Based on what I've seen, I don't know if we have anyone on the roster that can tackle that Swedish giant. Ineffective shoulder hits and targeting are not going to work. That being said, if we're going to surprise them, our defense will be the unit carrying us.
The supernaturally bad defense we put out against WF makes it impossible to win any game. In the stands we could see which players were wide open and would get the ball. Wide open beyond any standard of defense, play after play. On their first drive they literally did the same exact play twice for like 30 yards each time, because we couldn't cover the TE. It was even worse than Ed Dickson beating us in Oregon back in the day. And our offense is feeble, at best. We lose this game 51-10 if we are lucky.
I refuse to learn 84's name lest he usurp Ed Dickson's role in the meme. But getting cooked repeatedly by a freshman TE was so painful that I just started laughing.
One thing that I don't get is how a defensive minded coach like Tosh, who has coached good defenses at Oregon and Alabama, could have such a BAD defense at Cal. What changed so readically?
Great write up. But OMG, just like I feared. I simply do not see how Cal can avoid being absolutely killed by another extremely mobile, dual threat QB with a complementary running game brought to us by a Cal football alum and a WR corps that is extremely good at getting separation and catching the ball. And they’ve got that monster of a guy from Sweden who is 6’6” and 250lbs. When he gets his hands on the ball, how is the Cal defense going to stop him? Road spikes? I’m sorry to have to keep repeating myself, but even JKS with all his skills isn’t going to save us from this onslaught. Prediction: SMU bench will see a lot of late game playing time.
Agree. I think his efforts were underrated last year considering he carried the full RB workload for the entire season, and how bad our blocking was. Sure, he lacked a burst to get extra yards at the second level, but his workman like effort and ability to stay healthy was valiant.
our achilles heal this year is mobile QBs, and he and Lopez have been the best
I've always favored a dual threat QB for Cal since we can't seem to field a good OL
I'm not optimistic
Based on what I've seen, I don't know if we have anyone on the roster that can tackle that Swedish giant. Ineffective shoulder hits and targeting are not going to work. That being said, if we're going to surprise them, our defense will be the unit carrying us.
This matchup could get real ugly.
Our team on the field is struggling but the team at WFC is doing great work. Thanks for this preview
I n this day and age it's rare to see a 3 year starter at the same school. Good for him.
Great work as always Christopher. These guys are consistently good, year after year. Must be nice.
It's not just a pony with a broken leg. The man walking the pony is yelling at us to keep watching while he beats it to run faster.
The supernaturally bad defense we put out against WF makes it impossible to win any game. In the stands we could see which players were wide open and would get the ball. Wide open beyond any standard of defense, play after play. On their first drive they literally did the same exact play twice for like 30 yards each time, because we couldn't cover the TE. It was even worse than Ed Dickson beating us in Oregon back in the day. And our offense is feeble, at best. We lose this game 51-10 if we are lucky.
I refuse to learn 84's name lest he usurp Ed Dickson's role in the meme. But getting cooked repeatedly by a freshman TE was so painful that I just started laughing.
One thing that I don't get is how a defensive minded coach like Tosh, who has coached good defenses at Oregon and Alabama, could have such a BAD defense at Cal. What changed so readically?
Hutchings needs to go up in the booth. Not sure why he's on the sidelines
I feel like that's a standard growth pain for new coordinators.
Great write up. But OMG, just like I feared. I simply do not see how Cal can avoid being absolutely killed by another extremely mobile, dual threat QB with a complementary running game brought to us by a Cal football alum and a WR corps that is extremely good at getting separation and catching the ball. And they’ve got that monster of a guy from Sweden who is 6’6” and 250lbs. When he gets his hands on the ball, how is the Cal defense going to stop him? Road spikes? I’m sorry to have to keep repeating myself, but even JKS with all his skills isn’t going to save us from this onslaught. Prediction: SMU bench will see a lot of late game playing time.
Look at it this way: The pressure is off since we shouldn’t win any of the remaining games except Stanford.
Time to play loose and free! (and yes, I am a delusional Cal fan).
Right? Totally unlikely, but stranger things have happened. Just go for it!
Too bad we lost Raphael. Look what he's done this year and I suspect he'll so well this Saturday.
Agree. I think his efforts were underrated last year considering he carried the full RB workload for the entire season, and how bad our blocking was. Sure, he lacked a burst to get extra yards at the second level, but his workman like effort and ability to stay healthy was valiant.