Cal quarterbacks pose threat to UCLA

On the back of two consecutive losses, UCLA will try to find its rhythm again today at Memorial Stadium, a place it has not won since 1998. There, the Bruins will face a Cal squad that has dropped at least 50 points on three opponents this season.

“They’re explosive,” said Bruins defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich. “When they get hot, when they get rolling, they’re difficult to deal with. You’ve seen them put up some points, put up a lot of yards. They’ve got super talented players across the board.”

The catalyst is Jared Goff, who last year became the first true freshman to ever start a Cal season opener at quarterback. Tailor made for head coach Sonny Dykes’ “Bear Raid” offense, Goff was the ray of hope in a horrific 1-11 season. He broke Cal records for single-season passing (3,508 yards) and single-game passing (504), as well as passes attempted (531) and completed (320). He topped 300 passing yards five times in 2013, a mark he hit again in his last four games.

His numbers aren’t as gaudy this season, but Goff’s efficiency has improved. He has 22 touchdowns against three interceptions, a dramatic turnaround from his 18-to-10 ratio last fall. He is completing 65.5 percent of his passes, and his yards per attempt has risen from 6.6 to 9.4.

But today at 12:30 p.m., there might be a true freshman who causes problems for UCLA.

Luke Rubenzer has not recorded a stat in two games, but earlier this fall, he was the Bears’ Swiss Army knife. In a season-opening win at Northwestern, he threw for just 19 yards but ran for 48 - prompting Wildcats coach Pat Fitzgerald to blame Bay Area media for obscuring Cal’s game plan.

The following week, Rubenzer passed and rushed for a touchdown in a 55-14 blowout of lowly Sacramento State. Two weeks after that, he caught a pass for 9 yards.

He is far from a polished passer, with nine pass attempts and 103 yards this season. But neither was Utah’s Kendal Thompson. Ulbrich said this week that Rubenzer reminded him of Thompson - who only threw 13 passes in a 30-28 upset of the Bruins but gashed them for 83 rushing yards, including 23 on the go-ahead scoring drive.

They expect the Bears (4-2, 2-2 Pac-12) to try some of the same.