-13 victory in their season opener . . . Quarterback Jack Plummer, a senior transfer from Purdue, passed for 268 yards and three touchdowns in his Cal debut. He was sacked twice on third down and threw an interception on the Bears’ first three possessions, then was 11-for-12 passing in the second quarter . . . The Bears also got a lift from running back Jaydn Ott, whose 104 rushing yards were the most by a Cal freshman in his debut in the 21st century. . . . Utah transfer outside linebacker Xavier Carlton, in his Cal debut had 1.5 sacks against Davis . . . senior Jamieson Sheahan punted for a career-best 49.8-yard average last week, including a career-long 65-yarder . . . Cal was 9-0 in non-conference games in coach Justin Wilcox’s first three seasons (2017-19), but is just 2-2 the past two years after not playing outside the Pac-12 during the 2020 pandemic season.
UNLV storylines: The Rebels had last week off after beating Idaho State 52-21 on Aug. 27. They scored on all seven of their first-half possessions to lead 45-7 at halftime against the visitors from the FCS Big Sky Conference . . . In his third season, coach Marcus Arroyo is a former San Jose State quarterback (1998-02) and assistant coach (2005-08) and Cal assistant (2011-12). The Rebels were 0-6 and 2-10 in his first two seasons, but fortified their roster with 18 newcomers via the transfer portal. Perhaps best among them is former Michigan State wide receiver Ricky White, who caught eight passes for 182 yards and two touchdowns vs. Idaho State . . . Sophomore quarterback Doug Brumfield was 21-for-25 (84%) for 356 yards and four TDs in the opener. The 6-foot-5 left-hander missed most of last season due to injuries. Brumfield’s performance in the opener earned him Mountain West Player of the Week honors . . . former Cal QB Nate Longshore (2005-08) is UNLV’s tight ends coach.
Stats that matter: Cal is 2-3 vs. current members of the Mountain West Conference since 2012 . . . The Bears, who lost just two fumbles all last season, did not fumble vs. UC Davis . . . UNLV has had one winning season (7-6 in 2013) since 2000 and hasn’t started a season 2-0 since 1999 under coach John Robinson.
— JEFF FARAUDO
Source: www.mercurynews.com