Washington Huskies opponent preview: Week 8 – California

Herb Nightengale   |  

Oct 20, 2022

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After two straight losses, the Washington Huskies look for their first road win of 2022 as they play at California on Saturday.

This week, the Washington Huskies take on Cal in Berkeley. The Golden Bears have a 3-3 record after being beaten on the road at Colorado. Although it was a road game, California was favored because Colorado hadn’t won a game. This time they did.

Colorado won in overtime 20-13. In the Pac-12, anything can happen, including upsets.

California Offense

The Golden Bears average 23.67 points a game this season, 18.5 fewer than Washington.

Quarterback

Fifth-year senior Jack Plummer starts at quarterback. This season, the Purdue transfer started all six of Cal’s games, completing 137 of 224 passes for 1509 yards and 9 touchdowns with 3 interceptions. He also has one rushing touchdown.

Running Back

Jaydn Ott, a true freshman from Chino, California, is the Golden Bears’ primary running back. He has 580 rushing yards and 117 passing yards on 108 touches and 7 combined touchdowns.

His biggest game this season was against Arizona when he had 274 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. While it’s unlikely he repeats that performance this week, expect to see Ott get the ball early, especially if Cal gets the opening kickoff.

Backups Damien Moore and DeCarlos Brooks should get a few looks as well.

Receivers

At the “X” wideout is junior Jeremiah Hunter. He has 30 catches on the season for 448 yards and 3 touchdowns. J. Michael Sturdivant is the “Z” receiver. The redshirt freshman has 29 receptions for 341 yards and 3 touchdowns.

The third or “F” receiver is another redshirt frosh, Marvin Anderson, who has 18 catches for 160 yards and one touchdown. Jermaine Terry has started every game at tight end this year, logging 4 catches.

California Defense

Cal gives up 119.5 yards via the run and 258.67 yards in the air. That’s before they face the Washington Huskies’ potent passing attack, which averages 380 yards per game, behind America’s passing yards leader Michael Penix.

Their base defense is a 3–4-4. However, the Huskies are likely to see more of the nickelback.

Defensive Line

Junior Ethan Saunders and freshman Nate Burrell are the starting defensive ends. In his first year as a starter, Sanders has 15 tackles and a sack, while Burrell has 11 tackles and a fumble recovery.

Nose tackle Ricky Correia has 19 stops. Cal rotates several players, so Darius Long Jr and Jaedon Roberts also see action.

Linebackers

Myles Jernigan and Oluwafemi Oladejo start on the outside. The duo has 56 tackles and a pair of forced fumbles.

On the inside is a familiar face to Washington Huskies fans, Jackson Sirmon. He played 33 games for UW from 2018-21 and started 16.

Jackson’s father, Peter, is Cal’s defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach. The elder Sirmon has made good use of his son, who has 52 tackles, with 4 for loss, including 1.5 sacks.

Defensive Backs

Craig Woodson, a redshirt junior, and fifth-year senior Daniel Scott start at safety. Woodson has 30 tackles, while Scott has 32. They each have 2 interceptions.

Isaiah Young also has a pair of pickoffs from his cornerback spot to go along with 15 tackles. Opposite him is second-year starter, Lu-Magia Hearns.

When Cal goes to a nickel package, they use Collin Gamble. The junior has 29 tackles, with 5 for loss and a forced fumble.

Related Story: 7 takeaways from the Huskies’ 49-39 win over Arizona

The Huskies are a 7.5-point favorite going into this game. They hope to stick to it instead of losing for the third time on the road. Go Dawgs!