The California football team returns to Berkeley for its ACC home opener with a 7:30 p.m. PT kickoff against No. 8 Miami at California Memorial Stadium. The Golden Bears (3-1,0-1 ACC) and Hurricanes (5-0,1-0 ACC) will meet for the fifth time in history.
ESPN's wildly popular College GameDay Built by the Home Depot is coming to Berkeley for the first time. The pregame show will originate live from Memorial Glade on the University of California campus prior to Saturday's game against Miami from 6-9 a.m. PT. The pit will open at 3 a.m. and fans interested in attending in person are encouraged to arrive early. The show's lineup includes host Rece Davis alongside analysts Lee Corso, Steve Coughlin, Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee, Kirk Herbstreit and Nick Saban.
CAL…
– Is playing its first ACC home game.
– Is hosting ESPN's College GameDay for the first time and removing its name from a short list of Power 4 schools who have never hosted (Illinois, Maryland, Rutgers, Syracuse and Virginia).
– Is playing Miami for the first time since winning 24-17 in the Emerald Bowl at then AT&T Park (now Oracle Park) in San Francisco on Dec. 27, 2008, as well as hosting Miami in Berkeley for only the second time ever and the first since falling to a No. 10 Hurricane team, 52-24, on Sept. 15, 1990.
– Is being televised for the fourth straight game on ESPN or ESPN2 - its longest such stretch on the ESPN family of networks since playing four in a row on ESPN from Oct. 21 - Nov. 12, 2016 (Oregon, at USC, Washington, at Washington State).
– Starting QB Fernando Mendoza is a native of Miami who graduated from Columbus High School.
– Had a string of six straight regular-season wins snapped in its loss at Florida State.
– Has allowed 14 points or less in four consecutive games to begin the season for its longest such run since the first four games of 1979, with the last time that Cal has allowed 14 or less points in more than four straight a six-game stretch spanning the final two games of 1967 and the first four of 1968.
NATIONALLY NOTABLE
– Cal leads the nation in interceptions with 10 (Miami is one of four teams one behind with nine), while also ranking in the top 10 nationally in turnover margin (T3rd, +2.00 pg, +8 total) and takeaways (7th, 11).
– Cal is also in the top 30 in a total of 15 team statistical categories also including passing efficiency defense (5th, 90.25), scoring defense (12th, 12.8 ppg), fumbles lost (T13th, 1), turnovers lost (T15th, 3), fourth-down conversion percentage defense (T16th, 27.3%), fewest passes intercepted (T23rd, 2), punt return defense (24th, 2.80 ypr), kickoff return average (T24th, 24.00 ypr), first downs defense (T24th, 69) and rushing defense (T21st, 105.3 ypg).
– DB Nohl Williams co-leads the nation as one of two players with four interceptions and is tied for third with seven passes defended. Williams is also one of 11 players with one kickoff return for a touchdown.
– DB Craig Woodson is tied for 12th with a single fumble recovery.
– DB Marcus Harris is tied for 14th with two interceptions.
– ILB Teddye Buchanan is tied for 14th with 10.0 tackles per game.
– OLB Xavier Carlton is tied for 16th with 0.88 sacks per game.
– WR Nyziah Hunter is tied for 21st with four touchdown catches.
– P Lachlan Wilson is 22nd nationally with his average of 45.4 yards per punt.
– Cal is one of seven teams with a kickoff return for a touchdown through Week 3. Williams had an 80-yarder against UC Davis in his only kickoff return of the season.
