Game Against USC Postponed Until Dec. 4

The Cal football team. which last week had to face Arizona with a heavily depleted roster, on Tuesday announced that Saturday’s home game against USC had been rescheduled for Dec. 4.  That concluded a long day of negotiations involving the two schools and the Pac-12 conference.

The Bears who were minus 24 players and several coaches in Tucson mostly because of positive covid test results, said they would have been unable to field a team by Saturday.

“As we started this week, we were on a schedule to test our team and our staff again,” Cal athletic director Jim Knowlton said in a news conference via Zoom. “Today when we tested we had really just a few but they were all on the same position group. It left us with an inability to compete safely. I talked to the (Pac-12) commissioner  George Kliavkoff and I talked to USC athletic director Mike Bohn and we were able to come to an agreement to reschedule the game.”

Knowlton said that he was confident the Bears would be able to play their other two remaining games, Stanford in the Big Game Nov. 20 and UCLA in Los Angeles Nov. 27.

“I really feel good,” Knowlton said. “We have tested every one of our student-athletes and we can see we are at the back end of this.  We’re going to stay vigilant but I’m very confident that when we kick it off next week and start preparing for Stanford, we’re going to be in a great spot.”

Despite the pandemic raging across the country, this is the first college game to be rescheduled or canceled this year. And the Bears are glad they did not have to forfeit the contest and be stuck with a loss without even donning a helmet.

"Our heart goes out to all of the people who enjoy our games in so many ways and especially the players who only get so many chances to go out and play them," Cal coach Justin Wilcox said in a statement. "Postponing this game was a last resort and not an action any of us wanted to take, however it was not possible for us to field a team on Saturday."

On Monday the Cal players met as a group with medical people with no coaches or staff present. That might not have gone as well as hoped, judging from some of the social media posts put out by the players. Quarterback Chase Garbers was particularly angry.

“City and University officials spoke to us today, they really had no answers for us. They just beat around the bush and deflected our questions,” Garbers said. He concluded his lengthy post with, “We have worked too hard to have someone take this all away from us, it is wrong. We deserve answers and transparent communication.”

Rather than be upset with the players for their harsh criticisms, Knowlton understood and appreciated it.

“It couldn’t be more confusing in these times when you are trying to do the right thing and figure out what is the right thing,” he said. “And I applaud our student athletes for being vocal and wanting to know what’s going on.”

Getting the game rescheduled was not simple. The Pac-12 said in August that “Any forfeited contest shall be regarded as a conference loss for the team making the forfeit and a conference win for its opponent.

But, there is some wiggle room: “The Pac-12 rule provides the Commissioner with discretion to determine whether an institution is at fault or primarily at fault for an instability to play a contest based on the facts of the situation.”

According to a statement posted by Cal.  “Cal contacted USC about rescheduling the game and the two schools agreed on the new date. The Pac-12 approved the decision to reschedule the game. The kickoff time and broadcast television network will be announced at a later date.”

The game now takes place the day following the Pac-12 Championship game, scheduled for Friday Dec. 3 in Las Vegas. But neither USC (4-5, 3-4 Pac-12) nor Cal (3-6, 2-4) had any chance to reach it.

They do, however, have a chance to play a full 12-game schedule.

“It’s real important because it’s our last home game and it gives us a chance to celebrate our seniors,” Knowlton said. “I am grateful to Mike Bohn, who was a true partner.