Bears Bureau: The UCLA Finale

One last ride

Jeremiah Hunter in the endzone courtesy of Calbears.com

It’s been a tough season. There’s no debating that. In some areas, it is clear what went wrong and it was puzzling in other areas where there was some unforeseen instability for your California Golden Bears. This amounted to a 4-8 record, not what anyone wanted from the players to the coaches to the fans. What can be done in order for this team to take the next step remains in limbo as the offensive coordinator search continues, but it’s important we give everyone their due (or give pause for it) for the season that just wrapped up.

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Season Retrospective Buys

Jeremiah Hunter

Talk about a coming out party for the NorCal product. Last season we got a taste of what Jeremiah Hunter could do but this year he took this game to a whole other level. If this is the preview, I’m ready to sit down and watch the whole movie. He recorded 60 receptions for 965 yards and 5 touchdowns this season, and fully cemented himself along with J Michael Sturdivant as the outside receivers (X and Z positions) of the future. Hunter set career highs against UCLA with 8 receptions for 153 yards and 2 touchdowns, looking just flat out ridiculous out there. The wide receiver room was unquestionably one of the biggest quadrants of untapped potential, and Hunter led a charge in which everyone now knows exactly who they are. Take a bow Jeremiah.

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J Michael Sturdivant

Well what’s one receiver without his dancing partner? As the receiver room got into a groove over the course of the season, J Michael Sturdivant was the first new kid on the block to stake his claim as a receiver and cornerstone of the future. Sturdivant never had less than 3 receptions in a single game this season, never had less than 45 yards receiving in a single game, signaling the high floor that he possesses. His final stats were as follows: 65 receptions for 755 yards and 7 touchdowns, including a diving acrobatic touchdown at Colorado (let’s ignore the actual game). J Mike and Jeremiah are a scary duo, one that couldn’t be stopped this year even by some of the better secondaries in the conference.

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Jaydn Ott

Triple J’s! From Jeremiah to J Mike to Jaydn, it’s been a flurry of young energetic talent in the Cal offense. Understandably, the results may have not been present when putting everything together, but triple J really put forth their best effort and put their individual talents on display. Jaydn Ott burst out on the scene quickly, with a 100 yard rushing performance in his debut against UC Davis, followed up by a multi touchdown game against UNLV. This doesn’t begin to sniff the monster performance against Arizona, where he literally willed his way through the Wildcats with 274 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns. His production slowed as the season went on, mostly as a product of inconsistent offensive line play, but his influence cannot be understated. Ott’s final stats tally 170 rushes for 897 yards and 8 touchdowns while also racking up 46 receptions for 321 yards and 3 additional touchdowns. I said in my preview article of him that he needed to bolster his receiving skill to see the field and boy did he do that and then some. He may have had a rather forgettable end to the season with the fumble against UCLA but his season will not be defined by that.

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Jeremiah Earby

How about quadruple J’s! Jeremiah Earby really stepped up to the plate a freshman this season. In his first game against UC Davis he recorded a great interception in zone coverage against an Aggies trips set. Against the Oregon State Beavers, he was the only Golden Bear to reach the endzone, racing the other way with a scoop and score just before halftime. He was continuously tested in coverage this season and unquestionably held his own and then some. Against Stanford, he had 3 pass breakups, each one as important as the last (and even got the initial fumble before the double fumble to Jackson Sirmon!). He went against several top end receivers in Rome Odunze, Jalen McMillan, Troy Franklin, and Jake Bobo among others and rarely got completely outmatched. Not to mention he seems to be the surefire CB2, taking away snaps from Isaiah Young over the course of the season and starting by the end of it. The island of Lu Magia-Hearns and Jeremiah Earby may be a population of 2 for years to come.

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Season Holds

Justin Wilcox

Simply put, we are about to find out what Head Coach Justin Wilcox is made of. Winning the Big Game saved me from putting him in the sell category, but he unequivocally still needs to step up, starting with his offensive coordinator hire. How far he is willing to go outside his proverbial box will be key to us understanding just how far this program can go under his watch. I will absolutely accept seasons like 2019 on the regular, and its time for Wilcox to show he’s the coach who can do it. We are at a crossroads, so coach, what are you going to show us?

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Pass Rush

How much of the the struggles of this group can be attributed to injuries vs a lack of production is a debate that will likely span a few weeks. However, the Cal pass rush was not good enough this season in any respect. I look back at the Cameron Ward clip where he literally sits still as the Bears pass rush doesn’t get home, or Michael Penix Jr sitting back waiting for his all conference receivers to get open. It simply can’t happen, Brett Johnson or not. Myles Jernigan really came on as the season ended, and proved that this was his coming out party. He may have only had 3 sacks at the end of the day but I feel his contributions were more in the sense of general pressure and chaos in the pocket, as he put himself in position to make plays. It’s time for this group to step up as they get healthy for next season.

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Sells

Tight Ends

Their purposes in the offense became a lot more clear after the dismissal of Bill Musgrave and Angus McClure, but their roles in the offense still needs room to grow. 3 tight ends saw the field in a meaningful capacity, and yet it felt like they were barely out there and didn’t scratch the surface. Their blocking assignments weren’t clear under Musgrave, and while it improved under Geep Chryst, I simply need to see more. Jermaine Terry II, Elijah Mojarro, Keleki Latu, there are better days ahead from this group but for now I can’t willingly put stock in them until they show a pulse in this offense.

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In season roster management

I know, this is a weird thing to have a gripe about but the Bears in season roster management was puzzling. The case study here is with Oluwafemi Oladejo, who was seen by many as the breakout player on defense for this season. He didn’t necessarily live up to that motto, but that’s neither here nor there. Whether it’s because of injuries or the coaches simply wanted to see more from him, Oladejo was continuously moved around from ILB to OLB and back during midseason (including a 3rd string ILB demotion at one point), leaving him without consistent preparation from week to week. You have to help yourself out before you put on the pads for 60 minutes and Cal didn’t do that this season. I mean somehow, Oladejo didn’t even record a single snap against Colorado despite being suited up and active with no injury designation! Things change and I understand that, but flip flopping with roster management like that is not beneficial for the team.

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Pac 12 Quick Hits

Going to do something a bit different here, and list off my buys, holds, and sells of the season in sort of a mini awards ceremony since it is the last Bears Bureau of the year!

Buy of the year: Michael Penix Jr

Penix proved the doubters wrong, staying healthy all season enroute to leading the #1 passing offense in the nation. He and his deadly trio of receivers in Rome Odunze, Jalen McMillan, and Ja’Lynn Polk were dangerous for any team to face, just ask the Oregon Ducks. Penix has Washington in pole position for the Rose Bowl, a far cry from what UW fans were feeling last year.

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Hold of the year: UCLA

UCLA did just have their best season under Chip Kelly. Dorian Thompson-Robinson made some strides in his desire for the NFL, Zach Charbonnet continued to prove why he should be off the board by the end of the 2nd day of the NFL draft, but how is UCLA going to replicate their success this season. Chip Kelly has put the Bruins hand in the transfer portal, and when your cornerstones of success depart, it’s hard to evaluate what the future is. UCLA can have one of Ethan Garbers or Justyn Martin step up along with TJ Harden, but there is just so much that’s up in the air, especially as the Bruins faded towards the end of this season.

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Sell of the year: ASU

I don’t think Kenny Dillingham can save this program….at least not immediately. Arizona State had nothing redeeming about this season other than an upset of Washington, from its coaching, to its players, to the looming NCAA sanctions that could happen at any moment. Coach Dillingham knows how to put the energy back into Tempe, but will he get a fair enough shake at it in case the violations get served to the Sun Devils? There are too many moving parts for me to have any serious faith in ASU, even less than Colorado.

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It’s been a pleasure covering football this season for you guys. Thanks to all the fans, the community, the players and coaches who make it all worthwhile. Seniors, your contributions will not be forgotten in the blue and gold. Here’s to a better 2023 season for your California Golden Bears.