Please note that College Gameday is going to ... Lawrence, KS! And also, there's a real chance that Cal will play all games ex-ND and UCLA on Pac-12 network!
That was my first game in person in over ten years. Not at all what I was hoping for. The only other away game experience that felt worse was Oregon 2009.
I'm just home from the game (A great motorcycle ride across the entire State, from the pastoral Palouse to the Columbia and then up and over the Cascades, through every ecosystem, just amazing) and this synopsis captures my view of the game in Pullman. We couldn't protect to save our lives. We couldn't do anything over the middle or at mid-distance. We couldn't get enough pressure on Ward. But it's really on the offense. Hard to keep Pac12 teams below 28 points, but scoring 9 is pathetic. It was about the worst offensive performance I've seen from a team in a very long time. With no excuses.
I'm to a place where if Angus doesn't go, then Wilcox is not fit for our coach, and Musgrave too, as it's not just the line, but something about the play calling and execution, which is on him. No one can doubt that Sonny Dykes or Tedford with the right O line coach would be getting 40+ a game from this collection of talent. Our O line is big enough, strong enough and smart enough, so it's on coaching. Period. Goldarn it. Pisses me off. To have a team with this much potential pissed away by bad Oline play and play calling just deeply pisses me off.
At least I got a great motorcycle ride and camping on the Snake River out of it. Go Bears.
This was beyond embarrassing. This was a unprecedented coaching disaster which honestly makes anyone question the competence and intelligence of our coaching staff. The defense did a decent job, but were exhausted out b/c of he offensive play .There were so many unbelievable bad plays called by the offensive, it made you wonder if Musgrave was trying to lose., ..Then again that might be giving him too much credit that he could actually execute a plan. ..It was obvious and scared playcalling, poor 3rd down playcalling, stupid playcalling (reverses). I mean, I just can't believe this is what Wilcox has put together after 5yrs. The goddamn chancellor and regents should be doing something about this...fire the AD to start.,then go down vthe line. We need new hungry talent... this level of mediocrity brings shame to our great university. It's sad for the kids, bc its not their fault.
As long as the administration doesn't care about the football program it doesn't matter who is AD or head coach.
The administration has been either hostile or indifferent to the football progrsm for the last 70 years. Changing the AD and the head coach is window dressing, nothing more.
This was beyond embarrassing. This was a unprecedented coaching disaster which honestly makes anyone question the competence and intelligence of our coaching staff. The defense did a decent job, but were exhausted out b/c of he offensive play .There were so many unbelievable bad plays called by the offensive, it made you wonder if Musgrave was trying to lose., ..Then again that might be giving him too much credit that he could actually execute a plan. ..It was obvious and scared playcalling, poor 3rd down playcalling, stupid playcalling (reverses). I mean, I just can't believe this is what Wilcox has put together after 5yrs. The goddamn chancellor and regents should be doing something about this...fire the AD to start.,then go down vthe line. We need new hungry talent... this level of mediocrity brings shame to our great university. It's sad for the kids, bc its not their fault.
This was beyond embarrassing. This was a unprecedented coaching disaster which honestly makes anyone question the competence and intelligence of our coaching staff. The defense did a decent job, but were exhausted out b/c of he offensive play .There were so many unbelievable bad plays called by the offensive, it made you wonder if Musgrave was trying to lose., ..Then again that might be giving him too much credit that he could actually execute a plan. ..It was obvious and scared playcalling, poor 3rd down playcalling, stupid playcalling (reverses). I mean, I just can't believe this is what Wilcox has put together after 5yrs. The goddamn chancellor and regents should be doing something about this...fire the AD to start.,then go down vthe line. We need new hungry talent... this level of mediocrity brings shame to our great university. It's sad for the kids, bc its not their fault.
This was beyond embarrassing. This was a unprecedented coaching disaster which honestly makes anyone question the competence and intelligence of our coaching staff. The defense did a decent job, but were exhausted out b/c of he offensive play .There were so many unbelievable bad plays called by the offensive, it made you wonder if Musgrave was trying to lose., ..Then again that might be giving him too much credit that he could actually execute a plan. ..It was obvious and scared playcalling, poor 3rd down playcalling, stupid playcalling (reverses). I mean, I just can't believe this is what Wilcox has put together after 5yrs. The goddamn chancellor and regents should be doing something about this...fire the AD to start.,then go down vthe line. We need new hungry talent... this level of mediocrity brings shame to our great university. It's sad for the kids, bc its not their fault.
It's now been six years of almost unwatchable football. It is time for a complete overhaul instead of tinkering with the OC and/or O-Line coaches. From the ND game, we saw that Gerald Alexander is still watching Cal football. Maybe he would leave the NFL for a head coaching position? I would even have preferred if Wilcox (who does seem like a good person) would have taken the Oregon job and we could have tried Tedford 2.0.
There is no way Tedford would be allowed back nor should we want him back, except for sentimental reasons, if I understand right.
1. His APR was abysmal.
2. The secret stance that Cal should never be a football "factory" (read factor; read national contender) ever again. I could feel the university snobs' nerves fraying when Cal was moments away from being ranked #1, remember that?
3. Tedford had his downslide and had "peaked" as a D1 coach. His seasons were not so good towards the end. Have you seen Fresno State's record this year?
I mean, I had hoped Wilcox would be Tedford 2.0, but you can't win on Defense alone anymore than Sonny Dykes could win on Offense alone. Now, if only we could clone a combination of Dykes and Wilcox....
*starts dreaming as Bear fans perpetually do. ZZZzzzzz
Don’t disagree that rehiring Tedford would have been problematic but I would absolutely prefer him over Wilcox at this point (and would prefer Alexander over both).
I watched part of that game and it reminded me of the Cal @ Maryland game where Cal seemed unable to wake up until the 3rd quarter. Fresno could NOT get going the first half at all.
Welp, that's just one of several obstacles or considerations for his return. Personally, yes, I think he's one of our best ever and a sentimental favorite.
You'd think, with the difficulty we've had blocking, that we'd run play action or involve the tight ends more in pass protection. It really feels like a no brainer and instead we get endless empty sets.
Sad, just sad. The worst part is, given the two key coaches responsible, there is no hope for recovery this season. Wilcox must somehow signal to the team that he is aware of the how's and why's for the current mediocrity and committed to fixing things. Hopefully Cal can avoid collapse so as to still look somewhat enticing to the Big 10 expansion committee at the end of the season. With college football attendance waning, and the conference realignments changing, astute university presidents are pledging to go "all in" on football to save their school's athletics future - for example, Arizona State. Despite some slippage, football is still king. The only sounds coming from Berkeley are crickets. The president and AD have gone underground rather than step up and commit to "all in." Knowlton is the "man who wasn't there" in all this and is really an empty suit; he's the passionless "anti-leader" Rugby, crew, swimming, and water polo can only keep us in the fold for so long. Someone has to emerge as the athletic department's champion and revitalize it from top to bottom. For every Jack Clark and Dave Durden there are 10 duds. Failing to do so push in all chips means Cal is doomed to athletics mediocrity and instead should emulate the University of Chicago sadly leaving lifelong Bear fans (including me) only the option of waiting up for the Quidditch scores on the late night sports report. At my age, it's easier to just to not give a shit and nod off.
One last thought (of the many agonizing ones made by others): This whole "win-by-transfer-portal" thing is *not* for the Bears. As if it ever could be. Why not go ahead, make the tough call: bench Plummer, and get Millner out there with a rolling pocket scheme. Let him and the very young OL take their lumps in 2022 in anticipation of 2023. The game will slow down for everyone involved and they will get used to each other: Use 2022 as an extended practice season to develop experience. I hate writing this and the following: but this approach also gives JW time to consider other folks for OC and the OL coach...
What you are saying makes a lot of sense. Plummer is not going to be the future, whereas Millner and Mendoza are. We need a shake-up and some innovative thinking to ride out the storms of this season.
Oh, I want to win, and agree that Plummer gives us the best chance to win. No argument from me. I just wonder if that commitment — one that I expect will prevail barring some injury to JP — will continue to set back (or delay) Millner's development. Mendoza, too.
I've watched Cal football for decades. I have accepted the program is what it is. I watch the game because I support the kids. Lack luster performance I've watched before, but not pulling Plummer and later reinserting him made me cuss at the TV in a way I don't think I've done before, EVER. Players could get hurt, yes, but watching him take a couple of big hits, obviously limping, AND then fall down untouched, bleeding, AND be back on the field hurts me as a person. Now I don't know the whole story or the reasoning, but as a fan, I don't ever want to watch that sort of thing happen again.
I know he wasn't concussed, but given the Tua situation is on everyone's minds and we had no real chance to win, this seemed a particularly careless decision.
Completely agree on Tua, and neither Plummer nor Ott should’ve been in there late - that said, it looks like he scuffed up his knee…tackle football players should be able to play with a skinned knee…
So, we're at 1:10 left in the 1st half, and it's 2nd and 1, and the scoreboard says 7-3 Wazzu, right? Remember this down? You've got the Pac12 Freshman of the Week in the backfield. You only need 1 yard to cross the 50-yd line and get a 1st down. So, if you're Cal, what should you do? Throw it downfield, of course... ;(
Yes. I keep trying to think of time when the obvious was obvious... early Tedford? Mariucci? Gilbertson? Snyder? Not Sonny. Definitely not Holmoe. My dog was sleeping and said "Give it to Ott." <sigh>
Please note that College Gameday is going to ... Lawrence, KS! And also, there's a real chance that Cal will play all games ex-ND and UCLA on Pac-12 network!
Sad and envious.
I think Kansas, KANSAS! would beat us on a neutral field.
Thank you Avi. Great write-up, albeit disheartening.
That was my first game in person in over ten years. Not at all what I was hoping for. The only other away game experience that felt worse was Oregon 2009.
I'm just home from the game (A great motorcycle ride across the entire State, from the pastoral Palouse to the Columbia and then up and over the Cascades, through every ecosystem, just amazing) and this synopsis captures my view of the game in Pullman. We couldn't protect to save our lives. We couldn't do anything over the middle or at mid-distance. We couldn't get enough pressure on Ward. But it's really on the offense. Hard to keep Pac12 teams below 28 points, but scoring 9 is pathetic. It was about the worst offensive performance I've seen from a team in a very long time. With no excuses.
I'm to a place where if Angus doesn't go, then Wilcox is not fit for our coach, and Musgrave too, as it's not just the line, but something about the play calling and execution, which is on him. No one can doubt that Sonny Dykes or Tedford with the right O line coach would be getting 40+ a game from this collection of talent. Our O line is big enough, strong enough and smart enough, so it's on coaching. Period. Goldarn it. Pisses me off. To have a team with this much potential pissed away by bad Oline play and play calling just deeply pisses me off.
At least I got a great motorcycle ride and camping on the Snake River out of it. Go Bears.
Sounds like an awesome ride! Stay positive!
Agreed. Time to move on
"Five guard monte" - hilariously and painfully accurate.
Agreed…great line.
This was beyond embarrassing. This was a unprecedented coaching disaster which honestly makes anyone question the competence and intelligence of our coaching staff. The defense did a decent job, but were exhausted out b/c of he offensive play .There were so many unbelievable bad plays called by the offensive, it made you wonder if Musgrave was trying to lose., ..Then again that might be giving him too much credit that he could actually execute a plan. ..It was obvious and scared playcalling, poor 3rd down playcalling, stupid playcalling (reverses). I mean, I just can't believe this is what Wilcox has put together after 5yrs. The goddamn chancellor and regents should be doing something about this...fire the AD to start.,then go down vthe line. We need new hungry talent... this level of mediocrity brings shame to our great university. It's sad for the kids, bc its not their fault.
As long as the administration doesn't care about the football program it doesn't matter who is AD or head coach.
The administration has been either hostile or indifferent to the football progrsm for the last 70 years. Changing the AD and the head coach is window dressing, nothing more.
^^^^THIS!
This was beyond embarrassing. This was a unprecedented coaching disaster which honestly makes anyone question the competence and intelligence of our coaching staff. The defense did a decent job, but were exhausted out b/c of he offensive play .There were so many unbelievable bad plays called by the offensive, it made you wonder if Musgrave was trying to lose., ..Then again that might be giving him too much credit that he could actually execute a plan. ..It was obvious and scared playcalling, poor 3rd down playcalling, stupid playcalling (reverses). I mean, I just can't believe this is what Wilcox has put together after 5yrs. The goddamn chancellor and regents should be doing something about this...fire the AD to start.,then go down vthe line. We need new hungry talent... this level of mediocrity brings shame to our great university. It's sad for the kids, bc its not their fault.
This was beyond embarrassing. This was a unprecedented coaching disaster which honestly makes anyone question the competence and intelligence of our coaching staff. The defense did a decent job, but were exhausted out b/c of he offensive play .There were so many unbelievable bad plays called by the offensive, it made you wonder if Musgrave was trying to lose., ..Then again that might be giving him too much credit that he could actually execute a plan. ..It was obvious and scared playcalling, poor 3rd down playcalling, stupid playcalling (reverses). I mean, I just can't believe this is what Wilcox has put together after 5yrs. The goddamn chancellor and regents should be doing something about this...fire the AD to start.,then go down vthe line. We need new hungry talent... this level of mediocrity brings shame to our great university. It's sad for the kids, bc its not their fault.
This was beyond embarrassing. This was a unprecedented coaching disaster which honestly makes anyone question the competence and intelligence of our coaching staff. The defense did a decent job, but were exhausted out b/c of he offensive play .There were so many unbelievable bad plays called by the offensive, it made you wonder if Musgrave was trying to lose., ..Then again that might be giving him too much credit that he could actually execute a plan. ..It was obvious and scared playcalling, poor 3rd down playcalling, stupid playcalling (reverses). I mean, I just can't believe this is what Wilcox has put together after 5yrs. The goddamn chancellor and regents should be doing something about this...fire the AD to start.,then go down vthe line. We need new hungry talent... this level of mediocrity brings shame to our great university. It's sad for the kids, bc its not their fault.
I have heard that. Three times, as a matter of fact. ;)
At least it was only 3 times.
It's now been six years of almost unwatchable football. It is time for a complete overhaul instead of tinkering with the OC and/or O-Line coaches. From the ND game, we saw that Gerald Alexander is still watching Cal football. Maybe he would leave the NFL for a head coaching position? I would even have preferred if Wilcox (who does seem like a good person) would have taken the Oregon job and we could have tried Tedford 2.0.
Tedford 2.0 = Quinn Tedford?
LOL. He'd be a hungry Bear alright.
Anyone know if he is related to Tedford 1.0?
There is no way Tedford would be allowed back nor should we want him back, except for sentimental reasons, if I understand right.
1. His APR was abysmal.
2. The secret stance that Cal should never be a football "factory" (read factor; read national contender) ever again. I could feel the university snobs' nerves fraying when Cal was moments away from being ranked #1, remember that?
3. Tedford had his downslide and had "peaked" as a D1 coach. His seasons were not so good towards the end. Have you seen Fresno State's record this year?
I mean, I had hoped Wilcox would be Tedford 2.0, but you can't win on Defense alone anymore than Sonny Dykes could win on Offense alone. Now, if only we could clone a combination of Dykes and Wilcox....
*starts dreaming as Bear fans perpetually do. ZZZzzzzz
Don’t disagree that rehiring Tedford would have been problematic but I would absolutely prefer him over Wilcox at this point (and would prefer Alexander over both).
APR and grad rates are somewhat misleading…guys that transfer, or leave for the NFL, kill your numbers. Tedford had plenty of both.
And he had Fresno ranked in his first stint there.
They just lost to UConn. Do you know how bad UConn currently is? I do agree that he is a good coach for a MWC team.
That’s a bad loss, even after the cross country trip.
I watched part of that game and it reminded me of the Cal @ Maryland game where Cal seemed unable to wake up until the 3rd quarter. Fresno could NOT get going the first half at all.
Welp, that's just one of several obstacles or considerations for his return. Personally, yes, I think he's one of our best ever and a sentimental favorite.
You'd think, with the difficulty we've had blocking, that we'd run play action or involve the tight ends more in pass protection. It really feels like a no brainer and instead we get endless empty sets.
Sad, just sad. The worst part is, given the two key coaches responsible, there is no hope for recovery this season. Wilcox must somehow signal to the team that he is aware of the how's and why's for the current mediocrity and committed to fixing things. Hopefully Cal can avoid collapse so as to still look somewhat enticing to the Big 10 expansion committee at the end of the season. With college football attendance waning, and the conference realignments changing, astute university presidents are pledging to go "all in" on football to save their school's athletics future - for example, Arizona State. Despite some slippage, football is still king. The only sounds coming from Berkeley are crickets. The president and AD have gone underground rather than step up and commit to "all in." Knowlton is the "man who wasn't there" in all this and is really an empty suit; he's the passionless "anti-leader" Rugby, crew, swimming, and water polo can only keep us in the fold for so long. Someone has to emerge as the athletic department's champion and revitalize it from top to bottom. For every Jack Clark and Dave Durden there are 10 duds. Failing to do so push in all chips means Cal is doomed to athletics mediocrity and instead should emulate the University of Chicago sadly leaving lifelong Bear fans (including me) only the option of waiting up for the Quidditch scores on the late night sports report. At my age, it's easier to just to not give a shit and nod off.
I do wonder what a non-FBS Cal football program would look like. Or Cal without a football program in general. Yuck.
One last thought (of the many agonizing ones made by others): This whole "win-by-transfer-portal" thing is *not* for the Bears. As if it ever could be. Why not go ahead, make the tough call: bench Plummer, and get Millner out there with a rolling pocket scheme. Let him and the very young OL take their lumps in 2022 in anticipation of 2023. The game will slow down for everyone involved and they will get used to each other: Use 2022 as an extended practice season to develop experience. I hate writing this and the following: but this approach also gives JW time to consider other folks for OC and the OL coach...
Not making a bowl game in year 6 is a “rebuild” is not acceptable.
What you are saying makes a lot of sense. Plummer is not going to be the future, whereas Millner and Mendoza are. We need a shake-up and some innovative thinking to ride out the storms of this season.
I really don't think Milner is the answer. There are several worthy games to win still and Plummer gives us the best chance to win.
Especially if he’s back next year…Musgrave needs to help him out schematically. The empty-backfield sets are ridiculous.
Wait did I just read Musgrave and next year in the same sentence??
As for next year, I meant Plummer, who apparently has another year of eligibility.
Musgrave needs to help him this year…IF Musgrave is back next year…….sigh.
Oh ok got it
Oh, I want to win, and agree that Plummer gives us the best chance to win. No argument from me. I just wonder if that commitment — one that I expect will prevail barring some injury to JP — will continue to set back (or delay) Millner's development. Mendoza, too.
I agree.
Frustrating and disappointing.
We should not be in this position in year 6.
Seems like we are on a long bridge to nowhere.
I've watched Cal football for decades. I have accepted the program is what it is. I watch the game because I support the kids. Lack luster performance I've watched before, but not pulling Plummer and later reinserting him made me cuss at the TV in a way I don't think I've done before, EVER. Players could get hurt, yes, but watching him take a couple of big hits, obviously limping, AND then fall down untouched, bleeding, AND be back on the field hurts me as a person. Now I don't know the whole story or the reasoning, but as a fan, I don't ever want to watch that sort of thing happen again.
I know he wasn't concussed, but given the Tua situation is on everyone's minds and we had no real chance to win, this seemed a particularly careless decision.
Completely agree on Tua, and neither Plummer nor Ott should’ve been in there late - that said, it looks like he scuffed up his knee…tackle football players should be able to play with a skinned knee…
So, we're at 1:10 left in the 1st half, and it's 2nd and 1, and the scoreboard says 7-3 Wazzu, right? Remember this down? You've got the Pac12 Freshman of the Week in the backfield. You only need 1 yard to cross the 50-yd line and get a 1st down. So, if you're Cal, what should you do? Throw it downfield, of course... ;(
I was ambivalent on Musgrave but that series did it for me, he needs to go.
Yes. I keep trying to think of time when the obvious was obvious... early Tedford? Mariucci? Gilbertson? Snyder? Not Sonny. Definitely not Holmoe. My dog was sleeping and said "Give it to Ott." <sigh>