Cal vs. Auburn news and links: Sam Jackson V expects to play, Jaydn Ott confident

There is uncertainty for the California Golden Bears before they play the Auburn Tigers, but internal faith is strong.

Photo courtesy of Rob Hwang

Justin Wilcox confirmed on Tuesday that starting Cal quarterback Sam Jackson V is day to day after being hurt in Saturday’s game against North Texas.

“I expect Sam to come back quickly. He was ready to come back in. We’ll talk about what’s best for him.”

Jackson has been practicing though, and was upbeat in his Wednesday press conference and seems like he expects he will play.

Ben Finley performed well in relief in the North Texas win, and could get the start if Jackson isn’t 100%. But it wouldn’t be surprising to see Jackson get the start.

“Obviously, I hope Sam is OK. He’s going to bounce back from that, I know he will. We’ll both be prepared. All you can do is prepare and be ready and act like you’re the starter.”

Wilcox on Finley:

I thought he showed strong command of the offense. “He stood in there and threw the ball, was decisive. He wasn’t perfect and he would tell you that but he did a really good job.

Jaydn Ott had this to say on Wednesday, expressing confidence in victory on Saturday.

“There’s a lot of focus on the name ‘Auburn,’” he said. “But what I’ve seen on film is not really in comparison to what their name is. I just want to get that into my guys’ heads that a name doesn’t mean anything. At the end of the day, they’re still human, and we have just as much of a chance as they do to go in there and get the win.”

…

“It’ll be very encouraging when we do get this win, but I feel like our focus is going to be not letting it get into our head and getting too big-headed after we do get the dub.”

Auburn coach Hugh Freeze was complimentary of Ott.

Offensively, they’re very scary. That tailback is one of the best I’ve seen.

They go fast. Eight receivers with two or more catches. The starting quarterback went out, the other kid came in and still threw for all these yards.

They’ve got depth and I think the tailback is very, very special. It’ll be a great challenge for us as we go on the road to Cal.

More from other Cal coaches and players:

“We know Sam can run the ball, he’s very athletic, so you can do a lot more different type of play calls with Sam. But we have our base foundation of what we do offensively, and those are going to be a staple every week.” -Jake Spavital

Although the Cal defense recovered nicely, Peter Sirmon was still less than thrilled with the big plays conceded.

“I remember watching Cam Newton a couple years ago, when I was a little kid, it was a lot of fun, and now to be a collegiate player playing Auburn… I’m really thankful for it” -Brian Driscoll, the Pac-12 offensive line player of the week

“From a D-line perspective, just bigger bodies that we have to fight up front. Definitely not anything that we’re scared of.” -BRETT JOHNSON

More Cal football and Cal vs. Auburn notes and links

• Defensive lineman Nate Burrell is expected to play. No updates yet on center Matthew Cindric.

• Driscoll mentioned he was fixing a flat tire when he found out he won Pac-12 Offensive Linemen of the Week honors.

• Cal vs. Auburn is a GOLD OUT. Wear your gold!

• There are still cheap tickets available for rthe game.

• Also, there will be a halftime drone show, as one of the many 100 year celebrations of California Memorial Stadium.:“Cal Athletics will be working with one of the leading drone light show providers to do a halftime show at CMS on Saturday. The show will include over 500 drones that will be on display and will pay tribute to the celebration of CMS 100. It will feature the historic Paw Print, Campanile, Golden Gate Bridge, this is Bear Territory and much more.”

• Auburn LB Austin Keys is out indefinitely. Cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett (ankle), receiver Nick Mardner (ankle) and cornerback J.D. Rhym (leg) are questionable.

• Isaiah Ifanse broke down his epic run on Cal Football Twitter.

• Full sizzle reel of the North Texas game is also available on Cal Football’s Twitter.