.jpg)
"We're in no position to overlook anyone after losing last week," -Coach Tedford.
This isn't going to be your typical Keys to the Game feature for all the obvious reasons. I don't presume to know much about the Thunderbirds from Southern Utah. I know they're an FCS team from the Big Sky conference that went 6-5 last year with losses to teams such as Cal Poly. I know they lost last week to Utah State 34-3. And I know they're located in the southern region of Utah. Actually I don't know that. I'm make a short-reaching assumption there.
But frankly none of that really matters. Last week's loss to Nevada has radically changed our expectations for the team and has tempered optimism. I for one, went from thinking 8 wins were a minimum, to genuinely wondering whether the Bears might be bowl eligible this year based on how they performed. Last Saturday's game had that type of impact on the psyche of most Cal fans.
And the Bears' game against Southern Utah this Saturday will do very little, if anything, to change current perception of the Bears.
But here's what they can do. They can hope to use this game to at least point themselves in the right direction of finding themselves. This isn't about taking out one's frustration on a hapless FCS school. This is getting back to focusing on the little things, to seeing a week of motivated, determined practice fulfilled in flawless execution on the field.
It's not about dominating Southern Utah. It's about getting back to not beating themselves.
After the jump, a few thoughts on what I'd like to see.
Flawless Execution
I could care less if we run up 60 plus points against the Thunderbirds. I do care however about how we're doing that. While it'd be nice to see our star players juke a poor Southern Utah player out of their shoes, we're not looking for a display of raw athleticism here. We know this team is gifted athletically. Instead, I'm looking for physicality and polish, areas that were sorely lacking last Saturday.
Some of the penalties last week were just absurd. Look, I understand there's going to be an occasional and inadvertent face mask or an illegal block in the back if a pursuing player suddenly turns a certain way. But those weren't the types of flags the Bears were seeing last week. The flags thrown in the Bears' direction were the direct result of lack of execution and preparation.
Keenan Allen had what would have been a long reception wiped out because of an ineligible receiver downfield. I believe that penalty was on Jacob Wark which means either he, or another player was not set properly on/off the line of scrimmage. That can't happen. The Bears aren't a team that can afford to have such positive yardage plays wiped out. Again, that's a lack of preparation and execution.
I don't want to see any more substitution infractions anymore either, because that would indicate that either players are still unfamiliar with the playbook and personnel packages, and/or that coaches have yet to find an effective means for communicating what play is happening and who's supposed to be in.
Dominate in the Trenches
I thought Cal's pass protection last weekend was fairly decent. One the Bears sacks was tight end Richard Rodgers simply getting beat off the line, while the other was Zach Maynard reading his hot read off the edge. But the run game was unabashedly out of sorts. I do believe a lot of it had to do with playcalling, but there really isn't an excuse for the Bears' oline failing to push around an extremely young Nevada defensive line.
The Bears have to get back to grinding in the trenches. I know it's just Southern Utah, but there's still something to be said about an offensive line squad that makes it their mission to maul defenders. It's a mentality combined with flawless technique. The Bears have got to get their swagger back and although they aren't going to do that by running over Southern Utah, they can at least begin believing they can. I'll be paying strong attention to the the type of push the Bears get against an overmatched Southern Utah defensive line. It will be particularly interesting to watch the depth at tackle, as the Bears suffered one of their worst possible nightmares with Matt Summers-Gavin out with injury.
Overall
I don't think it's far reaching to say that the fanbase isn't expecting much out of this team right now. They're hoping for the best, but expectations have been tempered. Severely.
But the good news for the Bears team, is that it shouldn't matter. At least not to them. For the players in the locker room and the coaches who spend nights poring over film, it should be about their own execution, their own preparation, and their own belief in one another. It's always been about that, but for some reason last Saturday, that escaped them.
Let's hope Saturday's contest is a step towards making sure they remember.
Prediction
Cal 52 Southern Utah 17
4 comments:
Totally agree on the penalties - poor preparation. There were 2 penalties for 12 men on the field and 1 timeout taken to avoid a third! Did any other FBS team have that penalty twice last week?
The KA21 reception nullified for illegal man downfield was not a formation error. I **think** that play design was a screen pass and thus OL/TE would be heading downfield to block.
I used to think we could squeak by this season with 6 or 7 wins, but now I realize that was foolishly optimistic. We will lose to OhioSU, USC, UCLA, Stanfurd, Utah, Wash, Oregon and OSU. All this sounds terrible except for the fact that our first year at Cal we won only one game, so maybe it's good? Might be interesting to do a "perspectives" post to see how the program has fared over the past few decades. Maybe it'll help me cope with the fact that unlike other elite teams, Cal will only have intermittent periods of success followed by long spells of mediocrity. It is unrealistic to think that we can compete with the OSUs, U$Cs and Alabamas of the world year after year. But maybe every now and then we'll get lucky.
Another idea for a post might be why Maynard is a loser. Pointing at his arm whenever he makes a semi-decent throw, sulking on the bench, and all the other great things he does to exemplify how great of a leader he is.
BTW I love your blog - keep up the good work.
@BluGinger,
I actually didn't consider that the ineligible receiver play was a designed screen. I should go back and watch the tape. If so, good eye there.
@AngryBear,
In the same way it's too early to write off the Bears, it's too early to automatically chalk up some of the losses you pointed to. Let's let the non-conference slate play out before thinking we're doomed against Oregon State.
Also, despite our current era of mediocrity, I do think the program as a whole is in a much better shape as it's been ever. Of course, we've had years that were unequivocally better, but you can't look at the entire body of work under the Tedford era and say that it isn't by and large better than where we've been. But mediocrity is exactly where we currently reside.
And for the record, regardless of my feelings on Maynard, I'd never go so far as to call him a loser. I think the arm thing was silly, though I doubt people would talk about it if we had won.
Plain and simple, people will love Maynard if we win, and hate on him if we lose.
And thanks for reading. Always love hearing from you guys.
Post a Comment