9 p.m. | ESPN
SoFi Stadium Inglewood, California
REBELS vs. GOLDEN BEARS SERIES NOTES…
Cal and UNLV have only faced each other one time as the Golden Bears won 20-14 in Berkeley on Sept. 10, 2022 … These programs were supposed to originally meet in 2020 in what was slated to be the first game at Allegiant Stadium but the matchup was postponed because of the pandemic. Cal is now scheduled to make the return trip to Las Vegas on Oct. 3, 2026 … UNLV fourth-year TE coach Nate Longshore was a starting QB at Cal (2005-08), including helping win a share of the 2006 Pac-12 title … Cal DB/PR Nohl Williams transferred to Cal after starting 23 games at UNLV from 2020-22 … Cal DB coach Tre Watson served the same role for the Rebels in 2020 … Cal Defensive Analyst Michael Bruno coached ILBs at UNLV in 2022.
California Golden Bears Notes
BOWL BITS …
– Cal is in a bowl game for the second straight season in 2024 at the Art of Sport LA Bowl hosted by Gronk after being in the 2023 Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl. The Bears are making back-to-back bowl appearances for the first time since the 2018 Cheez-It Bowl and 2019 Redbox Bowl. – Cal clinched a bowl berth for the second straight campaign by recording its sixth win of the season with a 24-21 victory over Stanford in the 127th Big Game on November 23. – Cal is making its 26th bowl appearance in 2024 and is 12-12-1 all-time. – Cal is playing in a bowl in California for the 15th time. – Cal is in a pre-Christmas bowl for the fifth time ever and the second straight season with last year’s Independence Bowl played on Dec. 16, 2023.
CAL …
– Is playing UNLV for the second time ever with the Bears winning 20-14 in Berkeley on Sept. 10, 2022. – Has outscored 2024 opponents by a total of 47 points with a 313-266 advantage. Cal’s six wins have been by an average of 16.0 points per game and its six losses by an average of 8.2. – Lost only a single game by more than one score/eight points (38-6 in regular-season finale at then No. 9 SMU). – Features a defense that is allowing 10.6 points fewer per contest (22.2) than the 32.8 it gave up in 2023. – Ranks in top 20 nationally in five team categories related to turnovers, including passes intercepted (T4th, 17) in which the Bears also lead the ACC, as well as fumbles lost (T6th, 3), turnover margin (T9th, +1.00 per game, +12), turnovers lost (T15th, 10) and turnovers gained (T16th, 22). – Ranks in top 40 nationally in a total 17 team categories including, completion percentage (14th, 66.7), rushing defense (16th, 107.1 ypg), team passing efficiency defense (24th 117.17), blocked kicks (T27th, 2), passing offense (27th, 266.3 ypg), team sacks (T27th, 2.67 spg), defensive touchdowns (T29th, 2), passes had intercepted (T29th, 7), third down conversion percentage defense (31st, 34.1%), kickoff returns (37th, 22.00), kickoff return defense (38th, 18.38) and net punting (39th, 40.24 avg). – Did not force a takeaway in its final three games after a previous string of 11 straight with at least one takeaway dating back to the final two games of 2023. – Features two members of the program with ties to UNLV in DB Nohl Williams and defensive backs coach Tre Watson. Williams played for the Rebels for three seasons from 2020-22 while Watson was UNLV’s defensive backs coach in 2020. – Has 31 players on its roster who went through senior ceremonies prior to the team’s final home game against Stanford and could potentially be playing in their final game at Cal. – Is being televised on the ESPN family of networks for the eighth time this season. – Has 25 players with hometowns in Southern California.
NATIONALLY NOTABLE INDIVIDUALS
– DB Nohl Williams leads the nation with seven interceptions, is tied for third with 16 passes defended, tied for third with one kickoff return touchdown, and tied for fourth with one interception return TD. – P Lachlan Wilson is 12th in punting average (45.0 ypp). – DB Cam Sidney is tied for 17th with two fumble recoveries. – OLB Xavier Carlton is tied for 17th in total sacks (9.0) and tied for 18th in sacks per game (0.75). – ILB Teddye Buchanan is tied for 17th in tackles (112) and tied for 18th in tackles per game (9.3).
ROGERS, HARRIS LEAD BOWL GAME QUARTERBACK OPTIONS
− Chandler Rogers and CJ Harris are expected to be Cal’s top two quarterback options at the LA Bowl. − Rogers made his first start for Cal and the 29th of his six-year collegiate career at SMU and has played in a total of eight games in 2024. He is 12-of-25 for 117 yards in the air, while he also has 29 rushes for 86 yards and one TD, as well as one reception for three yards. Rogers had a key seven-yard run to convert on third down and help run out the clock on Cal’s game-winning drive against Stanford. − Harris saw his first action at Cal at SMU in relief of an injured Rogers and was 6-of-11 for 75 yards including a 60-yard completion that was Cal’s second-longest pass play of the season. Harris also ran six times for 26 yards. – Rogers set collegiate career highs in all passing categories other than interceptions by completing 262- of-422 passes (62.1%) for 3,382 yards with 29 touchdowns and five interceptions for a 149.71 passer rating, while adding 109 rushes for 180 yards and four touchdowns as a 2023 junior at North Texas before his arrival at Cal in January of 2024 – Rogers also played in 24 games with 19 starts during two campaigns at Louisiana-Monroe as a 2021 redshirt freshman and 2022 redshirt sophomore, completing a combined 328-of-501 passes (66.1%) for 3,704 yards with 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions for a 139.99 rating while adding 710 yards and six touchdowns on the ground on 284 carries for 4414 total yards, as well as one reception for three yards and one touchdown. Rogers set the school-record for single-season completion percentage as a 2021 redshirt freshman (63.5%) and then broke it again as a 2022 redshirt sophomore (67.5%). – Harris played in 10 career games over four seasons at Ohio (2020-23) prior to his arrival at Cal in June of 2024 and completed 78-of-147 passes for 829 yards with five touchdowns and four interceptions for a 106.21 rating, while adding 239 yards rushing on 52 attempts with three touchdowns on the ground for 1,068 total yards and eight touchdowns responsible for. – The last two teams he played for at Ohio as a 2022 third-year freshman and 2023 sophomore combined for a 20-7 overall record, won a Mid-American Conference title in 2022, had a 13-3 combined MAC record, and were victorious in a pair of bowl games (2022 Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl, 2023 Myrtle Beach Bowl). – Harris saw his most action as a third-year freshman in 2022 when he played in seven games, including starts in each of the final three and completed 52-of-97 passes (53.6%) for 577 yards with three touchdowns and one interception for a 111.72 rating while rushing 37 times for 168 yards with three touchdowns for a team that finished 10-4 overall, won the MAC title and defeated Wyoming in the Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl in a game in which he was named MVP
THOMAS AND OTT CARRYING THE LOAD IN RUNNING BACKS ROOM
− Jaydn Ott (105) and Jaivian Thomas (91) had all but three carries by the running backs over the final four regular-season games and got the most work in 2024 overall with the duo combining for 196 of the 252 carries by the running backs. Quarterbacks Fernando Mendoza (87) and Chandler Rogers (29) had the third and fourth-most carries on the team after Ott and Thomas. − Thomas (91-598, 7 TD, 6.57 ypc) is Cal’s leading rusher with his totals all career highs despite missing the regular-season finale at SMU. Thomas’ 6.57 yards per carry would be second in the ACC and ninth nationally if he had the minimum of 10 carries per game. He is also Cal’s leading scorer among non-kickers and tied for second overall with 42 points on a team-high seven rushing scores. Thomas has five of Cal’s seven longest runs of 2024 (75 vs. Syracuse, 57 vs. San Diego State, 49TD vs. Oregon State, 37 vs. San Diego State, 32TD at Auburn). − Thomas had a career-high-tying 17 rushes and a career-high 169 yards rushing that are also the most rushing yards by a Cal running back this season in his first collegiate start against San Diego State and equaled his career-high 17 rushes for 72 yards with one score at Pitt. − Ott has missed three full games and been limited in others due to injury but still ranks tied for second among position players with five touchdowns and 32 points that include a two-point conversion against Stanford. He is second on the team with 301 yards rushing on his team-high 105 carries with four touchdowns on the ground, while also leading all running backs with 24 catches, 222 yards receiving and one touchdown catch. Ott scored twice against UC Davis (1-yard run, 6-yard run) and Miami (career-long 66-yard reception, 5-yard run) to give him nine career multiple-touchdown games. − Ott’s four rushing touchdowns have moved him into sole possession of seventh place on Cal’s all-time list with 24, while his 2,513 yards rushing through his first 33 Cal games over two-plus seasons is 10th. − Kadarius Calloway (26-124-1 TD), Byron Cardwell Jr. (24-75-0) and Jamaal Wiley (6-18, 1 TD) have also carried the ball. Calloway’s 60-yarder against San Diego State is Cal’s second-longest run and tied for third-longest offensive play in 2024.
RECEPTIONS WELL DISTRIBUTED AMONG WIDE RECEIVERS
− Four Cal players had more than 25 receptions and 250 yards receiving during the 2024 regular season, including three currently with the team in Jonathan Brady (36-386, 3 TD), Mikey Matthews (30-259, 1 TD) and Trond Grizzell (27-401, 1 TD). The trio are among 10 different receivers who have had receptions in 2024 including six others currently with the team in Mavin Anderson (13-87), Mason Starling (9-121), Tobias Merriweather (9-105, 1 TD), Josiah Martin (8-72), Jordan King (4-50) and Kyion Grayes (2-22). − Grizzell has at least one catch in each of his last 15 games, while Matthews has at least one in all 12 of his games at Cal. − Brady lived up to his ever-growing “Ballgame” nickname when he caught a pair of fourth-quarter touchdown passes in the Big Game win over Stanford with the 30 and 22-yarders both coming on third down. Brady finished with five receptions for a Cal career-high 64 yards and the two touchdown grabs. − Merriweather and Grayes both missed the first eight games of 2024 due to injuries after transferring in from Notre Dame ado before both made debuts at Wake Forest. − Isaac Torres has played in all 10 games primarily on special teams in his first season at Cal, while Cole Boscia (5) and Trevor Rogers (4) have also played but have no statistics other than participation.
UNLV Rebels Notes
No. 24 UNLV (10-3/6-1), which has reached double-digit wins for only the third time in program history (1974, 1984), heads a few hours west to face Cal (6-6/2-6) in the 2024 Art of Sport LA Bowl Hosted By Gronk … With the departure of Barry Odom to Purdue, the Rebels will be led in the game by Interim Head Coach Del Alexander, who moved from coaching WRs on Dec. 8 … UNLV announced Odom’s full-time replacement on Dec. 12 with the hiring of new head coach Dan Mullen … The Rebels are ranked No. 24 in all three polls (AP/Coaches/CFP) after earning their first-ever national ranking earlier this season, rising as high as No. 19 in the AP and Coaches list on Dec. 1 … The Rebels, who come in with a 3-2 all-time bowl record, look for their first postseason victory since John Robinson’s squad downed Arkansas in the 2000 Las Vegas Bowl … UNLV AD Erick Harper headed football operations at Arizona during the career of LA Bowl Host Rob Gronkowski’s career with the Wildcats … Although it has a long history with Los Angeles-area opponents, beginning with playing at Azusa Pacific for the second game in Rebel Football history on Sept. 21, 1968, UNLV will be taking the field in LA County for the first time since facing San Diego State in 2020 at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson when the Aztecs were displaced while building a new stadium … UNLV is 0-1 in games played on a Wednesday, losing to North Texas on Jan. 1, 2014, in the Heart of Dallas Bowl at Cotton Bowl Stadium.
REBELATIONS…
This marks only the third time UNLV faces a team from the ACC but the second one this season as the Rebels hosted Syracuse Oct. 4 … The school’s first ACC matchup came in 1993 when UNLV traveled to Clemson … UNLV is tied for eighth in the nation in turnover margin at plus-13 as the Rebel D has forced at least one turnover in 24 of 27 games under DC Michael Scherer … The Rebels, who have not committed more than one turnover in any of their 12 games this fall (the longest such streak in MW history) have scored an eye-popping 91 total points off TOs while allowing just 28 such points from opponents … 2024 Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year Jackson Woodard is currently tied for eighth in the nation with 17 tackles-for-loss, is fourth in the MW with 13 passes defended, tied for fourth in the conference with four interceptions, sits second with two fumble recoveries and leads the league with 124 total tackles. The All-American LB posted an eye-popping total of five passes defended in one game at USU and goes into his final collegiate outing in ninth place in UNLV single-season history with 124 total tackles … CB Cameron Oliver has three picks to give him 13 for his career, which puts him fourth in school history and tied for third among all active players. The senior is one behind Cal DB Nohl Williams, who used to patrol the same defensive secondary at UNLV before Williams transferred to the Golden Bears … The Rebels went 10-3 in true road games the last two seasons after only winning eight total road games in the previous six seasons (8-25) … UNLV’s loss to Boise State in the 2024 Mountain West Championship marked just the second time in history that UNLV played the same team twice in the same season as the 1994 Rebels lost at Central Michigan, 35-23, during the regular season and were matched with the Chippewas in the Las Vegas Bowl three months later, cruising by CMU, 52-24, in the rematch … UNLV’s 19 wins in 27 games the last two seasons represent the most victories over any two-season span since the Rebels went a combined 19-5 in 1974-75 as a member of Division II … Playing on the road as a ranked team for the first in history, UNLV’s 27-16 win at SJSU Nov. 22 capped a regular-season away mark of 6-0 … The only other seasons UNLV went undefeated on the road during the regular season were its inaugural campaign in 1968 and its NCAA D-II semifinalist season of 1974 when the Rebels played just two away games apiece … The Rebels, who are bowl-eligible in back-to-back seasons for the first time ever, are 18-1 the last two years when leading after the third quarter and 8-0 this fall when scoring first … With another sack vs. UNR, UNLV already has 11 more QB sacks than last year (26) with 36 on the season, which ranks second in the MW and is the most for the program since posting 39 in 1994 … After having just one 100-yard individual rushing game in 2023, the Rebs come in boasting 11 century mark outings from five different players this fall, including thrice having two in the same game (vs. UNR and at USU and at Hawai’i) … UNLV is staging a historic season on the scoreboard as its 36.2 points-per-game average ranks 14th in the nation and is on target to best the school record of 34.9 PPG in 1980 … Under the current coaching staff, the Rebels have scored at least 40 points 13 times in 27 games and their three games scoring at least 50 points this season is only matched by the 1974 and 1980 squads … PK Caden Chittenden, who is two off the national lead in FGM, has set the league’s freshman single-season record for both field goals (25) and kicking points scored (127). The Las Vegas native replaced First Team All-American Jose Pizano and is now just six points behind Pizano’s school-record 133 points scored in 2023 and just three extra-points back of his UNLV-best 55 made last fall … After limiting five of its opponents to less than 70 yards rushing, UNLV, which had to face record-breaking Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty twice this fall, sits 17th nationally with 109.8 yards allowed per outing. To put that in perspective, the lowest season total for rush yards allowed since the Rebels moved to D-I in 1978 was 141.2 during the 2000 season that included a Las Vegas Bowl victory … UNLV leads the league in pass efficiency and sits second in pass efficiency defense … The Rebs are tied for fourth in the FBS with 17 team interceptions. In fact, since the beginning of 2022, UNLV’s defense has 48 picks, which is the most in the FBS during that span (Oklahoma is second with 46).
MORE REBELATIONS…
UNLV’s three losses this season were by a combined 22 points (including one in OT) to three currently ranked opponents (twice to No. 8/8/9 Broncos and No. 22/25/21 Syracuse) … With the Rebs drawing the second-largest crowd to watch the program play at Allegiant Stadium in their home finale vs. UNR (40,122), UNLV shattered its all-time home attendance mark by averaging 32,202 over six games. The previous record was 29,281 in six games in 2007 … The 504 net rushing yards UNLV gained vs. Utah Tech are the most of any team in the nation this season by nearly 50 yards … The Rebels are second in the MW and rank fifth in the nation with 251.2 rushing yards per game. That average is the program’s highest in a full season since moving to D-I and the best since a record 303-yard average in 1974 … With the win at Oregon State, the Rebels earned three victories over “A5” opponents in the same season for the first time … With a win at Houston and a victory at Kansas, UNLV became the first non-conference team ever to have multiple road wins against Big 12 competition in the same season … Not counting blocks, UNLV has not returned a punt for a touchdown in 23 years — the longest drought in the nation. The last Rebel to do it was Troy Mason, who went 52 yards vs. San Diego State on Oct. 13, 2001, at Sam Boyd Stadium … However, when Jai’Den Thomas went 90 yards into the end zone vs. Fresno State, UNLV snapped a 13-year drought by returning a kickoff for a score for the first time since Deante Purvis sprinted 98 yards to the end zone vs. CSU on Oct. 29, 2011 … Marshall Nichols finished with the second-highest season punting average in school history last fall as his 47.1 yards per attempt ranked sixth in the nation and sat only slightly behind 1984 All-American Randall Cunningham’s 47.5 rate. Nichols is averaging a robust 44.6 this season, which would rank 22nd in the nation if he had enough attempts to qualify for the NCAA stats. Nichols booted a 79-yarder in Game 12 vs. UNR, which went down as the second-longest in program history and he is currently fifth in MW history for career average at 44.23 … UNLV QB Hajj-Malik Williams, who stands 29th in the country in pass efficiency, has become the Rebels’ single-season record-holder for rush yards by a QB with 824. He has at least one rush and one pass TD in seven of his 10 starts. Last time out, Williams surpassed 10,000 career passing yards in his college career to become the only active player and 10th player this century with 10,000 passing and 2,000 rushing yards in Division I (FCS/FBS) … Speaking of rushing milestones, Jai’Den “Jet” Thomas needs 154 yards in the LA Bowl to reach 1,000 net yards rushing this fall …That would mark the 15th 1,000-yard season in school history by 11 different players … UNLV has a 7-2 record in non-conference games during the last two regular seasons after the Rebels only had a combined six such wins from 2018-22 (6-10).
