(Photo: Scotty Bara/WCSN)
Coming into the season California and Arizona State featured rosters littered with talent and expectations accordingly. Midway through the season, ASU’s championship hopes were dying and the Golden Bears seemed poised to take control of the Pac-12 North.
Alas, Cal dropped five of its last six games and now share a similar vibe to their season as the Sun Devils. However, that isn’t to say their roster is void stars and plenty of key players that could give ASU some trouble.
While Cal’s defense isn’t exactly intimidating, the Golden Bears boast one of the best passers in the country. Though turnovers have been the root of the demise of both teams, they are now looking to salvage a seven-or-eight win season as the regular season comes to a close.
With that in mind, if the Sun Devils allow Cal to get loose and confident in Berkeley, the Golden Bears have shown the ability to compete with the best of teams.
Jared Goff, junior quarterback, No. 16
For as much as these articles have strayed from the outright stars of the teams, it’s impossible to ignore Jared Goff. Arguably the best orchestrator in the country, Goff has a plethora of weapons to spread the ball out in Tony Franklin’s “Bear Raid” offense.
Although no Golden Bears appear in the top of the receiving lists statistically, it’s a testament to Goff that six Bears average at least 35 receiving yards per game.
Goff can pull off some advanced timing and touch throws, but he has been susceptible to turning the ball over as well. Against Utah, Goff tossed five interceptions, and while that was a slight outlier, he has thrown a conference-high 13 interceptions.
If ASU can bring the heat as successfully as it has done the last two weeks, players like freshman safety Kareem Orr and redshirt senior cornerback Lloyd Carrington will have an abundance of opportunities to pick up some interceptions. Orr in particular has been opportunistic and his five picks are an ASU freshman record as well as a conference-high.
At the same time, Goff can burn a defense just as easily. His 32 touchdown passes tie him for fifth in the country. The Sun Devils are dealing with some shifts in their back end, and Goff is the exact person who can exploit that inexperience.
Tre Watson, sophomore running back, No. 5
The offense is all about Goff, but if Cal can get any sort of rushing attack going, it’ll slow down the ASU pass rush and allow for some rare balance in the offense. Watson has come on of late with 195 total rushing yards.
Cal asks less of their running backs than any other team in the Pac-12 other than Washington State, but if Watson can keep ASU a little more honest, those blitzes will slow down just enough to allow Goff to tear up ASU’s secondary.
Where Watson will also be critical is in pass protection. Picking up the fifth, sixth or seventh guy sent by ASU will also be important in providing that window for Goff to pick out his receiver and route.
You can reach Zac Pacleb on Twitter @ZacPacleb or via email at zacpacleb@gmail.com
