Washington @ California preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 7, 2017 ) California 7, Washington 38

One of three teams tied atop the Pac-12 North standings, No. 13 Washington looks to avoid a letdown Saturday against host California. The Huskies bounced back from an overtime loss to Oregon and moved into a three-way tie with Stanford and Washington State with last week’s impressive 27-13 win over Colorado.

Myles Gaskin, Washington’s all-time leading rusher, could miss his second straight game due to a shoulder injury but is expected to be available for the team’s showdown against Stanford on Nov. 3. With Gaskin missing the first game of his career last week, Salvon Ahmed, Kamari Pleasant and Sean McGrew served as more-than-capable replacements, helping Washington rush for a season-high 201 yards. The trio could receive another heavy workload against Cal, which snapped a three-game losing streak with last week’s 49-7 victory at Oregon State. The Bears were held to 93 yards of total offense in last season’s 33-7 loss to the Huskies but were encouraged by last week’s outing, when senior running back Patrick Laird recorded 241 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns against the Beavers.

TV: 6:30 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1. LINE: Washington -11.5

ABOUT WASHINGTON (6-2, 4-1 Pac-12): Jake Browning sealed last week’s win over Colorado with a 26-yard touchdown pass to Aaron Fuller, who has a team-high 42 receptions and leads the Pac-12 with 31 catches for 10-plus yards. The Huskies are allowing a league-low 15.6 points per game and boast one of the top linebackers in the country in senior Ben Burr-Kirven, who recorded an interception and 15 tackles against Colorado, boosting his nation-leading total to 108. “It’s what he does,” coach Chris Petersen told reporters. “He makes plays all over practice, as well. He shows up in the game and does the exact same thing. He’s a heck of a player.”

ABOUT CAL (4-3, 1-3): The Bears’ quarterback carousel stopped last week on redshirt freshman Chase Garbers, who likely earned another start after completing 17-of-26 passes for 234 yards and three touchdowns against Oregon State. Cal had a season-high seven sacks and received another strong effort from linebacker Jordan Kunaszyk, who averages 12.3 tackles per game and has 32 over the past two weeks. Traveon Beck and Josh Drayden added interceptions last week for the Bears, who need two wins in their final five games to become bowl eligible.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Washington holds a 54-39-4 lead in the all-time series, which began in 1904.

2. The Huskies haven’t allowed 40 or more points in 52 straight games.

3. Cal starting right guard Mike Saffell will miss the rest of the season with a lower-body injury.

PREDICTION: Washington 38, Cal 17