5 Questions With a Cal Writer Ahead of Oregon vs. Cal

Oregon hits the highway this week to move to the Bay Space the place the California Golden Bears await on Saturday at 12:35 pm PT.

The Geese are driving a six-game profitable streak and are coming off an enormous win over UCLA, whereas Cal’s comeback efforts got here up simply brief towards Washington final week.

To prepare for this matchup we requested Jake Curtis of Cal Sports activities Report 5 questions on this Bears group.

1. What is the temper of the fan base in Berkeley? How a lot religion is there in Justin Wilcox’s imaginative and prescient for this system?

There may be not a cry to fireside Wilcox, particularly after he turned down the Oregon provide to remain at Cal final 12 months. Nonetheless, there may be not a basic feeling that Wilcox will flip Cal right into a Pac-12 title contender both. The extra important difficulty is offensive coordinator Invoice Musgrave. When he was employed previous to the 2020 season following his years as an offensive coordinator within the NFL, there was a sense that Cal’s poor offense would lastly be productive. It hasn’t occurred, and numerous Cal followers want to see Musgrave go. Wilcox has at all times been reluctant to fireside assistant coaches, however he could have to fireside Musgrave if the offense doesn’t enhance quickly.

2. What are Cal’s greatest strengths on either side of the ball?

On offense, Cal’s greatest strengths are freshman operating again Jaydn Ott and vast receivers Jeremiah Hunter and J.Michael Sturdivant, the latter a redshirt freshman. They’re enhancements over what Cal has had in recent times. Cal is passing the ball higher than it’s operating it, however neither is nice. Opposing defenses are stacking the field to cease Ott, believing Cal’s passing recreation shouldn’t be ok to win the sport. The offensive line has shortcomings that adversely have an effect on each aspects. On protection, the strengths are inside linebacker Jackson Sirmon and safeties.

3. How is that this 12 months’s Bears group completely different from final 12 months? Is it higher in your opinion?

Ott offers Cal a game-breaking again it didn’t have final season, and the vast receivers are higher. Nonetheless, the offensive line is worse. Quarterback Jack Plummer might be a greater passer than Chase Garbers was, however he’s not as succesful as making performs along with his toes as Garbers was. Defensively, the Bears had extra good gamers final 12 months with exterior linebacker Cameron Goode, defensive lineman Luc Bequette and security Elijah Hicks, who are actually gone. 

This 12 months, the Cal protection offers up numerous yards, however it has been good within the pink zone, forcing groups to kick discipline objectives as a substitute of scoring touchdowns. The Bears are higher towards the run than towards the go, and that’s primarily as a result of the Bears haven’t been in a position to mount a constant go rush. General, I’d say this 12 months’s group is about on the identical stage as final 12 months’s group, which completed 5-7, though I don’t suppose final 12 months’s group would have misplaced to this 12 months’s Colorado squad.

4. What do you suppose Cal must do to maintain this recreation aggressive?

It must make Oregon go the size of the sector and keep away from huge performs to eat up time. The Bears did that successfully whereas holding Washington to its lowest scoring output of the season (28 factors) regardless of yielding numerous yardage. On offense, the Bears should keep away from three-and-outs and turnovers. 

Once more they need to reveal ball management to take up time and shorten the sport, which might assist maintain the rating down. If Jack Plummer can get enough time to throw and full brief passes (which he’s able to doing), Cal can keep shut at residence, the place the Bears’ offense has been way more productive than it has been on the highway.

5. The place do you suppose Cal matches into and/or finally ends up with all of the convention realignment speak?

I believe they’ll be within the Pac-10 for the following 5 years or so. Cal will be part of Oregon, Washington and Stanford as a gaggle if and when the Huge Ten makes that enlargement transfer, as a result of Cal could have no alternative. However I don’t see that occuring for an additional seven to 10 years. I believe the more than likely state of affairs is that Cal will stay in a Pac-12 that can add a college or two in 4 to 6 years.

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