DUKE AT CAL
Records: Cal 4-1 overall, 1-0 in ACC; Duke 3-2, 2-0 in ACC
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. PT Saturday at Memorial Stadium, Berkeley
TV: ESPN
Radio: 810 AM
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Series history: Duke leads 1-0-1. The teams tied 22-22 back in 1963 in their only other matchup at Berkeley in All-America quarterback Craig Morton’s junior season. The Blue Devils won 21-7 the season before at Durham, NC.
Duke storylines: The Blue Devils were 1-2 after losses to Illinois and Tulane but responded with victories over NC State and Syracuse to open ACC play. … Quarterback Darian Mensah, a redshirt sophomore transfer from Tulane, leads the ACC with 1,573 passing yards (329.3 per game) and 13 touchdowns. He has just two interceptions. … Mensah’s favorite target is wide receiver Cooper Barkate, a graduate student and Harvard transfer who averages 19.5 yards for each of his 21 catches. … Freshman running back Nate Sheppard has rushed for 356 yards on 8.1 yards per attempt. He had 168 yards in Duke’s win over Syracuse.
Cal storylines: The Bears will try to start conference play 2-0 for the first time since 2015, which is also the last time they reached 5-1 overall. … Senior cornerback Hezekiah Masses, a transfer from FIU, shares the national lead with four interceptions and is No. 1 in passes defended with 11. … Freshman QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele bounced back from a rough outing in Cal’s 34-0 loss at San Diego State to throw a 51-yard game-winning TD pass to tight end Mason Mini with 1:30 left in the Bears’ 28-24 victory at Boston College. … Cal will play the rest of the season without edge Ryan McCulloch and safety Isaiah Crosby, both starters shelved by injuries. Starting in their place for the second straight game are Jayden Wayne and Dru Polidore Jr.
Stats that matter: Cal ranks second in the ACC in scoring defense, allowing 18.0 points per game. The Blue Devils are 11th at 26.4. … But Duke has an offense (eighth at 34.8 points) that is 10 points more productive than Cal (13th at 24.8). … Duke defensive end Vincent Anthony Jr. leads the ACC with five sacks, just two fewer than Cal’s total as a team.
— JEFF FARAUDO
