CAL vs. NORTH CAROLINA STATE
Records: Cal 3-3, 0-3 in the ACC; North Carolina State 3-4, 0-3 in the ACC
Kickoff: 12:30 p.m. Saturday at Memorial Stadium, Berkeley, CA
TV: ACC Network
Radio: 810 AM The Spread (KGO)
Series history: First meeting
Cal storylines: Cal is favored by 10.5 points to earn its first ACC victory . . . The Bears are coming off a 17-15 loss at now-20th-ranked Pitt, their third straight defeat by a combined total of eight points . . . The Cal defense has allowed more than 17 points in a game just once (a 39-38 loss to Miami) . . . Cal hopes for a return by junior running back Jaydn Ott, who rushed for 1,315 yards last season has missed two of the first six games due to an ankle injury. He was listed this week as day to day . . . Senior cornerback Nohl Williams has six interceptions, two more than any other player in FBS, and is within striking distance of Deltha O’Neal’s 25-year-old school record of nine.
NC State storylines: The Wolfpack will play its first game on the West Coast since losing to UCLA 21-12 at the L.A. Coliseum in 1960 . . . QB Grayson McCall, who passed for more than 10,000 yards at Coastal Carolina before transferring in this offseason, may not play again after suffering his second concussion of the year — his third in 12 months. True freshman CJ Bailey is coming off a career-best 329-yard passing effort with two touchdowns but two of the team’s three turnovers in a 24-17 loss to Syracuse . . . NC State coach Dave Doeren’s team was picked fourth in the ACC after winning 34 games the past four seasons . . . Offensive line coach Garret Tujague grew up in Pleasanton and played at Chabot College.
Stats that matter: Cal ranks 130th nationally with 9.3 penalties per game after committing 12 for 110 yards in its loss at Pitt . . . The Bears rank third in FBS with a plus-10 turnover margin; NC State is 87th at minus-2.
— JEFF FARAUDO
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