Gonna say something unpopular but hear me out: don't start Ott at RB. If we are going up the middle with RPO, use Ifanse and Stredick to soften up the lines...then bring in Ott later to hit home runs. It's a mistake to use Ott as a power back. He'll never make it through the season and that's not his strength anyhow. He's not an every down back. I would save him for later in the game and as a third down specialist that they have to cover. That would also open upper receivers in longer yardage situations.
THAT would be interesting, especially if Finley's been in at QB. Jax is incredibly fast so I don't know if Wildcat gets you much change of pace, but it certainly would with Finley.
Good idea. Running 20-25 carries including the power runs against Washington will not be a good idea. Ifanse is more suited for those type of runs. Also Ott in space is what we should be going for, taking advantage of his strengths. I hope we will judiciously use 3-4 backs in the game keeping everyone fresh to the extent we can. We are still fifth in the nation in rushing even with Ott missing a game...
Also there a few keys to the game which might give us a chance. 1. Keep the ball away from Penix by controlling the time of possession. 2. Pressure Penix - he has been given all day to throw in the Huskies first three games. 3. Change our looks on defense to keep them off-balance. 4. Bring it with the run game if we can.
Forecast right now is for showers in the Seattle area on Saturday.
I think they need to open up the playbook, give different looks to keep the D guessing and find other ways to give Ott the ball in space....some jet sweeps, a reverse, short passes or wheel routes. They haven't really used the RPO effectively and the screens have been ineffective (poor blocking)...not sure if that's a learning curve and to keep plays simple for SJV. Spav should watch how the 9ers find various ways of getting CMC the rock!
100% this. He is the best, most dynamic player on the field, and this coaching staff needs to find every way possible to get the ball in his hands. For all his faults, even Musgrave was using Ott on wheel routes out of the backfield.
I've wondered the same thing, though you don't want his presence or lack thereof to tip plays either. You would start him since our opening drive is probably scripted and then mix things up based on what we see (maybe we already do that?).
You also have to be careful about weighting 3rd down more heavily. Moving the chains on 1st and 2nd is better for a drive. Unfortunately, there's no easy way to scheme around having a middling passing game.
Good points. I also like the idea of using Ott on the first series (to see if you can get a big play before they are settled in)...but running him into a wall for Q1 is just a bad game plan.
I could also see mixing him in on different downs, not just third, but I was thinking along the lines of a guy like Ronnie Harmon (old Chargers guy) who they would bring in as a RB/wide out on 3rd downs, and had a lot of success with that formula.
Ott is THE guy you want out in space so that makes sense. Our screen game has been underwhelming but I still wouldn't want to be a LB who has to catch him.
Which back is the best blocker? Would be cool to see some multiple tail back sets. Remember how Oregon and Nevada used pistol concepts with two RBs and a ton of deception? Something like that would be cool especially with Sam as QB.
Also maybe wheel routes? It strikes me that our O’s main weakness is lack of a downfield passing threat and we have one of the fastest guys in the country just sitting there. Counterpoint is I guess wheel routes require good pass protection, so maybe use him slot too?
Not having any inside information on his health, I have no idea whether Ott will even play again this year. Though on the face of it he didn’t appear to have been hurt nearly as badly as Jahvid Best was on his fateful fall, one wonders what’s the timeline for recovery or if there might be some complicated considerations for him to sort through. For instance, we all know that based on his upside Ott could command good money from a top program’s NIL offer if he enters the transfer portal after this year, but only if he’s got a clean bill of health at that juncture. Not playing the rest of this year but being in the best shape possible when suitors come calling is not the most bizarre idea for him to consider. This is the new market reality. But, I suppose you could also argue he’s got to prove he is durable enough to be worth it.
The fall was bad but not season ending. He's going to play again this year and as far as I've seen there's no precedent for players sitting out all but 2 games to command more NIL money from another program; it's silly to suggest Ott would do that his true sophomore year.
This is my 35th season in the stands, have only missed 2 games in that stretch. Couple of thoughts.
1. Jackson at the QB position is basically Zach Maynard with better legs, except this time our Keenan Allen player transferred to UCLA. He doesn't read the field well, is often too late to make the throw, and is not particularly accurate in both the short, middle, and downfield passes. #83 made the catch of the year on an overthrown ball. So far, I am not impressed. I still think Finley is the better choice to complement our run game, we don't need designed QB runs
2. The receivers have had trouble getting open in man coverage. I thought it was just Auburn's athletes, but Idaho was able to do the same thing. Coaches need to figure that one out fast cause I don't think we will be seeing much zone the rest of the way and our QB needs as much help as possible with the downfield passing game
Agree, Jax is VERY raw as a passer but I think has the overall higher ceiling as a QB. Finley is a better passer, but I don't know if he's good enough to overcome the defensive resources freed up by not spying Sam. We're stuck in the "2 backups, no starter" limbo and our best hope may be that Jax learns quickly.
Our receivers aren't blocking nor getting open. That's not helping either QB. Sigh.
I know it is counter to conventional wisdom but I wonder if we should keep playing both to make opposing defenses have to keep adjusting. On their own, neither one is that good, tho maybe over time one of the two clearly establishes himself as the guy. Right now, slight lean to Jackson, but it is not that clear. The lean to Jackson is based on projecting his improvement as a passer which may or may not happen
Anent the QB's and receivers, they are competing on a team in a major conference, yet seem to be making very basic mistakes ie, QBs who can't throw accurately plus don't go thru their progressions and receivers who can't separate nor block well. This boils down to talent and coaching. Cal is a recruiting bottom feeder and many of the coaches are second tier. Something fundamental has to change or Cal will play in every opponents homecoming game. I really like Wilcox as a person and his values seem impeccable. However, until something earth shattering happens, sadly Cal (screw "Cal Berkeley") will be a second rate program and we will be become more and more frustrated.
Maynard gets unfairly trashed. He was a mediocre to average Pac 12 QB. He just had unfortunate combo of coming at the end of the Tedford era where everyone was looking for someone to blame, and that his mistakes look particularly egregious (his accuracy on easy throws was maddeningly inconsistent).
Agree Sam is way more like McIlwain in terms of passing development except Sam has better decision-making and won't force the bad pass over and over again.
Yeah, Maynard wasn’t a player without some really bright moments. In fact, we basically could have beaten Ohio St. on the road without a bad call (in my opinion) being made for holding on a TD run by Anderson. Maynard played great in that game. But those were the days of Tedford’s vanilla offenses falling short of the new trends that proliferated at that time (and later helped Dykes’ teams thrive). Maynard (who took Cal to a bowl) did alright given the hand he was dealt. For instance, I can imagine Maynard having blossomed under Franklin or, even more so, in Oregon’s hurry up style the Ducks pioneered under Kelly in the 2010’s. Not saying he could ever have had anything approaching astronomical numbers like Goff, but certainly better than what we saw at Cal with its OC’s in that pre-Dykes era.
I kept reading well into Fall Camp that Cal had a "stacked" receiving room. Hunter was already proven from last season, and Hightower and Davis came in highly regarded through the portal. And now we are saying they can't get open and don't know how to block downfield. Something is rotten in Denmark given that Spav is supposed to be an offensive guru and sure as hell showed it when Davis Webb was his quarterback in 2016. I agree with your first point that Jackson does not have good field vision and struggles with check-downs. He got away with it in high school, but it sure shows up now.
The WRs do not block a lick. This team lacks toughness, both physically and mentally, which is on Wilcox. They don’t play smart - Endries not turning around on a crucial 4Q play v. Auburn…the special teamer downing the ball with :02 seconds left Sat instead of letting the half expire…David Reese lining up offsides on a crucial 4th & 4 play. Stupid.
Wilcox’s players have struggled with situational awareness from day one, and we’re in year 7. THAT’s how you have a sub-.500 overall record despite a historically awful period for the P12 Conference. It will continue until a change is made at the top.
Yes, his overcontrolled anger seems to tell of the short leash the University keeps him on. Honestly, if I were a player, I'd constantly be left wondering what matters to Wilcox as he seems to mask his emotions painfully. I would love to see Wilcox get some latitude and be, well, less emotionally constipated and impart some passion to the troops. Maybe slam a wall?
I wonder if Cal and Stanford maybe should have stayed with Oregon state and Wazzu and focused on being prominent in a merged Pac-4/Mountain West conference. It's always been such a struggle and a constant series of disappointment in the Pac 12. Cal hasn't exactly been dominant against Mountain west opponents and even these Division II games are often not a given. The ACC with the likes of Clemson may be another opportunity to be the doormat. Maybe that's why they were accepted?
With the Apple plus minus option that was presented, I agree. But there are a lot of sports TV channels and the number of future streaming channels is essentially limitless, so there must be a market for even mediocre college football content in the Saturday night "after dark" time slot, after the 2 home games a week among the USC/UCLA/Oregon/Washington traitors.
Anyway, that ship has sailed and a deal's a deal. My thoughts are really just academic at this point.
Yeah I feel you that there was likely a more creative deal out there after the SoCal traitors bolted for the Midwest, but unfortunately our conference leadership kind of shat the bed and then when the Ducks and Huskies left, the jig was up
I don’t think the ACC is full of dominant programs. Clemson seems to be regressing due to a number of reasons (losing coordinators, not embracing NIL/portal, recruits not living up to their potential) and most programs outside of Miami and FSU have similar talent and are just as inconsistent as Cal. I figure most years we will play 1 of the big 3 (Miami, FSU, Clemson) so as long as we can manage the travel, I like our odds against Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, BC, Virginia, Va Tech, etc.
I guess it's impossible for the entire conference to be dominant, given that football, like all sports, is a zero-sum game. Even in the SEC, every conference game that Georgia or Alabama wins has a loser.
Yes but that is why we should have went to an 8 game conference schedule. The SEC has an 8 game schedule, which means everyone has one fewer loss at the end of the season and one really good team doesn’t have to lose to Bama or Georgia so it helps with their rankings.
Also, the ACC plays an 8-game conference slate, which would help with Cal’s travel burden. What I think is ludicrous (though I would be fine if Cal could schedule this way, given the other huge disadvantages they’ll face logistically) is the following: top teams in these other power conferences (SEC, ACC) will sometimes have eight home games and four away games in a season.
I couldn’t remember if the ACC has an 8 game conference schedule. This is a good thing for us.
Assuming we play Stanford and SMU every season, they only leaves 6 more ACC conference games to schedule, 3 of those would be at Memorial and 3 would be on the east coast, so travel won’t be that bad for us. I would like to see us have an early season ACC game within the first 3 weeks as that would help spread out the east coast travel.
The ACC actually has more teams Cal can beat on a regular basis than the PAC-12 has had in recent years, in my opinion. For instance Virginia, Boston College, Wake Forest, GA Tech and others have not struck fear in opponents for a while now, and Duke’s success this year is very unusual. Depending on how the schedule lines up, I could see Cal going .500 next year in conference.
Yeah, Duke made a great hire with Elko and looks to be on the rise, I doubt Wilcox could beat Duke because Elko would coach circles around him. That said, Syracuse, Louisville, and NC State and all the schools you mentioned are all very beatable.
And, figuring in one additional winnable home non-conference game, Cal could very conceivably go 7-5 next year, whereas in the pre-dissolved PAC-12 that would be a much taller order.
Just a reminder that Wilcox gladly scooped up FInley after Finley realized he was not going to crack the two-deep at NC State during Spring Ball. So NC State is beatable, yet they told Finley he would be twirling cardboard plays on the sideline had he stayed. Just puts things into perspective given that a lot of Cal fans are clamoring for Finley to start over Jackson. And Jackson would be twirling those same signs had he stayed at TCU......Sigh.
PAC/MWC would be a massive pay cut. Full share would probably end up being around same as our 30% ACC share (but our ACC share is temporary and has other non-pro-rated incentives). We're also a pretty elite P5 athletic program overall if you take into account ALL sports, though we've sucked at the two major ones. We also represented a way for the ACC to get some $$$ to placate their top programs.
It's just a marriage of convenience for money. Plus, the ACC has plenty of 3-5 win teams (or worse) so it would probably be a lateral talent transfer or maybe even a touch easier to avoid doormat (if we get some financial help during the 30% years).
Also a way for Cal to potentially raise the visibility of its basketball program (given we are on the right track now). Make Cal a power MBB and you don't have to rely on just football success.
I have a ton of faith in Madsen and, man, the ACC hoops experience sells itself. Just added trips to Cameron and the Dean Dome as well as Duke and UNC at Haas to my bucket list.
We’re doing Thanksgiving at Sis Chitwood’s house in Rancho Penasquitos with her 47 children… see you in San Juan Capistrano for the Wed/Sat games. Let’s meet up.
Overall agreed. BUT, I really wish they could've stayed and salvaged the PAC. Yes, the immediate media rights would've been less (maybe 7-10 mil?), but with a merged PAC/MW, we could've shared in the residual PAC assets of 40 mil? and incoming NCAA and bowl payouts, closed a short 2-3 year deal, and then shopped for a better deal after the newly merged PAC had had time to reestablish itself with the stronghold of West coast schools.
Great point made (re: touchdown to #3): "the other was a frankly frightening throw to Hunter where Cal has two deep routes to nearly the same spot in what I can’t help but assume may have been a route error from somebody."
Also, let's call out the great 4th down conversion from Finley to Hunter. Great catch!
Findley seems to have the better deep ball, and is mobile enough to be a threat. I hate platooning QBs, but I could see where that could keep a D on it's toes..... If we don't pressure Penix, it likely won't matter what we do on offense...... I don't have answers, but just got my UW tix, so I'll be shouting as loud as I can.....
Also everyone on the "start Finley over Jackson" train needs to take a step back. I know the transfer portal has made many feel like a) transfers are brought in to be experienced, relatively polished players and b) players are likely to transfer out "this off-season,"*every year.* But Jackson isn't experienced nor polished (his post game presser touched on how he's honing his game and this week focused on footwork) and I highly doubt he's transferring out this off-season, especially if Spav sticks around. It'll be a year of growth but he has a high ceiling beyond Finley's, and he won't hit that ceiling until we're in the ACC. Think Goff in 2013 when plenty of people were clamoring for Kline to play. But Dykes and Franklin -- darn good QB coaches -- saw his ceiling and pushed him to the top draft pick over 3 seasons. And Spav is also a darn good QB coach.
Agree with most of your points. However I am not yet convinced Spavital is a darn good QB coach. Davis Webb arrived at Cal with an advanced understanding of how to command an offense in that vein. There is a reason Davis occupied a roster spot for half a dozen years in the NFL. Teams liked his input in the QB room. Also, Manziel under Spavital was basically a broken play scenario player who pulled rabbits out of his hat while at A&M.
I really hope spav sticks around in 2024 so we get the benefit of consistent coaching and two years in the same system. If it ends up being a train wreck I'll gladly eat crow
Goff was way more advanced as a true freshman than anyone on our roster right now. I knew we had our starter within like 15 throws in that opening Northwestern game. The poise, the accuracy, the quick release and the arm strength just slapped you in the face with optimism.
Jackson is an insane athlete but needs A LOT of development. He locks onto his first target, doesn't throw with touch, and is uncomfortable in the pocket.
On the experience issue, consider Jackson has only one HS season of quarterbacking under his belt. Goff was a prolific passer for multiple seasons in HS, not a guy who had just switched positions upon entering his senior season. I like the idea of allowing Jackson to mature on the field during this season by getting a lion’s portion of snaps. In his own words, he just doesn’t have much experience. Let’s discover how good (or great) he can be. Nothing against Finley, who I think is a good quarterback. While Jackson is developing, I think there is value in giving Ben some situation-based opportunities too.
He played QB his junior year and at TCU for his limited snaps. The exception was his senior year when a more polished QB (current Auburn starter) jumped him on the depth chart (he moved to WR so he could see the field).
Wilcox brought in Finley to have competition from a guy who HAD played a good chunk of P5 ball, and Jackson still won out.
We all noticed it took until the end of fall camp to name a starter. I am thinking Jackson won out because today's coaches are in love with the idea of having a dual threat on the field. There is nothing that Jackson has showed that makes me believe is a a good P5 quarterback or even becoming one. It is extremely difficult to coach a guy to stay in the pocket and go through his check downs when he is first inclined to leave the pocket and improvise for yards on the run. The best quarterbacks in the Pac 12 this year - Penix, Nix, Williams and Ward - are fantastic at escaping pressure. But their first instinct is not to take off and run down field. It's to elude some defenders and still find an open guy downfield. If Jackson becomes that kind of guy, I will change my tune.
While he may not be a genius, he understands modern college offense, something Bill Musgrave did not.
The biggest thing working against Cal is the historically strong PAC 12 Conference…most years, this team would have a chance to develop over the course of the season and a bowl bid would not be a pipe dream. Unfortunately this year, Cal will likely get a bit better with more games, but we’ll be 4-8/5-7 nonetheless.
Yeah, I am not sure. I didn’t see anything bad, he seemed a bit eccentric with some odd opinions but I didn’t see any personal attacks on people or crazy rants.
Writers and Editors have been monitoring his comments since last week. Had some strikes due to ones we had to delete last week. Gave benefit of the doubt after loss. But ultimately felt like he subtracted from the community more than added.
CAL NEEDS INTENSIVE CARE FACING THE 21 POINTS DEFICIT PREDICTED AGAINST UW. QUESTION : WHO'S GOING TO THROW MORE THAN A FEW GREAT PASSES FOR CAL? I'VE ALREADY PEVIOUSLY MENTIONED OUR 6'3 SUBSTITUTE AS BEING BETTTER THAN JACKSON FOR THIS GAME! IN ORDER TO GENERATE BETTER RUN BACKS FROM RECEIVED PUNTS ( OF WHICH HERE MAY BE NONE FROM UW). CAL SHOULD COMPLETELY STOP TRYING TO BLOCK SAME AND SEND THOSE WOULD BE KICK BLOCKERS BACK TO PROTECT OUR RECEIVER!!! THE MAIN HOPES FOR CAL V. UW ARE ...#! ,AN INHANCED EFFORT TO RUSH UW'S QB, #2, BETTER DECEPTION IN CAL.S BACKFIELD WITH TWO RUNNING HALF BACKS, PLUS SCREEN PASSES TO SPRING OUR RUNNERS. WITHOUT THESE ABOVE MENTIONED CHANGES, WERE ONLY BACK WHERE WE STARTED AND LEFT WITH A FAIR DEFENSIVE LINE. I'D BE DELIGHTED TO OFFER MORE BUT , UNLESS MY IDEAS GET THROUGH TO THE COACHES WE ARE JUST BACK TO HOPING FOR 6 TURNOVERS BY UW! I HOPE TO LIVE THROUGH TH[S GAME WITH UW AND PRAY FOR THE BEARS TO LIVE THROUGHT IT ALSO. GERBEAR
Yeah deception in backfield is key. We all witnessed several Oregon teams that scored at Will with QBs throwing little better than Sam Jax, but so much of that was tempo, deception, and ability to read option plays, none of which we’ve seen so far from our Bears this year. Here’s hoping!
Love everyone's contributions and insights. I love this community. Hell, I'd marry you all but that'd be ridiculous because I can't read everyone's minds and I can't decide on what to eat for dinner only to disappoint you because I don't have the culinary repetoire of Thomas Keller, heck, not even a line cook at a diner.
So, I'm an old blue, but I don't see us winning more that a total of 4 games this season, unless Sam Jackson V really needs, as he himself said, 6-7 full games, then maybe 5 wins. Like every year, we might win a game we shouldn't have, and lose to the bottom feeder of the pac (but f me if it's to the college that exploited railworkers migrant workers and made a fraudster a president) But by the way this team looks against bigger talent, I don't see us going to a bowl game this year.
I haven't read the post analysis from WFC for the Auburn game because as I was watching how bad our play calls were (there was one drive where their d line kept giving us 3-4 yards but then we started to throw low percentage shots down the field with our receivers who looked lost (gaaahhhh!), the off balance throws by SJ (worse than Zach Maynard and his presnap bouncing needs to stop), the disconnect between receivers and the qb, the slow db development (unable to look back for the ball with resultant PI's and game altering receptions), the god awful kicking game (tevecchio at Ohio State flashbacks-why did you pull an offsides?!!!!! man), how unprepared our offense looked in general against bigger defensive players....etc etc etc.
I am not expecting to win against UW when I fly up there but I am still hoping that I experience another game result like in 2019 (I look back with fond memories of finally reaching my hotel room at 5am in Seattle). I hope by some miracle we just happen to be lucky, like no matter how off balanced these pig skin tosses past 15 yards look when the qb is remotely under pressure, our receivers who can't seem to follow imaginary lines use the force to catch a floater that the defenders never see coming. I hope that the winds push that shanked 3 pointer through the middle of the uprights from 36 yards away. I hope we don't play catch up or blow an early marginal lead. I hope Wilcox turns into Bill Walsh (pre Furd) incarnate and builds a team our of a motley crew and continues to develop them game after game to a championship.
So, having said that, roll on you bears! I will always support the gold and blue! (even when my kids go to Stanfurd)! Beat the Dawgs!
Cal was unable to put pressure on Idaho's QB until they turned from zone pass defense, to man. Given the quality of Pac-12 QBs and receivers, our man pass defense must mature beginning this coming week. I think all of us are confused why we are not passing the ball over the middle of field when defenses are in two deep coverage, and short passes on crossing routes.
True. But when u go to man against the QBs we are about to face those QBs will have huge days running the ball. In man the DB mostly has their back to the QB. Send all your WRs on fly patterns and that opens up running lanes for the QB. That said, Cal's zone coverage against Idaho was a problem in the 1st half.
I don't know why we don't have seam routes or drag routes across the field!?! Colorado State damn near beat Colorado with drag routes across the middle. They must have run like 20 drag plays, most of which worked. I wonder if Jackson can see over his line to complete passes in the middle?
I agree that man coverage puts out DBs on an island forcing them to focus on the receivers, and potentially puts us vulnerable to a running QB, but our zone coverage was hapless against a good passer and experienced receivers like those at Idaho. Our defensive line will need to do as much as they can to contain a running QB. I also agree about the drag routes, and the occasional use of a tight end down the middle as Colorado did in their overtime victory.
One thing I noticed about Idaho's offense in the 2nd half when they were still not completely out of it. The QB would slide on scrambles, even when a forward dive to avoid a hit would give them a first down. This gives a couple thoughts: 1) the back up is so not ready to play the coaches have told him ALWAYS SLIDE!, or 2) he was unaware of either position on the field, or situation in the game.
One thing I noticed about Idaho's offense in the 2nd half when they were still not completely out of it. The QB would slide on scrambles, even when a forward dive to avoid a hit would give them a first down. This gives a couple thoughts: 1) the back up is so not ready to play the coaches have told him ALWAYS SLIDE!, or 2) he was unaware of either position on the field, or situation in the game.
Also to put it into perspective that was Sam Jackson's first full game as the starting QB in his college career.
Cal is 1-0 when Jackson started and finished the game
Factual statement.
Also. Cal is 2-0 when Sam Jackson starts the game.
In latre November that record will be 11-0.
Gonna say something unpopular but hear me out: don't start Ott at RB. If we are going up the middle with RPO, use Ifanse and Stredick to soften up the lines...then bring in Ott later to hit home runs. It's a mistake to use Ott as a power back. He'll never make it through the season and that's not his strength anyhow. He's not an every down back. I would save him for later in the game and as a third down specialist that they have to cover. That would also open upper receivers in longer yardage situations.
I would run Ott out of the wildcat a bit with Ifanse.
THAT would be interesting, especially if Finley's been in at QB. Jax is incredibly fast so I don't know if Wildcat gets you much change of pace, but it certainly would with Finley.
Good idea. Running 20-25 carries including the power runs against Washington will not be a good idea. Ifanse is more suited for those type of runs. Also Ott in space is what we should be going for, taking advantage of his strengths. I hope we will judiciously use 3-4 backs in the game keeping everyone fresh to the extent we can. We are still fifth in the nation in rushing even with Ott missing a game...
Also there a few keys to the game which might give us a chance. 1. Keep the ball away from Penix by controlling the time of possession. 2. Pressure Penix - he has been given all day to throw in the Huskies first three games. 3. Change our looks on defense to keep them off-balance. 4. Bring it with the run game if we can.
Forecast right now is for showers in the Seattle area on Saturday.
We need it to really rain.
A little lightning perhaps?
And thunder
With delays. It’s already a late game, so probably could go until 2:30 a.m. with any luck, like it did in 2019.
No,no,no. We must wear him out until, in frustration, he starts hurdling defenders. 😂
In truth, I think your idea is best. It also gives reps to stredick and ifanse.
We should send email to Knowlton to have our commenters give suggestions to Wilcox
I hope your suggestion was made tongue-in-cheek.
No, it has to go to Knowlton
I think they need to open up the playbook, give different looks to keep the D guessing and find other ways to give Ott the ball in space....some jet sweeps, a reverse, short passes or wheel routes. They haven't really used the RPO effectively and the screens have been ineffective (poor blocking)...not sure if that's a learning curve and to keep plays simple for SJV. Spav should watch how the 9ers find various ways of getting CMC the rock!
100% this. He is the best, most dynamic player on the field, and this coaching staff needs to find every way possible to get the ball in his hands. For all his faults, even Musgrave was using Ott on wheel routes out of the backfield.
I've wondered the same thing, though you don't want his presence or lack thereof to tip plays either. You would start him since our opening drive is probably scripted and then mix things up based on what we see (maybe we already do that?).
You also have to be careful about weighting 3rd down more heavily. Moving the chains on 1st and 2nd is better for a drive. Unfortunately, there's no easy way to scheme around having a middling passing game.
Good points. I also like the idea of using Ott on the first series (to see if you can get a big play before they are settled in)...but running him into a wall for Q1 is just a bad game plan.
I could also see mixing him in on different downs, not just third, but I was thinking along the lines of a guy like Ronnie Harmon (old Chargers guy) who they would bring in as a RB/wide out on 3rd downs, and had a lot of success with that formula.
Ott is THE guy you want out in space so that makes sense. Our screen game has been underwhelming but I still wouldn't want to be a LB who has to catch him.
Have Ifanse and Ott together in the game at same time. Ott in motion or spread him wide. Replace one of the WRs.
Which back is the best blocker? Would be cool to see some multiple tail back sets. Remember how Oregon and Nevada used pistol concepts with two RBs and a ton of deception? Something like that would be cool especially with Sam as QB.
I don't know who is a good blocker. I would think Ifanse due to size
Also maybe wheel routes? It strikes me that our O’s main weakness is lack of a downfield passing threat and we have one of the fastest guys in the country just sitting there. Counterpoint is I guess wheel routes require good pass protection, so maybe use him slot too?
Not having any inside information on his health, I have no idea whether Ott will even play again this year. Though on the face of it he didn’t appear to have been hurt nearly as badly as Jahvid Best was on his fateful fall, one wonders what’s the timeline for recovery or if there might be some complicated considerations for him to sort through. For instance, we all know that based on his upside Ott could command good money from a top program’s NIL offer if he enters the transfer portal after this year, but only if he’s got a clean bill of health at that juncture. Not playing the rest of this year but being in the best shape possible when suitors come calling is not the most bizarre idea for him to consider. This is the new market reality. But, I suppose you could also argue he’s got to prove he is durable enough to be worth it.
The fall was bad but not season ending. He's going to play again this year and as far as I've seen there's no precedent for players sitting out all but 2 games to command more NIL money from another program; it's silly to suggest Ott would do that his true sophomore year.
Well that's a depressing perspective....
Best left immobilized on a stretcher. Ott walked off on his own. We’ll see him again this year.
This is my 35th season in the stands, have only missed 2 games in that stretch. Couple of thoughts.
1. Jackson at the QB position is basically Zach Maynard with better legs, except this time our Keenan Allen player transferred to UCLA. He doesn't read the field well, is often too late to make the throw, and is not particularly accurate in both the short, middle, and downfield passes. #83 made the catch of the year on an overthrown ball. So far, I am not impressed. I still think Finley is the better choice to complement our run game, we don't need designed QB runs
2. The receivers have had trouble getting open in man coverage. I thought it was just Auburn's athletes, but Idaho was able to do the same thing. Coaches need to figure that one out fast cause I don't think we will be seeing much zone the rest of the way and our QB needs as much help as possible with the downfield passing game
Agree, Jax is VERY raw as a passer but I think has the overall higher ceiling as a QB. Finley is a better passer, but I don't know if he's good enough to overcome the defensive resources freed up by not spying Sam. We're stuck in the "2 backups, no starter" limbo and our best hope may be that Jax learns quickly.
Our receivers aren't blocking nor getting open. That's not helping either QB. Sigh.
I know it is counter to conventional wisdom but I wonder if we should keep playing both to make opposing defenses have to keep adjusting. On their own, neither one is that good, tho maybe over time one of the two clearly establishes himself as the guy. Right now, slight lean to Jackson, but it is not that clear. The lean to Jackson is based on projecting his improvement as a passer which may or may not happen
Anent the QB's and receivers, they are competing on a team in a major conference, yet seem to be making very basic mistakes ie, QBs who can't throw accurately plus don't go thru their progressions and receivers who can't separate nor block well. This boils down to talent and coaching. Cal is a recruiting bottom feeder and many of the coaches are second tier. Something fundamental has to change or Cal will play in every opponents homecoming game. I really like Wilcox as a person and his values seem impeccable. However, until something earth shattering happens, sadly Cal (screw "Cal Berkeley") will be a second rate program and we will be become more and more frustrated.
Agree, that negative feedback loop kind of ossifies the longer the program struggles
Talent, coaching AND experience. It's a relatively young team.
agree
I feel like SV5 is more like BMc5. I don’t think SV5 is as good a passer as Maynard at this point in his career.
Maynard gets unfairly trashed. He was a mediocre to average Pac 12 QB. He just had unfortunate combo of coming at the end of the Tedford era where everyone was looking for someone to blame, and that his mistakes look particularly egregious (his accuracy on easy throws was maddeningly inconsistent).
Agree Sam is way more like McIlwain in terms of passing development except Sam has better decision-making and won't force the bad pass over and over again.
Yeah, Maynard wasn’t a player without some really bright moments. In fact, we basically could have beaten Ohio St. on the road without a bad call (in my opinion) being made for holding on a TD run by Anderson. Maynard played great in that game. But those were the days of Tedford’s vanilla offenses falling short of the new trends that proliferated at that time (and later helped Dykes’ teams thrive). Maynard (who took Cal to a bowl) did alright given the hand he was dealt. For instance, I can imagine Maynard having blossomed under Franklin or, even more so, in Oregon’s hurry up style the Ducks pioneered under Kelly in the 2010’s. Not saying he could ever have had anything approaching astronomical numbers like Goff, but certainly better than what we saw at Cal with its OC’s in that pre-Dykes era.
I kept reading well into Fall Camp that Cal had a "stacked" receiving room. Hunter was already proven from last season, and Hightower and Davis came in highly regarded through the portal. And now we are saying they can't get open and don't know how to block downfield. Something is rotten in Denmark given that Spav is supposed to be an offensive guru and sure as hell showed it when Davis Webb was his quarterback in 2016. I agree with your first point that Jackson does not have good field vision and struggles with check-downs. He got away with it in high school, but it sure shows up now.
The WRs do not block a lick. This team lacks toughness, both physically and mentally, which is on Wilcox. They don’t play smart - Endries not turning around on a crucial 4Q play v. Auburn…the special teamer downing the ball with :02 seconds left Sat instead of letting the half expire…David Reese lining up offsides on a crucial 4th & 4 play. Stupid.
Wilcox’s players have struggled with situational awareness from day one, and we’re in year 7. THAT’s how you have a sub-.500 overall record despite a historically awful period for the P12 Conference. It will continue until a change is made at the top.
Yes, his overcontrolled anger seems to tell of the short leash the University keeps him on. Honestly, if I were a player, I'd constantly be left wondering what matters to Wilcox as he seems to mask his emotions painfully. I would love to see Wilcox get some latitude and be, well, less emotionally constipated and impart some passion to the troops. Maybe slam a wall?
I want Peeler to replace Toler.
We should be using slot receivers more. Use Grizel and Mavin Anderson more in the slants.
1000x rec'd
I wonder if Cal and Stanford maybe should have stayed with Oregon state and Wazzu and focused on being prominent in a merged Pac-4/Mountain West conference. It's always been such a struggle and a constant series of disappointment in the Pac 12. Cal hasn't exactly been dominant against Mountain west opponents and even these Division II games are often not a given. The ACC with the likes of Clemson may be another opportunity to be the doormat. Maybe that's why they were accepted?
Oh god no, would have been economic suicide. ACC is not as good as you are thinking. P12 this year is easily better
With the Apple plus minus option that was presented, I agree. But there are a lot of sports TV channels and the number of future streaming channels is essentially limitless, so there must be a market for even mediocre college football content in the Saturday night "after dark" time slot, after the 2 home games a week among the USC/UCLA/Oregon/Washington traitors.
Anyway, that ship has sailed and a deal's a deal. My thoughts are really just academic at this point.
Yeah I feel you that there was likely a more creative deal out there after the SoCal traitors bolted for the Midwest, but unfortunately our conference leadership kind of shat the bed and then when the Ducks and Huskies left, the jig was up
I don’t think the ACC is full of dominant programs. Clemson seems to be regressing due to a number of reasons (losing coordinators, not embracing NIL/portal, recruits not living up to their potential) and most programs outside of Miami and FSU have similar talent and are just as inconsistent as Cal. I figure most years we will play 1 of the big 3 (Miami, FSU, Clemson) so as long as we can manage the travel, I like our odds against Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, BC, Virginia, Va Tech, etc.
I guess it's impossible for the entire conference to be dominant, given that football, like all sports, is a zero-sum game. Even in the SEC, every conference game that Georgia or Alabama wins has a loser.
Yes but that is why we should have went to an 8 game conference schedule. The SEC has an 8 game schedule, which means everyone has one fewer loss at the end of the season and one really good team doesn’t have to lose to Bama or Georgia so it helps with their rankings.
Also, the ACC plays an 8-game conference slate, which would help with Cal’s travel burden. What I think is ludicrous (though I would be fine if Cal could schedule this way, given the other huge disadvantages they’ll face logistically) is the following: top teams in these other power conferences (SEC, ACC) will sometimes have eight home games and four away games in a season.
I couldn’t remember if the ACC has an 8 game conference schedule. This is a good thing for us.
Assuming we play Stanford and SMU every season, they only leaves 6 more ACC conference games to schedule, 3 of those would be at Memorial and 3 would be on the east coast, so travel won’t be that bad for us. I would like to see us have an early season ACC game within the first 3 weeks as that would help spread out the east coast travel.
Yeah, that would be nice, in most seasons. But, we’re already traveling to Auburn in the first week of September 2024.
Agreed, typical PAC 12 incompetence, shooting itself in the foot.
The ACC actually has more teams Cal can beat on a regular basis than the PAC-12 has had in recent years, in my opinion. For instance Virginia, Boston College, Wake Forest, GA Tech and others have not struck fear in opponents for a while now, and Duke’s success this year is very unusual. Depending on how the schedule lines up, I could see Cal going .500 next year in conference.
Yeah, Duke made a great hire with Elko and looks to be on the rise, I doubt Wilcox could beat Duke because Elko would coach circles around him. That said, Syracuse, Louisville, and NC State and all the schools you mentioned are all very beatable.
And, figuring in one additional winnable home non-conference game, Cal could very conceivably go 7-5 next year, whereas in the pre-dissolved PAC-12 that would be a much taller order.
Just a reminder that Wilcox gladly scooped up FInley after Finley realized he was not going to crack the two-deep at NC State during Spring Ball. So NC State is beatable, yet they told Finley he would be twirling cardboard plays on the sideline had he stayed. Just puts things into perspective given that a lot of Cal fans are clamoring for Finley to start over Jackson. And Jackson would be twirling those same signs had he stayed at TCU......Sigh.
PAC/MWC would be a massive pay cut. Full share would probably end up being around same as our 30% ACC share (but our ACC share is temporary and has other non-pro-rated incentives). We're also a pretty elite P5 athletic program overall if you take into account ALL sports, though we've sucked at the two major ones. We also represented a way for the ACC to get some $$$ to placate their top programs.
It's just a marriage of convenience for money. Plus, the ACC has plenty of 3-5 win teams (or worse) so it would probably be a lateral talent transfer or maybe even a touch easier to avoid doormat (if we get some financial help during the 30% years).
Also a way for Cal to potentially raise the visibility of its basketball program (given we are on the right track now). Make Cal a power MBB and you don't have to rely on just football success.
I have a ton of faith in Madsen and, man, the ACC hoops experience sells itself. Just added trips to Cameron and the Dean Dome as well as Duke and UNC at Haas to my bucket list.
Same and completely agree. I am so hyped for men’s basketball and Madsen.
We’re doing Thanksgiving at Sis Chitwood’s house in Rancho Penasquitos with her 47 children… see you in San Juan Capistrano for the Wed/Sat games. Let’s meet up.
Yes, this. I donated more than I could afford to CALegends after Madsen was hired.
Overall agreed. BUT, I really wish they could've stayed and salvaged the PAC. Yes, the immediate media rights would've been less (maybe 7-10 mil?), but with a merged PAC/MW, we could've shared in the residual PAC assets of 40 mil? and incoming NCAA and bowl payouts, closed a short 2-3 year deal, and then shopped for a better deal after the newly merged PAC had had time to reestablish itself with the stronghold of West coast schools.
FYI FCS is Div 1
Great point made (re: touchdown to #3): "the other was a frankly frightening throw to Hunter where Cal has two deep routes to nearly the same spot in what I can’t help but assume may have been a route error from somebody."
Also, let's call out the great 4th down conversion from Finley to Hunter. Great catch!
Findley seems to have the better deep ball, and is mobile enough to be a threat. I hate platooning QBs, but I could see where that could keep a D on it's toes..... If we don't pressure Penix, it likely won't matter what we do on offense...... I don't have answers, but just got my UW tix, so I'll be shouting as loud as I can.....
11-1 until the loss column says otherwise.
Also everyone on the "start Finley over Jackson" train needs to take a step back. I know the transfer portal has made many feel like a) transfers are brought in to be experienced, relatively polished players and b) players are likely to transfer out "this off-season,"*every year.* But Jackson isn't experienced nor polished (his post game presser touched on how he's honing his game and this week focused on footwork) and I highly doubt he's transferring out this off-season, especially if Spav sticks around. It'll be a year of growth but he has a high ceiling beyond Finley's, and he won't hit that ceiling until we're in the ACC. Think Goff in 2013 when plenty of people were clamoring for Kline to play. But Dykes and Franklin -- darn good QB coaches -- saw his ceiling and pushed him to the top draft pick over 3 seasons. And Spav is also a darn good QB coach.
Goff in 2013 was really good! That team had a ton of issues obviously but QB play was not really one of them
Agree with most of your points. However I am not yet convinced Spavital is a darn good QB coach. Davis Webb arrived at Cal with an advanced understanding of how to command an offense in that vein. There is a reason Davis occupied a roster spot for half a dozen years in the NFL. Teams liked his input in the QB room. Also, Manziel under Spavital was basically a broken play scenario player who pulled rabbits out of his hat while at A&M.
Davis Webb is not the only good QB that Spav has coached. At some point that's a trend and not just luck of the draw talent wise
Fair. I hope the future proves you correct.
I really hope spav sticks around in 2024 so we get the benefit of consistent coaching and two years in the same system. If it ends up being a train wreck I'll gladly eat crow
We’ll know by December 2024 if it is. If not, Wilcox and Spav will be gone.
Goff was way more advanced as a true freshman than anyone on our roster right now. I knew we had our starter within like 15 throws in that opening Northwestern game. The poise, the accuracy, the quick release and the arm strength just slapped you in the face with optimism.
Jackson is an insane athlete but needs A LOT of development. He locks onto his first target, doesn't throw with touch, and is uncomfortable in the pocket.
On the experience issue, consider Jackson has only one HS season of quarterbacking under his belt. Goff was a prolific passer for multiple seasons in HS, not a guy who had just switched positions upon entering his senior season. I like the idea of allowing Jackson to mature on the field during this season by getting a lion’s portion of snaps. In his own words, he just doesn’t have much experience. Let’s discover how good (or great) he can be. Nothing against Finley, who I think is a good quarterback. While Jackson is developing, I think there is value in giving Ben some situation-based opportunities too.
We’re not going to win many games with Sammy Jax from the pocket. We need those running plays…he needs to f-ing slide tho!
Yeah when Goff hit Harper in strides for a 50 yard TD pass, I knew he was really good.
Before the season we all wanted Kline to play. Not once since the season started.
He played QB his junior year and at TCU for his limited snaps. The exception was his senior year when a more polished QB (current Auburn starter) jumped him on the depth chart (he moved to WR so he could see the field).
Wilcox brought in Finley to have competition from a guy who HAD played a good chunk of P5 ball, and Jackson still won out.
edit: (current Auburn starter)
Fixed!
Finley was 4th string at NC State and played because of injuries. He is serviceable but beating him out in a QB comp doesn't mean that much.
We all noticed it took until the end of fall camp to name a starter. I am thinking Jackson won out because today's coaches are in love with the idea of having a dual threat on the field. There is nothing that Jackson has showed that makes me believe is a a good P5 quarterback or even becoming one. It is extremely difficult to coach a guy to stay in the pocket and go through his check downs when he is first inclined to leave the pocket and improvise for yards on the run. The best quarterbacks in the Pac 12 this year - Penix, Nix, Williams and Ward - are fantastic at escaping pressure. But their first instinct is not to take off and run down field. It's to elude some defenders and still find an open guy downfield. If Jackson becomes that kind of guy, I will change my tune.
Finley was exposed v. Auburn.
Curmudgeon alert 🚨🚨🚨
Amazing that you could graduate with a Cal degree, but somehow this is the best gotcha you can come up with
While he may not be a genius, he understands modern college offense, something Bill Musgrave did not.
The biggest thing working against Cal is the historically strong PAC 12 Conference…most years, this team would have a chance to develop over the course of the season and a bowl bid would not be a pipe dream. Unfortunately this year, Cal will likely get a bit better with more games, but we’ll be 4-8/5-7 nonetheless.
Does anyone know if #9 got hurt? We saw #5 exclusively in the 4th Quarter (I think).
Finley? Jackson V is, uh, 5; wow, I see what they did there. 😂
Did Rashaverick just get banned to the MWC with OSU and WSU.
Haha what happened? I didn't see anything that bad
Yeah, I am not sure. I didn’t see anything bad, he seemed a bit eccentric with some odd opinions but I didn’t see any personal attacks on people or crazy rants.
Writers and Editors have been monitoring his comments since last week. Had some strikes due to ones we had to delete last week. Gave benefit of the doubt after loss. But ultimately felt like he subtracted from the community more than added.
Probably for the best. His comments seemed a bit strange and seemed to border on whether he was serious or just trolling.
He was GRU. Or a Stanford alum. Same difference
CAL NEEDS INTENSIVE CARE FACING THE 21 POINTS DEFICIT PREDICTED AGAINST UW. QUESTION : WHO'S GOING TO THROW MORE THAN A FEW GREAT PASSES FOR CAL? I'VE ALREADY PEVIOUSLY MENTIONED OUR 6'3 SUBSTITUTE AS BEING BETTTER THAN JACKSON FOR THIS GAME! IN ORDER TO GENERATE BETTER RUN BACKS FROM RECEIVED PUNTS ( OF WHICH HERE MAY BE NONE FROM UW). CAL SHOULD COMPLETELY STOP TRYING TO BLOCK SAME AND SEND THOSE WOULD BE KICK BLOCKERS BACK TO PROTECT OUR RECEIVER!!! THE MAIN HOPES FOR CAL V. UW ARE ...#! ,AN INHANCED EFFORT TO RUSH UW'S QB, #2, BETTER DECEPTION IN CAL.S BACKFIELD WITH TWO RUNNING HALF BACKS, PLUS SCREEN PASSES TO SPRING OUR RUNNERS. WITHOUT THESE ABOVE MENTIONED CHANGES, WERE ONLY BACK WHERE WE STARTED AND LEFT WITH A FAIR DEFENSIVE LINE. I'D BE DELIGHTED TO OFFER MORE BUT , UNLESS MY IDEAS GET THROUGH TO THE COACHES WE ARE JUST BACK TO HOPING FOR 6 TURNOVERS BY UW! I HOPE TO LIVE THROUGH TH[S GAME WITH UW AND PRAY FOR THE BEARS TO LIVE THROUGHT IT ALSO. GERBEAR
Yeah deception in backfield is key. We all witnessed several Oregon teams that scored at Will with QBs throwing little better than Sam Jax, but so much of that was tempo, deception, and ability to read option plays, none of which we’ve seen so far from our Bears this year. Here’s hoping!
Love everyone's contributions and insights. I love this community. Hell, I'd marry you all but that'd be ridiculous because I can't read everyone's minds and I can't decide on what to eat for dinner only to disappoint you because I don't have the culinary repetoire of Thomas Keller, heck, not even a line cook at a diner.
So, I'm an old blue, but I don't see us winning more that a total of 4 games this season, unless Sam Jackson V really needs, as he himself said, 6-7 full games, then maybe 5 wins. Like every year, we might win a game we shouldn't have, and lose to the bottom feeder of the pac (but f me if it's to the college that exploited railworkers migrant workers and made a fraudster a president) But by the way this team looks against bigger talent, I don't see us going to a bowl game this year.
I haven't read the post analysis from WFC for the Auburn game because as I was watching how bad our play calls were (there was one drive where their d line kept giving us 3-4 yards but then we started to throw low percentage shots down the field with our receivers who looked lost (gaaahhhh!), the off balance throws by SJ (worse than Zach Maynard and his presnap bouncing needs to stop), the disconnect between receivers and the qb, the slow db development (unable to look back for the ball with resultant PI's and game altering receptions), the god awful kicking game (tevecchio at Ohio State flashbacks-why did you pull an offsides?!!!!! man), how unprepared our offense looked in general against bigger defensive players....etc etc etc.
I am not expecting to win against UW when I fly up there but I am still hoping that I experience another game result like in 2019 (I look back with fond memories of finally reaching my hotel room at 5am in Seattle). I hope by some miracle we just happen to be lucky, like no matter how off balanced these pig skin tosses past 15 yards look when the qb is remotely under pressure, our receivers who can't seem to follow imaginary lines use the force to catch a floater that the defenders never see coming. I hope that the winds push that shanked 3 pointer through the middle of the uprights from 36 yards away. I hope we don't play catch up or blow an early marginal lead. I hope Wilcox turns into Bill Walsh (pre Furd) incarnate and builds a team our of a motley crew and continues to develop them game after game to a championship.
So, having said that, roll on you bears! I will always support the gold and blue! (even when my kids go to Stanfurd)! Beat the Dawgs!
Cal was unable to put pressure on Idaho's QB until they turned from zone pass defense, to man. Given the quality of Pac-12 QBs and receivers, our man pass defense must mature beginning this coming week. I think all of us are confused why we are not passing the ball over the middle of field when defenses are in two deep coverage, and short passes on crossing routes.
True. But when u go to man against the QBs we are about to face those QBs will have huge days running the ball. In man the DB mostly has their back to the QB. Send all your WRs on fly patterns and that opens up running lanes for the QB. That said, Cal's zone coverage against Idaho was a problem in the 1st half.
I don't know why we don't have seam routes or drag routes across the field!?! Colorado State damn near beat Colorado with drag routes across the middle. They must have run like 20 drag plays, most of which worked. I wonder if Jackson can see over his line to complete passes in the middle?
I agree that man coverage puts out DBs on an island forcing them to focus on the receivers, and potentially puts us vulnerable to a running QB, but our zone coverage was hapless against a good passer and experienced receivers like those at Idaho. Our defensive line will need to do as much as they can to contain a running QB. I also agree about the drag routes, and the occasional use of a tight end down the middle as Colorado did in their overtime victory.
One thing I noticed about Idaho's offense in the 2nd half when they were still not completely out of it. The QB would slide on scrambles, even when a forward dive to avoid a hit would give them a first down. This gives a couple thoughts: 1) the back up is so not ready to play the coaches have told him ALWAYS SLIDE!, or 2) he was unaware of either position on the field, or situation in the game.
One thing I noticed about Idaho's offense in the 2nd half when they were still not completely out of it. The QB would slide on scrambles, even when a forward dive to avoid a hit would give them a first down. This gives a couple thoughts: 1) the back up is so not ready to play the coaches have told him ALWAYS SLIDE!, or 2) he was unaware of either position on the field, or situation in the game.