Yesterday's loss means that this will be the 14th of the last 16 non Covid seasons in which the Bears have lost at least six games. In the other two the team lost five. I don't mention this merely to present an interesting stat, I think it accounts for the tremendous frustration in the fan base which is particularly acute now because with the departure of Wilcox and the arrival of a fresh new face fans felt that they were finally in for a good year. To be even worse than before feels like a tremendous punch in the gut. We've been waiting a long time for a really good season and this one has been a disaster and there's not much hope that things are going to get better anytime soon. I'm somewhat inured to Cal losing having lived through so much of it. But I'm also really sick of it. I think in both these respects I've got a lot of company.
I respectfully disagree with the premise of the article. I think JKS is as much to blame as the O-Line, the reality that our receivers cannot separate, that our lines commit too many penalties, etc, etc, etc, etc…
One final note, we are told year in year out that our new receivers all have 4.4 sometimes 4.3 speed…
Why is it that we have to be the only school that I see week after week after week that make almost zero attempt to stretch the field deep.
Hoping for the best, but it looks like Lupoi will need to make wholesale changes coaching wise and player wise next year ..
Just watched on tape. Cal should have had at least 4 interceptions thru 10 minutes in 3rd quarter: Lopa missed catching a pick 6 in 3rd just before NCS hit a long TD to go ahead 17-10. He also just missed a pick 6 in 2nd Q. Im not excusing poor coachng, all the poor execution on offense, or Lupoi’s dumb decision to go for it at midfield on 4th and 3 (handing NCS a field goal and giving up a favorable field position battle in 1st Q) etc. Players play better when they have confidence in coaching staff. The entire team/coaches are in free fall. I predicted 3 games ago that Cal would not win another game....they have the talent to do so but they won’t.
Once again your prose are a necessary balm for our bruised spirits. The Halloween like references to screaming into our hands is apt. For us survivors of Holmoe and Gilbertson and the rest, is it so damn hard for us to find and retain a coach who is a winner? Cal fans would be overjoyed with 9-11 win seasons. How can other schools without our resources get great, like Indiana or WF or such, do that and not us? We have seriously pissed off the gods of football.
There’s almost no point in commenting since it’s all laid out so well in this piece. Lupoi was a bad hire, a mistake. Had he had the self awareness to realize that he needed to surround himself with smarter, experienced ACs, he might have prevailed and delivered an acceptable if not stellar first season given the available talent. Instead, Cal is faced with a real mess of a season and no obvious way out to a successful future, short of firing Lupoi and starting over with another multimillion dollar bankroll. And if this team loses to Stanford at home on November 21? Then what?
Bad hires of coordinators, JKS doesn't seem to fit McCann offense very well which is not either of them fault. The inability of Wilcox to recruit well did leave the cupboard pretty empty so I will give Tosh somewhat of a pass on that. Which you could point to as the biggest weakness being the O-line. Ultimately this is the ship we are on. Have to ride it out.
Yesterday's loss means that this will be the 14th of the last 16 non Covid seasons in which the Bears have lost at least six games. In the other two the team lost five. I don't mention this merely to present an interesting stat, I think it accounts for the tremendous frustration in the fan base which is particularly acute now because with the departure of Wilcox and the arrival of a fresh new face fans felt that they were finally in for a good year. To be even worse than before feels like a tremendous punch in the gut. We've been waiting a long time for a really good season and this one has been a disaster and there's not much hope that things are going to get better anytime soon. I'm somewhat inured to Cal losing having lived through so much of it. But I'm also really sick of it. I think in both these respects I've got a lot of company.
Powerful, well said. The team is hard to watch anymore. Concerned about our future.
I respectfully disagree with the premise of the article. I think JKS is as much to blame as the O-Line, the reality that our receivers cannot separate, that our lines commit too many penalties, etc, etc, etc, etc…
One final note, we are told year in year out that our new receivers all have 4.4 sometimes 4.3 speed…
Why is it that we have to be the only school that I see week after week after week that make almost zero attempt to stretch the field deep.
Hoping for the best, but it looks like Lupoi will need to make wholesale changes coaching wise and player wise next year ..
You disagree with the premise that Cal football isn't a nightmare to watch right now? I need to watch a game with you =).
A first time chancellor hires a first time college GM who hires a first time HC who hires a first time OC and DC.
One’s left to assume the major donors are new money?
Mostly old money. New money donors are still being sold. This is not a great selling product at the moment.
Just watched on tape. Cal should have had at least 4 interceptions thru 10 minutes in 3rd quarter: Lopa missed catching a pick 6 in 3rd just before NCS hit a long TD to go ahead 17-10. He also just missed a pick 6 in 2nd Q. Im not excusing poor coachng, all the poor execution on offense, or Lupoi’s dumb decision to go for it at midfield on 4th and 3 (handing NCS a field goal and giving up a favorable field position battle in 1st Q) etc. Players play better when they have confidence in coaching staff. The entire team/coaches are in free fall. I predicted 3 games ago that Cal would not win another game....they have the talent to do so but they won’t.
If your best offense has to be your defense...
At this point I’d take even that
Once again your prose are a necessary balm for our bruised spirits. The Halloween like references to screaming into our hands is apt. For us survivors of Holmoe and Gilbertson and the rest, is it so damn hard for us to find and retain a coach who is a winner? Cal fans would be overjoyed with 9-11 win seasons. How can other schools without our resources get great, like Indiana or WF or such, do that and not us? We have seriously pissed off the gods of football.
There’s almost no point in commenting since it’s all laid out so well in this piece. Lupoi was a bad hire, a mistake. Had he had the self awareness to realize that he needed to surround himself with smarter, experienced ACs, he might have prevailed and delivered an acceptable if not stellar first season given the available talent. Instead, Cal is faced with a real mess of a season and no obvious way out to a successful future, short of firing Lupoi and starting over with another multimillion dollar bankroll. And if this team loses to Stanford at home on November 21? Then what?
If we get embarrassed again by stanfurd like last year, lots of people will lose jobs, and lots of players will enter the transfer portal.
Even if we win, many people should still lose their jobs, and many players will likely still enter the portal.
Bad hires of coordinators, JKS doesn't seem to fit McCann offense very well which is not either of them fault. The inability of Wilcox to recruit well did leave the cupboard pretty empty so I will give Tosh somewhat of a pass on that. Which you could point to as the biggest weakness being the O-line. Ultimately this is the ship we are on. Have to ride it out.