Thing is, we HAD a solid PK that saved our season. Through dumb luck, Wilcox found himself a walk-on that stabilized the program after the scholarship kicker that he himself had recruited blew kicks that cost them gamesтАжbut Wilcox said тАЬnah, IтАЩm goodтАЭ, only to grab another scholarship kicker that he himself had recruited who blew kicks that cost them games.
The coaching staff knew Luckhurst was not returning to the football team. Coe was brought in after the Mateen decision. And Coe was a competent PK at his previous stopsтАжonly after he came to Cal did he start missing kicks at a troubling rate. Almost as if there is systemic rot at the top of this coaching staff.
Wilcox did not view Mateen as a full-scholarship player at this level, as he had concerns about returnable kick offs. In that regard, Coe has been a major plus, as he has the leg to force touchbacks. But the accuracy has been severely lacking.
ItтАЩs odd because statistically, CoeтАЩs been a solid enough college kicker at his previous stops (2 years at Delaware, 1 in Cincinnati and a couple of games at UNC before he was injured). And then poof!!тАж. things immediately go south once he joins the Cal program.
Is that just bad luck, variance, whatever you want to call it? Or is it the byproduct of coaching, or a lack thereof? In a vacuum, you could argue itтАЩs the former, but when you look at all the other factors that point to an unhealthy football program, itтАЩs more likely the latter.
maybe true, but why did we miss those field goals? Why do we do worst on D on their and fourth down? Why are there so many mental mistakes in the red zone?
Wilcox is clenched up tighter than a frozen walnut, and I think it affects the players. He should watch some tape of Pete Carroll from 2004 or so.
Which is the madness of Wilcox. Does a coach so close to a 7-2 or even flawless record still lay an egg like last Saturday? How is it that this is the same coach and the same team that fell 9 points short of a 9-0 record?
Maybe, though I'm not convinced that Pitt or NC State couldn't have come back and beaten us on a last-second FG of their own if we had made those. Again, see how bad the defense has been in 4th quarters.
Pitt especially. Their PK showed he had the leg to knock it stiff from 60, yet hereтАЩs Wilcox playing for a field goal first and 10 from the 20 with 2 minutes left. His feel for the game leaves so much to be desired.
All else being the same, if we had made all of our field goals this season, Cal would be 7-2 and Wilcox would be awesome.
Thing is, we HAD a solid PK that saved our season. Through dumb luck, Wilcox found himself a walk-on that stabilized the program after the scholarship kicker that he himself had recruited blew kicks that cost them gamesтАжbut Wilcox said тАЬnah, IтАЩm goodтАЭ, only to grab another scholarship kicker that he himself had recruited who blew kicks that cost them games.
Wasn't Coe in after Luckhurst moved to soccer over the summer?
The coaching staff knew Luckhurst was not returning to the football team. Coe was brought in after the Mateen decision. And Coe was a competent PK at his previous stopsтАжonly after he came to Cal did he start missing kicks at a troubling rate. Almost as if there is systemic rot at the top of this coaching staff.
Wilcox did not view Mateen as a full-scholarship player at this level, as he had concerns about returnable kick offs. In that regard, Coe has been a major plus, as he has the leg to force touchbacks. But the accuracy has been severely lacking.
Leg strength means nothing without accuracy.
Agreed.
ItтАЩs odd because statistically, CoeтАЩs been a solid enough college kicker at his previous stops (2 years at Delaware, 1 in Cincinnati and a couple of games at UNC before he was injured). And then poof!!тАж. things immediately go south once he joins the Cal program.
Is that just bad luck, variance, whatever you want to call it? Or is it the byproduct of coaching, or a lack thereof? In a vacuum, you could argue itтАЩs the former, but when you look at all the other factors that point to an unhealthy football program, itтАЩs more likely the latter.
maybe true, but why did we miss those field goals? Why do we do worst on D on their and fourth down? Why are there so many mental mistakes in the red zone?
Wilcox is clenched up tighter than a frozen walnut, and I think it affects the players. He should watch some tape of Pete Carroll from 2004 or so.
Which is the madness of Wilcox. Does a coach so close to a 7-2 or even flawless record still lay an egg like last Saturday? How is it that this is the same coach and the same team that fell 9 points short of a 9-0 record?
8-2!
Maybe, though I'm not convinced that Pitt or NC State couldn't have come back and beaten us on a last-second FG of their own if we had made those. Again, see how bad the defense has been in 4th quarters.
Pitt especially. Their PK showed he had the leg to knock it stiff from 60, yet hereтАЩs Wilcox playing for a field goal first and 10 from the 20 with 2 minutes left. His feel for the game leaves so much to be desired.
I considered that missed field goal poetic justice for the absolutely awful strategy of that final sequence.
Sigh.