Arizona at California Preview

By Julie Eguchi  |   Friday, September 30, 2005  |  Comments( 0 )

College Football
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The Arizona Wildcats (1-2) travel to Berkeley to take on the No.12 California Golden Bears (4-0) in a Pac-10 conference matchup. Kickoff is set for 7:00 pm ET at Memorial Stadium.

Arizona last played on September 17 in a 31-24 loss to Purdue, so they should be well-rested. They'll need to be, because they're going up against a Cal team that's averaging 275.3 rushing yards per game – sixth-best in the nation. In order to have a shot at winning this contest, the Wildcats will need to see more production out of an offensive unit that managed to gain only 296 total yards against Purdue.

Sophomore Richard Kovalcheck gets the start at quarterback for the Arizona Wildcats. He was 23-of-40 for 283 yards and three touchdowns versus the Boilermakers. Senior RB Mike Bell rushed for 221 yards in the Wildcats' first two games, but put up only 43 on 14 carries against Purdue. Arizona also needs big games from both WR Michael Thomas and TE Brad Wood. Wood was a big part of the offense two weeks ago when he hauled in five catches for 96 yards and 2 TDs.

The 12th ranked California Golden Bears are coming off a 41-13 thrashing of New Mexico State last weekend. The offense, led by junior QB Joe Ayoob and sophomore RB Justin Forsett, was clicking on all cylinders and posted 595 total yards in the game. Ayoob completed 17 of 26 passes for 284 yards and one touchdown, plus he scored three rushing touchdowns of 1, 5, and 7 yards.

Forsett has been on fire since RB Marshawn Lynch was sidelined with an injury back in the second game of the season. He rushed for an incredible 235 yards and a score against the Aggies. He has gained a total of 422 yards on just 47 carries in the two games that Lynch has been out. Look for those numbers to fall off just a bit, however, as coach Jeff Tedford declared that Lynch will "absolutely play" against the Wildcats, which of course means fewer touches for Forsett.

Freshman receiver DeSean Jackson had his best game as a Bear last week. He caught nine passes for 130 yards and a TD.
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