BearTalk

Comcast SportsNet Bay Area has picked up Saturday’s game, ensuring it will be televised locally.

Cal’s Nov. 5 game against Washington State was not picked up by the networks that have contracts with the Pac-12. As usual, Cal is trying to put a local broadcast together with Comcast SportsNet.

Speaking of, it remains to be seen if CSN is going to pick up Saturday’s game at UCLA. The game is on Prime Ticket in Southern California but it is still undecided if it will air locally.

The Bears still have their game against Utah tomorrow, but when they visit the Rose Bowl next Saturday, they will face a reeling UCLA team.

Already in shambles after last night’s 48-12 loss at Arizona, the Bruins had six players suspended for the game against Cal for their roles in the bench-clearing brawl that took place just before halftime.

Included in those suspensions are two starters — wide receiver Shaq Evans and defensive tackle Cassius Marsh. Tyler Embree and Randall Carroll, who are listed on the Bruins’ two-deep as backup receivers, are also out.

UCLA’s passing game figures to take a significant hit with the losses, meaning Cal may be able to focus more on stopping the Bruins’ running game, which is usually formidable with the tandem of Johnathan Franklin and Derrick Coleman. The Bears are already pretty good at stopping the run, and these developments could make them even more effective.

• A transcript of yesterday’s live chat.
• Utah is being carried by its defense.
• The Utes don’t think the Pac-12 is more physical than what they are used to.
• Utah is concerned with Cal’s offensive weapons.

We had our usual Thursday chat with defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast today, and he had some fairly revealing stuff to say.

First, he said true freshman linebacker Brennan Scarlett and cornerback Kam Jackson are going to start playing. Pendergast will have to pick his spots, but it sounds like Scarlett will spell fellow freshman Chris McCain on first and second down when needed. Pendergast wants to get Jackson some experience because he is now the first cornerback off the bench with Marc Anthony out and Stefan McClure starting.

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• LBs Mychal Kendricks, Dave Wilkerson and Chris McCain all wore regular practice jerseys and are expected to be ready for Saturday.
• CB Marc Anthony is still out. Frosh Stefan McClure will get another start.
• Defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast said McCain and Wilkerson are entrenched as starting OLBs. Cecil Whiteside will play in some passing downs.
• Pendergast said he’d like to get freshman LB Brennan Scarlett and CB Kam Jackson some playing time sometime soon.

• Jeff Tedford’s offense is a complex one, but it isn’t unreasonable.
• More on Isi Sofele’s showdown against his hometown team.
• The Utes hope to get a boost at tight end.
• The Bears will have their hands full with Utah DE Derrick Shelby.

• Cal running back and Salt Lake City native Isi Sofele has been looking forward to this game ever since Utah joined the Pac-12.
• Cal and Utah find themselves in similar situations.
• A Salt Lake notebook takes a look at Zach Maynard’s inconsistencies.
• Gee, this sounds familiar: Red zone problems for the Utes.

Jeff Tedford approached reporters for his daily Q&A with the media today when he saw a reporter wearing a St. Louis Cardinals jersey.

Tedford asked him about the Cardinals status, and the reporter informed him that Game 1 was tonight. Tedford looked puzzled.

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As Cal moves forward to Saturday’s game against Utah, there is increasing talk about the challenge the Bears will have against the Utes stingy defense. Utah has a very strong front seven, and it shows in its run defense which is ranked 13th nationally (94.5 yards allowed per game). During last week’s 26-14 win at Pittsburgh, Utah held Ray Graham, then the nation’s second-leading rusher, to just 46 yards on the ground. that was 103 yards under his average.

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