Cal Bears star trashes Auburn: ‘Name doesn’t mean anything’

Cal football enters its much-anticipated matchup against SEC mainstay Auburn as 6.5-point underdogs, but don’t bother mentioning that to star running back Jaydn Ott. In his media availability Wednesday, the sophomore said he’s been underwhelmed by what he’s seen of Auburn and is more concerned about staying grounded after the win than he is about actually securing the win. 

The Golden Bears beat North Texas handily last weekend in their season opener, racking up 58 points in the win. A reporter Wednesday asked Ott about what Cal’s offensive line would need to do to replicate that success with “probably a much better opponent this week with Auburn coming to town.” After praising his linemen, Ott went in on the SEC school.

“I think there’s a lot of focus on the name: Auburn. And, you know, what I see on film is just like, not really in comparison to what their name is,” he said.“I just want to get that into my guys’ heads, like, you know, a name doesn’t mean anything. And at the end of the day, they’re still human, and we have just as much of a chance as they do to go in there and get the win.”

He also spoke about what the win over an SEC opponent will mean for the Golden Bears — talking as if a victory is a foregone conclusion. 

“It will be very encouraging when we do get this win. But I feel like our focus is going to be, um, not letting it get to our head and getting too big-headed after we do get the dub,” said Ott.

Auburn fans on social media did not take kindly to Ott’s comments.

Ott has reason to be confident though. He’s coming off an excellent freshman year that saw him rack up 1,218 total yards and 11 touchdowns. He ranked fourth in the Pac-12 in all-purpose yards and fifth in rushing yards per game. 

Cal and Auburn are both coming off big wins in their opening weeks. Cal defeated North Texas 58-21 while Auburn dispatched UMass 59-14. Ott rushed for 178 yards and two touchdowns in the Golden Bears’ win.

Kickoff for the Week 2 showdown is set for 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 9, at California Memorial Stadium in Berkeley.