Cal football opponent first looks: Utah
Likely the most difficult test for the California Golden Bears will be trying to upset the Pac-12 champion Utah Utes at home.
After what figures to be a protracted battle with a formidable Oregon State offense, Cal hits the road to Salt Lake City to square off with the defending Pac-12 champions before hitting the bye week. There are potential paths to victory for many of Cal’s opponents in 2023, but by far Utah is the toughest one to sketch out.
Utah has lost once at home since early 2018, zero in front of a live audience. Although there are a lot of new faces to turn things around, Cal has been one of the worst road teams in the nation the last few seasons. The Utes will have clear line advantages on both sides of the football. There are significant question marks for this Utah team compared to their Rose Bowl bid squads from the past two seasons.
The best bet for Cal is the schedule. This will be the toughest road to the Pac-12 title yet for the Utes. They start with Florida at home and Baylor on the road their first two weeks. The Bears then play UCLA/at Oregon State to start their Pac-12 schedule and then get at USC/Oregon soon after. Sandwiched in between that murderer’s row is California. Can the Bears find that trap game energy?
Previous Write For California previews: North Texas | Auburn | Idaho | Washington | Arizona State | Oregon State
The top man
It’s unclear how many more years Kyle Whittingham has left at the head of the perch in Salt Lake City. At 63 years old, the only thing really left for Whittingham to accomplish is a playoff bid for the Utes, and the 12-team playoff coming next year will certainly offer that opportunity. But he is one of the best coaches in college football, getting the best of more talented squads in USC and Oregon to capture the Pac-12 crown twice.
The quarterback
Cam Rising returns, although it’s unclear when exactly he’ll return and be at full strength after his Rose Bowl injury against Penn State. But if Whittingham’s comments are any indicator, he will be fully ready by the time the Bears are in town.
“To this point, he’s doing great, and we fully expect to have him for the opener certainly, unless we have a setback. In preparation for that, hopefully, 10-14 days out from the opener where he can start to really practice.
Rising completed 66% of his passes last season, throwing 25 touchdowns (7 interceptions) for 2939 yards while rushing for 409 yards and six scores. Rising is the perfect Utah quarterback—tough, able to improvise when things go poorly, and able to execute the Utes offense on the crucial plays.
Cal’s front seven will have to have their most disruptive game of the season if they don’t want to get burned in a similar way Tyler Huntley did them in four years ago.
The offense
Utah’s identity centers around how good their offensive line is. There will be some significant transition as their two crucial starters—left tackle Braeden Daniels and center Paul Maile—moved on. They do return left guard Keaton Bills, right guard Michael Mokofisi and right tackle Sataoa Laumea, and have tons of depth fighting for the open spots. Falcon Kaumatule seems on his way too be the next Utah left tackle.
Utah's running back corps remains strong despite the loss of Tavion Thomas. Converted quarterback Ja'Quinden Jackson is developing into a good running back, Micah Bernard is a versatile player who can be used in a variety of ways, and Jaylon Glover is a talented freshman who is looking to take a step forward this fall.
There is uncertainty at wide receiver, but Devaughn Vele should stay the number one option outside for Rising, and tight end Brant Kuithe likely will be the top target overall after his return from injury. All in all, skill-wise it’s probably a weaker Utes offense than in past years, but with their line talent and depth, they are still more than formidable enough to beat less talented opposition at home.
The defense/special teams
Utah does lose their front seven playmakers in Gabe Reid and Mohamoud Diabate, but nearly everyone else is back. The defensive line is highlighted by rising star defensive tackle Junior Tafuna, who is going to make life completely miserable for interior offensive lines throughout the conference. Van Fillinger will return from injury and likely take on the role of playmaker, and Jonah Elliss (son of Utah’s defensive line coach Luther) is ready for his time in the spotlight.
In the linebacking corps, the Utes lose Diabate to the NFL, but Karene Reid (72 tackles, 9.5 TFL) and Lander Barton (46 tackles, 8 TFL) should pick up the slack. There is depth for that third spot, with Hayden Furey and Stanford transfer Levani Damuni rising and Justin Medlock turning heads. It’s not a deep squad, but Utah operates primarily out of a 4-2-5, so as long as the front and back hold up, they should be good.
The secondary holds future NFL safety Cole Bishop (83 tackles), who will be the lynchpin of the Utes defense. Zemaiah Vaughn and JaTravis Broughton are ready to step up at corner with Clark Phillips III in the NFL.
The defense might not be as talented without Reid, Diabate and Phillips, but they are deep, and seem ready to defend their crown.
Recent history
Cal has only played Utah once in the Justin Wilcox era, and it’s hard to really even count that game as a fair matchup. The Bears started third-string quarterback Spencer Brasch and a host of Cal offensive starters were unavailable for the trip. The result was a 35-0 bludgeoning.
Cal did have better luck in Jake Spavital’s meeting with the Utes in Berkeley, getting outgained by over double the yardage, and wrapping with one of the most bizarre finishes in Cal football history.
Cal fans, what are your thoughts on the matchup for the Bears against the Utes?
As a California alumnus who currently resides in Utah, I will be in attendance at the game on October 14, which happens to coincide with an annular eclipse whose path passes through Utah. So anything is possible. Join us!
I love you guys who voted for Cal to blow them away, but this will be tough
Win this game, you will change the program