40 Comments
User's avatar
Thomas Parry's avatar

More of the same. Start slow, get down early and try to claw your way back into the game. Defense can't get 3rd down stops and can't put pressure on the qb. Open receivers far too often. JKS pressured all day by their D line. This is not a well coached team and they seem to get worse with each passing game. They will be lucky to be 6-6 this year. Time to find a new head coach, staff D line and O line. Tall orders. I hope RR is up to it.

Expand full comment
sycasey's avatar

I could accept losing if I felt like the team was playing a solid, crisp game and just being out-talented or failing to catch any breaks. That's kind of what happened in those first two Tedford years. The team was barely staying above .500, but even the losses felt like well-played games, most of the time. They looked like a well-coached team. It augured well for the upcoming seasons.

I don't feel that way about any of these Wilcox losses. The team's play is shaggy, undisciplined, failing to take advantage of breaks, failing to change up strategies, not fundamentally sound, etc. Virginia should have won going away and was begging, BEGGING for us to take this game from them with all of their mistakes. Cal just refused to do it. There's nothing to look forward to if he continues as head coach.

Expand full comment
Justbear's avatar

In year 9, this is by far the worst team in Wilcox's tenure.

Expand full comment
sycasey's avatar

It is. In his first year he went 5-7 and I actually felt like the team played pretty well most of the time, they just didn't have a lot of offensive talent. This team is also lacking offensive talent but has a clearly gifted QB and can't do much with him. And the defense has gotten far worse despite him being a defensive coach.

Expand full comment
Jimmy Chitwood's avatar

QB is the most important position in the sport.

The past 3 seasons he’s below .500 with 2 QBs that will play on Sundays, including the current favorite to win the Heisman trophy.

A stunning regression.

Expand full comment
sycasey's avatar

Chase Garbers was also . . . not a guy who could play on Sundays, but maybe a tick below that, clearly a solid college QB and at least briefly made an NFL roster. Got to start in the UFL for a bit. We used him as a part-timer for a while and then somehow got worse the longer he was at Cal.

So we've actually had some pretty good QBs on the roster after Wilcox's first year. The best we could do with them was one 8-5 season.

Expand full comment
Archon79's avatar

I wholeheartedly believe if we had gotten anything less than solid qb play these past few years we would have been the worst team in the Power 4 conferences.

Expand full comment
GoldenBear88's avatar

In Riverboat Ron we trust!

Expand full comment
ShanghaiDave93's avatar

Sorry but RR has already failed his first test in my mind for not firing Wilcox by now. People say you should see how the season plays out and that it doesn’t look good for a mid-season firing, but you already have 8.5 years of evidence that’s pretty damn clear. RR won’t be able to fix Wilcox.

Expand full comment
FiatSlug's avatar

So, tell us, what's the plan after Rivera fires Wilcox? What advantage is gained by firing Wilcox now?

There is no advantage except it assuages your angst. Rivera might as well get his process in place to replace Wilcox. Then fire him.

Expand full comment
Justbear's avatar

Naming an interim head coach. The advantage is we can start searching and interviewing candidates in the competitive market.

Expand full comment
ShanghaiDave93's avatar

That’s an easy one - at least try to get a new Coach in place before the Jan 2nd portal. What advantage is there to wait until December to fire Wilcox and then begin your search? The process is known, the next Coach is not.

Expand full comment
Archon79's avatar

If we get boatraced at Louisville wouldn’t shock me if Wilcox gets fired that Sunday.

Expand full comment
Take off that Red Shirt's avatar

He got here in May. Have some patience for god sake. Obviously he's gonna fire him but he needs time to prepare the coaching search.

Expand full comment
Eric's avatar

I won't watch your video (do you need the clicks or something) but being here in May means what? That's three months before even the season starts. He said minimum 8 wins. It is not going to happen and was obvious after the humiliating Duke loss. Do you understand how bad it is for 30,000 fans to show up for a ranked team game?

Expand full comment
Take off that Red Shirt's avatar

Yes he did get here in May. So you expected him in his first week on the job to fire the coach after the job cycle had closed? Timing is everything, this next hire is absolutely crucial and we needed time to gather the resources for it. You are directing anger at the previous decision makers (Knowlton and Christ) to the current ones who clearly have a plan if you would pay attention.

Expand full comment
Tosh2.0's avatar

He got here in May, but he’s watched the previous 8 years just like the rest of us. 8 wins and butts in the seats, that’s his standard. It’s time for a change. The fanbase needs some hope.

Expand full comment
Jimmy Chitwood's avatar

There is zero to be excited for with this program in year 9.

Expand full comment
dcblue's avatar

It was 10-0 by time I tuned in and 17-7 when I had somewhere to go at half. It says something that I was pleasantly surprised it wasn’t worse when I saw the final score when I got home. A quick glance at the box score and I see 8 net yards rushing after 29 last week. Probably not going to get the job done. As a Virginia resident I suppose I could be proud of my home state but eff that.

Expand full comment
Justbear's avatar

31-21 looks awfully close too, but if Virginia took the knee instead of scoring on the last TD with less than a minute to go, the final score would have been 24-21.

Expand full comment
dcblue's avatar

I guess they wanted to beat the point spread.

Expand full comment
KJ1980's avatar

Cal could have won another that they lost

Expand full comment
sycasey's avatar

We all knew it already, but this pretty much clinches it. It's over for Wilcox. Putting aside talent deficiencies or whatever (which are also down to how he's run his program), that was simply not a well-coached team out there. Bad snaps, undisciplined penalties, the whole gamut.

The only reason we even had a chance at the end was because of Virginia's miscues after clearly outplaying us for most of the day.

Expand full comment
GoldenSD81's avatar

Gifted the easiest schedule in his 9th season and Wilcox will once again have a losing conference record

Expand full comment
sycasey's avatar

It doesn't matter what else happens. Wilcox always just pulls us back to mediocrity. Time to pull the plug on him.

Expand full comment
Jimmy Chitwood's avatar

He’s an astonishing 21-games below .500 in conference.

Simply dumbfounding.

Expand full comment
Tosh2.0's avatar

In spite of a mountain of evidence to do anything but subject myself to this, I wasted an 80 degree sunny November Saturday in front of the tv instead of making a tee time. I am a sick, stupid person.

Expand full comment
Jimmy Chitwood's avatar

Nonsense…it’s a good walk spoiled, I say… ;-)

In fact, I’d argue this is exactly the type of behavior that makes Cal a sleeping f-ing giant of a fanbase.

Folks are passionate and deserve the upcoming leadership change more than any other fanbase in the nation.

Expand full comment
Tosh2.0's avatar

It is actually insane. For all the mocking we get for the empty stadium and supposed apathy, even the slightest hint of optimism gets over 50k in memorial. Ron needs to get this right.

Expand full comment
PawlOski's avatar

Lost in the narrative of another example of our own never-ending cycle of mediocrity and missed opportunities was impressive showing by UVA. Really well coached team that played with a lot more poise than I expected. Their ceiling is low, but they get the most out of what they have.

Expand full comment
Guy Redington's avatar

Bumbling, stumbling,crumbling Bears do it again. When will the Cal Administration fire the Wilcox clown show ? Even the United States

Supreme Court would rule that the 9 years under Coach Wilcox tutelage, is clear cruel and unusual punishment to the Cal fan base. No sense of urgency in the Cal administration to write this wrong- stunning mediocrity. Winning less than 33% of games in conference play, poor time management, pliable defense , and a cast of three star players playing against opponents with better talent. Jaron-Keawe-Sagapolutele is a sensational QB behind an offensive line that can not block to save their lives . My bet is JkS bolts to a College program of any competitive relative standing , and reveals the surgical skill of his passing skills to wide receivers that can actually catch a football thrown to them. Stupid is as stupid does!

Expand full comment
Take off that Red Shirt's avatar

I could not disagree with you more on the topic of JKS and the future of Cal Football. In fact I made this video detailing why I believe you to be wrong.

https://youtu.be/4pLC4wWgYRY?si=dRB2TNfPh98WJuk1

Expand full comment
GoldenHairs's avatar

we're pretty outclassed up front... they can run we can't. They can pressure our QB, we can't really pressure theirs. At least we ran a few cool plays today?

Expand full comment
coolingfan's avatar

Is ACC not regretting inviting Cal and Stanfurd yet?

Expand full comment
Archon79's avatar

Stanford has already proven they can win when they are invested (which they are again). I also agree with Jimmy that Cal could be a sleeping giant, great location, great school and most importantly now a wealthy and surprising dedicated alumni base. If we bring in a coach to give us any enthusiasm the NIL coffers will be full, I promise you.

Expand full comment
Jimmy Chitwood's avatar

Plus…while it would be lovely, no one is pressuring the HC to make the CFP here. The bar is pretty low.

Literally a winning Conference record, which likely gets you to 8-9 wins and you’re a damn legend.

Expand full comment
sycasey's avatar

Why would they regret it? They are getting more money and extra wins. Plus having games to put in the late-night windows helps their TV ratings.

Expand full comment
Jimmy Chitwood's avatar

No chance they’re regretting it, actually.

Literally no chance.

Expand full comment
PawlOski's avatar

ACC has done very well for themselves with this arrangement. More carriage, more eyeballs. W/Ls would be the cherry on the top. Both programs are still very much in ramping up mode after a decade plus of neglect, but much closer to a return to relevancy than might appear for the casual fan.

Expand full comment
Justbear's avatar

They added cupcakes in conference play

Expand full comment