Bears Bureau: Where was the luck against the Irish
Like Avinash said this was the most Cal loss to ever Cal
Well that was heartbreaking. Yet expected. We have been conditioned as Cal fans to experience this. And to be clear; it is no one’s fault, it is just how it is. But that doesn’t mean we won’t come back with the same spirit week in and week out. We had a chance to show up and show out on the big stage, and for the most part we did that. Understandably, this is not one of the better Notre Dame teams to see the field. But you’re still playing in South Bend, one of the hardest places to play period. And with roughly 10,000 Cal fans in attendance, we almost went insane and rushed the field (probably not lol) like we did against Stanford last season. But like the prior two weeks, it is time to figure out who rose to the occasion and who left something to be desired?
Where to buy: Sioape Vatikani
An unconventional one to start with and probably something that you weren’t expecting. True freshman Sioape Vatikani has been raved about throughout camp and in my opinion is my favorite lineman recruit I’ve seen ever since I started assessing players. And he got his call during the 2nd half of the Notre Dame game. Your biggest road game in half a decade and you call on a true freshman linemen to rise to the occasion against a top 10 defensive line in the country? Surely that’s insanity. Well it is not and Vatikani took his opportunity by the reigns and certainly maximized. Obviously the offensive line struggled all day, mainly Spencer Lovell since he got benched for Vatikani. But take a look at the faith the coaching staff has in him. And the first play they call is putting him in a counter set, pulling over towards the blitzing defensive back as seen at the 6:00 mark here. Now he may not have gotten all of his block but color me shocked as the first play he gets is something that puts him at the focal point of the play. And I’m ready to see more. Buy stock.
Jackson Sirmon
After a solid first few weeks, Jackson Sirmon absolutely came to play in South Bend. Sirmon tallied 15 total tackles and was an absolute force in the middle of the defense, especially with Notre Dame relying on the power run game at the game went on. Despite mass praise when getting him through the transfer portal, I was a bit hesitant especially when Cal was scheduled to play bigger teams like Notre Dame. However he rose to the task and I’m now looking forward to what he can bring in Pac 12 play and how his play will transform. He’s had his fair share of experience from Washington and it will be interesting to see how he can develop if he happens to want a shot in the NFL. Buy low for now.
J Michael Sturdivant
I mean probably the best player on offense by far was J Michael Sturdivant, who flashed his talent all over the place with divings catches, slick route running, and a touchdown on the national stage. Sturdivant has been very consistent in his three starts, accumulating 49 receiving yards at the very least in every single game. But most of you have seen it with your own eyes and he’s a future star. He’s only a redshirt freshman so Cal fans sit back, get a beer, and just watch the magic happen. I’m intrigued to see what happens when he goes against the likes of Jaydon Grant and Mekhi Blackmon, proven players with tons of Pac 12 experience that can give not only Sturdivant but also the fanbase a baseline of how far he’s come and how far he can go.
Where to hold: Tight Ends
Much like Nick Kranz said in his postgame thoughts, the use of the tight ends this season and especially this past weekend was rather interesting to say the least. The tight ends are not being brought in to block despite a struggling offensive line and not really catching many passes either. So what is their purpose at the moment? What does Bill Musgrave want for the tight ends, who have diversity in their depth. From Keleki Latu to Jermaine Terry II, Cal certainly has the horses but when you don’t let them out of the gate, they certainly won’t go anywhere. Hold stock to see where their purpose within the offense goes, especially in games where the young wide receivers run into issues.
The Outside Linebackers
Once again, this becomes my biggest point of contention because objectively the outside linebackers aren’t doing that bad. Henry Ikahihifo, Myles Jernigan, and Braxten Croteau have seen some bigger snap counts with a mix of Orin Patu in there, and the results have been a bit mixed. Ikahihifo had a thrilling finish to the UNLV game while Myles Jernigan had flashes against UC Davis and UNLV. But there hasn’t been a whole lot of consistency from this position group. Their ceiling can be fairly high but for the moment their foundation is like a loose floorboard that needs attention put on it.
Pac 12 Quick Hits:
Colorado: Sell
Whatever you have left, sell it. Burn it. Don’t ever look at it again. Even if Cal doesn’t cover the spread in Boulder. There is nothing that is saving this.
UCLA: Hold
The Bruins played a weak non conference schedule yet hit several bumps in the road anyway. This left me confused when they were down 17-7 to Bowling Green and then had to kick a game winning field goal against South Alabama after the Jaguars for the some reason ran a fake field goal and completely threw the game. I went into this season thinking UCLA was an 8-4/possible 9-3 team but this non conference slate and their lackluster performance in it gives me pause.
Oregon State: Hold
I told you to buy up a bit ago on the Beavers and now they get to their benchmark game against the USC Trojans at home. Reser is going to be rocking and I can’t wait to see what challenges they try to present to the USC offense, which has looked unstoppable so far. Do I expect them to win? Not necessarily but this isn’t that type of game for them. It is a benchmark for the Beavers and let’s see if they will be up to the task.
Washington’s offense: Buy
What a show for the Huskies on primetime Saturday night, racing out to a 29-8 lead, one where they would never look back. They made Mel Tucker’s defense look flat out ridiculous and didn’t let the Spartan offense get going until late in the game. The energy is infectious around Kalen Deboer’s program and you better buy before it is too late. From Penix to Jalen McMillan to Ja’lynn Polk and even someone like Giles Jackson, Washington’s offense is not to be ignored.
Referees: Sell
Enough said.
Well that’s what the market looks like after week 3 and the nonconference slate! Let’s see who will bring it during Pac 12 play and who will falter by the way side.
GIVE ME ALL THE HUSKIE STOCK YOU HAVE.
PENIX TO THE MOON
Well at least it won’t be ACC refs this week, it will be PAC-12. Oh wait.