WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — After announcing he would enter the transfer portal at the end of November, former Purdue quarterback Jack Plummer is headed to California University, according to a report from Bear Insider.
I've never been to Notre Dame but if the Bears win their first couple I think I would go this time. Take it all in. It may be a likely L depending on obvious things, but I don't have too many years left to see my Bears play in iconic stadium on the wrong side of the mountains.
I'm so with you. I'm hoping it is news of the new coaches and system Wilcox referred to in his most recent presser. Something hybrid with defense? And a QB transfer. And then the announcement of a major new contract extension that gives Wilcox a Pac12 top half salary pool for his assistants. Oh, and while we're at it we learn that Furd has cancelled their football program out of despair and $C has already fired their shiny new coach for videos of him and the cheerleaders in bed that got leaked.
For decades, Stanford was always the last game of the year and a great tradition. How and why have we gotten away from that in recent years? Is this our idea or a Pac-12 scheduling thing?
In the past, they played 11 games, and big game was always (and generally remains) the Saturday before thanksgiving. When a 12th game was added, they had to either get rid on the bye week (not desire), move it to thanksgiving weekend (not good because students are out of town) or add a game afterwards.
IIRC it’s a function of $C and Furd both needing to play ND (one at the end of the year) and not wanting one of those games to be in South Bend. Further because all CA schools must play each other what ends up happening is we usually get UC Los Angeles as the final game of the year. Correct me if I’m wrong though.
Can I just say that photo of Brett Johnson is everything. Dude is the most bad ass looking football player. Knowing what a beast he is only adds to this image of him looking so killer. Can't wait to see him play again. I'm sure you all saw him carrying the Axe around Stanfurd stadium after the win right? Who the hell would try and take it away from Brett Johnson?????? No f#$%ing body...that's who!
Nice....7 home games...if they can land a QB that can make some plays (or Kai or Zach improve in offseason), 7-5 should be well doable with Brett Johnson back leading that young D...hoping Kuony is back too.
Wait a minute, time out here. You were one of the biggest critics of the Wilcox/Musgrave offense this season with a bunch of veterans manning the skill positions. Next year....Garbers gone, Brooks and Dancy gone, Remigio, Clark and Crawford gone....Reinhold and Tonges gone. So it means that 80% of last year's offensive production is gone with the assurance that whoever plays quarterback will be taking his first snap in a Cal uniform in the hardest to learn offense in the Pac 12. . Add in the fact that every Pac 12 opponent that Cal plays next year, with the possible exception of UCLA, will be A LOT better. And yet a prognostication of 7 to 8 wins? To quote the line from Harry Met Sally, "I'll have what he's having."
Way to bring the movie quote...I approve!! And you're not wrong, Steve, tho plenty of us on this board were critics of the Wilcox/Musgrave offense because it flat out wasn't very good, save for flashes here and there like the Big Game win over one of the worst Stanford teams in 50 years and at TCU. While that team had veterans & experience, at the end of the day, maybe they were just solid, rather than exceptional...there is plenty of room for improvement, tho.
Also, I didn't say that our O would be any better, I said that IF we get competent QB play from whomever, we could win 7 games bc of the KICKASS defense and the even year schedule lining up. Admittedly, that's a big IF, because QBs NOT named Chase Garbers have been borderline incompetent during the Wilcox era, so if THAT'S what we're gonna get out of the portal/already on the roster, we're in trouble....it's one of the reasons why I've backed off pining for Adrian Martinez, bc if he's injured until the fall, he may not get the O and we're in trouble.
And yes, we're losing a lot of skill position players, but I'm a huge fan of Jeremiah Hunter....that kid is a future stud. J Michael, Monroe Young, Christakos, Mangum, and the JC transfer Starling should be able to make some big plays. Honestly, despite their experience, I thought Crawford & Remigio both had disappointing years, actually, failing to make big catches in losses at Arizona and Oregon, respectively...Trevon made some big plays, esp at TCU and Stanford, and will be missed. But at TE, toss in Mojarro, Latu, & Terry should all be solid, with the final 2 being serious breakout candidates. At RB, if Damien Moore can get the fumbling issue under control, he'll lead the backfield, and DeCarlos and Street can also be solid.
And where do you get that EVERY team will be better? Washington & Oregon are breaking in new coaches, with new rosters, and both underachieved this year...if they're gonna be better, Cal has a right to be better, too, and we almost beat BOTH of those teams on the road...we beat OSU and CO this year, and they don't figure to morph into juggernauts overnight...Wazzu is solid, but again, our D is going to keep us in games...look at what they did the 2nd half of the season, UCLA notwithstanding...
Lastly, I do try hard to be positive, even moreso now that Wilcox turned down Oregon and committed to Cal...now you're gonna call me out when I do say that 7 wins is doable if we get competent QB play? Booooooooo this man...
I enjoyed reading your well reasoned response. And as someone who did not drink the Kool Aid when Wilcox turned down the Oregon offer to stay at Cal, I expected the boos. I just want to see entertaining football come back to Cal, and for me that means a fun brand of offense that Wilcox and Co. cannot produce on a consistent level. I wanna see Gilbert to Bark, Taylor to Treggs, Pawlawski to Dawkins, Barr to Caldwell, Rodgers to Lyman, Maynard to Allen. Wait a minute...erase that last one.
Just saw that Stanford signed, not one, but two 4-star O lineman to their recruiting class. That's consistent for them, and maybe that's where Musgrave should have gone to run his offense that requires pro level line talent to make work. I know that others have criticized McClure's coaching as one of the main reasons the offense broke down so much this season. For me, its recognizing the personnel you have and installing a system that makes it work for you. I think that Wilcox thinks he is still in Wisconsin and wants to run an offense like that without the horses to make it functional.
I totally agree with you - 100%...Wilcox wants to run a Wisconsin-level O, but without the elite Wisconsin-level O-line...until the Cal OL gets better, or gets coached better, we're going to struggle with consistency on O bc our line just isn't good enough to dominate like Bucky Badger's does....and exactly - Musgrave's Pro-style O relies on professional level players to operate it at a high level - guys we don't have. But can we operate it just on an average-level...a mid-P12 level O, even? Until we can field an O that can consistently get points, 7 wins is most likely our ceiling.
That said, the D got better as the year went on, especially the tackling, and I'm confident that despite the shaky O, if we get the winnable Nevada & TCU games a little later in the year, we win each by a touchdown bc of the D, and then this Cal team is 7-5 this year and, could it be, PLAYING IN THE F-ING SUN BOWL FOR THE ENTIRE WORLD TO SEE!!!!
But alas, we didn't get them later when the D was starting to figure it out and lost bc we couldn't tackle for schitt, amongst other things....the point is, and as you know, after nearly 4 decades of Cal fandom, I am a glass is half empty when it comes to the revenue sports, and this O could still be average on it's best day, but bc of the schedule, could win some games behind a solid D.
Now, I don't see us ever morphing into some high powered O, and it will be interesting to see if the Purdue transfer Plummer, or one of the guys already on the roster, win the QB job. But I am under no delusion that we're getting a Davis Webb type infusion....
Side note, I was at the Insight Bowl, and the Rodgers-Lyman hook-up was on fire that night....Chase was such a solid WR....remains the most fun I've had at a Cal game in history...
I watched that game in its entirety at Krogan's Bar and Grill in Walnut Creek when it was still a great bar. RIP. Agree with you.....totally entertaining. If you want to see how good Lyman could have been before he got injured, watch the Cal-OSU game from 2004. BTW, I was not a Cal fan during the Gale Gilbert era, but I remember watching a game on TV when Gilbert kept connecting with Andy Bark. Something flashed in my mind that Cal would be a fun team to get behind. I did not become a Cal fan until I actually went to a game in 1985 between the Bears and Washington. A guy named Marc Hicks lit up the stadium that day. Don James called him the best running back to come into the conference in the last 10 years. Fun times.
Sean Dawkins was a stud...I was at the Battle for the Roses, and maintain to this day that if Pawlawski throws that final heave to Dawkins instead of 5'10" Treggs, we earn the tie.....unfortunately, James had him locked up in double coverage...
I was a groomsman in my friends wedding in New Orleans the day we beat OSU in '04, so I missed that game....and most of the games that followed as well...
Crogan's Montclair is < 5 minutes from the house I grew up in...still love that spot.
Nice, I really like this schedule. It's been a long time since Cal actually gets two home games to tune up for a difficult opponent. The bye week is mid-season, which is ideal. We finish with two home games and the only Friday game is the day after Thanksgiving.
Similar - I’m an impatient reader and saw “2022”, “schedule”, “dropped”, and “Notre dame” and thought ND cancelled the game. Then I decided I hated Notre Dame. Then I read it more carefully and realized that they didn’t cancel.
The interesting part is that the hatred didn’t go away.
Avoiding November trips to the Palouse and Boulder? Sounds good to me!
Jack Plummer QB from Purdue transfers to Cal!!
Good news, badly reported by SI.
https://www.si.com/college/purdue/football/report-purdue-transfer-quarterback-jack-plummer-headed-to-california
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — After announcing he would enter the transfer portal at the end of November, former Purdue quarterback Jack Plummer is headed to California University, according to a report from Bear Insider.
California University?
Gonna need a bigger portmanteau.
Imagine being 7-0 as Oregon comes into Strawberry Canyon...
I plan to go to that game In Notre Dame.
I've never been to Notre Dame but if the Bears win their first couple I think I would go this time. Take it all in. It may be a likely L depending on obvious things, but I don't have too many years left to see my Bears play in iconic stadium on the wrong side of the mountains.
Notre Dame roll call, early edition?
See you all at the Palouse. Finally get a Cal game I can drive to. I was prepared for November, but October 1 is so much better.
In the last few days we've had a coach stay, a QB leave, eleven future stars commit, a schedule dropped. What have you got for us next week, WFC?
I'm so with you. I'm hoping it is news of the new coaches and system Wilcox referred to in his most recent presser. Something hybrid with defense? And a QB transfer. And then the announcement of a major new contract extension that gives Wilcox a Pac12 top half salary pool for his assistants. Oh, and while we're at it we learn that Furd has cancelled their football program out of despair and $C has already fired their shiny new coach for videos of him and the cheerleaders in bed that got leaked.
$C has already fired their shiny new coach for videos of him and the cheerleaders in bed that got leaked.
Hmm...good thing they didn't get Urban Meyer...otherwise maybe this really would happen...
For decades, Stanford was always the last game of the year and a great tradition. How and why have we gotten away from that in recent years? Is this our idea or a Pac-12 scheduling thing?
In the past, they played 11 games, and big game was always (and generally remains) the Saturday before thanksgiving. When a 12th game was added, they had to either get rid on the bye week (not desire), move it to thanksgiving weekend (not good because students are out of town) or add a game afterwards.
IIRC it’s a function of $C and Furd both needing to play ND (one at the end of the year) and not wanting one of those games to be in South Bend. Further because all CA schools must play each other what ends up happening is we usually get UC Los Angeles as the final game of the year. Correct me if I’m wrong though.
Can I just say that photo of Brett Johnson is everything. Dude is the most bad ass looking football player. Knowing what a beast he is only adds to this image of him looking so killer. Can't wait to see him play again. I'm sure you all saw him carrying the Axe around Stanfurd stadium after the win right? Who the hell would try and take it away from Brett Johnson?????? No f#$%ing body...that's who!
Looks to me like the UNLV blurb is incomplete. They're as bad as Arizona but without the accompanying curse.
Anyways, we should be favored in around six of these if we've got competent quarterback play.
That's the $64,000 question, tho....can Wilcox put an even competent QB NOT named Chase Garbers out there...if so, this is a 7-8 win team.
Is that the going rate for a 4* QB recruit these days!?
Depends on the level of football devotion....at Tennessee it's $640,000....
Nice....7 home games...if they can land a QB that can make some plays (or Kai or Zach improve in offseason), 7-5 should be well doable with Brett Johnson back leading that young D...hoping Kuony is back too.
Wait a minute, time out here. You were one of the biggest critics of the Wilcox/Musgrave offense this season with a bunch of veterans manning the skill positions. Next year....Garbers gone, Brooks and Dancy gone, Remigio, Clark and Crawford gone....Reinhold and Tonges gone. So it means that 80% of last year's offensive production is gone with the assurance that whoever plays quarterback will be taking his first snap in a Cal uniform in the hardest to learn offense in the Pac 12. . Add in the fact that every Pac 12 opponent that Cal plays next year, with the possible exception of UCLA, will be A LOT better. And yet a prognostication of 7 to 8 wins? To quote the line from Harry Met Sally, "I'll have what he's having."
Way to bring the movie quote...I approve!! And you're not wrong, Steve, tho plenty of us on this board were critics of the Wilcox/Musgrave offense because it flat out wasn't very good, save for flashes here and there like the Big Game win over one of the worst Stanford teams in 50 years and at TCU. While that team had veterans & experience, at the end of the day, maybe they were just solid, rather than exceptional...there is plenty of room for improvement, tho.
Also, I didn't say that our O would be any better, I said that IF we get competent QB play from whomever, we could win 7 games bc of the KICKASS defense and the even year schedule lining up. Admittedly, that's a big IF, because QBs NOT named Chase Garbers have been borderline incompetent during the Wilcox era, so if THAT'S what we're gonna get out of the portal/already on the roster, we're in trouble....it's one of the reasons why I've backed off pining for Adrian Martinez, bc if he's injured until the fall, he may not get the O and we're in trouble.
And yes, we're losing a lot of skill position players, but I'm a huge fan of Jeremiah Hunter....that kid is a future stud. J Michael, Monroe Young, Christakos, Mangum, and the JC transfer Starling should be able to make some big plays. Honestly, despite their experience, I thought Crawford & Remigio both had disappointing years, actually, failing to make big catches in losses at Arizona and Oregon, respectively...Trevon made some big plays, esp at TCU and Stanford, and will be missed. But at TE, toss in Mojarro, Latu, & Terry should all be solid, with the final 2 being serious breakout candidates. At RB, if Damien Moore can get the fumbling issue under control, he'll lead the backfield, and DeCarlos and Street can also be solid.
And where do you get that EVERY team will be better? Washington & Oregon are breaking in new coaches, with new rosters, and both underachieved this year...if they're gonna be better, Cal has a right to be better, too, and we almost beat BOTH of those teams on the road...we beat OSU and CO this year, and they don't figure to morph into juggernauts overnight...Wazzu is solid, but again, our D is going to keep us in games...look at what they did the 2nd half of the season, UCLA notwithstanding...
Lastly, I do try hard to be positive, even moreso now that Wilcox turned down Oregon and committed to Cal...now you're gonna call me out when I do say that 7 wins is doable if we get competent QB play? Booooooooo this man...
;-)
I enjoyed reading your well reasoned response. And as someone who did not drink the Kool Aid when Wilcox turned down the Oregon offer to stay at Cal, I expected the boos. I just want to see entertaining football come back to Cal, and for me that means a fun brand of offense that Wilcox and Co. cannot produce on a consistent level. I wanna see Gilbert to Bark, Taylor to Treggs, Pawlawski to Dawkins, Barr to Caldwell, Rodgers to Lyman, Maynard to Allen. Wait a minute...erase that last one.
Just saw that Stanford signed, not one, but two 4-star O lineman to their recruiting class. That's consistent for them, and maybe that's where Musgrave should have gone to run his offense that requires pro level line talent to make work. I know that others have criticized McClure's coaching as one of the main reasons the offense broke down so much this season. For me, its recognizing the personnel you have and installing a system that makes it work for you. I think that Wilcox thinks he is still in Wisconsin and wants to run an offense like that without the horses to make it functional.
I totally agree with you - 100%...Wilcox wants to run a Wisconsin-level O, but without the elite Wisconsin-level O-line...until the Cal OL gets better, or gets coached better, we're going to struggle with consistency on O bc our line just isn't good enough to dominate like Bucky Badger's does....and exactly - Musgrave's Pro-style O relies on professional level players to operate it at a high level - guys we don't have. But can we operate it just on an average-level...a mid-P12 level O, even? Until we can field an O that can consistently get points, 7 wins is most likely our ceiling.
That said, the D got better as the year went on, especially the tackling, and I'm confident that despite the shaky O, if we get the winnable Nevada & TCU games a little later in the year, we win each by a touchdown bc of the D, and then this Cal team is 7-5 this year and, could it be, PLAYING IN THE F-ING SUN BOWL FOR THE ENTIRE WORLD TO SEE!!!!
But alas, we didn't get them later when the D was starting to figure it out and lost bc we couldn't tackle for schitt, amongst other things....the point is, and as you know, after nearly 4 decades of Cal fandom, I am a glass is half empty when it comes to the revenue sports, and this O could still be average on it's best day, but bc of the schedule, could win some games behind a solid D.
Now, I don't see us ever morphing into some high powered O, and it will be interesting to see if the Purdue transfer Plummer, or one of the guys already on the roster, win the QB job. But I am under no delusion that we're getting a Davis Webb type infusion....
Side note, I was at the Insight Bowl, and the Rodgers-Lyman hook-up was on fire that night....Chase was such a solid WR....remains the most fun I've had at a Cal game in history...
I watched that game in its entirety at Krogan's Bar and Grill in Walnut Creek when it was still a great bar. RIP. Agree with you.....totally entertaining. If you want to see how good Lyman could have been before he got injured, watch the Cal-OSU game from 2004. BTW, I was not a Cal fan during the Gale Gilbert era, but I remember watching a game on TV when Gilbert kept connecting with Andy Bark. Something flashed in my mind that Cal would be a fun team to get behind. I did not become a Cal fan until I actually went to a game in 1985 between the Bears and Washington. A guy named Marc Hicks lit up the stadium that day. Don James called him the best running back to come into the conference in the last 10 years. Fun times.
Sean Dawkins was a stud...I was at the Battle for the Roses, and maintain to this day that if Pawlawski throws that final heave to Dawkins instead of 5'10" Treggs, we earn the tie.....unfortunately, James had him locked up in double coverage...
I was a groomsman in my friends wedding in New Orleans the day we beat OSU in '04, so I missed that game....and most of the games that followed as well...
Crogan's Montclair is < 5 minutes from the house I grew up in...still love that spot.
I've been to S. Bend for Navy/ND games twice, both in the frigid cold. Maybe THIS one I can do without ear warmers.....
They are VERY welcoming in S. Bend and it's a great stadium.
Mid-September should be nice.
Nice, I really like this schedule. It's been a long time since Cal actually gets two home games to tune up for a difficult opponent. The bye week is mid-season, which is ideal. We finish with two home games and the only Friday game is the day after Thanksgiving.
South Bend? Yikes. Bears don't need that except, I guess if they get a home and home.
We do not. It's a one-off.
For $1.9 million? Pretty sure Cal needs that.
https://www.onefootdown.com/2020/1/27/21100070/notre-dame-football-irish-look-to-extend-four-game-win-streak-against-cal-in-2022-golden-bears
(From the article, ND paid Cincinnati $1.2 million for this year's game—which they lost.)
Does the fee go to the athletic department as a whole or to football operations.
This suggestion has been dropped into our suggestion box.
probably "has dropped" would make it less ambiguous
Similar - I’m an impatient reader and saw “2022”, “schedule”, “dropped”, and “Notre dame” and thought ND cancelled the game. Then I decided I hated Notre Dame. Then I read it more carefully and realized that they didn’t cancel.
The interesting part is that the hatred didn’t go away.
Won’t hate them any less after we beat them… in their own stinkin’ house.