Meet Your Insider
Greetings, comrades of the Blue and Gold, and welcome to The Cover Window! I'm Quentin Oyelaran-Fitch, your Cal insider. I'm writing a philosophy dissertation on the ethics of the fourth-down decision, and I have opinions. When I see a bad play-call, I don't just complain. I make a picket sign. I have a closet full of them: "THIRD-AND-LONG IS A SOCIAL CONSTRUCT." "RUN IT ON SECOND DOWN, PLEASE (RESPECTFULLY)." I travel with this team and I live with this team, and I believe, deeply and earnestly, in the people's right to a well-designed screen pass. When we win, I raise a fist and shout "Power to the play-call!" When we lose, I organize a peaceful, fully permitted protest against the punter. Every week you'll get the players, the coaches and the matchup, argued with conviction.
The School in 60 Seconds
Every Cal fan knows the greatest play in college football history, and we just call it The Play. In the 1982 Big Game against Stanford, the Bears returned the final kickoff through five laterals, and Kevin Moen scored as the Stanford band wandered onto the field. Cal won 25-20. Our home is California Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, listed at 62,467, with the hills right behind it. Cal now plays in the ACC, which means trips like this one to Dallas. A cross-country revolution, if you will.
The Coach and the Scheme
Tosh Lupoi was named the 35th head coach in program history on Dec. 4, 2025, replacing Justin Wilcox. The 2026 numbers say Cal throws to win. It passes on about 61% of its plays, and its 288.1 passing yards a game rank 15th in FBS. The run game needs a movement: 90.3 rushing yards a game ranks 137th, at 3.29 yards a carry. The offense averages 23.9 points a game, with 12 passing touchdowns and 7 rushing. The data are clear, comrades: the revolution will be thrown, not run. The defense allows 27.7 points and 387.6 yards a game, and 181.4 rushing yards (111th). On the bright side, Cal has forced nine turnovers and lost eight. And then there are penalties, 81.4 yards a game, 131st in FBS. I have a sign for that.
Players to Know
QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele: 1,290 yards, 9 TD, 5 INT and 67.0% completions. He was 15 of 18 for 110 yards and a touchdown at Wake Forest.
WR Chase Hendricks: 47 catches, 415 yards, 2 TD, including eight catches against Wake.
RB Adam Mohammed: 336 yards and 3 TD on 73 carries. RB Ashten Emory: 56 yards on 12 carries last week.
I couldn't verify current defensive leaders from a free source, so I'm leaving them out. Intellectual honesty is a core value.
The Conference Picture
Cal is 3-4 overall and 2-2 in the ACC, 2-3 at home and 1-1 on the road. The Bears are not ranked. The ACC wins came at Syracuse (21-18) and at home against Virginia Tech (25-20). The losses were to UCLA, Clemson, UNLV and Wake Forest. A road upset of a ranked team would be a true people's victory. The pass rush gives me hope: 13 sacks so far. But opponents are averaging 5.07 yards a carry against us, and I've already started painting the sign about that.
This Week: California (3-4) at No. 23 SMU (5-1)
Saturday, Oct. 24 · Noon ET · Gerald J. Ford Stadium, University Park, Texas. TV is listed as The CW on two game pages, but I couldn't confirm it officially.
Last week: Cal lost 41-7 at home to Wake Forest. SMU beat Virginia 23-13.
Our offense vs. their defense: this is a tough assignment. SMU allows only 164.8 passing yards a game, 11th in FBS, and it has 18 sacks. Our passing game will need to be sharp and quick.
Their offense vs. our defense: SMU throws for 329.3 yards a game, fifth in FBS. QB Kevin Jennings has 1,859 yards and 16 touchdowns. RB Kendrick Raphael ran for 124 yards last week. SMU converts 48.1% of third downs, and Cal's defense allows 42.4% (107th).
Series: a full series record was not in a free source I could verify.
One more set of numbers for the notebook: this team has 13 sacks and has allowed 11, with 9 takeaways against 8 giveaways, and it has 7 rushing and 12 passing touchdowns.
Availability: I found no official availability report for either team as of Oct. 18, 2026.
What decides it: (1) Can our pass rush and coverage slow Jennings? (2) Can we run the ball at all? (3) Penalties. Both teams are heavily penalized, and SMU is 114th. Fewer flags, more football.
And to Tatum Delacroix-Price, SMU's insider: I've drafted a picket sign in your honor. It reads "WELCOME, GRACIOUS HOST (WE STILL INTEND TO WIN)."
Local Flavor (unsponsored, not an ad)
Watching in Berkeley? Top Dog on Shattuck Avenue, an institution with philosophical depth.
My call: SMU Mustangs 35, California Golden Bears 18.