Matchup Breakdown: USC looking to rebound against inconsistent Cal

USC is at a critical point in the season after dropping its last two games. If you ask the Trojans, there is still a lot to play for over the final four games of the season. Last week's loss, USC's third straight to Utah, only magnified the issues the cropped up during the road defeat at the hands of Notre Dame on Oct. 14.

Throw into that the absence of head coach Lincoln Riley this week while he was being treated for pneumonia and you have the continuation of an odd stretch for the Trojans. Riley has since returned, and the team believes it did not miss a beat while he was out.

“I mean, 4-1 in conference, a lot of stuff we can still go get, so I think just try to stay positive," USC linebacker Mason Cobb said. "That’s all we can do. What else is there to do, complain and not keep going, not keep pushing? As a leader, you gotta lead all the time and the guys understand ... we push each other every day in practice to get better. That’s our goal every day is to be better than yesterday.”

Still, the test will come on the field as the Trojans turn their attention to a different kind of opponent than the nationally-ranked Irish or Utes.

Cal (3-4, 1-3) has had an inconsistent season through its first seven games with three different quarterbacks now having an opportunity to start for the Bears this year and a number of injuries impacting the team on both sides of the ball.

It has opened up the Golden Bears to criticism from fans with a collection of the fan base already calling for a coaching change as Cal prepares to move into the ACC next year.

The lack of a big name on the other sideline or any other motivation means the Trojans have been looking inward this week hoping to correct their own mistakes and make improvements to begin moving in a positive direction once again.

“This team’s not down, I can tell you that," USC safety Bryson Shaw said. "That [loss] hurt, that sucked, but this team’s not down and out. We feel like we’re just getting started, we really do. I’m not just saying that, we really feel like we’re just getting started. We’re rising, and we think we’re gonna close out the year the right way. We got Cal, and we’re focused about Cal right now.”

Through its two-game skid, USC has had to continue blocking out critical voices from outside the program that only continue to grow louder heading into the final stretch of the season. The Trojans have looked toward their leaders to find confidence.

"We have to take everything with a grain of salt and treat everything the same," Cobb said. "And, man, just play week by week. We can’t talk about something we don’t have or protect something we don’t have.

"Guys need to understand that there’s a bigger picture to this but the focus is weekly. It’s who we play during the week, and anything outside of that is irrelevant and can overall affect our play and how we play on Saturday.”

On Cal's side, the season has been about finding any kind of footing as new problems have seemingly been arising each week for the Bears. Now that there is some stability at the quarterback position with second-year freshman Fernando Mendoza firmly planted as the starter for the foreseeable future, the work will begin on correcting a defense that has allowed an average of 41.5 points in its four conference games.

That number jumps up to 48.3 if you take out Cal's 24-21 win over Arizona State leaving only the three ranked opponents it has faced this year — Washington, Oregon State and Utah.

The Trojans should be in prime position for a get-right game but let's take a closer look the matchup ahead of kickoff Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. PT in Berkeley at California Memorial Stadium (on Pac-12 Network) ...

Record: 3-4 overall, 1-3 Pac-12

AP ranking: NR

Notable games: Cal beat North Texas to open the season (58-21) before falling late against Auburn (14-10) during nonconference play. The Bears have stuggled against ranked opponents this season falling to Washington (59-32), Oregon State (52-40) and Utah (34-14) during conference play. Its only conference win this year came against Arizona State (24-21).

Coach: Justin Wilcox, 7th season (33-40)

Series history: USC leads the all-time series, 72-32-5, with a 35-18-2 record in Berkeley, but the Trojans have lost two of their last four meetings against the Bears after a previous 17-game winning streak.

Familiar faces: Cal head coach Justin Wilcox and defensive coordinator Peter Sirmon were both perviously on staff at USC together for two seasons (2014-15).

Cal, under new offensive coordinator Jake Spavital, went out and brought in two transfer scholarship quarterbacks after the Bears had a mass exodus at the position after the season. TCU transfer Sam Jackson V entered the mix in the winter and participated in spring practice with the Bears before Spavital again dipped into the portal to bring in NC State transfer Ben Finley seeking out more experience at the position.

It turns out, Cal had the answer its its quarterback conundrum already in the building. Second-year freshman Fernando Mendoza did not see the field at all in 2022 but remained on as the only scholarship quarterback through the offensive coaching change. Throughout spring practice and training camp it became apparent he might be the best option.

Instead, he started the season No. 3 on the depth chart and it wasn't until the Bears flipped back and forth between Jackson and Finley a couple times that Mendoza was able to get his shot to run the show. In the two games since taking over as starting quarterback, Mendoza stabilized the offense and allowed Spavital to have more balance instead of leaning too much on his potent running game in losses to Oregon State and Utah.

The offense reached 40 points for the first time since its opener in the 52-40 loss to the Beavers on Oct. 7. Mendoza has gone 31 for 49 for 356 yards passing and 4 touchdowns in his two starts.

The Golden Bears don't need to be stellar in the passing game but just enough to keep defenses honest. Cal's rushing attack is how its offense thrives, and it is led by a star in sophomore running back Jaydn Ott (104 carries for 601 yards and 5 touchdowns) — a preseason Pac-12 second team selection.

He currently tops the conference with 100.5 yards rushing per game, which is good enough to put him at No. 16 nationally.

“They have a great running back over there," said Trojans safety Zion Branch, who played with Ott for a time at Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas. "Actually one of my former teammates, Jaydn Ott. He’s a real great running back. They got some great receivers, great quarterback. So, we’re really just trying to come together and scheme for the whole team, through all aspects, we’re not trying to take any team lightly at all.”

The running back work load is not only carried by Ott. The Bears have also received strong contributions from Montana State transfer Isaiah Ifanse (65-357-7), who leads the team with 7 rushing touchdowns. The sixth-year senior from Washington sits only behind Oregon's Jordan James among all players in the Pac-12 in that category.

Nationally, the Golden Bears rank 19th in rushing offense with 195.6 yards on the ground so far through seven games. That's good enough for third among teams in the Pac-12.

Cal has also received contributions from reserves Ashton Stredick (49-199-2) and freshman Javian Thomas (12-95-1).

The Bears' top receiver Jeremiah Hunter (30 catches, 333 yards, 4 touchdowns) was held to 3 catches for 12 yards in the last two games and did not have a single reception in the loss to Utah.

Along the offensive line, Cal lost its captain and starting center Matthew Cindric for the season after he suffered an injury in the season opener forcing Brian Driscoll to slide over from left guard to take over. He earned the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week after his performance against North Texas in the opener.

Like on offense, Cal is without its captain for the remainder of the season. Washington transfer Jackson Sirmon suffered a similar bicep injury to Cindric in the Bears' loss to Oregon State bringing the sixth-year senior's college career to an end. Sirmon, a preseason Pac-12 first team selection, collected 50 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble and 1 sack in 6 games.

Other injuries to the inside linebacker group have forced the Bears to continue searching for a full-time replacement for Sirmon after using a platoon at the position against Utah.

With Sirmon now out for the year, the Bears will lean even more on emerging star inside linebacker Kaleb Elarms-Orr, who leads the team and Pac-12 with 65 tackles this season. His average of 9.3 tackles per game is good enough to put him 22nd nationally.

Freshman inside linebacker Cade Uluave shined in his biggest opportunity in Cal's game against Utah as he finished with 9 tackles and 1 tackle for loss in that contest as a reserve.

The position that has USC's attention is the outside linebacker group. Led by senior Xavier Carlton (26 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 2 sacks), the Cal outside linebacker unit is not deep but has a number of key contributors including Florida transfer David Reese (14 tackles, 1 sack) who has a team-high 4 quarterback hurries.

“They’re gonna break you down man to man," Trojans offensive line coach Josh Henson said. "Number 44 (Carlton), for defensive end, he’s gonna get a lot of push. He’s very strong. I think 6-6, 275, which is a little bit different animal than we deal with at D-end most of the time because of his ability to bull rush you and collapse the pocket.

"They’ve got some new guys in there at defensive end that are different than him and are skilled guys. They’re gonna present you two different types of pass rush. And, on the interior, they just do a really nice job of getting push. They’re big bull-rush guys, but at the same time they’re bull rushing you they’re gonna use their hands well, a little hand combat, and kinda get you leaning forward. When they do, they’re gonna push-pull you and swat your hands."

As much as USC is making it a point to focus on the defensive front, Cal has had issues bringing down the quarterback and ball carriers down behind the line of scrimmage this season. The Bears are tied with Washington for fewest sacks this season in the Pac-12 as each team has just 7 on the year, ranking 125th nationally.

The numbers are worse when it comes to tackles for loss. Cal's average of 3.3 tackles for loss per game this season has the Bears last among all FBS teams in that category.

Along with Carlton, Ricky Correia remains the other most productive player along the defensive front for the Bears as he has collected 19 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and 1 sack from his defensive tackle position this year.

What started the season as a strength for the Bears has quickly become a major issue. Cal's coaches worked to revamp the secondary over the offseason by adding several pieces but that has not brought the results wanted after Cal struggled last season in the same area.

In conference play, the Bears have allowed 293.8 yards through the air, 10th-worst in the Pac-12. Where the group has been impressive is in its ability to take the ball away. Cal currently ranks tied for fourth with 7 interceptions this season.

UNLV transfer Nohl Williams (28 tackles, 2 tackles for loss) has been the most productive performer in that regard with 2 interceptions this season from his cornerback spot.

“They’re a solid group as always," USC receiver Brenden Rice said. "We’re gonna have to go at them this week, and they’re gonna play a lot of quarters, three and honestly gonna attack the ball because their corners and safeties are gonna come down with it.”

Safeties Patrick McMorris (41 tackles, 3 pass breakups, 2 fumble recoveries) and Craig Woodson (34 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble) have been the other two most productive members of the secondary this season for the Bears.

Ultimately, if USC can slow down the Cal running game and keep Ott and the rest of the running back group in check, the chances of the Trojans getting back in the win column increases greatly. Mendoza is not much of a running threat at the quarterback position, so the USC defensive line and linebacker units should be able to focus on the collection of backs used by the Bears.