San Diego State vs. Cal Football Preview: Good offense vs. good defense

The San Diego State Aztecs football team will head up north for a match-up against the California Golden Bears. This weekend's meeting will be the seventh between the Aztecs and Golden Bears, with the series being currently tied 3-3. In the past, the home team has won every game.

SDSU began their season at home on a high note last Saturday. They took down cross-town "rival," and FCS opponent, University of San Diego in a 37-3 beat down at Qualcomm Stadium.

However, the Aztecs will have their hands full against Cal.

Cal enters the game after winning their first game of the season against the Grambling State Tigers 73-14. It was the second most points scored by the Golden Bears in school history. The meeting pits SDSU's solid defense against a high powered Cal offense.

Cal's offense is led by quarterback Jared Goff, who went 24-32 for 309 yards and 3 TD's last Saturday.

In addition to Goff, wide receiver Kenny Lawler provides a difficult task for SDSU's defensive backs. Lawler hauled in 6 catches for 69 yards, and all 3 TD's Goff threw.

In total, the Golden Bears racked up 656 total yards of offense.

SDSU's defense heads in to Saturday as one of the best defenses in the Mountain West. Against USD, the Aztecs forced six turnovers, five of those interceptions, and held the Toreros to only 193 total yards.

The five interceptions came from only two players on the Aztec defense. Linebacker Calvin Munson had 2, both of which were returned for touchdowns, and defensive back Damontae Kazee had thre of his own.

Offensively, the Aztecs struggled.

Quarterback Maxwell Smith was only 9-21 with 100 yards, no touchdowns, and an interception, while star running back Donnel Pumphrey was only held to 65 yards and 1 TD on his 20 carries. They will need to step it up against a Cal defense who forced 5 turnovers last week.

In order to beat Cal on Saturday, SDSU will need a huge offensive improvement from Week 1, and their defense will need to be able to slow down an offense who is known for putting up a high amount of points, in a short amount of time.

Prediction: Cal wins 34-20.