(A Quick) UCLA Recap

Despite some suspicion that I've avoided blogging because of how distraught I was over the UCLA loss, I've actually been MIA this week because I've been deathly ill. Well deathly is being a bit too over dramatic, but I was rocking a 103 degree fever and sinus infection.

In fact, it's so bad that I'm missing a chance to see Conan live in NYC. Yes, that's right. I'm skipping one of my bucket list items to get back to full strength.

But enough about me, let's quickly recap the UCLA game. Actually, if you watched Cal's 31-14 drubbing to the Bruins, this is probably one of the last things you want to talk about.

Let's make this quick.

Last Saturday's loss to UCLA was one of the worst losses of the Tedford era.

Other than the Presbyterian Blue Hose game, I'd be hardpressed to come up with another game this season that I had been so confident in the week prior. As mentioned in my Keys to the Game, the Bruins were reeling, with constant coaching speculation, injuries, and suspensions to six players. And this was on top of the fact that UCLA was already by far one of the worst teams in the conference defensively, and was clearly one-dimensional offensively.

However, as a Cal fan we're left with the question most may not want to answer: If UCLA is one of the worst teams in the conference, what does that make us?

What's a Bruin anyway?

Let's get to a few specifics.



End of Maynard Era??
That's got to be on the mind of many, including Coach Tedford, as Maynard turned in a performance nearly antithetical to last week's efficient game against Utah. The junior gunslinger was 14 for 30 for 199 yards, but most importantly threw four interceptions and fumbled the handoff to RB Isi Sofele as well.

Maynard led the Bears' efforts to all but give the game away to the Bruins, who scored 24 of their 31 points on Cal's five turnovers.

Since Cal's 3-0 start, Maynard has completed 54% of his passes for 3 TDs and 7 interceptions. His QB Rating for the UCLA game was an abysmal 75.7.

At this point, I'm at point where I almost don't know what to say anymore. My message hasn't changed much since the beginning of the season, but in Maynard we have a player who has a maddening ability to do some great things on one play, and do something to make you throw your hands up in the air the next.

Despite all of his flaws, I felt like he was worth getting the benefit of the doubt as long as he continued to evolve as a game manager and avoid turnovers. However, when he isn't doing that, how can one objectively watch a performance like Saturday's and not think of Maynard as a liability at this point? No level of great things is worth a 4 turnover performance, let alone twice in three games.

As of now, it looks like Tedford is sticking with Maynard for the time being. He appears convinced that Maynard was making the right reads, but was just off in his throws. I find that even more discouraging. Progressing through reads is something that can be learned over time. I am of the school of belief that accuracy is one of those things that a quarterback either has or doesn't. Sure they can increase their completion percentage numbers over the years, but that usually comes with being more efficient and being smarter about making the right throws. If Maynard knows where he needs to go with the ball, but his footwork when pressured in the pocket is causing him to miss wildly, I'm not sure how much that will change at this point in his career. It was an issue that plagued him at Buffalo, and it's an issue that's rearing its ugly head at this pivotal stretch of games this season.

I said at the beginning of the season that Tedford was going to live and die by Maynard's performance. With Maynard struggling, it's no coincidence that the criticism of Tedford is at an all time high. Coach Tedford will either need Maynard to shape up quick, or see what else he has available on the bench because the support from the staunchest supporters is fading fast.

Missed Execution Kills Bears on Defense
Watching Cal's defense was just as, if not more painful to me as watching Cal's sputtering offense. Initially, I found myself unable to believe that the Bears still had yet to develop a gameplan to defend UCLA's zone read pistol offense.

But the more I watched the game, the more it became apparent that it wasn't that the Bears weren't assigning players to UCLA's QB Kevin Prince, it's that the Bears were just being incredibly undisciplined and sloppy in their execution.

It isn't coincidental that the youth of Cal's outside linebackers shows the most when facing option offenses. Time and time again, you saw Cal's young OLBs take turns biting on the handoff, and crashing the interior only to see Prince bounce outside for major yardage. Even when the Bears were assigning a safety to spy on Prince, the defenders took bad angles or got sloppy with their tackles. I believe I saw Sean Cattouse out of position on two very makeable tackles.

It was infuriating to watch because everyone and their stepmother knew how one-dimensional the Bruins were on offense on Saturday. If Prince completed an occasional 8 or 12 yard curl or out route, so be it. I can stomach that, because I sure as hell know that type of performance can't be sustained over the course of a game. Prince simply isn't a great passer, and the Bruins were featuring walkons at WR for Crissakes.

But when you load up on the run and you still allow 294 yards on the ground, it's hard to find many if any positives.

I'm still convinced this defense is one of the better ones in the conference. But it's this type of performance that makes me realize how far they are from being elite, because quite frankly, elite defenses don't have such issues with execution.

This Team Doesn't Quit, but is Very Sloppy
There hasn't been a single point this season where I felt like the Bears quit. Ok, maybe USC's last touchdown after Maynard's third interception. But hell, even Winston Churchill would have let USC's RB waltz into the endzone at that point.

For all of Cal's issues this season, I do feel like they're a squad that continues to battle until the end. And for that, I like this team more than previous years'.

However, I'm astounded at how sloppy this team looks at certain moments.

A part of me feels like there might just be a focus issue. I don't see the team approaching each game like it is the only thing that matters for the next three and a half hours. There are far too many missed assignments, too many moments of miscommunication, and the penalties, oh gawd, the penalties.

The Bears are a lowly 117th out of 120 teams in the nation in penalties yards per game. There was a time when Tedford's squads were known for being disciplined, focused, and more for their ability to overachieve than to falter at critical moments with superior talent. That's just how far we've fallen.

Looking Ahead
Sorry for the negativity. This is honestly one of the more negative posts I've written in awhile, finding very little if anything, to say positively about the Bears after last Saturday's game. And really, can you blame me?

I suppose I'm just that distraught after Cal's loss. It was simply an inexcusable game on so many levels, but I'm ready to move on. Here's hoping the Bears are too.