Texas vs. Cal: Hinge Game

Texas (1-1) and Cal (2-0) will meet on Saturday only for the 6th time in history, with the Longhorns holding a perfect 5-0 record against the Golden Bears. The Texas offense received a spark last week from starting quarterback Jerrod Heard, who dazzled with his scrambling abilities against the Rice Owls. New Texas play-caller Jay Norvell is looking to cultivate a faster, up-tempo offense that will rely heavily on his inexperienced quarterback’s quick feet.

“When Jerrod Heard drops back, he doesn’t need to be thinking about too many things. He needs to be thinking about his primary receiver, his secondary receiver and then running, period. Probably running needs to move up” Norvell said at his media availability this week.

Texas will likely need an offensive explosion on Saturday, or a Rice-esque performance on special teams to keep up with a Golden Bear offense that amasses 570 yards per game. The Longhorns are averaging only 220 yards of offense per game.

Defensively, Texas will be forced to interrupt Cal’s passing game led by junior quarterback Jared Goff. Goff is averaging 310 yards passing per game and spreads the ball around to a cadre of talented receivers. Texas has struggled to stop the run and pass against both Notre Dame and Rice and gives up nearly 500 yards of offense per game.

The Longhorns are young, with key offensive positions manifesting the team’s youth. Connor Williams and Patrick Vahe, two true freshmen, start on the offensive line. Couple that with Jerrod Heard’s limited experience and the offensive game plan for Cal will be simple, according to Norvell.

“I think we were at about half as many plays in our game plan against Rice as we had against Notre Dame. And we probably have too many now. We need to cut it down even more.”

Cal represents the last non-conference game for the Longhorns, before the team opens up Big 12 play against Oklahoma State next week. A win against a quality Golden Bear team would give the Longhorns a winning record and could very well be the catalyst for a successful season.

A loss could prove to be problematic. After three games Texas would start the 2015 season much like they did the 2014 season – with a 1-2 record. With four of the nine remaining games on the Texas schedule coming against schools currently ranked in the Top-25, things won’t get easier.

For Cal, a win against the Longhorns would give Sonny Dyke’s team its first 3-0 start since the 2011 season.

Texas and Cal kick off at 6:30 pm at Darrell K. Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin on Saturday and will be televised by FOX.