45 Comments

He's just playing tight. I can see it in his face on TV! He's not able to see the field because he's to busy thinking about making mistakes. When he had space he was able to take off. I could have sworn he took off down field for some big runs but I guess I was watching another game. He looked more confident beginning of the year than now. Its not the players he going up against its the indecisiveness of the coach looking at him with his arms crossed. Kid hasn't had alot of reps at QB. He has to learn from his mistakes by playing. He will if they stick with him. We don't know his upside yet. Finely, can't do what Jackson can do. Its that simple.

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One thing, another reason he can't see the field and runs out of the pocket is that he's the shortest guy in the pocket. Can't experience that out of him.

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Is there any chance for improvement in OL play. Spav had to pul he TE numerous times to block the edge and prevent the rush from grabbing Ott. This subtracts a receiver from any potential pattern. Jackson V was under relentless pressure. Watching USC/Colorado where both QB's had all day. Does Cal need more size, more coaching, or just more talent?

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It just reveals more of the same and the same and the same. Groundhogs day.

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Yeah, I've realized now that Spavital isn't the difference maker who leads us to above .500 season. He gave us so much hopr after the North Texas game.

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I mostly agree but I still have some hope. It is hard to reverse 6 years of poor offensive recruiting and results in just 5 games.

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Well I hope so too. I was hoping for immediate impact which I thought we had, after game one, and was really impressed

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Raises hand....I was impressed and subsequently depressed.

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Same and same.

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Maybe we can reset with a new QB in the ACC.

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Maybe we should get a QB transfer from ACC school

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We did. Finley came from N. Carolina St.

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That was the joke

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Hey there's a Korean QB playing for MSU.

We once had a hot dog eater Kobayashi in the WR room too but he left without seeing any action

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Man, this game was hard to watch in person. I don’t think sjv can calm down- a sports therapist should probably talk to him about this- because he had a lot of options that he could not see (some wide open receivers were in the flat - but I think his eyes just fix too long on one receiver or no receiver at all.

We are going to lose to osu 59 to 14 with the 14 points taken during garbage time. It’s not going to be pretty and I kind of regret buying tickets for all of the away games this season- for the sake of it being the last year of the pac 12. That flight back from Seattle was super sad face man. It was reminiscent of the game against the ducks when tedford could only get 3 points on the board and the highlights of the Oregon cheerleaders by prd74 made me feel a little better.

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Old, very old, TV show 1959-60 that captivated my preadolescent mind:

The Man and the Challenge. The lead was handsome and manly, Doctor Glenn Barton. *wikipedia copy ->an athlete, explorer, adventurer, and former United States Marine who has become a physician and a research scientist for the Institute of Human Factors, a United States Government agency that designs and conducts experiments to study human endurance and its limits. His wide-ranging curiosity and interests suit him well for his assignments, which involve him testing equipment and personnel under conditions of extreme stress (Cal QB) in a variety of research areas (CFB). He frequently subjects himself to the tests before allowing others to participate. Emergencies often arise which force Barton or his test subjects (SJV) to go past the limits of previous tests in an attempt to save the situation.

One episode that stayted with me was titled The Dropper: A psychopathic killer has rigged the trunk of his car to eject logs onto the highway to kill or injure pursuing motorcycle policemen, so Barton develops a new drug that speeds up human perception so that the motorcycle policemen can maneuver out of the way of the deadly debris and apprehend the killer. OR .....slows down the game for SJV....or that matter the whole freaking team.

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Me, I liked Superman.

As for enhancing perceptions, isn't that, more or less, why NAZI scientists developed Meth hoping for chemically created super soldiers.

Never watched that show, but it sounds like a precursor to The Six Million Dollar Man. Hollywood loves to exploit our desires.

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If you were a qb playing for Wilcox you would feel uncomfortable. Wilcox is not comfortable on the offensive side of the ball he instills that feeling in his team. Guys are loose and having fun.

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Not

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not sure about your OSU prediction but you're spot on with SJV. He actually makes nice throws when it's to his primary receiver. Otherwise it's a mess.

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Oct 1, 2023Liked by Rick Chen

One coaching bright spot - JW pointing out the 12 men on field violation (which the refs missed) cost ASU four points, which was basically the difference in the game.

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That is a bright spot. Though in a game this close, lots of things could be said to make up the difference, like making an FG, making the extra points, strong punting game.

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Ott had a career game, and Ifanse is a solid 2nd option, and made good contributions.

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I wonder what it would have been like to have Cardwell and JW Thomas healthy on the roster this year

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Still somewhat limited because we don't have a viable pass attack to keep defenses honest. But they're certainly P5-quality backs.

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Oct 1, 2023·edited Oct 1, 2023

I can't tell who is better. Maynard or Jackson. Jackson is better than McIlwain for sure but Maynard might be better. A bit below Bowers maybe

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Oh Maynard was way better than Jackson is currently, but Jackson of course has the possibility of improving

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Oct 1, 2023Liked by Rick Chen

Just back from the game and had a great time. I'm able to compartmentalize and enjoy the day hanging out with friends, celebrating a win, following the band (Ahmed Anderson led them in Bear Territory chant after they got to Sproui) and reveling in good plays the Bears made such as the TD pass to Hunter and the final fourth down stop. I'm fully aware that it was not an aesthetically pleasing game and it exposed a dire Cal passing "attack" but I take my fun where I can find it. Go Bears!!!

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Ditto for me. Enjoyed my afternoon. I find it’s easier to ignore the big picture when I’m at the game. With one exception: I can’t stop, wondering why the athletic department won’t do everything in its power to put butts in the seats. Please, just give the tickets away to every highschooler in the East Bay. Every elementary school family in Berkeley. Anything. Just fill the place.

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This^^^. Also tired of explaining why the place is empty.

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Yeah, and then we might find more Marshawn or Jason Kidd.

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Great idea!

Free tickets and a full stadium is about the cheapest advertising possible, and at this point probably most effective over other options.

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Cal Band looked and sounded good on the Pac-12 stream. They looked like they were having a good time.

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I'm glad you had good time with friends

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WHAT A SHAME FINDLEY WAS DENIED GAME ACCESS FOR MISSING A PRACTICE. I WAS DESPARATE TO SEE HIM REPLACE JACKSON AT LEAST FOR THE SECOND HALF AFTER JACKSON ROVED HE'S NOT ONLY "PASSING FAIR",BUT RATHER PASSING POORIN IN THE FIRST HALF. THERS'S TOO MANY THINGS LIMITNG JACKSON TO BE BE WHAT ISNECESSARY. HIS HEART IS IN THE GAME BUT NOT HIS ARM OR HIS EYES. OUR LAST MINUTE FAILURE TO SCORE FFOM I YARD OUT ONLY PROVED THAT ITS VERY IMPORTANT WHEN VIEWING CAL TO KEEP YOUR EXPECTATIONS EXCEEDING LOW! GERBEAR

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I agree somewhat. I watched Stanfurd do QB sneaks more than once for short yardage gains against Oregon.

Honestly, I think Furd will be a tough win for us.

This has been my mantra since Mike White left us:

"... ITS VERY IMPORTANT WHEN VIEWING CAL TO KEEP YOUR EXPECTATIONS EXCEEDING LOW!"

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They don't know how to use Jackson. He needs to be in space more. Any QB (Finley) that throws three interceptions in my book would never see the field.

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The times he was in space, he had trouble shaking tacklers with speed or wiggle. At least in the second half he was told not to take sacks, but rather throw the ball away.

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Interesting. I hadn't heard that about Finley. I'm not sure either QB can pass well enough to change our ultimately successful strategy of run, run, run.

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Oh is that what happened?

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A W. But

We did not come close to beating the spread.

We could have lost if we had gotten a bad break or two.

We do not have anything approaching an ordinary, much less consistent or good, passing game.

We do not have even ordinary QB play. If we did, then the running game would be r en better.

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The spread was over-influenced by ASU injuries, and was never realistic.

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Yeah, that spread would have been easy money had I had the opportunity to place a bet.

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We, too, are that bunch of Bozos.

CMS had tons of empty seats.

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That next run of 5 games is brutal. The only team anywhere in the west that could handle that stretch is the 49ers.

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