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BYU and Utah fans have a long simmering argument of what the Cougars could do against a Pac-12 schedule. Well, this week they'll find out. To close out the season, BYU takes a trip to Berkeley to face 5-6 Cal. The Golden Bears have a porous defense and an electric offense, winning three Pac-12 games this season largely in shootout situations. The Cougars have regained their footing after four straight losses and have ripped off three straight against admittedly inferior competition. Can the Cougars finish strong and get a Pac-12 win to top off their schedule? Or will Cal prove the Utah fans that believe the Cougars can't hang with Pac-12 quality right? Here's a position-by-position look at this week's matchup and which team will have the edge heading into Saturday's game:

Quarterback

After his rough performance against Boise State, Christian Stewart has feasted on the lower class teams the Cougars have played the last few weeks. In three games against MTSU, UNLV and Savannah State, Stewart has 837 passing yards and nine touchdowns through the air, along with three more rushing touchdowns on the ground. There isn't much to draw from those numbers, but he's been efficient and confident, two things the Cougars will need to see from him in Berkeley Saturday.

The Pac-12 is chalk full of quarterback talent, so Cal passer Jared Goff has fallen through the cracks. But he deserves more acclaim for what he's done with the Golden Bears this season. Goff has been ridiculous all year, throwing for at least 300 yards in six games and multiple touchdowns in all but three games this season. For the year, he has 3,580 yards and 31 touchdowns to six interceptions. He struggled last week against Stanford, but is still a step above Stewart in this game.

Edge: Cal

Running Back

The Cougars threw another rusher into the mix last week with sophomore AJ Moore rolling up 62 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. The team leader was Nate Carter, who had 116 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries, but BYU also gave carries to Algie Brown, Adam Hine and Paul Lasike. In the Pac-12, Cal ranks fifth overall in run defense with 148 yards surrendered per game.

For the Golden Bears, the unquestioned starter is Daniel Lasco. The junior has rolled for over 100 yards in four games this season and in the last three games alone, is averaging 126 yards rushing and has five touchdowns. He has 985 yards and 12 touchdowns total this season and was Cal's best weapon against a stingy Stanford defense last week, rushing for 103 yards and a touchdown. Cal has a clear advantage here.

Edge: Cal

Wide Receivers

Mitch Mathews rolled against Savannah State last week, catching four passes for 110 yards and two touchdowns to the tune of nearly 28 yards per catch. He's been Stewart's favorite target the last two weeks, catching 10 passes for 230 yards and three touchdowns. The Cougars pass offense as a whole could be headed for a big day. Cal is by far the worst pass defense in the Pac-12, allowing 361 yards through the air per game and 37 total touchdowns this season.

Cal's philosophy on offense is to spread the ball around, with Goff hitting eight different receivers for at least 20 receptions this season, while seven different receivers have at least 300 yards. The three leaders for Cal are Chris Harper, Stephen Anderson and Kenny Lawler. Each has over 500 yards receiving and at least five touchdowns, with Anderson leading the team overall in receiving yardage with 631. Lawler led the team in receiving against Stanford with 74 yards, but Anderson had 52 yards and a touchdown. Look for the Bears to spread BYU out and attack the Cougars all over the field.

Edge: Cal

Offensive line

Stewart was able to operate with impunity last week as the Cougars pass protection stonewalled Savannah State. The Cougars had given up three sacks against MTSU and two against UNLV, so despite the inferiority of Savannah State, it was still a good sign that they kept Stewart clean for an entire game. Also working in BYU's favor is the lack of pass rush from Cal in the Pac-12, where the Golden Bears rank dead last with only 13 sacks.

Cal's pass protection is right in the middle of the Pac-12, ranking sixth in the conference with 26 sacks given up this season. The Golden Bears run blocking is ranked 10th overall in total yardage with 147 per game, but Cal also has the third most rushing touchdowns in the Pac-12. The Cougars sacked Savannah State twice last week, but Cal is on a different level in terms of competition.

Edge: Even

Defensive line and linebackers

The Cougars front locked down SSU for only 63 total yards last week and forced two fumbles, a great outing for a team that has struggled to generate pressure at times this season. Overall, BYU is up to 23 sacks this season now after nine total in this three game winning streak. Zac Stout had a big game, racking up five tackles, a tackle for loss and a forced fumble, while Harvey Jackson had a sack and four tackles of his own. BYU will need to generate pressure on Goff and force mistakes to stay in this game.

As was mentioned before, the Golden Bears have a hard time generating pressure. Overall, they have only 13 sacks and were shut out against Stanford while bringing down USC's and Oregon State's quarterbacks only once each in the last three weeks. Devante Downs is a guy to watch in the pass rush aspect of this game. He has two sacks, four tackles for loss and 33 total tackles. Linebacker Michael Barton, who leads the team in tackles and has 6.5 tackles for loss, is another player to watch.

Edge: Even

Secondary

This will be the biggest test for BYU's secondary this season and it isn't close. Goff will spread the ball around and test the Cougars with an offense throwing for 324 yards per game. The Cougars have held up well in the last few weeks against weaker opponents, but Cal is a lot closer to and better at throwing the football than Boise State, which hung 410 yards on BYU a few weeks ago. The Cougars give up 255 yards per game through the air, but Cal is set to pass that easily.

Luckily for BYU, Cal's secondary is by far the worst unit on this team. Cal allows a staggering 60 more yards per game through the air than any other team in the Pac-12 with 361. They've also given up 37 passing touchdowns to opposing passers, the next closest in the conference being Colorado with 32. Stewart will have the opportunity to make plays and find Jordan Leslie and Mitch Mathews for big gains. If the Cougars can keep up in a shootout, they'll have a good shot at winning this game.

Edge: Even

Prediction: BYU is looking for a statement win, but Cal is looking for that elusive sixth win to become bowl eligible. The Golden Bears have the homefield advantage, but have also been routinely shredded for big yardage, setting the table for a big game from Stewart. However, the overall talent disparity and lack of quality opponents BYU has played lately gives Cal an advantage. The Golden Bears win this one in a high scoring affair 49-35.