I am going to go out on a limb and state that these coaches know something about the footballs.
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Cal Football
Wilcox Addresses Offensive Struggles, Position Moves and More
Coming off the second subpar offensive performance in the last three weeks after their 28-9 loss to Washington State Saturday, it’s clear something is not working on the offensive side of the ball, whether it’s offensive line struggles, quarterbacking, playcalling or something else.
Cal head coach Justin Wilcox was asked today in an abbreviated bye week media session if they might consider using the bye week to introduce some outside voices to the program to help turn things around, whether it be offensive consultants or something else to help jump-start the offense.
“There’s a lot of experience on the offensive staff, different systems, players and schematics and we’re constantly trying to do what’s best for our team and our players,” said Wilcox. “If there was something we could do to be a quick fix in terms of blocking, throwing, catching and running, then yeah, obviously we’d do that. However, we have the know-how. We need to work with our players and coaches and share the responsibility to perform better.
“There’s no excuse. We need to be much better. I think that’s obvious. Are there tweaks? Yeah, absolutely. There are tweaks. But we’re not bringing in eight new people right now. That’s not what’s best for the program.”
The 6th-year head coach knows they're not getting the job done consistently and takes ownership of the missed expectations.
“This is a results-oriented deal we’re in,” said Wilcox. “We have to produce. Coaches -I do- offense, defense, special teams do, the players do. And that’s not undue pressure, that’s just the way that it is. So when we go out and don’t perform to our capability, then there’s gonna be truth being told and it doesn’t always feel good. And it’s not, ‘Hey, it’s okay, just move to the next one.’
“It’s not okay. We can’t accept that. Nobody should. So we talked about that at yesterday’s meeting. I certainly don’t get the feeling that the players are accepting what happened. It happened and we need to learn and grow from it and everybody has a responsibility to be better and be a part of the solution. We’ve got to go out and produce.”
With QB Jack Plummer taking a beating in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s loss, Wilcox was asked if they considered taking the veteran QB earlier than they did before bringing in redshirt frosh backup QB Kai Millner for the last series.
“No, we did not,” said Wilcox. “He came out, he was dinged up and we pulled him out because he was hobbling around a little bit.”
On Plummer’s status for Colorado after the bye, Wilcox noted:
“(He’s) a little bit dinged up but I anticipate him being ready to go after the bye week,” said Wilcox. “We were told it was not a long-term issue.”
In last week’s win over Arizona, soph linebacker Femi Oladejo split time both inside and outside but after the WSU game, it appears OLB is likely to be his future landing spot.
“We think long-term for him, he’s going to be best suited there,” said Wilcox. “We knew even as early as a year ago that it could be a potential landing spot for Femi, just based on his physical development and his size, stature and skill set. So we’re planning on a long-term move. He’s got all the tools to be a very, very good edge player. Doesn’t mean he can’t play inside linebacker but I think in the long run for both he and his future and the team, it’s the best thing.”
The main beneficiary of Oladejo’s move seems to be redshirt soph ILB Mo Iosefa, who got plenty of work on Saturday after being unavailable the first three weeks of the season.
“Last week, Mo got the majority of the reps and Mo has a lot of physical tools to be a good inside linebacker,” said Wilcox. “He still needs to improve. That position -the mike position- needs to get better. We need more production there, both run and pass. What we're looking for is the best combination of guys and when they go in there, they need to earn the right to stay in the game and keep their spot and if we need to add more competition, we will.”
A series of personnel and position moves on the offensive line seemed to pay big dividends in Cal’s big 49-31 win over Arizona last week but vs. WSU, particularly in the second half, the o-line was back to their usual struggles in the loss, giving up four sacks and far too many hurries and QB hits. Might further moves be considered?
“We’re trying to find the best combination of guys who are able to identify the guys they should block then use the proper technique to block them. Obviously, this past week wasn’t nearly good enough in any regard. I believe those guys can play much better and right now, we’re looking at everything, whether it’s positions, techniques, or schemes. Everything’s being assessed right now. Then we’ll have a plan for what’s best moving forward on how to give the guys the best opportunity to go out and play well.”
After the bye week, Cal’s matchup with Colorado in Boulder was announced as a noon kickoff time (11 am pst) where the 3-2/1-1 Bears will look to get back on the winning track against an 0-5 Colorado team in seeming disarray after dismissing head coach Karl Dorrell and his staff after the Buffs fell to Arizona decisively Saturday.
Other stories:
Bears Fall Decisively in the Palouse, 28-9
Bear Insider Ultimate Insider Podcast E39: Cal vs WSU Preview -Video & Transcript
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