Cal also had a lot of bad OL penalties with a quiet home crowd against San Diego State (though that time it ultimately didn't matter to the result), so it's not just about the noise. The unit seems poorly coached.
Just go for it on 4th and 3. After the FSU debacle, that is all I ask of Wilcox. I agree with the podcast where they talked about this decision being one of the worst in terms of game management of the entire Wilcox era.
Save for the briefest of glimpses every now and then, Cal’s offense has been a poorly coached unit for the entirety of the Wilcox era. Regardless of personnel, regardless of the OC/staff, regardless of scheme…they’re rarely ready to play because they are a poorly prepared unit.
In arguably the biggest game of Wilcox’s career, the O struggled to execute the most basic, fundamental play in the entire sport half a dozen times. Expecting things to suddenly change in year 8 is simply wishful thinking…THIS is who he is.
With Snyder and Tedford, there was confidence that the coaching staff could identify an issue and fix it. With Holmoe and Dykes, there was no such feeling.
Wilcox is in the latter group. Now, can we cobble together a competent enough OL to hang with the better O's we'll face? We shall see.
I've been watching all of the press conferences, and a few things stand out:
- Wilcox has been harping through the offseason about the importance of mistake-free football and how that makes championship football (can't win all the one score games you need to win a championship if you have a bunch of pre-snap penalties), which of course showed up in this game.
- he has seemed pleased with the guys who have solid work ethic and displeased with the guys who don't. Buchanan, for example, regularly gets praise for his work ethic.
- after Ja'ir Smith snagged an interception at Auburn, Wilcox said he has a lot of athletic ability but needed to work on his work ethic. Smith gave up a touchdown against FSU that Wilcox said was about poor leverage and a bit of technique, and Wilcox sure seemed unhappy about it in the press conference.
Hopefully the team figures out some of those championship football pieces in the bye week. We'll need them on 10/5.
If Coe had made that first missed field goal attempt, then what would have followed would most likely not have been the same as what actualy happened. If it had been made, then we would have kicked off to FSU and they might have run different plays. Or the timing difference between the actual and the possible would have been different and the same plays might have had different outcomes. Or, perhaps FSU would have gone for two points for a possible tie. Then, maybe we win on the last drive with a field goal. Or, perhaps the game goes to overtime and either team would win. Making that field goal would change everything that would have followed.
A couple of points. First, Coe was vey upset about the first missed attempt. My son and I were at the game and Coe came down to the end of the Cal sideline and paced around. A couple of coaches came over to talk with him. He then sat down by himself at the end. The misses appear to be really effecting him emotionally. I wonder if his self confidence has been affected. He has done a great job on kickoffs, but Wilcox needs to try one of the other placekickers for field goals. And, people need to lay off Coe.
Second, one of the coaches needs to teach Mendoza to throw the ball away when he is flushed out of the pocket and scrambling to avoid a sack. In our last series of the game when we down at about the 22 (?) with a first, we began with a false start (come on coaches! Other teams can handle noise, why can't we?) and then Mendoza was flushed out of the pocket, scrambled to his right and then got sacked. Throw the damn ball away!!! So, we ended up twenty some yards from a first. And that is not the only time that has happened. That is on both Mendoza and the coaches.
So did Saban Saturday morning on CGD - "can't build culture through the portal". One transfer parent told me on Saturday that they are here for 6 months and then their son will be done and looking for a job ... no offense, but we need ballers not kickstands - what kind of culture can a team build with that mentality ... after 4 games, 16 sacks and how many penalties - I hope coaches reevaluate those front 5 and make some changes otherwise Miami will have a field day (Miami thru 4 games has 16 team sacks and ranks #1 in the country ... Cal has allowed 16 sacks and leads the country is sacks allowed coming in at #130.
The current offensive coordinator, is bad. Last year it looked like we were getting over the hump. I saw plays that were creative, which in turn got players open. Mendoza thrived now he is working way too hard just to throw for 200 yards, if he is lucky. Bad coordinators don’t use the middle of the field, they don’t use crossing routes and they don’t screen when they know pressure is coming. Good offenses overcome penalties. A bad offense can’t overcome them. Mendoza has the tools, where is Ott? OC needs to be better, that’s the bottom line. Defense is playing great.
I don’t disagree with the premise that you can’t go to the red zone five times, score zero TDs, and win but in this instance, cal did just that.
Coe and the kick team clearly need to be better. If had missed just one of the two short kicks, we would be setting up for a 35 yard field goal to win the game as time expired.
Yeah, agree with this 100 pct. The entire complexion of the 4th quarter would have been different with made vs missed kicks.
That was my top concern going into the game and it materialized.
Having a reliable kicker is a luxury and we don’t have it. My hope now is that we get our offense into high gear so that we don’t need to rely on our kicking game for the rest of the year.
100%. The last drive then becomes about getting Coe lined up, and within good range. Ostensibly this takes pressure off the O-line to hold pass-pro. Its been said 100 times, but a stout defense, with complimentary ball control offense relying on field position makes the kicking game a critical part of the equation.
I believe my position tried to spell it out for everyone here, Coe does need to make the 30-40 yarders. Had he made the 36 as opposed to the 51 I’d argue there would be no issue since the other kick was blocked
And at that we shouldn’t have had to rely on him because of all the self destruction in the first place. The kicking was a symptom of other spots and I don’t believe that Coe warrants *primary* blame at all.
I disagrees. The game plan and adjustments worked fine. We lost this game for failure to execute. I suppose we could have asked the OC to scheme up plays to adjust for such a porous O-line, but essentially, self inflicted wounds are the reason we lost. And while I agree that these issues fall on the coach, they have nothing to do with the other side outcoaching or outplaying you.
Cal also had a lot of bad OL penalties with a quiet home crowd against San Diego State (though that time it ultimately didn't matter to the result), so it's not just about the noise. The unit seems poorly coached.
Just go for it on 4th and 3. After the FSU debacle, that is all I ask of Wilcox. I agree with the podcast where they talked about this decision being one of the worst in terms of game management of the entire Wilcox era.
Save for the briefest of glimpses every now and then, Cal’s offense has been a poorly coached unit for the entirety of the Wilcox era. Regardless of personnel, regardless of the OC/staff, regardless of scheme…they’re rarely ready to play because they are a poorly prepared unit.
In arguably the biggest game of Wilcox’s career, the O struggled to execute the most basic, fundamental play in the entire sport half a dozen times. Expecting things to suddenly change in year 8 is simply wishful thinking…THIS is who he is.
With Snyder and Tedford, there was confidence that the coaching staff could identify an issue and fix it. With Holmoe and Dykes, there was no such feeling.
Wilcox is in the latter group. Now, can we cobble together a competent enough OL to hang with the better O's we'll face? We shall see.
I've been watching all of the press conferences, and a few things stand out:
- Wilcox has been harping through the offseason about the importance of mistake-free football and how that makes championship football (can't win all the one score games you need to win a championship if you have a bunch of pre-snap penalties), which of course showed up in this game.
- he has seemed pleased with the guys who have solid work ethic and displeased with the guys who don't. Buchanan, for example, regularly gets praise for his work ethic.
- after Ja'ir Smith snagged an interception at Auburn, Wilcox said he has a lot of athletic ability but needed to work on his work ethic. Smith gave up a touchdown against FSU that Wilcox said was about poor leverage and a bit of technique, and Wilcox sure seemed unhappy about it in the press conference.
Hopefully the team figures out some of those championship football pieces in the bye week. We'll need them on 10/5.
If Coe had made that first missed field goal attempt, then what would have followed would most likely not have been the same as what actualy happened. If it had been made, then we would have kicked off to FSU and they might have run different plays. Or the timing difference between the actual and the possible would have been different and the same plays might have had different outcomes. Or, perhaps FSU would have gone for two points for a possible tie. Then, maybe we win on the last drive with a field goal. Or, perhaps the game goes to overtime and either team would win. Making that field goal would change everything that would have followed.
That should be "to be really affecting him emotionally" in the sixth sentence.
A couple of points. First, Coe was vey upset about the first missed attempt. My son and I were at the game and Coe came down to the end of the Cal sideline and paced around. A couple of coaches came over to talk with him. He then sat down by himself at the end. The misses appear to be really effecting him emotionally. I wonder if his self confidence has been affected. He has done a great job on kickoffs, but Wilcox needs to try one of the other placekickers for field goals. And, people need to lay off Coe.
Second, one of the coaches needs to teach Mendoza to throw the ball away when he is flushed out of the pocket and scrambling to avoid a sack. In our last series of the game when we down at about the 22 (?) with a first, we began with a false start (come on coaches! Other teams can handle noise, why can't we?) and then Mendoza was flushed out of the pocket, scrambled to his right and then got sacked. Throw the damn ball away!!! So, we ended up twenty some yards from a first. And that is not the only time that has happened. That is on both Mendoza and the coaches.
> whether bringing the offensive line together mainly through the portal is consistently effective,
Colorado says no (though tbf Shedeur also holds on for too long)
So did Saban Saturday morning on CGD - "can't build culture through the portal". One transfer parent told me on Saturday that they are here for 6 months and then their son will be done and looking for a job ... no offense, but we need ballers not kickstands - what kind of culture can a team build with that mentality ... after 4 games, 16 sacks and how many penalties - I hope coaches reevaluate those front 5 and make some changes otherwise Miami will have a field day (Miami thru 4 games has 16 team sacks and ranks #1 in the country ... Cal has allowed 16 sacks and leads the country is sacks allowed coming in at #130.
The current offensive coordinator, is bad. Last year it looked like we were getting over the hump. I saw plays that were creative, which in turn got players open. Mendoza thrived now he is working way too hard just to throw for 200 yards, if he is lucky. Bad coordinators don’t use the middle of the field, they don’t use crossing routes and they don’t screen when they know pressure is coming. Good offenses overcome penalties. A bad offense can’t overcome them. Mendoza has the tools, where is Ott? OC needs to be better, that’s the bottom line. Defense is playing great.
Last year we had Spavital. It's hard to beat him.
Yeah, Spav really had his pulse on who was the best qb from day one. Early morning humor, sorry.
I don’t disagree with the premise that you can’t go to the red zone five times, score zero TDs, and win but in this instance, cal did just that.
Coe and the kick team clearly need to be better. If had missed just one of the two short kicks, we would be setting up for a 35 yard field goal to win the game as time expired.
Also, can we fire Jim Knowlton yet?
Yeah, agree with this 100 pct. The entire complexion of the 4th quarter would have been different with made vs missed kicks.
That was my top concern going into the game and it materialized.
Having a reliable kicker is a luxury and we don’t have it. My hope now is that we get our offense into high gear so that we don’t need to rely on our kicking game for the rest of the year.
Go Bears!
100%. The last drive then becomes about getting Coe lined up, and within good range. Ostensibly this takes pressure off the O-line to hold pass-pro. Its been said 100 times, but a stout defense, with complimentary ball control offense relying on field position makes the kicking game a critical part of the equation.
Had he made one of the two missed FGs, then all we needed was a FG to win the game. Then Coe would have missed the game winning FG and we lose anyway.
But if we lost on a missed game winning FG, I think Wilcox would not be criticized as much
I believe my position tried to spell it out for everyone here, Coe does need to make the 30-40 yarders. Had he made the 36 as opposed to the 51 I’d argue there would be no issue since the other kick was blocked
And at that we shouldn’t have had to rely on him because of all the self destruction in the first place. The kicking was a symptom of other spots and I don’t believe that Coe warrants *primary* blame at all.
When you have a game like this one and the score is this low and you win in stats. It's simple it's called "You got out coached".
More of a case of we were "undercoached" than outcoached. I don't think Norvell is putting this on a plaque to hang in his office.
I disagrees. The game plan and adjustments worked fine. We lost this game for failure to execute. I suppose we could have asked the OC to scheme up plays to adjust for such a porous O-line, but essentially, self inflicted wounds are the reason we lost. And while I agree that these issues fall on the coach, they have nothing to do with the other side outcoaching or outplaying you.
Outcoached
2nd and 20 ... let's run it up the middle ... enough said
Or 2nd and 1. A free play! Run it up the middle.