Portland State @ California preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 16, 2006 ) Portland State 16, California 42

After a tough loss to then-No. 22 Northwestern, California attempts to give head coach Sonny Dykes his first victory at home against Portland State on Saturday. The Vikings are coming off a 57-17 win over Eastern Oregon and intend to snap the Golden Bears' perfect record against FCS schools (6-0). Portland State will head to Memorial Stadium for just the second time after suffering a 42-16 loss in 2006.

A win over Portland State would be a much-needed boost for the Golden Bears as they prepare for stiff matchups against nationally ranked Ohio State and Oregon. Cal is 43-16 in its last 59 home games, while the Vikings never have won a game against a Pac-12 opponent. The Golden Bears look to build off a promising start from true freshman quarterback Jared Goff, who threw for 445 yards and two scores in the loss to Northwestern.

TV: 5 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network. LINE: None.

ABOUT PORTLAND STATE (1-0): The Vikings got off to a rolling start with 672 yards of total offense against Eastern Oregon. The total ranked 10th all-time in school history, and the 405 yards rushing was fourth-most. DJ Adams and Shaquille Richard both gained more than 100 yards rushing in the win and became the first duo to do so in school history since 2011.

ABOUT CALIFORNIA (0-1, 0-0 Pac-12): While Goff's performance against Northwestern netted him the school record for second-most single-game passing yards, two of the three interceptions he threw ended up going for touchdowns. It was apparent by Goff's 63 pass attempts that Dykes isn't shying away from letting the true freshman throw the ball, but the second interception returned for a score occurred with 7:57 remaining in the fourth quarter and essentially closed out the game. The Golden Bears need to limit their mistakes on offense quickly if they intend to hang with top-ranked competition to come in the following weeks.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Portland State is 2-28 all-time against FBS programs.

2. Cal defensive line coach Barry Sacks filled a similar position with Portland State for seven seasons.

3. Saturday's game will be the second of three straight home contests for Cal to start the season.

PREDICTION: California 42, Portland State 14