10. Jared Goff’s first true test against Utah
Many a football geek is already amped up for this Pac-12 battle, featuring the top pure passer in the nation going up against one of the best all-around teams. Cal has engineered an undefeated season to this point, and the past three games have come down to the wire with Goff performing admirably under pressure.
Goff is a pleasure to watch. He routinely pulls off plays you’d normally only see at the next level by the top passers in the league. When you’re drawing up a prototypical NFL franchise passer, he checks off all the boxes except for his rather slight build, which hasn’t been a deterrent to success for others such as Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady in recent history.
He’s been most compared to Rodgers, who also played at Cal. Here is another thing he has in common with the Green Bay Packers star — he’s immune to pressure.
“According to ESPN Stats & Information, over the last two seasons, Goff has thrown 16 touchdowns and no interceptions when blitzed,” per Ivan Maisel of ESPN.com.
Goff is likely to face plenty of pressure on Saturday night in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Utes feature a bully of a defense that has dominated the likes of Michigan and Oregon already this season. Fans should expect a heavy dose of running back Devontae Booker as the Utes attempt to keep the ball out of Goff’s hands as much as possible.
This contest will be televised nationally on ESPN starting at 10 p.m. ET.