not sure this was ever a nail-biter. It was clear from the time that we went down 7-6, that Pitt had the game in hand by controlling the lines. Did anyone really think Cal could pull it out?
Maybe someone can post idiocy like last week, where they said the last second loss to Miami would give those who want to fire Wilcox more ammunition? No, we don't need more ammunition, the guy is a total and complete failure at coaching, nice guy, bad coach. This is 100% on play calling, execution, strategy, preparation, and coaching, not effort or desire. I feel bad for the kids, they just haven't been taught to win. Winning breeds winning, and they just don't know how to close out games. Losing close while literally dominating every stat is insanity. But even more insane is that Wilcox is still the coach. I say redirect your NIL money to his buyout, it's higher value return. And to those who are content with Wilcox, contemplate this stat after 8 years: against Power 5 teams in regular season, Wilcox is 29-42. Only 8 of those wins were against teams that finished above .500. If that's not a fireable offense, I don't know what is.
Nah. I’m over it now. I saw nothing encouraging out of that game other than making Eli Holstein look pedestrian. Pitt was a very beatable opponent, and it was a slop-fest on play execution and moving backwards at the most inopportune times on penalties. The defense did not more than enough to win that game with a halfway effective offense. The fact that their kicker hit a 55or whatever it was yarder while ours missed a 40 badly is that game in a nutshell.
Cal outgained Pitt in total yards, won the turnover battle 2-0, held a 17 minute advantage in time of possession (f-ing 17 minutes!!), scored the same amount of TDs and FGs yet somehow still lost.
There is way too much at stake for the entire athletic department to continue to allow Justin Wilcox to lead this football program.
Fire Wilcox. I’m done with him and excuses. Bloesch should never have been OC. Mendoza should have been the named starter this season and last season. Coe should have been benched. I could go on. Why the F did we go for 2?
30+ years season tickets and we are pathetic. This is more pathetic than the Holmoe years. We have the talent. Our coaches are trash. How many second chances are we going to give Wilcox?
I just wish they would write what needs to be done. Get Wilcox OUT. Continuing this. Nonsense for the next 3 yrs so Wilcox have set up his trust funds for his kids at the expense of our program and reputation is disgusting. Get rid of him now and in 2yrs we could be a completely different program with the right coach...we could be soooo much more...and bring in soo much money (good the the school!) if we could have a decent team
Just what I predicted before the season. 6-6 or 5-7, marginal, or no, bowl game. But we will probably beat Stanford and Knowlton will give Wilcox another year. Unless someone else (Rich Lyons?) or $$ (Rivera, Lynch, NIL collective) steps in. I will say this, although it's the same old Bears under Wilcox, I have enjoyed being in the ACC and all the exposure and big game feel. Much more interesting than the Pac 12 for me.
I think Cal has been one of the, if not THE, most underachieving institutions in big time sports for a long time. As the Game Day showing proved, Cal could be a big time program if they had the right people in place that actually wanted to be big time.. Especially now with Pro sports gone from the East Bay, Cal having a huge student body and donor base, etc. Cal could be the Michigan of the West if they really wanted to be. But that's a big IF. They could sellout every game and be a dominant program. All of the pieces are there they just don't care enough about it to make it happen
If anything, the increased exposure in the ACC might actually be putting more scrutiny on how much Cal is fumbling away these games. If all this is happening on Pac-12 Network, no one notices or cares. It's all happening on ESPN, though, sandwiched around a very memorable GameDay visit. That might be what the program actually needs: the school admins might not care that much about football, but they do care about being publicly embarrassed.
I really don't think that's a realistic prospect or that Michigan is a reasonable comparison. Our facilities are meh, our fan support is meh as we don't have much of a fan base outside our local alumni base, our football donor/NIL base is meh. Our ceiling as a program is more like a west coast version of Utah or Kansas State.
I think at the high end you could shoot for having a program like Wisconsin: usually good, rarely dominant, but can contend for conference titles when the stars align.
This loss was 100% on the coaches with poor preparation (so many penalties/bad O-line play), bad play calling, and very poor game management/decisions.
The kids fought hard, too many mistakes on the field and sidelines, Pitt was lucky to win this game.
We all failed today,” Coach Wilcox said after the game.
What a d$ck thing to say, even if it was true (and it wasn’t).
Be a man and take the blame not because you deserve most of it (and you do), but because these are just kids at the end of the day. The Head Coach is supposed to f’ing protect them and take the hits. Keep that stuff private between you and the players.
I just lost a ton of respect for Wilcox. Maybe this is where he loses the team.
Did he really say that? No, he failed this team today when he made the decision to go for 2 after our TD in the first quarter. A terrible decision by a bad coach.
Everyone has done an admirable job of dogpiling on Wilcox. I doubt anything will happen, if at all, until the end of the season. Games like today will repeat. Keep cheering, but knowing a change has to be made. Meanwhile, hoops is around the corner, and a lot to be optimistic on that front.
I just hope everyone remembers that I don't push for coaches to get fired haphazardly. I stay on trains for longer than I should. Wilcox is not that train. If you're going to be mediocre, do it scoring a lot like Dykes. Losing 70% of your games in defensive rock fights is program-ending.
This is the part that was so hard for me for so long. Losing 56-55 also really sucks, and Sonny Dykes does have the distinction of being the coach during the season with the most losses ever. Maybe it was more fun in the moment scoring points but I still felt just as shitty afterwards. I think I deluded myself into thinking it was better losing close games while not allowing the other team to dunk on your team at the same time, but I’ve finally reached the realization it’s just the other side of the shit sandwich. It’s still a shit sandwich, and the school deserves better.
My point is more that as long as you're able to score, you're always in the game. Your team is also more exciting and easier to recruit for. And most importantly, if you want to be competitive in modern football you need an elite QB. After 8 years of Wilcox, we are legitimately incapable of recruiting an offense any longer and have to rely entirely on the transfer portal to fill those roster spots -- not sustainable. Currently, 3 of our (would be) starting WR, 3 of our RBs, 2 of our starting OL, a TE, and our backup QBs are all transfers. We are looking at the 65th ranked HS recruiting class for next year. We cannot pull a Colorado and try to just rely entirely on the transfer portal -- we are fucked in 1-2 years if we don't turn it around immediately.
With Wilcox, we cannot even protect a 25 point 4th quarter lead. There is no faith that we can score enough to come from behind in a second half. There is no way to drum up hope. This feels like the end of his regime. But what scares me the most is the possibility that it's not.
Please expunge the Wilcox loser stink from this program as soon as humanly possible. A coach whose teams’ identity has consistently been “find any way to lose” for a decade is not nearly as hard to improve on as people would have you believe.
I stand by my comment. The reason the fan base, donor base, etc is meh is because the school has not prioritized the program and thus they have been by and large a losing program for decades. If they cared enough and started winning they would dwarf Utah in support. Cal has a huge fan base it's just dormant. Build a sustainable winner and they'll come storming back.
It’s almost like you can feel what few fans Cal has left are just turning against Wilcox. Game Day coming to Cal was the worse thing that could happen for Wilcox.
Thanks Rick.
It must grow tiresome finding different ways to say the exact same frigging things each week with this coaching staff.
Your efforts are appreciated, bud.
small nit to Rick:
not sure this was ever a nail-biter. It was clear from the time that we went down 7-6, that Pitt had the game in hand by controlling the lines. Did anyone really think Cal could pull it out?
I thought there was a chance after the Endries TD, but alas Cal needed to Cal
Maybe someone can post idiocy like last week, where they said the last second loss to Miami would give those who want to fire Wilcox more ammunition? No, we don't need more ammunition, the guy is a total and complete failure at coaching, nice guy, bad coach. This is 100% on play calling, execution, strategy, preparation, and coaching, not effort or desire. I feel bad for the kids, they just haven't been taught to win. Winning breeds winning, and they just don't know how to close out games. Losing close while literally dominating every stat is insanity. But even more insane is that Wilcox is still the coach. I say redirect your NIL money to his buyout, it's higher value return. And to those who are content with Wilcox, contemplate this stat after 8 years: against Power 5 teams in regular season, Wilcox is 29-42. Only 8 of those wins were against teams that finished above .500. If that's not a fireable offense, I don't know what is.
Nah. I’m over it now. I saw nothing encouraging out of that game other than making Eli Holstein look pedestrian. Pitt was a very beatable opponent, and it was a slop-fest on play execution and moving backwards at the most inopportune times on penalties. The defense did not more than enough to win that game with a halfway effective offense. The fact that their kicker hit a 55or whatever it was yarder while ours missed a 40 badly is that game in a nutshell.
Cal outgained Pitt in total yards, won the turnover battle 2-0, held a 17 minute advantage in time of possession (f-ing 17 minutes!!), scored the same amount of TDs and FGs yet somehow still lost.
There is way too much at stake for the entire athletic department to continue to allow Justin Wilcox to lead this football program.
This game was going to basically be my last straw, and Wilcox broke it in the most Wilcox way possible.
Ya this one was real tough, doc. The complete Wilcox experience this season.
First time commentator, long time reader.
Fire Wilcox. I’m done with him and excuses. Bloesch should never have been OC. Mendoza should have been the named starter this season and last season. Coe should have been benched. I could go on. Why the F did we go for 2?
30+ years season tickets and we are pathetic. This is more pathetic than the Holmoe years. We have the talent. Our coaches are trash. How many second chances are we going to give Wilcox?
Jon, welcome to our group therapy sessions!
Welcome, Jon.
Thank you! Love this website and especially all the comments, good to hear from others thoughts throughout the seasons.
It’s the best around, and the writers are fantastic.
I just wish they would write what needs to be done. Get Wilcox OUT. Continuing this. Nonsense for the next 3 yrs so Wilcox have set up his trust funds for his kids at the expense of our program and reputation is disgusting. Get rid of him now and in 2yrs we could be a completely different program with the right coach...we could be soooo much more...and bring in soo much money (good the the school!) if we could have a decent team
Just what I predicted before the season. 6-6 or 5-7, marginal, or no, bowl game. But we will probably beat Stanford and Knowlton will give Wilcox another year. Unless someone else (Rich Lyons?) or $$ (Rivera, Lynch, NIL collective) steps in. I will say this, although it's the same old Bears under Wilcox, I have enjoyed being in the ACC and all the exposure and big game feel. Much more interesting than the Pac 12 for me.
I think Cal has been one of the, if not THE, most underachieving institutions in big time sports for a long time. As the Game Day showing proved, Cal could be a big time program if they had the right people in place that actually wanted to be big time.. Especially now with Pro sports gone from the East Bay, Cal having a huge student body and donor base, etc. Cal could be the Michigan of the West if they really wanted to be. But that's a big IF. They could sellout every game and be a dominant program. All of the pieces are there they just don't care enough about it to make it happen
If anything, the increased exposure in the ACC might actually be putting more scrutiny on how much Cal is fumbling away these games. If all this is happening on Pac-12 Network, no one notices or cares. It's all happening on ESPN, though, sandwiched around a very memorable GameDay visit. That might be what the program actually needs: the school admins might not care that much about football, but they do care about being publicly embarrassed.
I really don't think that's a realistic prospect or that Michigan is a reasonable comparison. Our facilities are meh, our fan support is meh as we don't have much of a fan base outside our local alumni base, our football donor/NIL base is meh. Our ceiling as a program is more like a west coast version of Utah or Kansas State.
I think at the high end you could shoot for having a program like Wisconsin: usually good, rarely dominant, but can contend for conference titles when the stars align.
yes, the exposure has been great so far. But with a losing record (O-fer, actually) in conference, it won't be long until we are the game after dark.
This loss was 100% on the coaches with poor preparation (so many penalties/bad O-line play), bad play calling, and very poor game management/decisions.
The kids fought hard, too many mistakes on the field and sidelines, Pitt was lucky to win this game.
poor game management decisions has been ongoing for as long as JW has been HC. I'd guess his bad decisions alone costs 2 wins per year.
We all failed today,” Coach Wilcox said after the game.
What a d$ck thing to say, even if it was true (and it wasn’t).
Be a man and take the blame not because you deserve most of it (and you do), but because these are just kids at the end of the day. The Head Coach is supposed to f’ing protect them and take the hits. Keep that stuff private between you and the players.
I just lost a ton of respect for Wilcox. Maybe this is where he loses the team.
Did he really say that? No, he failed this team today when he made the decision to go for 2 after our TD in the first quarter. A terrible decision by a bad coach.
Coach Wilcox did indeed say that in the post-game press conference. I was surprised, too.
The full quote at the end of a discussion about game-planning: "And obviously, the entire group—players and coaches—we all failed today."
The chatter’s getting louder.
Hey money people you know what to do. Fire Wilcox.
And make Knowlton pay half of it.
Yup.
The conversations have taken place.
Brutal. This loss falls entirely at the feet of the coaching staff. When will they pay the price?
Last Home Game: Game Day, playing #6 Miami, chance to really turn around the program.
Next Home Game: Playing NC State.
Best just to leave the stadium doors open and not charge anyone to get some seats filled.
Maybe even have a free buffet?
Everyone has done an admirable job of dogpiling on Wilcox. I doubt anything will happen, if at all, until the end of the season. Games like today will repeat. Keep cheering, but knowing a change has to be made. Meanwhile, hoops is around the corner, and a lot to be optimistic on that front.
I wish I liked basketball more. Mark Madsen seems like a good dude. Once baseball and football are done I’m a lot more productive.
The Cal offense didn’t just fall apart in the second half, it was actively neutered by our own coaches with a golden chance to win the game.
I just hope everyone remembers that I don't push for coaches to get fired haphazardly. I stay on trains for longer than I should. Wilcox is not that train. If you're going to be mediocre, do it scoring a lot like Dykes. Losing 70% of your games in defensive rock fights is program-ending.
This is the part that was so hard for me for so long. Losing 56-55 also really sucks, and Sonny Dykes does have the distinction of being the coach during the season with the most losses ever. Maybe it was more fun in the moment scoring points but I still felt just as shitty afterwards. I think I deluded myself into thinking it was better losing close games while not allowing the other team to dunk on your team at the same time, but I’ve finally reached the realization it’s just the other side of the shit sandwich. It’s still a shit sandwich, and the school deserves better.
My point is more that as long as you're able to score, you're always in the game. Your team is also more exciting and easier to recruit for. And most importantly, if you want to be competitive in modern football you need an elite QB. After 8 years of Wilcox, we are legitimately incapable of recruiting an offense any longer and have to rely entirely on the transfer portal to fill those roster spots -- not sustainable. Currently, 3 of our (would be) starting WR, 3 of our RBs, 2 of our starting OL, a TE, and our backup QBs are all transfers. We are looking at the 65th ranked HS recruiting class for next year. We cannot pull a Colorado and try to just rely entirely on the transfer portal -- we are fucked in 1-2 years if we don't turn it around immediately.
With Wilcox, we cannot even protect a 25 point 4th quarter lead. There is no faith that we can score enough to come from behind in a second half. There is no way to drum up hope. This feels like the end of his regime. But what scares me the most is the possibility that it's not.
Please expunge the Wilcox loser stink from this program as soon as humanly possible. A coach whose teams’ identity has consistently been “find any way to lose” for a decade is not nearly as hard to improve on as people would have you believe.
How was, such a tedious game, a nail-biter?
More like having IBS for the afternoon and rest of the weekend.
I stand by my comment. The reason the fan base, donor base, etc is meh is because the school has not prioritized the program and thus they have been by and large a losing program for decades. If they cared enough and started winning they would dwarf Utah in support. Cal has a huge fan base it's just dormant. Build a sustainable winner and they'll come storming back.
Tedford proved that this is true.
Attendance was at a high level from '04 through '09. Not an accident.
It’s almost like you can feel what few fans Cal has left are just turning against Wilcox. Game Day coming to Cal was the worse thing that could happen for Wilcox.
When the best thing to happen for your program in over a decade is also the worst thing to happen for your coach, you REALLY have the wrong coach
It is. He squandered the momentum from Game Day in a week.
Just a real bang up job by the coaching staff.