I had a big event for my nonprofit last night and so couldn't watch the game. Somewhat tracked the score. I'm a leader in the nonprofit world and if I was hiring a person based on an interview, which I do all the time, I definitely look for a Mendoza type of energy. That positive belief in himself, him saying he had the best time of his life in that game, but focused on winning, the way he speaks about his teammates. There is some gene on the 17th chromosome that lets some people be this type of resilient, positive, emotionally compelling, confident but selfless. Great leaders come in many packages, certainly, but in football, and in college football, emotion is huge. My favorite scene in the replay I watched was when Mendoza got the TD with Endries, he runs into the end zone, and then turns around and points both hands at Sessions as he approaches, in full recognition that it was his lineman who made that play possible. It's a genuine moment of respect and love.
Mendoza and the offense are coming to life. Ifanse is a beast and like Wilcox said, many players could benefit from emulating him. The Oline is playing really well. Plent well enough to win games. Spavital is finally getting his show going.
The defense? Who wants to play hard nosed football with the intelligence of a Cal squad? That was embarrassing. Special teams? Appalling. Would Wilcox have the courage to make a change with Sirmon after the season?
Because we are a Cal community and let's all say a big f*ing Fiat Lux, I'll critique my own comment through the lens of race and say that Fernando might have all sorts of privilege and confidence from being a tall, pass as caucasian man, in our society, and that the trials SJ has has had to endure are almost certainly greater in kind and scale. It's worthwhile to reflect on what we seek in leaders and what life experiences engenders those traits. We know that generational poverty and ignorance are very hard to overcome. We know that any person subjected to constant negativity will struggle with self-esteem and the intangibles of leadership. It's obviously not the case that all those with high privilege are great leaders and vice versa. It's just one of many lenses to look through. I watch every coach and player interview. SJ has been so down on himself, so dark, so heavy, so leaden. Nando is so bright, effusive, sparkling. Who are we to know what of these traits are related to their youthful lives or genetics. All we can know as Cal alumni is that we should be careful and thoughtful about attributes we ascribe to people that have historically been synonymous with racism.
Points taken on overcoming the challenges of racism, or the privilege to avoid it.
But on leadership, it was interesting to hear Mendoza name-drop quite a bit in his presser. Not in a superficial way, but in a genuine way that shows selflessness and interest in the talents of others. No man is an island. Hard to tell whether it's a calculated act, but no reason to think it is. It's great for a leader to publicly recognize others. People like to hear their names.
Every great team, ever, was built from the line up. Your house crumbles with a faulty foundation. I think Mendoza was showing some mindfulness about that. As a high school lineman, I can say that, at times, some of the "stars" of the team could make the line feel like unimportant galley slaves. It was yet another slap in our face, but I loved the tackle-eligible play that OSU did.
I had the craziest dream, After Dark, that we played OSU, but our offense played better than our defense. I mean, c’mon, I’ll believe that when our 3rd string QB starts a game. LMFAO.
I won't throw shade on Jack, anymore. As has been said by others, Jack and we are both better off with his move. I wish him all the best and, yes, he did impress.
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times" to paraphrase Chales Dickens. We finally found an offense that could sustain drives, but time after time our lack of pass rush and inability to cover receivers left the Bears trailing, and playing catch up. It only gets more challenging as the season continues. Fernando Mendoza may have a bright future, hitting various receivers, throwing both downfield and over the middle.
The only reason our D held them under 500 yards is because we gave up so many return yards. Could have easily been more than 600 if we had decent kick coverage.
OSU had to go 5-5 on fourth down to get 52 points. We might have stolen a turnover on downs or forced a punt or two if they had to deal with longer fields.
Mendoza is a gamer. He's definitely the man going forward. Has the intangibles we haven't seen in Strawberry Canyon since Webb, Goff, Rodgers (in reverse order). If Finley or Jackson played this game it would've been a blowout loss from start to finish. These gamer QB's just have a way of elevating the offense even when it doesn't show up in the stats.
I give the coaches credit for finally recognizing it was time to give Fernando the start. I will also criticize them for taking 6 games to do it. I assume, but have no proof of course, that this is because coaches might really want their portal players to work out immediately for obvious reasons and that freshmen can wait to get their chance. This of course contradicts the idea that any coach will look straight into the camera and say "we will play our best players". We'll see how Mendoza handles Utah. If well, then his 3rd start will be at home vs U$C.
Agreed. He was channeling his inner Davis Webb, a guy who is exactly the same size. I was pondering over the coaches QB decisions the last few weeks. Finley got UW. Jackson got ASU. Mendoza got OSU. He performed the best so he likely will be the starter the rest of the season. The ability to execute designed runs at his size - 6' 5" is impressive.
Who the heck is blaming Spav? You either totally miss the point by even bringing up the OSU offense or refuse to consider the truth.
"California head coach Justin Wilcox cannot catch a break."
"But the Golden Bears’ upset bid was not meant to be..."
Someone is giving Wilcox too much credit. Sounds like you fall into that camp. He hasn't built a team that can consistently win. It's not fate. If you want to bury your head in the sand go ahead.
On a wholly different front, I’d like to say that Justin Allegri and Mike Pawlawski make an excellent broadcast team on KGO. Such a refreshing upgrade. MP still dives too deeply into Xs and Os for my taste, but the whole tone and tenor is elevated by Justin’s astute calls and the enjoyable banter between the two.
Nope. I like and admire Joe Starkey. I always found something to appreciate in each broadcast. But the new team really clicks and takes it to a higher level, I think.
Just one game for Mendoza, so let’s see what he does at Utah. Not expecting 40 pts, but if he can move the ball and play better than our #1 and #2 QBs, then he’s the guy - and only a Freshman! Great for Spav to build up and around him.
Yes, we did give up 52 pts, but we also scored 40 pts on an otherwise really good defense.
Sometimes these weird, offensive games just happen.
Can the D put it behind them? I think so, especially if Cam doesn’t play nest week.
With Mendoza, this was about as close to a moral victory I think I've experienced despite the defense getting drubbed. Also, DJU and OSU deserve their share of credit for that. Some of those backbreaking 3rd down conversions were absolute dimes regardless of the coverage.
We all knew this season was a wash after failing to get it done against Auburn and the UW epic beatdown.. but we had no reason for hope for future seasons. Mendoza just brought that glimmer. Fernado to Trond all day!
I’m glad you’re mentioning that. Giving up the yards they did is frustrating and I get that people are upset, but OSU is a very good, very well-coached team. The TE being allowed to roam free is a coverage/assignment issue. Sirmon deserves his criticism for that. The lack of QB pressure seemed to be a mix of being overmatched in their base and just not getting it done when they brought extra people, but tons of their plays were made where the coverage was there and a player was in the QB’s face. They simply had athletes making plays that superior athletes are going to make that aren’t always successful but were successful when it really mattered. Sucks, but sometimes you can do things right and the other guy still gets the Sports Center highlight catch.
mendoza's post game interview got more likes and views than wilcox's 👀
I might still be high on his offensive performance, but he's actually pretty eloquent too. No "ums" or "uhs" and solid responses making sure to prop up his teammates
he is a highly intelligent guy - this story (from write for california) about his recruitment and commitment kinda gave me the chills, along with his presser last night:
Good to see that Mendoza and the offense found a way to score 40 points and the energy Mendoza brings is palpable. But there was a Dykesian disparity in the time of possession 37:17 for OSU vs 22:43 for Cal that did not help our defense, who also did not play well. Those long OSU drives looked masterful.
Mr.Mendoza was fairly impressive in his college debut. The Bears were going punch for punch until that unfortunate fumble that turned the game around in the 2nd half. But, the defense wasn't able to get a 3 and out. They weren't able to adjust to the onslaught of the open receivers the Beavers had play after play. The team gave a valiant effort.
We were in the game until turnovers on two successive drives in the 4th quarter. Consistently giving them great field position on KO and punts was also killer. The bright spot is we now have a young quarterback who is a gamer and a keeper.
Defense lost this game. But the silver lining is that we may have found a QB that can play at this level. I guess Stanford should be circled softly as a W, UCLA will be tough because of their stellar D line which is fast and disruptive. Utah maybe if Rising doesn't play, but they have an incredible home win streak which seems to make a Cal victory unlikely. USC a maybe because of the horrific Alex Grinch defense. Oregon maybe cause they are a bit overrated.
Beavers were 6-13 on 3rd (vs 5-10 for Cal) but went 5-5 on 4th down (vs 0-1 for Cal). Those 4th down conversions were the ballgame, and insanely frustrating to watch from the stands.
But Mendoza was good. Started out slow on YPA and % in the first half, but his wheels and decision making, combined with the running game, kept the chains moving. And his passing improved a lot in the second half.
We'll steal one of these next 4 games (though UO would be a miracle) and maybe UCLA, and I'm confident about the Big Game. So looking like 5-7 or 6-6 and setting up well for our first year in the ACC.
The game was exciting until we got down 17 late, and the stadium was loud. Thanks to all the fans that showed up and rattled the OSU line and communication early on.
Why is Strawberry Canyon consistently the site of the most unpredictable, and stressful, games the Beavers ever play?
I had a big event for my nonprofit last night and so couldn't watch the game. Somewhat tracked the score. I'm a leader in the nonprofit world and if I was hiring a person based on an interview, which I do all the time, I definitely look for a Mendoza type of energy. That positive belief in himself, him saying he had the best time of his life in that game, but focused on winning, the way he speaks about his teammates. There is some gene on the 17th chromosome that lets some people be this type of resilient, positive, emotionally compelling, confident but selfless. Great leaders come in many packages, certainly, but in football, and in college football, emotion is huge. My favorite scene in the replay I watched was when Mendoza got the TD with Endries, he runs into the end zone, and then turns around and points both hands at Sessions as he approaches, in full recognition that it was his lineman who made that play possible. It's a genuine moment of respect and love.
Mendoza and the offense are coming to life. Ifanse is a beast and like Wilcox said, many players could benefit from emulating him. The Oline is playing really well. Plent well enough to win games. Spavital is finally getting his show going.
The defense? Who wants to play hard nosed football with the intelligence of a Cal squad? That was embarrassing. Special teams? Appalling. Would Wilcox have the courage to make a change with Sirmon after the season?
The
Because we are a Cal community and let's all say a big f*ing Fiat Lux, I'll critique my own comment through the lens of race and say that Fernando might have all sorts of privilege and confidence from being a tall, pass as caucasian man, in our society, and that the trials SJ has has had to endure are almost certainly greater in kind and scale. It's worthwhile to reflect on what we seek in leaders and what life experiences engenders those traits. We know that generational poverty and ignorance are very hard to overcome. We know that any person subjected to constant negativity will struggle with self-esteem and the intangibles of leadership. It's obviously not the case that all those with high privilege are great leaders and vice versa. It's just one of many lenses to look through. I watch every coach and player interview. SJ has been so down on himself, so dark, so heavy, so leaden. Nando is so bright, effusive, sparkling. Who are we to know what of these traits are related to their youthful lives or genetics. All we can know as Cal alumni is that we should be careful and thoughtful about attributes we ascribe to people that have historically been synonymous with racism.
?
Same ?
Points taken on overcoming the challenges of racism, or the privilege to avoid it.
But on leadership, it was interesting to hear Mendoza name-drop quite a bit in his presser. Not in a superficial way, but in a genuine way that shows selflessness and interest in the talents of others. No man is an island. Hard to tell whether it's a calculated act, but no reason to think it is. It's great for a leader to publicly recognize others. People like to hear their names.
Every great team, ever, was built from the line up. Your house crumbles with a faulty foundation. I think Mendoza was showing some mindfulness about that. As a high school lineman, I can say that, at times, some of the "stars" of the team could make the line feel like unimportant galley slaves. It was yet another slap in our face, but I loved the tackle-eligible play that OSU did.
Hear, hear!
About the D, however.
Tempo offense means shorter TOP, which means your own defense is on the field more often. This is why our score looks Dykes-like.
Good morning, Bears,
I had the craziest dream, After Dark, that we played OSU, but our offense played better than our defense. I mean, c’mon, I’ll believe that when our 3rd string QB starts a game. LMFAO.
What???!!!!
Yes, you won the bet.
I won't throw shade on Jack, anymore. As has been said by others, Jack and we are both better off with his move. I wish him all the best and, yes, he did impress.
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times" to paraphrase Chales Dickens. We finally found an offense that could sustain drives, but time after time our lack of pass rush and inability to cover receivers left the Bears trailing, and playing catch up. It only gets more challenging as the season continues. Fernando Mendoza may have a bright future, hitting various receivers, throwing both downfield and over the middle.
The only reason our D held them under 500 yards is because we gave up so many return yards. Could have easily been more than 600 if we had decent kick coverage.
OSU had to go 5-5 on fourth down to get 52 points. We might have stolen a turnover on downs or forced a punt or two if they had to deal with longer fields.
Unfun fact: The Bears are 3-0 this year in day games and 0-3 in night games. The Bears went winless under the lights last season.
Thought Mendoza looked much better than either Finley or Jackson. He may be the man.
We needed to win the turnover battle and play excellent special teams to pull off the upset. Failed at both.
Also notable was the one-two punch of Ott and Infante. Imagine if we had a better O-Line.
The game very much reminded me of the Sonny Dykes "era". Hard to believe a Wilcox team in a shootout.
Mendoza is a gamer. He's definitely the man going forward. Has the intangibles we haven't seen in Strawberry Canyon since Webb, Goff, Rodgers (in reverse order). If Finley or Jackson played this game it would've been a blowout loss from start to finish. These gamer QB's just have a way of elevating the offense even when it doesn't show up in the stats.
I give the coaches credit for finally recognizing it was time to give Fernando the start. I will also criticize them for taking 6 games to do it. I assume, but have no proof of course, that this is because coaches might really want their portal players to work out immediately for obvious reasons and that freshmen can wait to get their chance. This of course contradicts the idea that any coach will look straight into the camera and say "we will play our best players". We'll see how Mendoza handles Utah. If well, then his 3rd start will be at home vs U$C.
He's already earned the right to have a mediocre game against Utah without getting pulled from the lineup
Coaches put huge a premium on QB experience, often to the detriment of more talented players on the bench.
Agreed. He was channeling his inner Davis Webb, a guy who is exactly the same size. I was pondering over the coaches QB decisions the last few weeks. Finley got UW. Jackson got ASU. Mendoza got OSU. He performed the best so he likely will be the starter the rest of the season. The ability to execute designed runs at his size - 6' 5" is impressive.
That means we win in Provo Saturday right?!?! ;)
“So you’re telling me there’s a chance!”
Wait... did we bring back Spav in order to score 40 points on a ranked team... and lose by 12?
Who the heck is blaming Spav? You either totally miss the point by even bringing up the OSU offense or refuse to consider the truth.
"California head coach Justin Wilcox cannot catch a break."
"But the Golden Bears’ upset bid was not meant to be..."
Someone is giving Wilcox too much credit. Sounds like you fall into that camp. He hasn't built a team that can consistently win. It's not fate. If you want to bury your head in the sand go ahead.
I got what you wrote, Bob.
On a wholly different front, I’d like to say that Justin Allegri and Mike Pawlawski make an excellent broadcast team on KGO. Such a refreshing upgrade. MP still dives too deeply into Xs and Os for my taste, but the whole tone and tenor is elevated by Justin’s astute calls and the enjoyable banter between the two.
I love the X’s and O’s. That’s what an analyst should do
I agree, and most of you have a much higher football IQ than I. I don’t mind it, but mostly I don’t grasp it.
So, Cliff, did you, previously, happen to go by the name Fire Starkey? 😂
Nope. I like and admire Joe Starkey. I always found something to appreciate in each broadcast. But the new team really clicks and takes it to a higher level, I think.
The pac12 broadcasters were terrible. Did we get teh Scout team?
Just one game for Mendoza, so let’s see what he does at Utah. Not expecting 40 pts, but if he can move the ball and play better than our #1 and #2 QBs, then he’s the guy - and only a Freshman! Great for Spav to build up and around him.
Yes, we did give up 52 pts, but we also scored 40 pts on an otherwise really good defense.
Sometimes these weird, offensive games just happen.
Can the D put it behind them? I think so, especially if Cam doesn’t play nest week.
With Mendoza, this was about as close to a moral victory I think I've experienced despite the defense getting drubbed. Also, DJU and OSU deserve their share of credit for that. Some of those backbreaking 3rd down conversions were absolute dimes regardless of the coverage.
We all knew this season was a wash after failing to get it done against Auburn and the UW epic beatdown.. but we had no reason for hope for future seasons. Mendoza just brought that glimmer. Fernado to Trond all day!
I’m glad you’re mentioning that. Giving up the yards they did is frustrating and I get that people are upset, but OSU is a very good, very well-coached team. The TE being allowed to roam free is a coverage/assignment issue. Sirmon deserves his criticism for that. The lack of QB pressure seemed to be a mix of being overmatched in their base and just not getting it done when they brought extra people, but tons of their plays were made where the coverage was there and a player was in the QB’s face. They simply had athletes making plays that superior athletes are going to make that aren’t always successful but were successful when it really mattered. Sucks, but sometimes you can do things right and the other guy still gets the Sports Center highlight catch.
mendoza's post game interview got more likes and views than wilcox's 👀
I might still be high on his offensive performance, but he's actually pretty eloquent too. No "ums" or "uhs" and solid responses making sure to prop up his teammates
he is a highly intelligent guy - this story (from write for california) about his recruitment and commitment kinda gave me the chills, along with his presser last night:
https://writeforcalifornia.com/p/fernando-mendoza-cal-bears-football-commit
i choose to be positive and believe this is the beginning of his consistently great performances, rather than a flash in the pan.
hope is the same as honey for this bear.
Good to see that Mendoza and the offense found a way to score 40 points and the energy Mendoza brings is palpable. But there was a Dykesian disparity in the time of possession 37:17 for OSU vs 22:43 for Cal that did not help our defense, who also did not play well. Those long OSU drives looked masterful.
Mr.Mendoza was fairly impressive in his college debut. The Bears were going punch for punch until that unfortunate fumble that turned the game around in the 2nd half. But, the defense wasn't able to get a 3 and out. They weren't able to adjust to the onslaught of the open receivers the Beavers had play after play. The team gave a valiant effort.
Fire Wilcox.
“Freshmen, more Wilcox!”
We were in the game until turnovers on two successive drives in the 4th quarter. Consistently giving them great field position on KO and punts was also killer. The bright spot is we now have a young quarterback who is a gamer and a keeper.
We also have young and at least serviceable backups that got us to 3-2 heading into this game
Defense lost this game. But the silver lining is that we may have found a QB that can play at this level. I guess Stanford should be circled softly as a W, UCLA will be tough because of their stellar D line which is fast and disruptive. Utah maybe if Rising doesn't play, but they have an incredible home win streak which seems to make a Cal victory unlikely. USC a maybe because of the horrific Alex Grinch defense. Oregon maybe cause they are a bit overrated.
FPI still has us favored vs WSU, surprisingly enough. One of two we're favored in, alongside Furd
Beavers were 6-13 on 3rd (vs 5-10 for Cal) but went 5-5 on 4th down (vs 0-1 for Cal). Those 4th down conversions were the ballgame, and insanely frustrating to watch from the stands.
But Mendoza was good. Started out slow on YPA and % in the first half, but his wheels and decision making, combined with the running game, kept the chains moving. And his passing improved a lot in the second half.
We'll steal one of these next 4 games (though UO would be a miracle) and maybe UCLA, and I'm confident about the Big Game. So looking like 5-7 or 6-6 and setting up well for our first year in the ACC.
The game was exciting until we got down 17 late, and the stadium was loud. Thanks to all the fans that showed up and rattled the OSU line and communication early on.
Curmudgeon alert 🚨🚨🚨 (you mainly, but also Justin was about 70% curmudgeon if you watched his press conference)
Are you really rolling with "this guy who calls me a curmudgeon is secretly a member of Cal Athletics?" Really?
Weird brain you've got there.