Wilcox is such a bad coach. So he decides to go for 2 last week on our first TD, with us in the lead and proceeds to chase points the rest of the game when he doesn’t convert and lost 17-15.
Up 16-10 and scoring a TD, to make it 22-10, he decides to play it safe and kick the PAT, despite going for 2 at that moment makes the most strategic sense. If we convert, the best NC State can do is tie the game, if we don’t, we still need a FG to win.
MAKE IT MAKE SENSE!! Wilcox continues to learn all the wrong lessons. If he were a student at Cal, and his winning percentage was his GPA he would have failed out of Cal 2 years ago.
Yes, when we were up 16-10 and we scored a TD to go up 22-10, that’s the exact moment and time in the game to go 2. Because being up 22-10 is essentially the same as being up 23-10.
Isn't it hard to say any game is the most Cal game ever now? Every week we seem to redefine the meaning of the phrase. The Wilcox era is the most Cal game ever. He needs to shown the door today
I had the sinking feeling early in the game. I think most of you felt this too.
First drive: Cal rolls down and scores a TD. Fernando completes two passes and then the Jet breaks a big run. Great!
Then NC State goes 3-and-out. Great!
Second drive: Cal rolls up to midfield thanks to Fernando's accurate midrange passing. Great! Here's where we really have a chance to step on NC State's throat. They're having a bad year. Their starting QB got hurt. They had to fly across the country for this. If they're down 14 right out of the gate, they might start to quit on this game. So do we go for the throat? No, we get super conservative:
1st down: Cardwell run up the middle, stuffed.
2nd down: Cardwell run up the middle, stuffed.
3rd down (stop me if you've heard this one): Cardwell run up the middle, stuffed.
4th and 5: Screen pass to the sideline, behind the sticks, stuffed.
Blessed with good field position, NC State goes and gets a field goal and the game remains tight most of the way after that. This is the loser Wilcox mentality. Change the coaches, change the OC, it always shows up. We lose games we shouldn't have. You can't tell me we were out-talented by NCST or Pitt. It was down to poor execution and poor in-game decisions. The team plays tight in crunch time because our head coach gets tight. He has a lousy record in close games.
I don't think it was always like this. For JW's first three years, though his teams were at a talent deficit, they usually played with passion and scored their share of big upsets. Since COVID, that is no longer the case, except maybe that three-game stretch to get bowl eligible last year (and really only UCLA could be considered a true upset there). Despite an infusion of portal talent, that trend has not changed. He's done. It's only a question of how long it takes to get rid of him.
I really like Justin Wilcox. He is an all around good person and solid human who loves this school and loves football. But this ain’t it. We need to do better. Our fans are willing to make it happen, our donors are willing to make it happen, our administration maybe is willing to make it happen. We need someone that CAN make it happen.
We need someone who gets the kids excited to make plays and game plan that is excited to make plays. No more aiming to just win football games. Lets go for a mindset of blowing doors off our opponents.
Can someone, anyone, please explain to me why our Kickers don’t stay loose and practice their routine when we have the ball towards the end of a one score game and they might be needed for a consequential kick? Instead they stand around holding their helmet getting nervous thinking about failure. It was the same with Coe. Every kicker practices into a net in those circumstances.
Golden, that is what I fear some Cal fans maybe just don’t understand.
The playing field has changed…the survival of the athletic department is literally at stake…all those Olympic sports that Cal excels at….poof! Gone like Kiser Soze...
IMO this is the argument to make at Lyons and other admin folks: if Cal football can’t perform well enough to keep Cal in the big leagues, then the whole athletic program is at risk.
Even Christ seemed to understand this: she noted feedback from all the student-athletes, and them saying they wanted to compete against the best. Well, for most sports you can only do that if you stay in a power league. She cited that as a key reason for taking the ACC’s offer. This needs to be said over and over to the current leaders. It won’t just be football that sees an exodus if we get relegated.
Groundhog Day, just like the movie. It’s the same thing every year. Just like I said in my last ost. The stadium is half full and the wheels have fallen off the truck, . It’s the same thing every year with Wilcox lead teams. Sad thing is the talent is there, they were better than ZmC st.
It should really come as no surprise that we are losing like this. We can't expect our defense, elite as it is, to stay on the field for most of the game. The main reason we keep losing in the fourth quarter is that our defense is just GASSED!!! Every single one of our losses have come in the fourth quarter when the defense just doesn't have anything left. No wonder Miami and NC State could erase 25 and 14 point deficits respectively. Even the FSU and Pitt loses happened in part because of one blown play on defense in an otherwise stellar performance by that unit. We have got to get some coaches who can field respectable offenses and special teams. Our ineptness in those two areas is absolutely killing us.
I hate to say it, but I think that’s it for Wilcox. I really like him and what he’s done for the program and community, but if this is his ceiling then im tired of face-planting into it. I don’t know, but there was something about this game that just fully broke me, probably because I could rationalize some kind of an excuse for the other losses but not this. 8 years, 4 different OCs, and not a single offense that can help our outstanding defense.
I had to take care of few things and didn't watch the 4th quarter. We were up 23-10 at home. How do we lose this game???
It looks like they scored two unanswered TDs. Did our offense take foot off the gas pedal like before? Or was our offense moving the ball but just missed the game winning FG?
You have to be really bad to keep blowing big leads in the 4th Quarter
Cal is 0-4 in another conference, just like our last 10+ years in the pac 12. The Bears have scored 9 points total in the 4th quarter of their last 4 games combined. Justin Wilcox, sure knows how to lose close games, and he does not know how to close out winnable games. He also knows now he is losing his fan base, and he will lose precious talent in the transfer portal going into next year. For the good of the program, he should resign now and get it over with. I can't decide which is worse - Sonny Dykes teams getting down by 30 points and then getting 20 points in garbage time, or Justin Wilcox teams giving up 4th quarter leads and floundering to a close loss. At least I'm happy i'm getting my Saturday afternoons and evenings back again this year.
When we went up 23-10, I thought to myself, what a nice set up to lose 24-23, and then I chided myself for being too negative. Lol!
I have kind of written off the season tbh. I am not particularly interested in going to or watching any more games this year. I was amped when we beat Auburn but it turns out Auburn just sucks.
For the future, hopefully we can hang onto Cade and Nando, easily our best guys. It is a bummer Ott got hurt and will never be Ott again until he goes to NFL, but the running back stable is actually pretty good. The bigger issues are the O Line mainly and secondarily the lack of any downfield threat in the passing game to stretch the D. I feel like we at Cal should be able to recruit and develop a good O line, not sure what the reason for the ineptitude there has been the past few years. I miss the days of O’Callaghan, Mack, etc…
It’s just not even fun to watch. It’s Sonny Dykes results without the offense sugar rush.
Exactly.
It’s unwatchable football.
It's fun watching Cade play, and then wondering who will get to have him next year. Utah?
Oh man dont say it!!!
Yep! All of this.
Wilcox is such a bad coach. So he decides to go for 2 last week on our first TD, with us in the lead and proceeds to chase points the rest of the game when he doesn’t convert and lost 17-15.
Up 16-10 and scoring a TD, to make it 22-10, he decides to play it safe and kick the PAT, despite going for 2 at that moment makes the most strategic sense. If we convert, the best NC State can do is tie the game, if we don’t, we still need a FG to win.
MAKE IT MAKE SENSE!! Wilcox continues to learn all the wrong lessons. If he were a student at Cal, and his winning percentage was his GPA he would have failed out of Cal 2 years ago.
You mean when we were 22-10, right?
But exactly. Make it 24-10 with two point conversion. 22 or 23 would be the same result.
Yes, when we were up 16-10 and we scored a TD to go up 22-10, that’s the exact moment and time in the game to go 2. Because being up 22-10 is essentially the same as being up 23-10.
Yup.
Even the analytics say go for 2…which tells me this staff doesn’t really use analytics, which, at a school like Cal, is puzzling in and of itself.
This was the most Cal game ever, down to the miss and the cart-off. Hope Sessions is ok.
Isn't it hard to say any game is the most Cal game ever now? Every week we seem to redefine the meaning of the phrase. The Wilcox era is the most Cal game ever. He needs to shown the door today
I had the sinking feeling early in the game. I think most of you felt this too.
First drive: Cal rolls down and scores a TD. Fernando completes two passes and then the Jet breaks a big run. Great!
Then NC State goes 3-and-out. Great!
Second drive: Cal rolls up to midfield thanks to Fernando's accurate midrange passing. Great! Here's where we really have a chance to step on NC State's throat. They're having a bad year. Their starting QB got hurt. They had to fly across the country for this. If they're down 14 right out of the gate, they might start to quit on this game. So do we go for the throat? No, we get super conservative:
1st down: Cardwell run up the middle, stuffed.
2nd down: Cardwell run up the middle, stuffed.
3rd down (stop me if you've heard this one): Cardwell run up the middle, stuffed.
4th and 5: Screen pass to the sideline, behind the sticks, stuffed.
Blessed with good field position, NC State goes and gets a field goal and the game remains tight most of the way after that. This is the loser Wilcox mentality. Change the coaches, change the OC, it always shows up. We lose games we shouldn't have. You can't tell me we were out-talented by NCST or Pitt. It was down to poor execution and poor in-game decisions. The team plays tight in crunch time because our head coach gets tight. He has a lousy record in close games.
I don't think it was always like this. For JW's first three years, though his teams were at a talent deficit, they usually played with passion and scored their share of big upsets. Since COVID, that is no longer the case, except maybe that three-game stretch to get bowl eligible last year (and really only UCLA could be considered a true upset there). Despite an infusion of portal talent, that trend has not changed. He's done. It's only a question of how long it takes to get rid of him.
Looks like ASU has the same problem, but different approach.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DBUqSEcv7Wq/?igsh=MWQ1ZGUxMzBkMA==
Other than the PK’s, they are really nothing alike.
Kenny Dillingham demands accountability, and he prepares his players. He is twice the Head Coach Justin Wilcox will ever be.
I really like Justin Wilcox. He is an all around good person and solid human who loves this school and loves football. But this ain’t it. We need to do better. Our fans are willing to make it happen, our donors are willing to make it happen, our administration maybe is willing to make it happen. We need someone that CAN make it happen.
We need someone who gets the kids excited to make plays and game plan that is excited to make plays. No more aiming to just win football games. Lets go for a mindset of blowing doors off our opponents.
We don't need a nice guy to coach this team. We need a principled person who commands respect and demands accountability. Wilcox is neither.
Can someone, anyone, please explain to me why our Kickers don’t stay loose and practice their routine when we have the ball towards the end of a one score game and they might be needed for a consequential kick? Instead they stand around holding their helmet getting nervous thinking about failure. It was the same with Coe. Every kicker practices into a net in those circumstances.
I think it should be clear by now that this is not the kickers. Anyone know a good special teams coach?
Or an Offensive Line coach.
How much longer must we endure Wilcox?
If he is still employed on January 1st, we can unfortunately expect the same results next season.
If he is still employed on January 1st, we might as well apply for MWC or PacState12 membership because that’s where Wilcox is leading us.
Golden, that is what I fear some Cal fans maybe just don’t understand.
The playing field has changed…the survival of the athletic department is literally at stake…all those Olympic sports that Cal excels at….poof! Gone like Kiser Soze...
IMO this is the argument to make at Lyons and other admin folks: if Cal football can’t perform well enough to keep Cal in the big leagues, then the whole athletic program is at risk.
Even Christ seemed to understand this: she noted feedback from all the student-athletes, and them saying they wanted to compete against the best. Well, for most sports you can only do that if you stay in a power league. She cited that as a key reason for taking the ACC’s offer. This needs to be said over and over to the current leaders. It won’t just be football that sees an exodus if we get relegated.
Well said sy.
Back in the day, you could build a program over a decade…Rich Brooks did it in Eugene, with great help from Uncle Phil’s Nike $$$.
Unfortunately the times have changed.
JC, I agree with you and fear the same my friend.
“The greatest trick that Wilcox ever pulled was convincing the Cal fans he could win, and like that ... he's gone."
The entire CAL football community needs to learn how to win...
Starting with the HC. Since Wilcox doesn't seem capable of learning let's revisit that buyout...
Groundhog Day, just like the movie. It’s the same thing every year. Just like I said in my last ost. The stadium is half full and the wheels have fallen off the truck, . It’s the same thing every year with Wilcox lead teams. Sad thing is the talent is there, they were better than ZmC st.
It should really come as no surprise that we are losing like this. We can't expect our defense, elite as it is, to stay on the field for most of the game. The main reason we keep losing in the fourth quarter is that our defense is just GASSED!!! Every single one of our losses have come in the fourth quarter when the defense just doesn't have anything left. No wonder Miami and NC State could erase 25 and 14 point deficits respectively. Even the FSU and Pitt loses happened in part because of one blown play on defense in an otherwise stellar performance by that unit. We have got to get some coaches who can field respectable offenses and special teams. Our ineptness in those two areas is absolutely killing us.
Missing Mateen Baghani right about now but am guessing the feeling is mutual…
I hate to say it, but I think that’s it for Wilcox. I really like him and what he’s done for the program and community, but if this is his ceiling then im tired of face-planting into it. I don’t know, but there was something about this game that just fully broke me, probably because I could rationalize some kind of an excuse for the other losses but not this. 8 years, 4 different OCs, and not a single offense that can help our outstanding defense.
Time to start rooting for vacancies.
I had to take care of few things and didn't watch the 4th quarter. We were up 23-10 at home. How do we lose this game???
It looks like they scored two unanswered TDs. Did our offense take foot off the gas pedal like before? Or was our offense moving the ball but just missed the game winning FG?
You have to be really bad to keep blowing big leads in the 4th Quarter
no, the OL had some penalties (again) and gave up 4 sacks on three successive possessions, so we were playing behind teh chains
Most of the sacks were on the o line but damn can Mendoza feel pressure around him?? I’m over him and Wilcox
Cal is 0-4 in another conference, just like our last 10+ years in the pac 12. The Bears have scored 9 points total in the 4th quarter of their last 4 games combined. Justin Wilcox, sure knows how to lose close games, and he does not know how to close out winnable games. He also knows now he is losing his fan base, and he will lose precious talent in the transfer portal going into next year. For the good of the program, he should resign now and get it over with. I can't decide which is worse - Sonny Dykes teams getting down by 30 points and then getting 20 points in garbage time, or Justin Wilcox teams giving up 4th quarter leads and floundering to a close loss. At least I'm happy i'm getting my Saturday afternoons and evenings back again this year.
When we went up 23-10, I thought to myself, what a nice set up to lose 24-23, and then I chided myself for being too negative. Lol!
I have kind of written off the season tbh. I am not particularly interested in going to or watching any more games this year. I was amped when we beat Auburn but it turns out Auburn just sucks.
For the future, hopefully we can hang onto Cade and Nando, easily our best guys. It is a bummer Ott got hurt and will never be Ott again until he goes to NFL, but the running back stable is actually pretty good. The bigger issues are the O Line mainly and secondarily the lack of any downfield threat in the passing game to stretch the D. I feel like we at Cal should be able to recruit and develop a good O line, not sure what the reason for the ineptitude there has been the past few years. I miss the days of O’Callaghan, Mack, etc…