Carli Baker/File

1. (15) Washington (4-0, 1-0 Pac-12) at (5) Stanford (4-0, 2-0 Pac-12)

When: Saturday 7:30 P.M.

TV: ESPN

This is a matchup between Stanford’s high-powered offense and Washington’s defense. The Huskies are yielding just 288 yards per game, good enough for first in the Pac-12. But the Cardinal will look to open up the field with their dangerous passing game making it harder for Washington to focus on their powerful running game.

2. (4) Ohio St. (5-0, 1-0 Big Ten) at Northwestern (4-0, 3-0 Home)

When: Saturday 5:00 P.M.

TV: ABC

Northwestern has started 4-0 for the second season in a row, but its first major test of the season comes against Ohio State. The Buckeyes’ dynamic and playmaking quarterback  Braxton Miller is finally healthy, evidenced by his four touchdowns last week against Wisconsin. The game will come down to whether Northwestern can keep possession of the ball long enough to keep the Ohio State offense off the field.

3. (25) Maryland (4-0, 3-0 away) at (8) Florida St (4-0, 2-0 ACC)

When: Saturday 9:00 A.M.

TV: ESPN

Florida State’s aerial attack has been more than impressive with quarterback Jameis Winston throwing for 1048 yards and 12 touchdowns this season. But Maryland’s defense will prove to be a tough matchup for the freshman quarterback, as the Terrapins’ 17 sacks are tied for No. 1 in the nation and their eight interceptions are tied for eighth.

4. (22) Arizona State (3-1, 1-1 Pac-12) at Notre Dame (3-2)

When: Saturday 4:30 P.M.

TV: NBC

The Sun Devils, ranked 11th in the FBS in scoring at 44.3 points per game and 15th in total offense, have been close to unstoppable on offense. But they have yielded 718 rushing yards over the last three weeks and will go up against an Irish team that has rejuvenated its running game with running back George Atkinson running 220 yards last week in a loss to Oklahoma.

5. (10) LSU (4-1, 1-1 SEC) at Miss. St (2-2, 0-1 SEC)

When: Saturday 4:00 P.M.

TV: ESPN

LSU looks to recover after a traumatic 44-41 loss to Georgia last weekend. The Tigers have won 20 of the last 21 games and 13 in a row against the Bulldogs. With Zach Mettenberger, who has thrown for 1398 yards and 13 touchdowns with only one interception under center, LSU should come away with a bounce back win.

Winston Cho covers golf. Contact him at wcho@dailycal.org.

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If you have been walking up College Avenue to the campus in the past two days, you might have noticed a giant blue robot standing upright in front of Kroeber Plaza, facing toward the avenue. Some of you may have wondered: what on earth is that?

Well, curious bystander, Kroeber Plaza, on Bancroft and College, will be home to the FOX College Saturday show for tomorrow’s Cal football game against Ohio State. The festivities — from games to prizes — will start at 10:30 a.m., and the broadcast will be at 11:30 a.m. Fox will also be giving out free stuff, including Fox Sports 1 gear and gift cards. If you get there early enough with your best Cal face on, you probably will be on national television. All in all, this seems like a cool event, bringing national exposure to Berkeley.

This is a foreign sight for most — if not all — Cal students, considering Cal football’s halcyon days under former head coach Jeff Tedford was five, six years ago. With new coach Sonny Dykes in town, there’s renewed interest in Cal.

Let’s just hope this won’t be the first and last one for another five, six years.

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CATHERINE SHYU/File

Most Berkeley students harbor dreams of reaching the pinnacle of their profession. For one former Bear, his moment arrives tonight.

Erik Johnson, who most recently pitched for Cal during their miracle run to the College World Series in 2011, is set to make his major league debut for the Chicago White Sox at 4:05 pm Pacific Standard Time. Johnson will receive the start for the Sox at Yankee Stadium in New York.

As a junior in 2011, Johnson was the Bears’ ace, compiling a 7-4 record with a 2.83 ERA and 102 strikeouts in 105 innings. After his outstanding junior season, Johnson opted for the draft, where he was drafted by the White Sox as the 80th overall pick.

Johnson wasn’t a highly touted prospect when he first entered the minors. But he quickly rose through the Chicago system, posting above-average strikeout rates and minuscule ERAs. After Fangraphs.com named him the 3rd best prospect in the White Sox system at the start of the 2013, Johnson broke out in a big way, hurling a 1.96 ERA over 24 starts in both AA and AAA.

On September 2, Johnson received the call he almost certainly dreamt about his entire life. Tonight, his dream will become reality in one of the most iconic settings in the sport.

Contact Michael Rosen at mrosen@dailycal.org.

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Michael Tao/Senior Staff

Avery Sebastian, the hard-hitting safety who was expected to lead the Cal football team’s secondary unit, is out for the season with a torn Achilles tendon. Head coach Sonny Dykes said in a press conference Tuesday that Sebastian will undergo season-ending surgery to repair the tendon.

Sebastian was taken out of the Saturday night season debut against Northwestern in the second quarter after injuring his ankle. He was seen on the sidelines in the second half in crutches. The junior had 11 tackles and an interception against the Wildcats.

Because Sebastian has not used his redshirt season, he will have an opportunity to apply for medical waiver to earn back one year of eligibility.

Contact Seung Y. Lee at sylee@dailycal.org

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Next year’s Big Game will not be leaving Memorial Stadium for Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.

On Thursday, Cal Athletics Director Sandy Barbour released a statement that the Cal football team will not play against Stanford at the San Francisco 49ers’ brand-new stadium after fans and alumni reacted negatively to the possible plan.

If both Cal and Stanford agreed on the 2014 Big Game relocation, Cal was to host the Big Game in 2015 and all future odd-numbered years.

“We studied a wide range of factors, including the competitive balance of our home schedule, the student-athlete experience and the game-day environment for our fans, as well as short- and long-term financial implications,” Barbour said. “After considering each of these factors, did we arrive at the conclusion that it is not in Cal’s best interest to move forward with the offer.”

Read the full statement by Barbour here.

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Tony Zhou/Staff

With the kickoff of the 2013 season just days away, Cal has finalized their 2014 schedule with the announcement of a home-and-home series with the BYU Cougars. The first game of the series will be played at Memorial Stadium on November 29th of next year, while the Bears will make the trip to LeVell Edwards Stadium in 2017.

Cal and BYU have met each other on the gridiron just three times in the past, with the Cougars winning two of those games. The last time the two teams faced off was in 2005 when Cal, led by current NFL stars Marshawn Lynch and DeSean Jackson, defeated BYU 35-28 to win the Las Vegas Bowl.

The other two meetings took place in 1999 and 2001, with the Cougars defeating the Bears 38-28 and 44-16, respectively.

Cal’s nonconference schedule in 2014 also features a trip to Northwestern on August 30th and a home game against Sacramento State on September 6th.

Sean Wagner-McGough covers football. Contact him at swagnermcgough@dailycal.org. Follow him on Twitter @seanjwagner.

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Cal and Stanford are considering moving the site of the 2014 Big Game from California Memorial Stadium to Levi’s Stadium, the San Francisco 49ers’ new home, in Santa Clara.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the 49ers and the Santa Clara Stadium Authority proposed the move to Cal and Stanford to help promote the $1.2 billion stadium, which opens in 2014. If both schools agree to play in Santa Clara in 2014, Cal will host the Big Game in 2015 and all future odd-numbered years.

It wouldn’t be the first time that the two rival schools play a Big Game in a neutral field outside of Berkeley or Stanford. The first 13 Big Games, from 1892 to 1904, were played in San Francisco. With the exception of 1922, when Cal was constructing Memorial Stadium, all even-numbered years were played in Berkeley, and all odd-numbered years were played in Stanford.

Many Cal fans do not seem thrilled at the possibility of bucking the 92-year old trend by moving the Big Game into neutral ground.

“I really hope there’s a good explanation for why we would have to surrender a traditional home game that means so much to our fans, our alums and our students, especially when we’ve just finished renovating our stadium,” Nadesan Permaul, former president of the Cal Alumni Association, said to the San Francisco Chronicle.

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Former Cal track star Alysia Montano narrowly missed the third-place spot in the 800-meter race at Worlds on Sunday.

She was just 0.04 seconds short of garnering bronze at the international championship tournament in Moscow.

Although Montano zoomed around the track in 56.06 over the first 400 meters, the five-time USA champion could not maintain her position in the top three down the home stretch.

Eventually, Brenda Martinez of the United States took third, and defending Olympic champion Mariya Savinoa of Russia and Kenya’s Eunice Sum claimed silver and gold, respectively. Montano finished with a time of 1:57.95 — 0.04 seconds shy of third place and only 0.57 seconds away from first.

The Cal alum, who captured the NCAA 800-meter title for the Bears in 2007, earlier claimed the opening round heat of the 800 meters on Thursday to advance to the semis on Friday.

She later took first in the semifinal heat after racing to the front in the first two laps of the race.

However, Montano’s attempt to become the first U.S. runner to ever medal in the 800 meters ultimately fell short in the Sunday final.

“I just wanted to do what I do in practices,” Montano said after the race. “I have had phenomenal practices. That last 50 meters, I wanted to show everyone what we’ve been doing in practice, but I just didn’t have it. I’m disappointed.”

Team USA set to play gold medal game at Pan American Games Qualifier

After recently garnering impressive victories against Canada and Cuba on Friday and Saturday, the USA women’s national softball team is headed to the championship final on Sunday.

The Eagles took down Canada on Friday, 8-2, and Cuba on Saturday, 5-0, with former Cal alums Lindsey Ziegenhirt and Valerie Arioto producing five of the team’s overall 13 runs in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Ziegenhirt hit a double and a solo home run for two runs and two RBIs, and Arioto posted a one-for-two performance against Canada with a run and two walks.

On Saturday, Ziegenhirt ended the game zero for two with a run and a walk, and Arioto was again able to post a one-for-two performance with one run, two RBIs and a walk.

In Sunday’s gold-medal game set for 12:30 p.m., Team USA will compete against the winner of the Cuba vs. Canada bronze-medal game.

The post Sports in brief: Aug. 18, 2013 appeared first on The Daily Californian.

Tony Zhou/File

Cal men’s basketball point guard Justin Cobbs will be out for the next six to eight weeks after sustaining a fracture of his fifth metatarsal bone in his right foot.

Head coach Mike Montgomery announced the senior guard’s injury in a press release to Cal Athletics on Wednesday. Cobbs broke the bone Monday night in a San Francisco Pro-Am Basketball League game and will undergo a surgery on Friday to put a pin in his foot.

Cobbs, who transferred to play for the Bears from Minnesota in 2010, is the leading returning scorer from last season, scoring 15.1 points per game. As the No. 2 offensive option behind guard Allen Crabbe — who now plays for the Portland Trail Blazers in the NBA — for Cal last season, Cobbs made his biggest mark with his game-winning shot at then-No. 23 Oregon on Feb. 21.

Cobbs wrote the injury is just a “minor setback for a major comeback” on his Twitter account.

The Bears will play its first game of the season against Humboldt State on Oct. 31 at Haas Pavilion.

Contact Seung Y. Lee at sylee@dailycal.org Follow him on Twitter @sngyn92.

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“Blowing stuff up is fun, but this is really fun,” said MythBuster Tory Belleci, laughing as he volleyed a tennis ball with Cal men’s tennis coach Peter Wright.

The MythBusters’ Build Team was on campus Tuesday to film part of an episode involving a tennis myth. The crew, which also includes Grant Imahara and Kari Byron, worked closely with Wright as cameras rolled, filming their volleys.

Although the exact nature of the myth that the team is trying to bust cannot be publicly revealed, the crew needed to brush up on their tennis skills to prepare for a later part of the episode.

Director Lauren Williams, who knew Wright growing up in the city of Berkeley, easily reached out to the Cal men’s tennis head coach to secure the location on the UC Berkeley campus. She found it to be an excellent place to film the episode because of both Wright’s expertise and the natural beauty of the campus.

“Cal is incredibly telegenic,” Williams said. “If you go into a track, it’s this Greek-inspired track. If you go onto a court, it’s surrounded by beautiful trees. It’s a campus that’s not only a symbol of higher learning and achievement, but it’s also very visually exciting.”

The MythBusters are based out of San Francisco and found that not only was the Hellman Tennis Complex at Cal the perfect place to film but also that also coach Wright was the perfect person to teach them some tennis basics.

“(Coach Wright) was awesome,” Belleci said after filming. “Back in the shop, we were fumbling with the tennis balls, trying to get the rackets to work and couldn’t do it. We come out here, and in five minutes, we were looking like pros.”

Belleci had the benefit of playing tennis in high school, but Imahara and Byron were not so lucky.

“This was my first time on a tennis court ever,” Byron said.

But through working with Wright and associate coach Tyler Browne, the team was soon hitting well enough for the purposes of the myth.

“I have a grand total of seven hours of instruction in tennis in my life,” Imahara said. “And with (coach Wright’s) help, I look like I’m good at tennis!”

In addition to the great instruction they received, the MythBusters were also excited to work with a local university.

“We always want to foster relations with higher education in the area,” Byron said.

But after almost five hours of filming, the MythBusters hosts hit enough television-worthy volleys to call it a day. Although the later parts of the show could not be revealed to the public, the crew is anticipating performing an experiment comparable to, if not more exciting than, several of the other myths they have busted.

“We’re going to ramp up to something that I don’t even think has been done in real life,” Imahara said. “And it’s gonna be crazy.”

The episode is still a long way from airing, and it could be up to six months or even a year from premiering.

Contact Janice Chua at jchua@dailycal.org. Contact Riley McAtee at rmcatee@dailycal.org

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