SALT LAKE CITY — If Kyle Whittingham is going to get his 100th win against the California Golden Bears this week, he and his team are going to have to slow down the nation's best passing attack, even if everyone else's efforts have proven futile.

"(Cal) is very prolific on offense," Whittingham said. "I don't know who'd be throwing the ball better than they are. They're certainly the best in our league right now. We've got our work cut out for us on defense to try to slow them down."

Some game notes:

• As previously stated, Whittingham is going for his 100th win as a head coach. Whittingham has been at the helm since the Fiesta Bowl victory in 2004 and has the best bowl-win percentage of any coach in college football.
• This is the 11th contest between the two teams dating back to 1920. The series is tied at five wins apiece, and stands at 2-1 in favor of Utah since the Utes joined the Pac-12.
• Utah has won four of the last five since 2003, where Alex Smith got his first start on ESPN, with iconic announcers Kirk Herbstreit and Lee Corso in the booth. Cal's then-unknown backup quarterback Aaron Rodgers came into the game at the end of the first quarter to make the game competitive before ultimately falling to the Utes, 31-24.
• Utah won last year's matchup 30-24, intercepting future NFL No. 1 draft pick Jared Goff five times.
• The Utes are 1-4 in games contested in Berkeley, site of this week's game. Their last victory visiting Cal came in 1964. This is Utah's first game playing at Cal's Memorial Stadium since joining the Pac-12. The stadium was closed for renovations in 2011 when the Utes played Cal in San Francisco's AT&T Park, Cal's home stadium that year.

Scouting Report: California Golden Bears

Head Coach: Sonny Dykes (16-25 in four seasons)
Record: 2-2
Current line: Cal -2

Offense

Cal is an all-out aerial assault, leading the Pac-12 in both passing and total offense and ranks second in the nation in both categories. Quarterback Davis Webb, a graduate transfer from Texas Tech and a senior, leads the nation in total yards passing and is currently averaging 459 yards passing per game, second only to former teammate and current Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

"(Webb) is doing a great job leading that offense. He's throwing for over 400 a week and his touchdown to interception ratio is very good. They're moving the ball up and down the field; nearly 600 yards of offense a game is a boatload of offense," Whittingham noted.

Strictly by comparison, Webb has been even more prolific than Goff was last year for the Bears. Take a look at the following chart comparing the two through their first four games:

The Bears receiving corps boasts two of the conference’s top receivers in Chad Hansen and Melquise Stovall. Hansen, a junior, is the nation's No. 2 overall receiver and the Pac-12's best, leading the conference in catches, yards, yards per game, and touchdown receptions. He leads the conference's No. 2 overall receiver, Utah's Tim Patrick, by an incredible 30 receptions. Stovall, a speedy freshman who almost chose Utah before heading to Cal, has 17 receptions for 232 yards and a touchdown on the young season and figures to play mostly out of the slot receiver position.

Rushing the ball hasn't been Cal's forte, but it boasts an impressive trio of backs in Khalfani Muhammad, Vic Enwere, and Troy Watson. Whittingham said they're an impressive group.

"They actually have three guys who are very good back there, very productive," Whittingham said. "They're a pass-first team, but they're efficient when they run the ball, which really complements their throw game."

Defense

As good as the Golden Bears have been on offense, they've been just as poor defensively. The conference's second worst total defense, the Bears have allowed 492 yards of offense per game. They have allowed their opponents 42.5 points per game on average and 263 yards rushing, 123rd in the FBS.

Cal has been okay rushing the passer, ranking 47th in the nation in sacks, with nine thus far. Defensive ends Cameron Saffle and DeVante Wilson lead the Bears in sacks with two apiece. Cal is tied atop the Pac-12 standings with 5 interceptions and has managed eight takeaways this season, good for fourth in the Pac-12.

Special teams

Cal running back and kick returner Khalfani Muhammad is second in the conference in kick return yardage, with 357 yards and a 27.5 average. He may not be USC's Adoree' Jackson, but Utah's suspect kick return coverage is reason enough to not allow him any attempts at taking one to the house. Utah should do its level best to avoid him in Saturday's game.

Junior kicker Matt Anderson is fantastic. He's 7-for-8 on the season in field goals and hasn't missed a PAT, a perfect 21-for-21. Punter Dylan Klumph has been more than adequate as a punter, hitting a 45.5 average and a long of 64, good enough for fourth overall in the Pac-12.

Game outlook and key matchups

The line favors Cal in Saturday's game, but statistical evidence trends towards the Utes. Per profootballfocus.com, Cal has yet to allow less than 31 points in any game this season. The website favors the Utes, predicting a 38-31 victory. Brian Fremeau, of bcftoys.com, a college football ratings and data website, also favors the Utes, giving them a 72 percent chance of victory and a score prediction of 33-24. Three of ESPN's five bloggers currently favor the Utes.

The key position group matchup this week is undoubtedly the Utah secondary versus the Cal receiving corps. Ute corners Reggie Porter and Dominique Hatfield figure to spend the day covering Hansen, while Justin Thomas and a mixture of safeties Marcus Williams and Chase Hansen should spend the most time on Stovall.

Perhaps the most important statistic? Cal has failed to win any game in which they score less than 50 points, having yet to face a defense like Utah's. If the Utes can limit Cal through the air this week, the Utes have a good chance to win.

Stephen Lindsey is a student at the University of Utah currently working as an intern with KSL.com in Salt Lake City. Contact him at th3sl3@gmail.com or interact via his twitter handle, @slthe3

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