Because I was watching the game with the OC Alum group at a brew pub, and couldn’t see the TV screen that clearly, I only realized after the fact that Coe's first half kick banked off the goal post.
Given the team's misfortunes--including the bad snap that doomed his game winning attempt at Pitt--Cal, and Coe in particular, were overdue for that kind of positive bounce...
The first attitude is the correct one. Respect and celebrate the victory. It's a difficult achievement, and it's our very first conference victory. Let's enjoy it!
When Miami won in Berkeley, I don't think they worried too much that they hadn't covered the spread. That's a gamblers' problem.
All I meant to say was that I agree with the first of the two attitudes that Nick proposed. That is: appreciate the win. I don’t think that dwelling on the fact that we didn’t win by a huge amount is particularly constructive.
That said, I am all for continuing to identify mistakes, learning from them, and getting better.
When you lose the way we have been losing, winning becomes hard. Losing is both attractive and easy to do in your mind. To break any losing streak, winning is always hard and ugly. The trick is to overcome that demon and we did.winning habits must be redeveloped and it starts now. Not enough credit is given to the kicker who blew those games and nailed two 54-yard field goals. That is big for both him and Cal that lifted a big weight off him.
Thrilled by all the great plays guys made, especially guys who are coming back from injury and/or haven’t had a lot of playing time like Liam Johnson.
Not so thrilled about some coaching/game theory. STOP MESSING WITH THE 2 POINT CONVERSIONS!!! Cal is not Oregon 2010, or whatever team it was that was always making those. Even worse, Cal’s run-the-clock-out offense continues to be idiotic. Two runs right up the gut when that hasn’t worked all year, then forced into a desperate 3rd and 10 pass?
Ecstatic about special teams. Despite many good place kickers and punters over the years, it usually seems to be an Achilles heel. One of my highlights of the game was seeing Coach So’oto pumped up. He was handed the special teams without having had any experience in it. To see it become the game winning instead of game losing unit was so satisfying.
Thank you napabear, your neighbor in Lake County agrees with you all the way, especially regarding the run the ball and control the clock play calling at games end. It has not worked all season. What does it take to unlearn that stupid habit? We just can't do it. So, stop trying to. Looks like good mid-day weather for the Syracuse game. I am looking forward to it.
"...they failed to put away one of the worst teams in the ACC:"
We need to stop with this arrogance. We are what our record says we are.
Last I checked WE are one of the worst teams in the ACC. Still tied for dead last. Still behind Wake Forest in the standings. The only team "worse" than us....well, they actually beat us.... Our "best" loss just got clobbered.
Before we 'get cocky, kid', Cal needs to show that we belong by winning games, not just being a close loser.
You absolutely have a point - 0-4 against ACC teams is 0-4. On the other hand, by most objective metrics (Vegas, advanced stats, etc.) Cal is in a cluster of teams behind the best teams in the ACC (Miami, SMU, Clemson, and Louisville) while Wake Forest is rated in the basement with FSU and Stanford. So should we grade Cal against what we would expect based on their win/loss record, or based on how this team is capable of playing when at their best?
neither. No way we should grade Cal on how they are capable of playing "when at their best." (What does that even mean? How do you determine their best game?)
Regardless, Florida State is dead last in ACC Offense, and near last on Defense and they beat us. NC State is also bottom dweller on Defense, and they beat us. At home. The 1 team with much better metrics, beat us. Pitt, with similar metrics (better offense, but worse D), beat us.
Before we start talking about blowout League wins, maybe we should get a Win first, huh?
(apologize for the soap box, but I heard too many folks -- not you -- automatically assuming more wins bcos the ACC is a 'weaker' league than the former P12. Perhaps true, but that is why they play the game. And so far, we have one W, against the worst D in the league.)
Win/loss record is all that matters. Just like for getting into Cal, high school GPA and SAT scores are what matters. Not "Billy has potential, if only he didn't slack off and party the week before his AP tests"
Nohl’s #7 was a thing of beauty. Bachmeier pressured into sailing the pass and Our man leaped high in a single bound to nab the int! Momentum and advantage back to Cal.
If there’s one thing we know from over 7.5 years of data, it is that this coaching staff is capable of losing to any team on their schedule. As always, the difference in a W or L is going to come down to a handful of plays…fortunately, a few guys made those plays in Winston-Salem Friday, whereas they failed to do so in Tallahassee, Pittsburgh and twice in Berkeley.
Keep executing at crucial times and they should definitely win the next 2.
A 4-game win streak heading into Dallas would be awesome.
Running the table was the last possible scenario in which I could feel okay supporting another Wilcox season. That test was failed in resounding fashion. He’s the same coach he’s always been (at least since 2020 when things took a turn for the decisively worse). We need a new coach and a new AD, before the 2025 season, if Cal football hopes to remain relevant and viable in the future.
Yes, the same flaws are there, but this time fortune smiled on us.
WF is, IMHO, underrated, but still not a team we should have struggled with.
We need high and consistent intensity. Make Red Bull shots mandatory like fascist Big Pharma wants mandatory vaxxes.
JK, but, seriously, what's behind our defense waffling from elite to "oops, was that my assignment?"?
Anybody know? It's very frustrating and makes me wonder if we're riding these guys too hard in the first half, so they're looking like they all took hits of laughing gas by the second half. I suspect it's the Dykes Effect, where our Bear Raid scores or 3'n outs so quickly that, like Clarence Darrow, The Defense Never Rests.
Yes, I wish we could project 4-0 from here on out, but I honestly would not make that bet, just a secretly held wish I'm dying for.
I ascribe to the "let's celebrate" attitude. Road wins aren't easy, and we were only outscored by 5 points in the second half (although it felt like they outscored us by 20).
Your stats are off, though. Fernando only threw one pick. WF threw 2 picks other than the Woodson pick in the last minute of the game. Cal also had a scoop 'n score in the first quarter.
Yeah, I didn't count the scoop and score because it was a special teams play and thus not relevant when measuring how Cal's defense performed against Wake's offense. And I didn't count the final interception because I removed the final Wake drive as being in garbage time.
IMHO Jaydn has earned say-so to honor his contributions to the team. Like Barry Bonds being a walk magnet, Ott often can be an effective decoy to sweep a big chunk of a team to him, while Jet or others find the resulting gap.
I agree he's not 100%, but he still poses a respected threat to the opposition.
Well, he always did patiently wait for a crease. But, maybe the creases are not there anymore. Always, he's the opposing defense's target, always, sort of like Barry Bonds was always a target for walks. IMHO, Ott helps by being in the play, but repeatedly, up-the-middle, is frustrating under the present O-Line performance.
If anyone should be fired, first, it’s Knowlton. Once we hire a vetted, Cal-friendly AD, who shares a vision of Cal achieving sports excellence on par with our academic excellence, then we can start a meaningful rebuild of the football program.
I know Ott isn't staying but in the NIL era there has to be some real cost benefit analysis on whether to leave early or not. I know he's injured but what I see on tape this year isn't impressive, maybe NFL teams will throw out this year and focus on how dynamic he was last year, but the NFL has a reputation for being ruthless and unsentimental in it's evaluation of running backs, especially one who is injury prone.
So is getting drafted in, say the 4th round more profitable for Ott than staying another year and trying to increase his draft stock? I don't have Otts exact NIL numbers or the rookie scale for late round draft picks but the numbers must be close.
Felt the same as "And for me, watching the team celebrate Ryan Coe’s 54 yarder to end the first half may have been my emotional highlight of the year"
Because I was watching the game with the OC Alum group at a brew pub, and couldn’t see the TV screen that clearly, I only realized after the fact that Coe's first half kick banked off the goal post.
Given the team's misfortunes--including the bad snap that doomed his game winning attempt at Pitt--Cal, and Coe in particular, were overdue for that kind of positive bounce...
As Billy Raftery would say, “Coe, with the KISS”
*fist pumping like I didn't care who saw in living room
Agreed. One of the biggest emotional highs of the season.
Couldn't agree more with you Nick - an emotional high for the season.
The first attitude is the correct one. Respect and celebrate the victory. It's a difficult achievement, and it's our very first conference victory. Let's enjoy it!
When Miami won in Berkeley, I don't think they worried too much that they hadn't covered the spread. That's a gamblers' problem.
What are saying?
Don't gamblers control a chunk of officials and other influential parties?
Yeah, a gamblers' problem, but I think it's more our problem than we want to admit.
Remember The Immaculate Encroachment?
All I meant to say was that I agree with the first of the two attitudes that Nick proposed. That is: appreciate the win. I don’t think that dwelling on the fact that we didn’t win by a huge amount is particularly constructive.
That said, I am all for continuing to identify mistakes, learning from them, and getting better.
LOL.
I meant nothing serious.
I agree, let's celebrate the win!
When you lose the way we have been losing, winning becomes hard. Losing is both attractive and easy to do in your mind. To break any losing streak, winning is always hard and ugly. The trick is to overcome that demon and we did.winning habits must be redeveloped and it starts now. Not enough credit is given to the kicker who blew those games and nailed two 54-yard field goals. That is big for both him and Cal that lifted a big weight off him.
Thrilled by all the great plays guys made, especially guys who are coming back from injury and/or haven’t had a lot of playing time like Liam Johnson.
Not so thrilled about some coaching/game theory. STOP MESSING WITH THE 2 POINT CONVERSIONS!!! Cal is not Oregon 2010, or whatever team it was that was always making those. Even worse, Cal’s run-the-clock-out offense continues to be idiotic. Two runs right up the gut when that hasn’t worked all year, then forced into a desperate 3rd and 10 pass?
Ecstatic about special teams. Despite many good place kickers and punters over the years, it usually seems to be an Achilles heel. One of my highlights of the game was seeing Coach So’oto pumped up. He was handed the special teams without having had any experience in it. To see it become the game winning instead of game losing unit was so satisfying.
Thank you napabear, your neighbor in Lake County agrees with you all the way, especially regarding the run the ball and control the clock play calling at games end. It has not worked all season. What does it take to unlearn that stupid habit? We just can't do it. So, stop trying to. Looks like good mid-day weather for the Syracuse game. I am looking forward to it.
"...they failed to put away one of the worst teams in the ACC:"
We need to stop with this arrogance. We are what our record says we are.
Last I checked WE are one of the worst teams in the ACC. Still tied for dead last. Still behind Wake Forest in the standings. The only team "worse" than us....well, they actually beat us.... Our "best" loss just got clobbered.
Before we 'get cocky, kid', Cal needs to show that we belong by winning games, not just being a close loser.
You absolutely have a point - 0-4 against ACC teams is 0-4. On the other hand, by most objective metrics (Vegas, advanced stats, etc.) Cal is in a cluster of teams behind the best teams in the ACC (Miami, SMU, Clemson, and Louisville) while Wake Forest is rated in the basement with FSU and Stanford. So should we grade Cal against what we would expect based on their win/loss record, or based on how this team is capable of playing when at their best?
neither. No way we should grade Cal on how they are capable of playing "when at their best." (What does that even mean? How do you determine their best game?)
Regardless, Florida State is dead last in ACC Offense, and near last on Defense and they beat us. NC State is also bottom dweller on Defense, and they beat us. At home. The 1 team with much better metrics, beat us. Pitt, with similar metrics (better offense, but worse D), beat us.
Before we start talking about blowout League wins, maybe we should get a Win first, huh?
(apologize for the soap box, but I heard too many folks -- not you -- automatically assuming more wins bcos the ACC is a 'weaker' league than the former P12. Perhaps true, but that is why they play the game. And so far, we have one W, against the worst D in the league.)
Win/loss record is all that matters. Just like for getting into Cal, high school GPA and SAT scores are what matters. Not "Billy has potential, if only he didn't slack off and party the week before his AP tests"
Nohl’s #7 was a thing of beauty. Bachmeier pressured into sailing the pass and Our man leaped high in a single bound to nab the int! Momentum and advantage back to Cal.
Spot on. 8-4 is still the bar for a “successful” season. Here’s hoping the Bears can deliver!
Super longshot to run the table, given who's ahead of us.
Fun fact: right behind Nando on top QB performances for Week 11, guess who?
Kyle McCord our next opponent.
https://scontent-lax3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/465732424_545773568316718_5194629467101711996_n.jpg?_nc_cat=101&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=bdeb5f&_nc_ohc=gwjKm5NAqpMQ7kNvgEi-WJx&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-lax3-2.xx&_nc_gid=ACAjjAWP7I8JMMZNvWeHsul&oh=00_AYAa_jmxTNU_IiMM2MAcY2Y6WE6Gm5NBOUgaw367-8pT4w&oe=673824AA
I have no fear of the Honda McCord.
Our edge rushers look good and will rattle the Honda, but don't sleep on him and the crazy, Chris-Rock-looking Cuse coach.
If there’s one thing we know from over 7.5 years of data, it is that this coaching staff is capable of losing to any team on their schedule. As always, the difference in a W or L is going to come down to a handful of plays…fortunately, a few guys made those plays in Winston-Salem Friday, whereas they failed to do so in Tallahassee, Pittsburgh and twice in Berkeley.
Keep executing at crucial times and they should definitely win the next 2.
A 4-game win streak heading into Dallas would be awesome.
Running the table was the last possible scenario in which I could feel okay supporting another Wilcox season. That test was failed in resounding fashion. He’s the same coach he’s always been (at least since 2020 when things took a turn for the decisively worse). We need a new coach and a new AD, before the 2025 season, if Cal football hopes to remain relevant and viable in the future.
Yes, the same flaws are there, but this time fortune smiled on us.
WF is, IMHO, underrated, but still not a team we should have struggled with.
We need high and consistent intensity. Make Red Bull shots mandatory like fascist Big Pharma wants mandatory vaxxes.
JK, but, seriously, what's behind our defense waffling from elite to "oops, was that my assignment?"?
Anybody know? It's very frustrating and makes me wonder if we're riding these guys too hard in the first half, so they're looking like they all took hits of laughing gas by the second half. I suspect it's the Dykes Effect, where our Bear Raid scores or 3'n outs so quickly that, like Clarence Darrow, The Defense Never Rests.
Yes, I wish we could project 4-0 from here on out, but I honestly would not make that bet, just a secretly held wish I'm dying for.
You're killing me, Wilcox!
I'm slightly pleased and slightly annoyed.
I ascribe to the "let's celebrate" attitude. Road wins aren't easy, and we were only outscored by 5 points in the second half (although it felt like they outscored us by 20).
Your stats are off, though. Fernando only threw one pick. WF threw 2 picks other than the Woodson pick in the last minute of the game. Cal also had a scoop 'n score in the first quarter.
Yeah, I didn't count the scoop and score because it was a special teams play and thus not relevant when measuring how Cal's defense performed against Wake's offense. And I didn't count the final interception because I removed the final Wake drive as being in garbage time.
Jaivian Thomas is clearly Cal’s best running back at the moment. Why play Ott at all until he is 100% or close to it?
IMHO Jaydn has earned say-so to honor his contributions to the team. Like Barry Bonds being a walk magnet, Ott often can be an effective decoy to sweep a big chunk of a team to him, while Jet or others find the resulting gap.
I agree he's not 100%, but he still poses a respected threat to the opposition.
Because he's not 100% he's "pussy footing" after the handoff.
Well, he always did patiently wait for a crease. But, maybe the creases are not there anymore. Always, he's the opposing defense's target, always, sort of like Barry Bonds was always a target for walks. IMHO, Ott helps by being in the play, but repeatedly, up-the-middle, is frustrating under the present O-Line performance.
Were lacking at center on the OL.
If anyone should be fired, first, it’s Knowlton. Once we hire a vetted, Cal-friendly AD, who shares a vision of Cal achieving sports excellence on par with our academic excellence, then we can start a meaningful rebuild of the football program.
You're.Killing.Me.Wilcox. Really stoked for the team tho with this win...
I know Ott isn't staying but in the NIL era there has to be some real cost benefit analysis on whether to leave early or not. I know he's injured but what I see on tape this year isn't impressive, maybe NFL teams will throw out this year and focus on how dynamic he was last year, but the NFL has a reputation for being ruthless and unsentimental in it's evaluation of running backs, especially one who is injury prone.
So is getting drafted in, say the 4th round more profitable for Ott than staying another year and trying to increase his draft stock? I don't have Otts exact NIL numbers or the rookie scale for late round draft picks but the numbers must be close.
Is he even worth the current NIL money (given his health does not improve)?
Thanks Nick! Nice work.