Jedd Fisch hasn't gotten to enjoy a lot of Pac-12 success yet as Arizona head coach, but does have experience beating Cal, defeating the Golden Bears 10-3 for the Wildcats' lone win of any kind last season.
The Wildcats (2-1) now open up their conference slate at Cal (2-1) on Saturday, looking to continue their strong start to the season -- and extend the program's recent success in the series, riding a six-game win streak over the Bears dating back to 2010.
(For that matter, two of Fisch's four wins as head coach have come against Cal, as he also beat the Bears in 2017 as UCLA's interim coach).
Arizona and Cal will be both show different teams compared to the 2021 meeting, as much has changed for both programs.
For further perspective, new Cal quarterback Jack Plummer and Arizona's offensive coordinator Brennan Carroll and defensive coordinator Johnny Nansen shared their thoughts on the matchup Tuesday.
Arizona will once again prepare for a different look defensively, playing against more of a pro style/west coast offense after facing Mississippi State's Air Raid two weeks ago and NDSU's power rushing offense last week. Nansen mentioned the difficulty of having to adjust his scheme on a week-to-week basis as well as having to manage his defensive unit personnel-wise as his depth has depleted.
"It keeps you up at night, going from one thing to another," Nansen noted. "Trying to get different packages, different guys in there that could help us out, and then when you don't have the number of guys that are available, it makes it difficult. It’s been tough the last two weeks. It’s gonna be tough this week too."
Nansen gave his assessment of Plummer, who took the reins of Cal's offense this year after transferring in from Purdue.
“He’s consistent,” Nansen said. “He’s a system guy, drop back, looks like he understands the offense."