Cal bludgeons Oregon State in Berkeley

A relaxing game and one that hopefully gets the train back on the tracks.

California kicker Derek Morris (Courtesy: Cal Athletics)

This last month for the California Golden Bears and its fans were nothing short of challenging. Saturday’s game against Oregon State reminded everyone exactly what the potential of this program is, provided it doesn’t shoot itself in the foot. It was a comprehensive beatdown for four quarters, with the Bears playing winning football consistently on offense, defense, and special teams.

Could Cal have converted some of those field goals into touchdowns? Absolutely. The Bears managed to score four touchdowns, win the turnover advantage, and will a usually efficient offense right into submission. Without Cade Uluave, TJ Session, Ryan McCulloch, and Tobias Merriweather, it would have been easy for this game to turn into a plodding affair.

But at least for now, Cal fans can kick their feet up and enjoy seemingly one of the least stressful games in years.

Records records records

Lots of Bears got their names into both the program and personal record books against Oregon State:

• Fernando Mendoza threw for a career high 364 passing yards.

  • Mendoza had a receiving touchdown without a reception (don’t you love stat reporting).

• True freshman PWO K Derek Morris tied the school record with 5 made field goals in a game.

  • Morris is 8/9 in his young career and most importantly looks more composed with each kick. Now that one miss is obviously a tough pill to swallow, but there’s bigger attributions to the red zone offense that deserve more attention.

• Frederick Williams III recorded his first start at RT in place of TJ Session and did quite alright.

  • The Bears didn’t give up a sack all game, a feat that is impressive with all of the musical chairs at the offensive line positions. Freshman Frederick Williams III helped keep Nikko Taylor at bay, was a stabilizing presence outside of one drive, and gained valuable reps and experience for the future.

• Jamaal Wiley punches it into paydirt for his first career Cal touchdown.

  • The true freshman is said to have some package drawn up for him according to Justin Wilcox. After not getting into the end zone on first and goal from the one yard line, Aristotle Thompson implored Wiley to punch it in, which he did emphatically. It’s good to see the new kids on the block make a name for themselves.

The defense dusted themselves off

After dealing with those third and fourth down gremlins in recent weeks, Cal held Oregon State to a combined 4-17 on 3rd and 4th down. OLB Xavier Carlton declared postgame that the defense had a meeting post Pitt and carried the mentality of wanting to strike fear into their opponents. After several close losses where conversions by literal inches have made all the difference, it was good to see the defense continually respond.

It would have been easy for the defense to become sick of those situational circumstances but the ability to channel that frustration into punching back harder is encouraging to see. It’s only one game and there are still numerous conference games left on the menu. The journey will take more commitment to stomping out those minute issues.

The Bears also limited a usually very efficient Oregon State offense, setting them behind the chains repeatedly, and causing starting quarterback Gevani McCoy to get benched in the first half. Holding Anthony Hankerson in check set the tone for Cal, as he has showcased the ability to fall forward on several occasions, but had nowhere to go on Saturday. Cal will face a slow mesh offense in Wake Forest coming out of the bye, so activity at the line of scrimmage will become paramount.

The best special teams game of the Justin Wilcox era?

These past few years have been a lopsided affair in the special teams department with Jonathan Smith using it as a weapon for the Beavers. Saturday’s tilt featured Cal getting on the front foot on special teams and not letting go as they won field position, battles with the kicking units, and holding firm on the coverage units. The Bears frankly did it all, a welcome change for a unit that has yet to put it all together in the same game.

• Derek Morris went 5/5 on field goals. Despite his high rating coming out of high school, doing this as a true freshman walk on is impressive.

• Lachlan Wilson helped pin Oregon State back.

• Derek Wilkins blocked a field goal, the first ever blocked one in the Justin Wilcox era.

• Hunter Barth forced a fumble on an Oregon State kick return, which the Bears recovered.

Special teams didn’t put a foot wrong against the Beavers. In future games it’s definitely not fair to expect this level of performance, but knowing that this is in the chamber can and should raise expectations for how the 2024 team can play complementary football.

Conclusions

Cal put their foot on the gas and didn’t let up against an inferior opponent. Oregon State was totally outmatched and the Bears made sure to let them know about it, which is something that Cal fans aren’t all that used to seeing. At least for now, the season has somewhat stabilized and the train seems to be back on the tracks after a derailment.

It was a great win, one that was sorely necessary and one that you need to build upon. I personally expect Cade Uluave and Tobias Merriweather back for the Wake Forest game, adding some firepower back to a team that will continue to welcome it.

There aren’t many jarring conclusions to be made after a game like this when the sample size has dictated what type of team Cal is. However, that doesn’t mean those notions and expectations can change by the time the Bears march into Dallas to take on SMU.

But it starts by building on this game. Cal will be no more than a three point underdog at Wake Forest and have several avenues to win that contest. It’s go time as college football hits the home stretch of the regular season, and on the Bears to rewrite their narrative.