Cal (3-6) played the second of a three-game road stand today in Raleigh, North Carolina, against NC State (4-4). It was the second time the two have met, and the first without NC State head coach Dave Doeren, who was let go after last week’s loss in Palo Alto. Cal’s season has been marred by substantial injuries. While pass catchers like Mark Hamper, Jordan King, and promising transfer Dorian Thomas were among those out, center Bastien Swinney did not make the final injury report, and RB1 Adam Mohammed played for the first time in four weeks.
NC State’s first offensive drive was a success, with CJ Bailey finding Deandre Desinor for a 49-yard explosive play to score and bring the game to 7-0 in favor of the Wolfpack with 13 minutes left in the first quarter. The rest of the first quarter was a rapid succession of unsuccessful, unremarkable drives for both teams. Sixteen of Cal’s 31 yards of offense in the first quarter came from one run by Mohammed. Both defensive lines played well. Cal punter Angus Davies helped the team by dropping two successive punts deep in NC State’s red zone.
Cal freshman Tyree Sams returned a punt to midfield to put the Bears in good position as the second quarter began, but the drive itself went nowhere. On NC State’s following drive, the Wolfpack marched down the field but settled for a field goal, bringing the score to 10-0 NC State. The Bears’ offense found a rhythm on their following possession, with a midfield play that featured a catch from backup QB Dominic Ingrassia and a 30-yard touchdown catch by Chase Hendricks, making the score 10-7 NC State after McGough converted the extra point (he is perfect on extra points so far this year).
On the Bears’ next drive, they made it deep into NC State territory before taking a sack and attempting a field goal, which McGough missed. Cal got a stop and found themselves in the same position to end the half. This time McGough sank a 38-yard field goal, tying the game at 10-10 going into halftime.
After trading ineffectual drives to open the half, NC State found another opportunity for a deep shot, with CJ Bailey hitting wideout Chance Robinson on a 38-yard strike, regaining the lead and making the score 17-10 in their favor following the extra point. The Wolfpack lost another offensive lineman on the following drive, but it did not deter their progress. The drive ended in a two-yard rushing touchdown from RB Darius Johnson, making NC State’s lead 24-10 after the extra point.
Six minutes into the fourth quarter, NC State scored again, this time on a rushing touchdown by Davion Gause, as the score rose to 31-10 in favor of the Wolfpack. Cal began to play aggressive football with just under eight minutes left in regulation, hoping to spark a comeback, and moved the ball downfield until a jump ball to Trevor Rogers was picked off by Wolfpack CB Jaron Sensabaugh. Cal would not score again, with the game ending on a sack of Keawe-Sagapolutele. The NC State victory is interim head coach Todd Goebbel’s first as a head coach.
Cal HC Tosh Lupoi began his post game press conference steadfastly, but humble; “I’m not gonna give up, I can promise you that…I’m as sick as anybody.”
Cal plays the University of Virginia in Charlottesville next Saturday.
My fandom starts in 1980, cemented by the uberheroics of John Tuggle, J Torchio, and a stout Cal defense in that year’s Big Game win against John Elway and the Furd.
It’s survived Joe Kapp’s self-immolation, various terrible losses throughout the later 1980s and mid-1990s, the Snyder years replaced by Gilby, the Holmoecaust, endgame-era Jeff Tedford, and even Andy Buh. And despite the frustrations towards the various coaches, player derps, missed FGs, and the 2020 Big Game, among other things, nothing those Cal squads did ever robbed me of the joy of just watching my alma mater play football in the fall months, win or lose. Until this team, and this coaching staff.
I don’t understand what the team is trying to do each Saturday almost as much as the team itself likely doesn’t understand it. And even with the constant whining that “we’re gonna lose JKS”, I can’t see where his game play seemingly elevates the team into something better than itself.
It’s almost embarrassing that Ron Rivera, who has coached football teams before, can’t even see fit to impart upon Lupoi enough coaching advice and sage wisdom to at least make this team mediocre, instead of the helpless and furtive groping around every Saturday for some semblance of a game plan to compete.
In wanting Justin Wilcox gone in the worst way possible, that’s exactly what we have now…
My feelings: https://tenor.com/bh6zC.gif