PERSONNEL NEWS

Strategy And Personnel

The Sports Xchange

November 13, 2018 at 10:34 pm.

GAME BREAKDOWN

KEY MATCHUP: With Cal’s confidence skyrocketing, and its defense proving its might every week, a different opponent than Stanford might be quaking in its name-brand cleats. But the Cardinal has been a perennial winner because of the way it runs the ball, protects the ball and decimates the opposition with its defense. Plus, quarterback K.J. Costello could be peaking; he leads the Pac-12 in passing efficiency (153.1).

Basically, this game is a battle of wills and increasingly like-minded teams. Who will protect the ball best? Who will win the turnover battle? Who will be able to sustain drives and strike in the red zone when need be?

The key matchup isn’t just one matchup this week, it’s just the matchup of two archrivals who look more similar than they have in quite some time. Stanford, though, appears to have the edge in passing the football, and that could make the difference during stressful fourth quarter drives.

DRAFT SLANT

–RB Bryce Love is having a down season after entering as a Heisman Trophy candidate. Love has 580 yards and five touchdowns, and is averaging 5.2 yards per carry (his career average is 7). Love has missed two games due to injury. He is at 3,707 career rushing yards — fourth on the school’s all-time list in-between fifth-place Toby Gerhart (3,522) and third-place Christian McCaffrey (3,922). Love’s stock has incrementally fallen this season.

ROSTER REPORT

–K Jet Toner is questionable for the Cal game with an undisclosed injury.

–WR J.J. Arcega is questionable for the Cal game with an ankle injury.

–LB Mustafa Branch is questionable for the Cal game with an undisclosed injury.

–OL Nate Herbig is questionable for the Cal game with an undisclosed injury.

–LB Joey Alfieri it out indefinitely with an arm injury.

–QB Davis Mills is out indefinitely with an undisclosed injury.

–S Ben Edwards is out indefinitely with an undisclosed injury.

–OL Foster Sarell is out indefinitely with a leg injury.

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