Cal and No. 24 UNLV square off in the LA Bowl

LA Bowl: Cal (6-6) vs. No. 19 UNLV (10-3), Wednesday at 9 p.m. EST.

BetMGM College Football Odds: Cal by 3.

KEY MATCHUP

The Golden Bears average 3.5 yards per carry (113th in college football) compared to the 3.5 per attempt the Rebels allow (19th in the FBS).

UNLV averages 174.5 yards through the air per game (121st in the FBS). Cal ranks 94th, allowing 234.3 passing yards.

LAST GAME

Cal fell 38-6 to SMU on Saturday, Nov. 30. Chandler Rogers passed for 84 yards on 8-of-15 attempts (53.3%) with no touchdowns and no interceptions. Jaydn Ott had 37 rushing yards on 13 carries, adding one reception for -1 yards. Nyziah Hunter had five receptions for 85 yards.

UNLV lost 21-7 to Boise State on Friday, Dec. 6. Hajj-Malik Williams threw for 110 yards on 13-of-28 attempts (46.4%) with no touchdowns and one interception. He also carried the ball 21 times for 56 yards. Kylin James had 95 rushing yards on two carries. Corey Thompson Jr. recorded 32 yards on two catches.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Cal: Fernando Mendoza ranks 20th in college football with 3,004 passing yards (273.1 per game) while completing 68.7% of passes (265 for 386), with 16 touchdowns and six interceptions. Jaivian Thomas has 91 carries for 598 rushing yards (54.4 yards per game) and seven touchdowns. He also has nine catches for 88 yards. Hunter has 578 receiving yards (48.2 per game) on 40 catches with five touchdowns.

UNLV: Williams has 1,845 passing yards (141.9 per game) while completing 62% of passes (145 for 234), with 17 touchdowns and five interceptions. He has 824 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns, averaging 63.4 per game. Jai’Den Thomas has 143 carries for 843 rushing yards (64.8 per game) and seven touchdowns. He also has 11 catches for 91 yards and one touchdown. Ricky White III has 79 receptions to rank 18th in college football with 1,041 yards (80.1 per game) and has 11 touchdowns (sixth in CFB).

FACTS & FIGURES

Cal has outscored opponents by 3.9 points per game this season, and UNLV has outscored opponents by 14.3 per game.

Cal owns the 10th-best turnover margin in college football at plus 12, forcing 22 (16th in college football) while turning it over 10 times (16th in college football).

With 425.8 total yards per game on offense, UNLV ranks 35th in college football in 2024. On defense, it ranks 50th, surrendering 352 total yards per game.