College GameDay's First Trip to Berkeley: Cal Hosts Miami

Oct 3, 20242 min read

Cal Golden Bears — © Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

A pivotal game in the Atlantic Coast Conference kicks off at 10:30 p.m. EST on Oct. 5 at California Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, Calif., when the Cal Golden Bears (3-1, 0-1) host the No. 8 Miami Hurricanes (5-0, 1-0). While the 'Canes seek to remain undefeated in pursuit of a spot in the College Football Playoff, Cal is looking for its initial ACC win.

Cal is coming off a bye, following its first loss of the season to the Florida State Seminoles (1-4, 1-3) on Sept. 14 in Tallahassee, Fla. The undefeated Hurricanes won controversially in Week 5 when a video replay crew reversed an on-field call that a last-second Hail Mary pass by Virginia Tech (2-3, 1-1) was completed for a touchdown. Had the call stood, Miami would have suffered its first loss of the season.

A First: GameDay in Berkeley

Although the Golden Bears have participated in three previous games at venues where GameDay broadcasted its pregame show, this game marks GameDay's first trip to Berkeley. Cal and its supporters are pleased.

"We are thrilled that ESPN’s College GameDay will be coming to the Berkeley campus this week," UC Berkeley Chancellor Rich Lyons said. "A college football Saturday brings together our community, and we welcome the wonderful opportunity ESPN’s College GameDay provides to show what Berkeley is all about."

Key Players

The Hurricanes are led by their dynamic quarterback, Cam Ward. Following Week 5, he has the second-shortest betting odds to win the Heisman Trophy, behind only Alabama's Jalen Milroe. On the season, Ward has thrown for 1,782 yards and 18 touchdowns, completing over 70 percent of his passes. He has also rushed for 146 yards and 2 more touchdowns.

The matchup between Ward and Cal's stout defense is an intriguing one. Miami is averaging 49.4 points per game, while the Golden Bears are relinquishing an average of only 12.75 points per game. Elite Cal defenders include defensive back Nohl Williams who, in just four games, has 12 tackles and 4 interceptions.

On the other side of the ball, Cal features star running back Jadyn Ott. Named to the Doak Walker Award watch list, Ott missed playing time early in the season with an ankle injury. The Golden Bears are hopeful that the bye week has given Ott sufficient time to get back to full health.

Cristobal vs. Wilcox

Miami coach Mario Cristobal and Cal coach Justin Wilcox are familiar with one another from their shared days in the Pac-12 Conference. Cristobal coached the Oregon Ducks from 2017-2021. Wilcox is in his seventh season at the helm in Cal.

Addressing the media in advance of this week's game, Cristobal stressed the prowess of the Golden Bears' defense in past years and this season: "Yeah, they were always, probably the toughest, most physical teams we always faced out on the West Coast. Every game came down to the end. ... They lead the country in interceptions, turnover margin, they're like top three in the country, tops in the ACC."