Cal takes its bowl chase on the road again Saturday, visiting NC State in a 9 a.m. PT ACC game at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, North Carolina. Both teams enter at 2-3 in conference play, but the stakes are sharper for Cal, which must win three of its final four games to get to six victories and secure bowl eligibility.
The matchup also comes with a fresh jolt on the other sideline. NC State fired Dave Doeren last Saturday after a 31-28 loss at Stanford, and Todd Goebbel is now in charge as interim coach. That change matters because Cal is walking into a game against a team that is still sorting out its direction while trying to protect its own season.
Cal, 3-5 overall, is playing the second of three straight road games after losing its past two. Last Saturday’s trip to No. 19 SMU was especially damaging: the Bears led 20-17 at halftime, then were outscored 42-0 over the final two quarters in a 59-20 loss. That collapse leaves little margin now, because one more slip would make the bowl path much steeper.
There is at least one matchup point that gives Cal a reason to look closely at NC State’s defense. The Wolfpack allow 240 passing yards per game and have given up 16 touchdown passes while intercepting only three. Cal’s offense has been thin enough that any opening matters, especially with Jordan King and Nate Burrell listed out and Adam Mohammed and Ashten Emory both questionable on the injury report. Mohammed and Emory are Cal’s two leading ground gainers, so their status affects more than depth; it affects how much balance the Bears can bring to the game.
Kingston Lopa is another Cal name to watch. He was named one of 25 semifinalists for the Thorpe Award, a marker that stands out even in a week defined by team needs more than individual recognition. Cal can use production from anyone it gets, but it will have to find it in a hurry while trying to avoid a third straight defeat on the road.
NC State’s offense is capable of making the game uncomfortable. It averages 32.3 points, and CJ Bailey brings a profile that can stress a defense both through the air and on the ground, with 53 career passing touchdowns and 13 rushing touchdowns. The 6-foot-6 quarterback has also shown the kind of volatility that can swing a game; last month, his fumble in the end zone helped lead to Vanderbilt’s 35-31 comeback victory.
That threat meets a Cal defense that will have to hold up against a passing game with real volume. The Wolfpack are missing 12 players on the injury report, including Jayden “Duke” Scott and Jojo Trader, while Scott is out for a third straight outing despite having a pair of 100-yard rushing games. Even with those absences, NC State has enough offense to make the Bears prove they can handle a long day on the road.
The series history is brief, and NC State owns the only win, 24-23 at Berkeley in 2024. That one-point result is the only direct evidence between the teams, and it adds another layer to a game that already carries postseason weight for Cal. If the Bears cannot turn the injury report, the passing-game mismatch and the coaching change into an opening, the road to six wins gets narrower fast.
