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Golden Nuggets: Jared Goff takes Bear Raid up to Washington to face top defense in Pac-12

Jared Goff, arguably the best QB in the nation, faces off against the Pac-12's best defense in the Golden Bears conference opener at Washington.

By cldpc

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Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports

Women's Soccer

California sophomore Emily Boyd has been named the Pac-12 Goalkeeper of the Week for the second consecutive week, the conference office announced Tuesday.

Alex Morgan's game-worn jersey fetched the third highest bid in the USWNT's recent auction to the Chattanooga Heroes Fund to benefit the families of the victims from the July 16 tragedy in Chattanooga in which five U.S. servicemen were killed.

Men's Soccer

The Pac-12 Conference announced that Cal redshirt sophomore midfielder Jose Carrera-Garcia has been named the Pac-12 Men's Soccer Player of the Week for games from Sept. 14-20.

Men's Golf

Cal (291-293-293 - 877, +25) came away with a three-shot victory in its first-ever appearance at the Inverness Intercollegiate held at the world-famous Inverness Club

Field Hockey

Junior Sydney Earle was voted the conference's player of the weekend for the second time this year, and redshirt sophomore Kori Griswold earned her first career Defensive Player of the Week nod.

Men's Water Polo

Cal Freshman Odysseas Masmanidis Starts His College Journey

BERKELEY - Traveling from Athens to Berkeley isn't necessarily the type of story historians of Greek culture would consider epic, but for Cal men's water polo player Odysseas Masmanidis, what lies ahead might someday be worthy of a tome all its own.

Just a freshman in his first few weeks away from his native Greece, Masmanidis looks right at home sitting just off the pool deck at Spieker Aquatics Complex. His heritage is easily identifiable when he speaks, with an accent accompanying every word, and he speaks fondly of his home country. He's happy to describe the kind nature of the Greek people, and mentions the beauty of one of the world's most historically significant places.

It is a history with which Masmanidis is especially familiar.

Men's Tennis

With an eye toward a big tournament later this week, California welcomed the USTA Junior National Team to the Hellman Tennis Complex and Channing Tennis Courts for an exhibition on Wednesday. In their lone match in Berkeley this fall, the Golden Bears defeated the USTA squad, 9-3.

Women's Basketball

The Pac-12 Networks will broadcast 16 California women's basketball games for the 2015-16 regular season, including 14 of Cal's 18 conference contests

California @ Washington, Saturday 2:00 p.m.

SFGate: Cal football notes: Bears prepare for daunting Washington defense

Four of the Washington defenders Cal faced in October went within the first 44 picks of the 2015 NFL draft. Yet, while reviewing video of the Huskies this week, Bears head coach Sonny Dykes noticed little change in their defensive approach.

Washington defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski has tweaked aspects of players' assignments. For the most part, though, the 2015 Huskies continue to excel in many of the same areas as last year: holding blocks, tracking down ballcarriers, sticking to their coverages.

"They had three first-round picks," Dykes said. "That's pretty unique on one side of the ball at one time. But the guys who have taken their place are playing at a very high level, and they're good football players. I don't see much drop-off at all on their defense."

Through three games, Washington leads the Pac-12 in scoring defense, total defense and rush defense. It's easily the toughest test yet for a Cal team averaging 51 points per game.

In their 31-7 rout of Cal last year in Berkeley, the Huskies kept their safeties back to take away the deep ball. The offensive line's struggles at the line of scrimmage made it difficult for Cal to establish the run game.

"I imagine (Washington's defensive) game plan's going to be the same," Cal tight end Stephen Anderson said. "We need to be content with getting those 5-, 6-, 7-yard gains and moving up the field. You know, converting third downs and everything because those opportunities for those deep balls may not be there.

San Jose Mercury News: Cal-Washington an intriguing matchup for former Bear Troy Taylor

BERKELEY -- Seemingly week by week, Cal quarterback Jared Goff picks off the school records Troy Taylor set a quarter century ago. "They lasted a lot longer than I thought they would," Taylor said.

Taylor, now 47, never has met Goff, but he's entirely comfortable with the player who last week eclipsed him in three more categories, including career passing yardage.

"Absolutely," Taylor said. "He's a great kid, a lot better than me."

Taylor was very good, but played on Cal teams from 1986 through '89 that had a combined record of 14-27-3. Those teams never matched the 3-0 start Goff and the Bears have assembled heading into their Pac-12 opener Saturday at Washington.

Taylor spent two seasons with the New York Jets and now is coach at Folsom High, where protégé Jake Browning last season passed for 5,790 yards and tied the national record with 91 touchdowns to earn USA Today first-team All-America honors. Browning is now a freshman starter for Washington.

So Taylor knows quarterbacking, and he's convinced Goff is a rare talent.

USA Today: Cal looks for redemption in rematch against Washington

BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — California is looking to avoid a repeat performance against Washington.

A year after a promising season was derailed by a lopsided loss to the Huskies, the Golden Bears come into the rematch on a roll.

Cal (3-0) survived last week at Texas with help from a missed extra point and has won the first three games of the season for the first time since 2011.

The Bears were on a similar roll a year ago when they took a 4-1 mark into a home game against Washington only to fall flat. Cal drove down the field to open the game only to have quarterback Jared Goff fumble at the goal line and Shaq Thompson return it 100 yards for a score.

That sent the Huskies off to a 31-7 win and Cal to six losses in the final seven games of the season to fall a win short of a bowl game.

"They whipped us physically up front on both sides of the ball last year," coach Sonny Dykes said Tuesday. "I think our guys were embarrassed. Certainly we didn't do a very good job getting them ready as coaches. They came in here and humiliated us. Just physically beat us up, outcoached us and outplayed us."

Seattle Times: Huskies' top-ranked defense faces big test in Cal's potent passing attack

Two of the Pac-12 Conference's top units will be put to the test when Washington and California meet in their conference opener Saturday.

Is Cal's Jared Goff really the best quarterback in the nation, as some have suggested?

Is UW's defense really the best in the Pac-12, as the numbers suggest?

Both sides will have a better idea of how their strengths stack up against top competition at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium (2 p.m., Pac-12 Networks).

The Huskies (2-1) are one of just three teams in the nation that hasn't allowed a passing touchdown through three games, and their opponents' quarterback rating of 91.9 is the best in the Pac-12.

Of course, UW hasn't played an offense as dangerous as Cal's (51.0 points per game) or a quarterback as productive as Goff, a 6-foot-4, 215-pound junior who has nine touchdowns and two interceptions for the 3-0 Bears.

"He's one of the best in the country, without question," UW coach Chris Petersen said.

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