After a promising start to the season, things have recently gotten rough for this Cal team.

The Golden Bears started 3-1, securing a dominant win over Arizona and just barely falling to Notre Dame after threatening the upset. Over the last two weeks, however, Cal was trounced 28-9 by Washington State before losing 20-13 to previously winless Colorado in overtime last weekend.

The Bears have exciting talent scattered across their roster, but their weaknesses are glaring. They’re capable of causing headaches for talented opposition, yet their lack of consistency across the roster ultimately renders them a lesser threat and creates even more frustration for its own sideline and fan base.

Let's take a closer look at the matchup with the Bears, as Washington and Cal kickoff at 7:30 p.m. PT at California Memorial Stadium (on ESPN).

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Coach: Justin Wilcox (6th season, 29-31)

Stats/national rank

Scoring Offense: 23.7 PPG (98th)

Scoring Defense: 21.7 PPG (34th)

Total Offense: 381.3 YPG (79th)

Total Defense: 377.2 YPG (67th)

What the Bears do well: The Bears have featured a capable passing game, headlined by quarterback Jack Plummer and his talented top duo of receivers. The team has thrown for a healthy 252.7 yards per game, with Plummer completing 61.2% of his passes and throwing 9 touchdowns to just 3 interceptions. Jeremiah Hunter and J.Michael Sturdivant have proven to be highly-capable pass catchers, both adept at winning at the catch point and creating separation. They’ve been a challenge for opposing secondaries to handle, and Plummer has shown himself to be capable of getting them the football with good placement. Plummer’s decision-making has generally been strong, helping the Bears to minimize their turnovers. The Cal passing attack isn’t necessarily one of the most imposing in the conference, but the talent of its key playmakers keeps it dangerous enough. That includes true freshman running back Jaydn Ott, who ran for 274 yards and 3 TDs vs. Arizona. Due to the offense's general limitations (more on that in a moment), though, that is almost half of his season total (580 rushing yards and 5 TDs, plus 117 receiving yards and 2 TDs). But Ott is a big-time talent if properly supported.

Cal’s defense has shown a knack for taking the ball away, managing to secure an impressive 12 turnovers in six games, and the Bears have gotten it done both by forcing fumbles and picking off passes. Their secondary deserves plenty of credit in particular, demonstrating impressive ball-hawking skills as they’ve come away with 8 interceptions. Though the Bears don’t feature much top-end talent on defense, they play with a tenacity and opportunism on that side of the ball that allows them to make opponents pay for miscues. Their ability to take the ball away has been a saving grace for this team, but they’ve struggled noticeably when they haven’t managed to do so.

What the Bears don’t do well: The Cal offensive line has been a serious liability. It has struggled mightily in pass protection, allowing constant pressure and rarely providing Plummer with clean pockets to throw from. The Bears have given up 18 sacks for a total of 145 yards, ranking tied for 111th in in sacks allowed per game. That dysfunction has been a nightmare for the Cal offense, often snuffing out otherwise promising drives and keeping the Bears from maintaining a time of possession advantage. They haven’t fared much better as run blockers either, but Ott’s brilliance has helped mask some of the deficiencies there. The offensive line is easily the weakness of Cal’s offense, and opponents with strong defensive fronts are bound to cause them trouble. Their losses in the previous two games were largely a result of the unit getting manhandled, contributing to the total of just 22 points scored by the Bears over that stretch.

On defense, the Bears haven’t been particularly good at generating pressure or bringing down opposing quarterbacks. The defensive front lacks big-time pass rushers and has been prone to getting stonewalled by better offensive lines. The team has managed 11 sacks, which is 90th most in the country. That inability to disrupt the passing game behind the line of scrimmage has allowed opposing quarterbacks to rip off big plays despite the generally sound play of the secondary. That was the case against Washington State as the defense only brought down quarterback Cam Ward once, allowing him to throw for 343 yards and allowing the Cougars to put up the most points of any team against the Cal defense all year.

Five players to know

1. RB Jadyn Ott (No. 6): The X-factor on this Cal team is the true freshman running back, who’s been nothing short of spectacular in his first six games. He’s racked up 580 yards and 5 touchdowns rushing in 6 games, with another 112 yards and 2 touchdowns through the air. Ott is a legitimate game-breaking talent, with the ability to house a touch from anywhere on the field. He exploded for 274 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns against Arizona, offering a glimpse of what he’s capable of at his best. The Bears’ blocking hasn’t done him many favors, but Ott has found ways to create yardage anyways, averaging 6.5 yards per carry while Cal’s other backs have averaged just around 4. He’s a one-man wrecking crew, capable of taking over any game at any point. 2. QB Jack Plummer (No. 13): Plummer, a transfer from Purdue, has been a dependable signal-caller for the Bears, having thrown for 1,509 yards and 9 touchdowns to just 3 interceptions. He’s done well to avoid interceptions for an offense that certainly can’t afford them, helping to keep Cal in games despite the poor offensive line play in front of him. The weakness of his protection has forced Plummer to deal with far too much pressure all year, contributing to his relatively low completion percentage of just 61.2%. A tall, strong passer with the ability to make things happen on the move when he needs to, Plummer has done a commendable job of keeping the passing game functional. His decision-making and arm strength keep defenses honest, so long as he has the time to actually throw.

3. LB Jackson Sirmon (No. 8): The Washington transfer has stepped up big in his first year with Cal, providing the team with an imposing presence to tie the defense together from the middle linebacker spot. Sirmon leads the team with 52 tackles- 20 more than the next Golden Bear defender. He’s impressive at diagnosing plays and shows a quick trigger to the football, often allowing him to be the first player in position to make a stop. His instincts make him a natural playmaker, allowing him to contribute in a variety of ways from the center of the defense. Sirmon has produced 4 TFLs, 1.5 sacks, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble and 2 passes defensed on the year, belying his all-around impact on opposing offenses. He’s the player who holds together a strong rush defense that’s giving up just 3.8 yards per carry on the year. Sirmon is integral to the play of Cal’s defense and will likely be hard to miss when he matches up with his old team this weekend.

4. S Craig Woodson (No. 2): Woodson has been one of the anchors for the Bears’ strong secondary unit, making plays at all levels of the field. The 6-foot, 210-pound safety has notched 30 tackles, 2 TFLs, 2 interceptions and 2 passes defensed on the year, showing a nose for the football and great spatial awareness. Woodson’s contributions have been key on the back end of Cal’s defense, as he’s managed his coverage responsibilities well and displayed the “eyes” necessary for good safety play.

5. WR Jeremiah Hunter (No. 3): The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Hunter has been Plummer’s No. 1 target in the passing game, with a team-high 30 receptions for 448 yards and 2 scores. Hunter is an explosive playmaker with size to boot. He’s adept at generating additional yardage with the ball in his hands and has shown the ability to win downfield. Hunter is coming off his toughest game of the season against Colorado, having managed just 3 catches for 34 yards in what was a nightmare outing for the passing offense. He’ll be looking to bounce back in a big way against a weak Washington secondary.

Key Stat: 18 Sacks Allowed

Not to belabor the point, but Cal’s inability to protect the quarterback is easily the team’s most glaring limitation. Everything else on this team operates well enough on a functional level, but the offensive line’s inability to consistently pass protect has seriously hampered what the offense would otherwise be capable of. The Bears’ brutal offensive performances against Washington State and Colorado were largely borne out of those struggles, and the talented Washington defensive line isn’t likely to give them much of a respite. If Cal can protect Plummer even moderately well, the Bears have the ability to put up a fight. Unfortunately for them, even that seems like a lot to ask at this point.

Key Matchup: Washington secondary vs Cal’s receivers

Washington’s secondary has struggled to contain talented receivers all year, and it will have its hands full again in taking on Sturdivant and Hunter. Big-bodied receivers in particular have plagued the Huskies cornerbacks, and the 6-foot-3 and 6-foot-2 duo of the Bears is primed to continue that trend unless Washington’s defensive backfield can finally step it up a notch. The Huskies have been trying a number of bodies at the corner position but have yet to see a consistent cover player emerge. There’s been little in the way of improvement in that regard over past weeks, and it's hard to imagine that there’ll suddenly be a big step forward in just a week. Nonetheless, Cal’s offense might cause serious problems for the UW defense if Plummer has just enough time to throw. If he can start getting the ball to his playmakers out wide, the Huskies defense could find some trouble.