BERKELEY — Cal will say goodbye to 28 seniors prior to Saturday night’s season finale against USC at Memorial Stadium.
Fans probably haven’t seen the last of all of them.
The Bears and Trojans bring identical records into their first season-ending matchup since 1918: 4-7 overall, 3-5 in Pac-12. Neither team will play in a bowl game.
USC will return next season with a new coach when Oklahoma’s Lincoln Riley takes the reins.
Who comes back to Berkeley is a question focusing on players who still can utilize the extra season of eligibility the NCAA gave to all athletes impacted last year by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Among those with the option are some significant players, starting with quarterback Chase Garbers, who will start for the 34th time in his career Saturday and has an 18-11 record when he plays more than half the game.
Other seniors eligible to return include running back Christopher Brooks, wide receiver Nikko Remigio, safety Daniel Scott and outside linebacker Kuony Deng, who will miss his 10th straight game with an undisclosed lower-body injury.
Garbers has taken every snap this season, except while sidelined for the Arizona game after testing positive for COVID. Graduate transfer Ryan Glover struggled in his place and the short-handed Bears lost 10-3.
Cal’s only two other scholarship quarterbacks, freshmen Zach Johnson and Kai Millner, still are waiting to make their debuts as college players.
Garbers says playing in the NFL has been a dream since childhood, but mock drafts suggest he is more likely to have to make a roster via free agency.
Asked this week whether he is leaning toward an exit or a return, Garbers said, “I’m open to both. I’m open to returning to college football or leaving. We’ll just see what happens after this season and the next couple weeks.”
And if he opts to play another season in college, it would be in Berkeley?
“Yeah, I believe so. I’ve been at Cal for quite a while now. No reason to leave,” he said. “If I were to come back, I’d definitely have to weigh the possibility of staying at Cal.”
Here are two keys to Saturday night’s game:
WHO CARES MOST: Cal’s players have made it clear trying to beat USC is a priority. Their bowl aspirations ended with a 42-14 loss at UCLA last week, and the Bears would like to flush that sour taste from their mouths.
“It’s always good to get a win, especially against those guys,” senior safety Elijah Hicks said of the Trojans. “We didn’t get to play them last year. It’s going to feel good to be able to end it on a win, especially at home on Senior Night. We definitely turn it up, ready to whoop on them.”
Whether the Trojans can muster enough interest to avoid their first four-game losing streak since 2001 remains a question. With nothing tangible at stake, there has been some talk that a few USC players aren’t committed to playing in this game.
Beyond that, there is the question of how distracted the Trojans might be with Riley ready to take charge. Interim head coach Donte Williams hasn’t been told whether he’ll be retained, but said this week, “I haven’t even asked about that; I do not want to be informed. All I care about is making sure we handle Cal.”
RESTARTING THE CAL OFFENSE: Garbers was consistently pressured by UCLA’s blitzing defense and the result was he threw for a season-low 125 yards, was sacked four times and picked off twice. The Bears want to make sure there is no replay of that.
The Trojans’ defense is among the Pac-12 leaders with 14 interceptions but they also have allowed 20 touchdown passes and a league-worst 8.8 yards per attempt while surrendering nearly 250 passing yards per game.
USC has played more a nickel-based defense in recent weeks, so expect the Bears to try dialing up some plays designed to counter that after converting just 4 of 13 third downs against UCLA.
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