There has been some talk about not attending the CAL games because of the frustration with the Football coaching. I too have immense frustration too, but I would *love* to go to any CAL home games. But I have had a huge financial crisis that does not allow me to go to the games. My story here is a long one, so I won’t bore you with everything.
I feel my happiest when I go to Berkeley and attend the CAL football home games. I have been a season ticket holder in the past and went to 2 games last year. My 2 best friends from CAL and my teenage daughter are going to the Big Game. The ONLY reason I was able to attend these games was because of the kindness and generosity of 3 different friends. They paid for my tickets…
So why am I telling this? I love CAL and going to football games at Memorial. And I would love to go to the remaining home games and to cheer for the players, for my school, and to represent Alums at the game - for me and for them.
So if anyone ever has a CAL football ticket they aren’t going to use, I would happily go to the game for you. I can’t pay anything right now, but you can be confident that I will represent and cheer on CAL with all my heart…
An insightful piece of writing! I have been faithfully following the Bears for over 55 years, ever since my dad took me to my first game. I have been a season ticket holder for most of my adult life. I had that ‘existential crisis’ on Saturday, calling into question my commitment (obsession, really). My opinion about the program was luke warm, at best.
Was listening to latest Canzano and Wilner podcast today where they have Greg Sankey from SEC on. Never listened to Sankey to any degree and I was impressed.
At around the 10:28 left remaining on the P-Cast, Sankey gets asked questions about some take home advice he has gotten over his career. That first Q, he relates a day as Freshman baseball catcher at small college in Texas where he finally got a hit and he expected to play the next game of the double header....
maybe hire mater dei's OC coach Taylor Kelly. Taylor Kelly
Offensive Coordinator
Taylor returns for his sixth season as the Mater Dei Quarterbacks Coach. He was a three-year starter while at Arizona State University from 2012-2014. Taylor is the ASU record holder for career all-purpose yards. He was named the 2014 Pac-12 Scholar Athlete of the year, a NFF Bill Campbell Finalist and the 2009 High School Gatorade State Player of the Year.
Taylor is also the Bio-Mechanics Instructor for 3DQB, recognized as a premier training group that works with both NFL and NCAA Division 1 Quarterback’s.
I think Avi has the right route here: we need a great coach to build fan support and institutional support and then a way to sustain it. We came closest under Tedford, but unfortunately he burned out (maybe in part due to his own health issues). I think it can be done, but it's not done by just maintaining the status quo of a mediocre-to-bad team. The existence of stadium debt makes this more of an unignorable problem than in the past.
I still don't understand how that Arizona game happened. The wildest of outlier offensive performances for this squad.
"Here's the problem. The old-school West Coast offense that Musgrave lives in is a college football dinosaur. "
I sure would like to hear the counter-narrative to this statement from the few (or one) Musgrave supporters on this site that have been awfully quiet since Saturday mid-afternoon. While I totally agree with Avi, I like multiple viewpoints.
I don’t think creating a “Musgrave hater Vs supporter” is useful or even true. Reading the film breakdowns on this site shows that his passing concepts are for the most part sound. But it also shows that Musgrave has not adapted to his personnel nor the matchups that each week brings. This reeks of “I’m old and know best” instead of striving to learn and incorporate new ideas.
That’s been one of the big changes from the WCO glory days to now--prioritizing matchups. That is one of the pillars of the spread and now you see it in any modern offense. It doesn’t just apply to the passing game, either. Harbaugh is a good one to watch if you want to see new and interesting run game schemes.
Ott sidelined in OT is mystifying. Was he “benched” for not producing, even though it was the playcalling that doomed us? I wonder if this is a case of BM not having any other tricks, or if he truly thinks his plays are fine and that the players just need to execute better.
IMHO we abandoned the run game too early. Should have run the ball almost exclusively in the first few drives. Instead, we went with low percentage pass plays and Plummer was wildly inaccurate. I mean, the Buffs were 132nd in rush defense. So let's keep passing the ball even though it is known that Plummer has a cold hand in starting games.
I didn't go to the University of California. I would have loved to, but my parents couldn't pay for it. But I loved the football team. Watching them that Saturday afternoon beat USC was my first college football game ever. It was perfect. I didn't have to cheer for USC or UCLA because there was another school that fit my personality more. For nearly 20 years, I was a fan of the California Golden Bears, and usually I was alone because most people at my university cheered for USC or UCLA. I didn't care. I wanted the smoke with everyone. It was too bad that we got smoked by them more often than not, especially USC for a time. I'm certainly not an Old Blue, after this loss I feel pretty blue.
It's hard to describe how I feel about the football team now. This loss hurt. but it wasn't the usual pain of a loss to a team I know Cal could beat. It was numbing. Like I knew it was going to happen somehow. Justin Wilcox is the worst Cal coach in my memory, probably ever, coming off a bye. I think he has won one time coming off a bye(Beat Colorado in 2018), and usually when they come off a bye the team looks like they just got drunk the entire two weeks. It is beyond putrid. And usually after the bye week, we face a beatable team.
This isn't a Wilcox problem in my opinion. He is certainly a part of it, but it goes to the administration. They don't treat football like the money making commodity that it is. The SEC banked on putting football first, every team has, and they are just thriving. I get it, Cal spent a lot of money on their athletic department especially on the stadium, but the apathy of the Administration has rubbed off on the team, and ergo, starting to rub off on the rest of us. They have to look at football as the first, last and only commodity, or the athletics as a whole will suffer.
I have heard so many stories just this year, and it made me sick. Cal potentially going D3 in football, if not being outright cancelled? The band getting priority over the football team on their own field? This is beyond humiliating. I have a son now, and it was my only wish for both of us to enjoy Cal Football together. It would leave a significant hole in my heart if I wasn't able to do that if any of the above happened. If it did, a big portion of the happiness of my adolescent years and beyond would be gone.
I'm sorry... It's hard to deal. I was a Wilcox backer because I love defense. 13-10 games are usually my thing because you have to work for every yard and every move is like a chess match. Not when it's due to mediocrity.
Wilcox has to go. They all have to go. Clean house. It sucks because now we have some stars and I have to lay awake at night praying to God that Jaydn Ott decides to stay with us after this year. We are at a crossroads. Hard choices must be made. I hope they make the right ones.
Yes to all the pleas to fire our current OC. And… I suggest the Interim OC make the game fun again for the OL. For the rest of season, run trick plays and misdirections. Reverse. Double reverse. Flea flicker. Halfback Pass. Moving pocket. Fumblerooski. Hook and Ladder/Lateral. (Update: I forgot to add Statue of Liberty. And: Double reverse pass!) Make the game fun again. Especially for the OL.
Agreed. Given the lack of experience on the OL, let them play with the freedom to enjoy themselves, learn how to block, read the D, and just try stuff on the field. Remember the 2007 Fiesta Bowl? Boise State and Oklahoma? That kind of freedom and enjoyment. I forgot to add Statue of Liberty above: Boise State ran that to perfection. That’s the kind of practices and game play Cal needs right now. The other teams might win but they will be flustered from start to finish.
I had low expectations for this game. I expected us to look somewhere between inept and putrid…and I, somehow, was still let down.
Next week will be the first time in my adult life I’m willingly skipping a home game. My wife works every other weekend and I can’t justify spending another one of her weekends off dragging her to Berkeley only to tailgate in an empty courtyard and get back to Sacramento at 2 am.
Frankly, I think that’s just my excuse for not really having it in me anymore. Maybe that makes me a bad fan, but the 12-14 hour day to watch an offense that would be better served backyard style with Plummer drawing up routes on his palm, is not worth the gas money anymore.
Maybe some temporary emotional divestment will be healthy.
The season ticket holders next to me were also from Sacramento and were donors. They complained a bit about having to drive back to Sacramento after night games. As of last year they disappeared.
Bless your wife for making the trip down with you as often as she has. You’re not a bad fan you just have some self respect and empathy towards your loved ones 😅
Absolutely right on the money Avi.
Hi all Cal fans,
Avi, https://substack.com/profile/6615514-avinash-kunnath, I apologize if my request for unused football tix is any violation or just not kosh. If it is, I will delete it.
There has been some talk about not attending the CAL games because of the frustration with the Football coaching. I too have immense frustration too, but I would *love* to go to any CAL home games. But I have had a huge financial crisis that does not allow me to go to the games. My story here is a long one, so I won’t bore you with everything.
I feel my happiest when I go to Berkeley and attend the CAL football home games. I have been a season ticket holder in the past and went to 2 games last year. My 2 best friends from CAL and my teenage daughter are going to the Big Game. The ONLY reason I was able to attend these games was because of the kindness and generosity of 3 different friends. They paid for my tickets…
So why am I telling this? I love CAL and going to football games at Memorial. And I would love to go to the remaining home games and to cheer for the players, for my school, and to represent Alums at the game - for me and for them.
So if anyone ever has a CAL football ticket they aren’t going to use, I would happily go to the game for you. I can’t pay anything right now, but you can be confident that I will represent and cheer on CAL with all my heart…
Thank you for your time,
JeriAnn
An insightful piece of writing! I have been faithfully following the Bears for over 55 years, ever since my dad took me to my first game. I have been a season ticket holder for most of my adult life. I had that ‘existential crisis’ on Saturday, calling into question my commitment (obsession, really). My opinion about the program was luke warm, at best.
Now…
Three words: Gerald Alexander.
Or Troy Taylor. Or Rugbear. Or anyone
Was listening to latest Canzano and Wilner podcast today where they have Greg Sankey from SEC on. Never listened to Sankey to any degree and I was impressed.
At around the 10:28 left remaining on the P-Cast, Sankey gets asked questions about some take home advice he has gotten over his career. That first Q, he relates a day as Freshman baseball catcher at small college in Texas where he finally got a hit and he expected to play the next game of the double header....
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/canzano-and-wilner/id1636790627?i=1000582904076
Don't blame the search firm. Knowlton made the rush offer; that's on him (and Christ for hiring Knowlton).
maybe hire mater dei's OC coach Taylor Kelly. Taylor Kelly
Offensive Coordinator
Taylor returns for his sixth season as the Mater Dei Quarterbacks Coach. He was a three-year starter while at Arizona State University from 2012-2014. Taylor is the ASU record holder for career all-purpose yards. He was named the 2014 Pac-12 Scholar Athlete of the year, a NFF Bill Campbell Finalist and the 2009 High School Gatorade State Player of the Year.
Taylor is also the Bio-Mechanics Instructor for 3DQB, recognized as a premier training group that works with both NFL and NCAA Division 1 Quarterback’s.
Taylor resides in Irvine with his wife, Erin.
I think Avi has the right route here: we need a great coach to build fan support and institutional support and then a way to sustain it. We came closest under Tedford, but unfortunately he burned out (maybe in part due to his own health issues). I think it can be done, but it's not done by just maintaining the status quo of a mediocre-to-bad team. The existence of stadium debt makes this more of an unignorable problem than in the past.
I still don't understand how that Arizona game happened. The wildest of outlier offensive performances for this squad.
And the lack of creativity.
Boycott time?
What would be our demands?
Based upon outcomes, not shifting of personnel?
"Here's the problem. The old-school West Coast offense that Musgrave lives in is a college football dinosaur. "
I sure would like to hear the counter-narrative to this statement from the few (or one) Musgrave supporters on this site that have been awfully quiet since Saturday mid-afternoon. While I totally agree with Avi, I like multiple viewpoints.
I don’t think creating a “Musgrave hater Vs supporter” is useful or even true. Reading the film breakdowns on this site shows that his passing concepts are for the most part sound. But it also shows that Musgrave has not adapted to his personnel nor the matchups that each week brings. This reeks of “I’m old and know best” instead of striving to learn and incorporate new ideas.
That’s been one of the big changes from the WCO glory days to now--prioritizing matchups. That is one of the pillars of the spread and now you see it in any modern offense. It doesn’t just apply to the passing game, either. Harbaugh is a good one to watch if you want to see new and interesting run game schemes.
Still feeling numb on Monday morning. Something has to give at this point.
Ott sidelined in OT is mystifying. Was he “benched” for not producing, even though it was the playcalling that doomed us? I wonder if this is a case of BM not having any other tricks, or if he truly thinks his plays are fine and that the players just need to execute better.
Not sure Ott had a single carry that didn’t involve at least one Colorado defender in the backfield.
He had a nice 12 yard run early in the game.
IMHO we abandoned the run game too early. Should have run the ball almost exclusively in the first few drives. Instead, we went with low percentage pass plays and Plummer was wildly inaccurate. I mean, the Buffs were 132nd in rush defense. So let's keep passing the ball even though it is known that Plummer has a cold hand in starting games.
We abandoned it after one play. First play was 12 yard Ott run. Then three passes, with the last one being intercepted
I think he was double-teamed much of the time, so, the idea, I suppose, was that Brooks would be a stealth factor, while they are searching for Ott.
I didn't go to the University of California. I would have loved to, but my parents couldn't pay for it. But I loved the football team. Watching them that Saturday afternoon beat USC was my first college football game ever. It was perfect. I didn't have to cheer for USC or UCLA because there was another school that fit my personality more. For nearly 20 years, I was a fan of the California Golden Bears, and usually I was alone because most people at my university cheered for USC or UCLA. I didn't care. I wanted the smoke with everyone. It was too bad that we got smoked by them more often than not, especially USC for a time. I'm certainly not an Old Blue, after this loss I feel pretty blue.
It's hard to describe how I feel about the football team now. This loss hurt. but it wasn't the usual pain of a loss to a team I know Cal could beat. It was numbing. Like I knew it was going to happen somehow. Justin Wilcox is the worst Cal coach in my memory, probably ever, coming off a bye. I think he has won one time coming off a bye(Beat Colorado in 2018), and usually when they come off a bye the team looks like they just got drunk the entire two weeks. It is beyond putrid. And usually after the bye week, we face a beatable team.
This isn't a Wilcox problem in my opinion. He is certainly a part of it, but it goes to the administration. They don't treat football like the money making commodity that it is. The SEC banked on putting football first, every team has, and they are just thriving. I get it, Cal spent a lot of money on their athletic department especially on the stadium, but the apathy of the Administration has rubbed off on the team, and ergo, starting to rub off on the rest of us. They have to look at football as the first, last and only commodity, or the athletics as a whole will suffer.
I have heard so many stories just this year, and it made me sick. Cal potentially going D3 in football, if not being outright cancelled? The band getting priority over the football team on their own field? This is beyond humiliating. I have a son now, and it was my only wish for both of us to enjoy Cal Football together. It would leave a significant hole in my heart if I wasn't able to do that if any of the above happened. If it did, a big portion of the happiness of my adolescent years and beyond would be gone.
I'm sorry... It's hard to deal. I was a Wilcox backer because I love defense. 13-10 games are usually my thing because you have to work for every yard and every move is like a chess match. Not when it's due to mediocrity.
Wilcox has to go. They all have to go. Clean house. It sucks because now we have some stars and I have to lay awake at night praying to God that Jaydn Ott decides to stay with us after this year. We are at a crossroads. Hard choices must be made. I hope they make the right ones.
Go Bears. I love you all.
A True Golden Bear
Yes to all the pleas to fire our current OC. And… I suggest the Interim OC make the game fun again for the OL. For the rest of season, run trick plays and misdirections. Reverse. Double reverse. Flea flicker. Halfback Pass. Moving pocket. Fumblerooski. Hook and Ladder/Lateral. (Update: I forgot to add Statue of Liberty. And: Double reverse pass!) Make the game fun again. Especially for the OL.
Good call. Let's have some fun. Exorcise the demons of the Musgrave offense.
Agreed. Given the lack of experience on the OL, let them play with the freedom to enjoy themselves, learn how to block, read the D, and just try stuff on the field. Remember the 2007 Fiesta Bowl? Boise State and Oklahoma? That kind of freedom and enjoyment. I forgot to add Statue of Liberty above: Boise State ran that to perfection. That’s the kind of practices and game play Cal needs right now. The other teams might win but they will be flustered from start to finish.
Also: Good friend is OU alum. When I brought up the Fiesta Bowl, he was like, “We don’t talk about that game.” 😳🤔😆
I had low expectations for this game. I expected us to look somewhere between inept and putrid…and I, somehow, was still let down.
Next week will be the first time in my adult life I’m willingly skipping a home game. My wife works every other weekend and I can’t justify spending another one of her weekends off dragging her to Berkeley only to tailgate in an empty courtyard and get back to Sacramento at 2 am.
Frankly, I think that’s just my excuse for not really having it in me anymore. Maybe that makes me a bad fan, but the 12-14 hour day to watch an offense that would be better served backyard style with Plummer drawing up routes on his palm, is not worth the gas money anymore.
Maybe some temporary emotional divestment will be healthy.
The season ticket holders next to me were also from Sacramento and were donors. They complained a bit about having to drive back to Sacramento after night games. As of last year they disappeared.
Bless your wife for making the trip down with you as often as she has. You’re not a bad fan you just have some self respect and empathy towards your loved ones 😅
She’s a trooper, that’s for sure.
Self respect…sounds like something sorely lacking in our athletic department.