Only Cal could find a way for the offense to actually play good enough to win only for the special teams and coaches to f it all up. Just par for the course for us and that we have been spoiled with God like linebacker play the last few years.
Perhaps but I always felt that GA was better suited for CFB due to his ability to recruit and connect with younger kids but maybe GA always wanted to be a NFL coach.
If I'm an opposing head coach at this point of the season I know this about WIlcox: His ST suck and they aren't getting better. I attack them and pressure them. I know that his is aggressive on both Defensive play calls and offensive play calls and thus he is predictable and I can call plays that will blow up his play calling. Looking back, not taking a field goal with 4th and 1 call early in the game was a YUGE mistake that came back to haunt us. Between that and a blown PAT we went for 2 too many times and failed. We even took a point off the board to go for two from the 5. Uggghhhh!! That ending sequence of the 1st half where we went for the killshot on the long pass that turned into an INT and then the called blitz where Patterson called the run that scored a touchdown are all aggressive playcalls based on emotion and at the wrong time. And we got burned every fucking single time. Sometime taking the points is better. Sometimes playing base or prevent is better. Just sayin...
I was shocked he didn’t kick the FG and take the PAT. Wilcox is supposed to be a defensive minded coach who likes low scoring games, therefore you think he would take any all points early in a game.
At this point you have to clean house and start over. Defense has regressed poorly, seems like Wilcox replacement hires haven’t worked out, specifically with the DBs. I have no faith in Wilcox hiring a competent special teams coach.
This is disappointment that has been played out repeatedly over the last 6+ decades.
We (alums and fans) are being managed. The bottom line is that the institutional culture at Cal does not want a winning program. They simply want to pay the bills.
I agree. Bears lost 3 points on extra point attempts. Bad decision making by the coaching staff to take points off the board when they made the extra point in the second quarter.
Plus guys who actually tackle the ball carrier. Allowing the run up the gut for a closing half TD was a dagger. As was losing Deng early. That hurt a ton.
Obviously different sports, but watching the giants and cal are night and day. One team is far exceeding their talent level due to cutting edge game theory and coaching. The other….
There's a lot to be frustrated about with this game. Also the injury bug is biting yet again and the LB rotation got hit hard - one of the things that killed us on defense.
But we were 11.5 point underdogs with a +340 money line. We lost by 2. Six of the next seven games are somewhere between sure wins and well within reach (not gonna be delusional about UO), followed by 3 rivalry games including mediocre Stanford. It's a tough loss but the season goes on...
If the game had been in Berkeley, I think we would have won. In particular the defense would probably have been less ragged in the second half, both because most teams are a little sharper at home and because it would have been a lot cooler.
Hopefully, there is no extension for Wilcox, I believe his contract is set to end in 2023 but I would not be surprised to see him fired or a "mutual parting" at the end of what looks to be another season with a losing record. Cal sucks in the sports that matter: Football and Basketball, they really need to get it together ASAP. Pathetic.
I think in most cases you offer extension a couple of seasons before the contract year. You rarely see a HC just walk away at end of contract. But then there are cases where the HC coaches without a signed contract so who knows. Lol
Part of it is I, personally, don’t want to go through another roll the dice for new regime yet. And Wilcox may finally get it and make a leap on the learning curve just a bit slower than expected.
Also there needs to be an available coach that actually has a higher ceiling. Wilcox has been frustrating, but I think his improved recruiting will pay off if we have the patience for it.
I stayed away from the game thread because I didn’t want to be a Negabear
It was nice to see the offense actually move the ball and score.
Poor tackling, bad special teams, and terrible coaching decisions all added up to another loss in a winnable game.
Wilcox truly is Homoe 2.0. At this rate, I don’t see us with a winning Pac 12 record, which means that without the 3-0 OOC cushion, Wilcox will have a losing record this season.
Only Cal could find a way for the offense to actually play good enough to win only for the special teams and coaches to f it all up. Just par for the course for us and that we have been spoiled with God like linebacker play the last few years.
Cal football is Sisyphean. We are eternally damned to roll the boulder up the hill only to see it roll back down. Repeat
TDR and GA. That's reason for the dropoff in defense.
I wish Wilcox would have promoted GA to DC to keep him at Cal.
He was always going to the NFL.
Perhaps but I always felt that GA was better suited for CFB due to his ability to recruit and connect with younger kids but maybe GA always wanted to be a NFL coach.
I don’t disagree but making him the DC wouldn’t have changed his nfl dreams
This cannot be emphasized enough.
If I'm an opposing head coach at this point of the season I know this about WIlcox: His ST suck and they aren't getting better. I attack them and pressure them. I know that his is aggressive on both Defensive play calls and offensive play calls and thus he is predictable and I can call plays that will blow up his play calling. Looking back, not taking a field goal with 4th and 1 call early in the game was a YUGE mistake that came back to haunt us. Between that and a blown PAT we went for 2 too many times and failed. We even took a point off the board to go for two from the 5. Uggghhhh!! That ending sequence of the 1st half where we went for the killshot on the long pass that turned into an INT and then the called blitz where Patterson called the run that scored a touchdown are all aggressive playcalls based on emotion and at the wrong time. And we got burned every fucking single time. Sometime taking the points is better. Sometimes playing base or prevent is better. Just sayin...
Those two 3rd and shorts where we went deep and got nothing only to punt on 4th were real lost opportunities.
I was shocked he didn’t kick the FG and take the PAT. Wilcox is supposed to be a defensive minded coach who likes low scoring games, therefore you think he would take any all points early in a game.
If I recall, no stats wise thinking, he'd take the FG in those situations of earlier years in those situations more often or not.
Yeah and I’m all for being aggressive and going for the TD but first drive of the game, take the points and see how the game plays out.
I like Wilcox but his decision making today was terrible-and Ragle should have been shown the door a long time ago. Such a frustrating loss
GET RID OF RAGLE ALREADY
But then where will we get our 3 stars from Arizona?????
At this point you have to clean house and start over. Defense has regressed poorly, seems like Wilcox replacement hires haven’t worked out, specifically with the DBs. I have no faith in Wilcox hiring a competent special teams coach.
Heartbreak? NO. Not on your life.
This is disappointment that has been played out repeatedly over the last 6+ decades.
We (alums and fans) are being managed. The bottom line is that the institutional culture at Cal does not want a winning program. They simply want to pay the bills.
Your move.
Another very winnable game lost by poor coaching and game management. Wilcox is lost and this feels like the start of the end.
It really does feel like Wilcox is stuck in the beginning of a death spiral. Feels like 2001 all over again.
Well that would more than likely be 1941 but 2001 is right up there with it.
I agree. Bears lost 3 points on extra point attempts. Bad decision making by the coaching staff to take points off the board when they made the extra point in the second quarter.
Offense finally clicks. Everything else falls apart.
Been watching Cal football for too long to expect anything different. Honestly, the goal should be above .500 and a bowl game.
It makes me wonder how on Earth Tedford did it. Even then it was only for a few years.
Having the greatest QB of all time probably played a role. Let’s go find another!
And an absolute stable of stud running backs. And a defense.
And DeSean to throw to, and to have returning punts…
Plus guys who actually tackle the ball carrier. Allowing the run up the gut for a closing half TD was a dagger. As was losing Deng early. That hurt a ton.
We had stud DL and LB those days. And DBs too
Tedford recruited amazing because he wasn't paying any attention to academics.
But Wilcox has built so much depth with his OKGs…
People don’t believe me when I say Rodgers was the best college QB I’ve ever seen
You monster
Glad I am not the only one who thinks the coaches lost this one with poor game theory.
Obviously different sports, but watching the giants and cal are night and day. One team is far exceeding their talent level due to cutting edge game theory and coaching. The other….
There's a lot to be frustrated about with this game. Also the injury bug is biting yet again and the LB rotation got hit hard - one of the things that killed us on defense.
But we were 11.5 point underdogs with a +340 money line. We lost by 2. Six of the next seven games are somewhere between sure wins and well within reach (not gonna be delusional about UO), followed by 3 rivalry games including mediocre Stanford. It's a tough loss but the season goes on...
If the game had been in Berkeley, I think we would have won. In particular the defense would probably have been less ragged in the second half, both because most teams are a little sharper at home and because it would have been a lot cooler.
I still think we have the potential to finish 7-5 with a winning conference record. Hell, 6-6 would mean 5-4 in conference
Hopefully, there is no extension for Wilcox, I believe his contract is set to end in 2023 but I would not be surprised to see him fired or a "mutual parting" at the end of what looks to be another season with a losing record. Cal sucks in the sports that matter: Football and Basketball, they really need to get it together ASAP. Pathetic.
If they don’t go to a bowl game this year no chance Wilcox gets an extension.
Well not even extension. It's a matter of firing him this off-season
I hope you're right but this is Cal athletics we are talking about, they are the polar opposite of Cal academics.
(Scratches head) I guess I’d be okay with running his contract through excepting maybe if he wins North at the least then maybe an extension.
I think in most cases you offer extension a couple of seasons before the contract year. You rarely see a HC just walk away at end of contract. But then there are cases where the HC coaches without a signed contract so who knows. Lol
Part of it is I, personally, don’t want to go through another roll the dice for new regime yet. And Wilcox may finally get it and make a leap on the learning curve just a bit slower than expected.
Also there needs to be an available coach that actually has a higher ceiling. Wilcox has been frustrating, but I think his improved recruiting will pay off if we have the patience for it.
I stayed away from the game thread because I didn’t want to be a Negabear
It was nice to see the offense actually move the ball and score.
Poor tackling, bad special teams, and terrible coaching decisions all added up to another loss in a winnable game.
Wilcox truly is Homoe 2.0. At this rate, I don’t see us with a winning Pac 12 record, which means that without the 3-0 OOC cushion, Wilcox will have a losing record this season.
O gawd my nipples are so hard right now. This punishment is what it’s all about!
Go Bears!
One thing we haven’t seen from a Wilcox team - how they respond to a start like this.
Every year, it’s been “Still undefeated!” -> “PAC-12 still in play” -> “Let’s get a better bowl”. Something to unite the players around.
Now, what does Wilcox do here? Can you convince a team they’re conference-championship worthy when you’re 0-2?
It will be difficult when the players know they didn't lose that game, but poor coaching decisions did...
I think you tell the team we lost 2 winnable games to top 25 teams.
Yep it seems obvious but will he? We don’t know. He’s never been a head coach in this situation before
He needs to figure it out because if he loses the team it can get ugly real fast.
No one went into that year thinking we’d go 1-11
We didn't lose that many games !! lol
2001? Yeah, I agree. People forget that Cal and it’s fans had a decent expectations for 2001 before it Holmoe and that team completely collapsed.