Classic Cal, one for the memory bank without a W 🙁. When the game is rigged by the refs and the league, head coach should speak out, worth getting docked some dough. That should be the Cal activist spirit, no?
This article will hopefully be step 1 in the healing process. Here's to moving on and not ripping open the wound next week against *checks notes* oh dear Oski...
Great stuff. So totally ice blue and tarnished gold. Loved the Gordon Ramsay line and now I feel as though I've let go of some of the bone-in-the-throat angst that lingered for way too long.
This was a good read. It should be pointed out re: the officiating, though, that Cal also got two 25+ yard completions that were not actually completed.
C98 Thank you!! and AMEN. Why is NOBODY talking about this??!! This offsides call was CREATED!!! It wasn’t a “missed call” or “misjudged call.” Refs threw the flag so ND could stay in the game!! Investigation needed. Turnover on downs/ missed FG changes into 1st down and 7pts /TD. Determined the outcome of the game entirely! It’s not a blown call.... IT’S a mean spirited, shady, shameful, unsportsmanlike, and sinister fabrication that hurts the student athletes and college football as a whole. And on top of that every Network Exec., Commissioner, Decision-maker will hammer anybody from Cal Football that asks for an investigation because they’re all in-on-it.
This loss hurt on a big stage and couldn’t be more on point Avi with the “most cal game ever” motto. The refs obviously blew the offside call on the FG attempt. To me, that was when the game changed as CAL was in control up to that point. Wilcox had them ready to play on a big stage and they competed hard. I agree that musgrave is doing a horrible job on his personnel matchups and adjustments. It was obvious in the second half the O line was getting annihilated and Plummer was running for his life. He needs to bring in additional offensive lineman and have them just block. Terry is a tight end but he’s an excellent blocker. Give Plummer more time to hit this talented receiving core and not have him fear running for his life on every drop back. Plummer is going to get injured at some point with this constant abuse every week.
#13, when able to throw, was not entirely accurate. I feel like we were sold a strong, accurate arm and he was "just a bit outside" fairly frequently. But loved the runs. Shades of #7 there...
Did he do any actual coaching while he was there? Thought he was more of an inspirational figurehead who delegated most actual coaching to his assistants. But might not be worse than what we’ve got in McClure…
Defense gave up the middle of the field. The most glaring one was the TD to their TE. Sirmon was over the TE but got sucked up by the QBs eyes and Scott was late covering the slant. Had Sirmon fallen back into the middle (likely where he should have been) the middle would have been closed off and no TD.
Wilcox in his post game presser commented on "a play or two". Ah no, it was way more than a play or two. Cal, in the first quarter, with superior field position did NADA. That is more than a play or 2. While the officiating was egregious and likely cost us the game (multiple times), Cal had ample opportunities to "control" the game and they did not.
Ultimately we lost cuz of our known weakness, the OL. But the OL isn't a weakness it is non-existent here in Wilcox's 6th year. By my eye, of college games I've watched this year, Cal has the worst OL by far.
Despite the OL this game was winnable had we had a better 1st quarter and made ND one dimensional. Very disappointing. I don't see a solution in the near term for the OL.
Cannot be overstated how good a write-up this is in terms of capturing the game itself and the experience of being a Cal football fan. The football team will likely struggle this year but at least WFC will provide some solace through the musings of its talented scribes.
I think the most Cal thing ever was not the close loss on the road to a team with superior raw talent, where our guys played their hearts out and came within a random bounce of going to OT, but rather this article in which Avi melts down about it like it’s the end of human civilization and even makes random barbs at a religion of 1 billion plus ppl on the way. To which I say, okay buddy, sure.
It drives me crazy how little we ran in the 4th quarter. We had two drives where the clock wasn't a concern and we could have ran any play we wanted. There was one run of 0 yards for Ott and a double reverse to a WR. That's it. Brooks never saw the ball again.
So much of football is finding something the opponent can't counter easily and running that until they figure it out. Cal under Musgrove in particular refuses to do that and shies away from what works.
When Cal had success on the ground, the starting Irish defensive end was injured and out, and Cal ran right at his replacement. Unfortunately, the defensive end returned to the field. Point being, the advantage Cal had on that possession was temporary.
Classic Cal, one for the memory bank without a W 🙁. When the game is rigged by the refs and the league, head coach should speak out, worth getting docked some dough. That should be the Cal activist spirit, no?
The offside call stirred up some Game 6 NBA 2002 WCF trauma for me.
Now that was a huge bummer, to put it mildly. I was outraged, in today's parlance, for weeks.
Cool post
This article will hopefully be step 1 in the healing process. Here's to moving on and not ripping open the wound next week against *checks notes* oh dear Oski...
Great stuff. So totally ice blue and tarnished gold. Loved the Gordon Ramsay line and now I feel as though I've let go of some of the bone-in-the-throat angst that lingered for way too long.
This was a good read. It should be pointed out re: the officiating, though, that Cal also got two 25+ yard completions that were not actually completed.
Missed calls happen in every game. Missing a call and fabricating a non-existent penalty out of thin air are two different things.
C98 Thank you!! and AMEN. Why is NOBODY talking about this??!! This offsides call was CREATED!!! It wasn’t a “missed call” or “misjudged call.” Refs threw the flag so ND could stay in the game!! Investigation needed. Turnover on downs/ missed FG changes into 1st down and 7pts /TD. Determined the outcome of the game entirely! It’s not a blown call.... IT’S a mean spirited, shady, shameful, unsportsmanlike, and sinister fabrication that hurts the student athletes and college football as a whole. And on top of that every Network Exec., Commissioner, Decision-maker will hammer anybody from Cal Football that asks for an investigation because they’re all in-on-it.
Notre Dame had every right to challenge those if they were confident enough. Wilcox could do nothing but rightfully rage about the fake penalty.
This loss hurt on a big stage and couldn’t be more on point Avi with the “most cal game ever” motto. The refs obviously blew the offside call on the FG attempt. To me, that was when the game changed as CAL was in control up to that point. Wilcox had them ready to play on a big stage and they competed hard. I agree that musgrave is doing a horrible job on his personnel matchups and adjustments. It was obvious in the second half the O line was getting annihilated and Plummer was running for his life. He needs to bring in additional offensive lineman and have them just block. Terry is a tight end but he’s an excellent blocker. Give Plummer more time to hit this talented receiving core and not have him fear running for his life on every drop back. Plummer is going to get injured at some point with this constant abuse every week.
Best two minute drill run by Cal since Aaron Rodgers against OCU. Same result.
When I heard that, I blew a sarcasm gasket spouting off about it.
#13, when able to throw, was not entirely accurate. I feel like we were sold a strong, accurate arm and he was "just a bit outside" fairly frequently. But loved the runs. Shades of #7 there...
And Herm is gone. I wonder if he can be at Cal by Monday to coach our OL? Asking for a friend.
Did he do any actual coaching while he was there? Thought he was more of an inspirational figurehead who delegated most actual coaching to his assistants. But might not be worse than what we’ve got in McClure…
You play to block the guy in front of you!!
Fascinating to me that GA called out Musgrave on the play calling, like a lot of clowns like me on blogs.
There must be similar questioning going on in the building. Would love to be a fly on the wall at the next O meeting.
Defense gave up the middle of the field. The most glaring one was the TD to their TE. Sirmon was over the TE but got sucked up by the QBs eyes and Scott was late covering the slant. Had Sirmon fallen back into the middle (likely where he should have been) the middle would have been closed off and no TD.
Wilcox in his post game presser commented on "a play or two". Ah no, it was way more than a play or two. Cal, in the first quarter, with superior field position did NADA. That is more than a play or 2. While the officiating was egregious and likely cost us the game (multiple times), Cal had ample opportunities to "control" the game and they did not.
Ultimately we lost cuz of our known weakness, the OL. But the OL isn't a weakness it is non-existent here in Wilcox's 6th year. By my eye, of college games I've watched this year, Cal has the worst OL by far.
Despite the OL this game was winnable had we had a better 1st quarter and made ND one dimensional. Very disappointing. I don't see a solution in the near term for the OL.
Cannot be overstated how good a write-up this is in terms of capturing the game itself and the experience of being a Cal football fan. The football team will likely struggle this year but at least WFC will provide some solace through the musings of its talented scribes.
I really do love W4C, there is solace in being among fellow Bears
Hear hear
I think the most Cal thing ever was not the close loss on the road to a team with superior raw talent, where our guys played their hearts out and came within a random bounce of going to OT, but rather this article in which Avi melts down about it like it’s the end of human civilization and even makes random barbs at a religion of 1 billion plus ppl on the way. To which I say, okay buddy, sure.
I SO wish we’d run some misdirection runs y’day. ND pursued well, use that against them. You get Ott in space and his ceiling is Touchdown Jesus high.
I also hoped we’d been saving up more creativity and trickeration the first two games to unleash against the Irish.
The double reverse took so long to develop I checked other scores around the nation and came back to see it end in a three yard gain.
It drives me crazy how little we ran in the 4th quarter. We had two drives where the clock wasn't a concern and we could have ran any play we wanted. There was one run of 0 yards for Ott and a double reverse to a WR. That's it. Brooks never saw the ball again.
So much of football is finding something the opponent can't counter easily and running that until they figure it out. Cal under Musgrove in particular refuses to do that and shies away from what works.
When Cal had success on the ground, the starting Irish defensive end was injured and out, and Cal ran right at his replacement. Unfortunately, the defensive end returned to the field. Point being, the advantage Cal had on that possession was temporary.