What it will take to upset udubb

8,696 Views | 105 Replies | Last: 11 mo ago by dimitrig
UrsineMaximus
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HearstMining said:

KenBurnski said:

Jackson learning how to slide and protect himself. I was stunned listening to his Idaho postgame where he mentions that he doesn't know how to properly slide and that sliding wasn't something they'd worked on in practice. I get there's only so many hours in a day but given his build it just seems like that would have been time well spent. I dunno.
It would be interesting to see a time study done for football practices. Specifically, what percentage of time is an athlete actually doing something vs standing around. And a comparison between top teams (Alabama, Ohio St, etc) vs mediocre teams vs perennial losers.
Cal needs to spend 50% of practice time to 11 on 11 special teams practice. All phases KO, KOR, P, PR, FG/XP and FG/XP defense.

Oh and hire a bona fide ST coach. How I wish we could be like VT Coach Beamers' special teams!!
GoOskie
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Our boys will need to play faster, stronger, jump higher and score more points. Oh and definitely fly around out there.
calumnus
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UrsineMaximus said:

Now that the conference games have started, it is no secret what each opposing DC will do to Cal: force Cal to beat you through the air. The box will be stacked, safeties will creep up to the line of scrimmage and basic havoc will be bestowed on Cal. It is a simple formula and one that will be repeated in each game going forward.

We are a one dimensional football team with a starting QB that lacks fundamentals and pocket awareness. I will predict one thing: Jackson V will be our leading rusher.


The simple formula to beat this is play/action, repeatedly faking the run inside STARTING ON FIRST DOWN then throwing a slant or rolling Jackson out and throwing deep over the middle behind the safeties with Jackson having a run option outside.

Lots of misdirection after faking the run inside. How bout a flea flicker? Burn them for loading the box until they don't. THEN run inside.
bluehenbear
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Nasal Mucus Goldenbear said:

Best case scenario: 10-pt L
Roll out the moral victory cannon!
Rushinbear
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KenBurnski said:

Jackson learning how to slide and protect himself. I was stunned listening to his Idaho postgame where he mentions that he doesn't know how to properly slide and that sliding wasn't something they'd worked on in practice. I get there's only so many hours in a day but given his build it just seems like that would have been time well spent. I dunno.
Given the extent of the other skills he needs to develop, how to slide seems at the bottom of the list. I think he knows how (he has played baseball, hasn't he?). It's more a matter of awareness or being realistic.
KenBurnski
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Rushinbear said:

KenBurnski said:

Jackson learning how to slide and protect himself. I was stunned listening to his Idaho postgame where he mentions that he doesn't know how to properly slide and that sliding wasn't something they'd worked on in practice. I get there's only so many hours in a day but given his build it just seems like that would have been time well spent. I dunno.
Given the extent of the other skills he needs to develop, how to slide seems at the bottom of the list. I think he knows how (he has played baseball, hasn't he?). It's more a matter of awareness or being realistic.

He said he played 3 innings and quit because it was boring. He said he does not know how to slide and that he expected that they'd work on it today in practice. Given that properly sliding can help him avoid take injury inducing hits, NO I don't think it's something that should be at the bottom of his development list nor do I think it will take long to learn - but they have to invest some time.
bluehenbear
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Why was this not addressed during camp or over the summer (something he could work on by himself or an outside coach?)
KenBurnski
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Maybe they just assumed he'd played a full 9 innings before hanging up his spikes?
golden sloth
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bluehenbear said:

Why was this not addressed during camp or over the summer (something he could work on by himself or an outside coach?)


I still maintain that this shouldn't need to be coached. Watching the idaho qb's game tape should be enough. Maybe have a coach spend 2 minutes to explain that the ball will be placed where you start the slide and how the clock works.
MrGPAC
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While I agree its not something that should take a lot of time in practice...looking at the games it makes sense.

Most of his runs he tries to get to the sideline and go out of contact before getting contact. If he can't get out of bounds his first instinct seems to be to try to dive head first to get as much yardage as possible. I know it sounds silly...but stuff like this is one of those things you want to do so many times with repetition that when it comes time to slide you don't think, "Should I slide here or dive head first?", your body just does it. When multiple 300 pound human beings are trying to do bad things to you is not the time to stop and think.

Also, its important to keep in mind he didn't become a QB until his senior year in highschool. You don't slide as a WR. Sliding is uniquely a QB skill in football. And frankly sliding is a bit of an underappreciated skill. How many times do you see a qb start to slide just before the first down marker either not realizing where they are, or that the ball is placed where they started their slide not where they ended it?

Ultimately this is a reminder just how raw Jackson is at QB. He's an amazing athlete, has a really quick release and can throw the ball more or less accurately...but there is so much to the position he is still figuring out. Timing with WR's, how to put some arc on his passes to let his wrs run underneath, and yes...sliding.
HearstMining
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As I pointed out on another thread, the last Cal QB who only played the position his senior year of HS was the famous "Jesus in cleats", Kyle Boller. It wasn't until his senior year at Cal that he was a good college QB. Boller wasn't the athlete Jackson is, but at least as accurate a passer and a terrifically strong arm. But the point is, you're right, there's a lot to learn. Still, Jackson was a backup QB at TCU for two years - didn't they teach him anything?
ducky23
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HearstMining said:

As I pointed out on another thread, the last Cal QB who only played the position his senior year of HS was the famous "Jesus in cleats", Kyle Boller. It wasn't until his senior year at Cal that he was a good college QB. Boller wasn't the athlete Jackson is, but at least as accurate a passer and a terrifically strong arm. But the point is, you're right, there's a lot to learn. Still, Jackson was a backup QB at TCU for two years - didn't they teach him anything?


I hear what you're saying. But if boller had tedford the whole time and not holmoe, he probably leaves for the nfl early
Rushinbear
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KenBurnski said:

Rushinbear said:

KenBurnski said:

Jackson learning how to slide and protect himself. I was stunned listening to his Idaho postgame where he mentions that he doesn't know how to properly slide and that sliding wasn't something they'd worked on in practice. I get there's only so many hours in a day but given his build it just seems like that would have been time well spent. I dunno.
Given the extent of the other skills he needs to develop, how to slide seems at the bottom of the list. I think he knows how (he has played baseball, hasn't he?). It's more a matter of awareness or being realistic.

He said he played 3 innings and quit because it was boring. He said he does not know how to slide and that he expected that they'd work on it today in practice. Given that properly sliding can help him avoid take injury inducing hits, NO I don't think it's something that should be at the bottom of his development list nor do I think it will take long to learn - but they have to invest some time.
Hasn't played much baseball, alrighty then. Move the slide up the list.
BearSD
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ducky23 said:

HearstMining said:

As I pointed out on another thread, the last Cal QB who only played the position his senior year of HS was the famous "Jesus in cleats", Kyle Boller. It wasn't until his senior year at Cal that he was a good college QB. Boller wasn't the athlete Jackson is, but at least as accurate a passer and a terrifically strong arm. But the point is, you're right, there's a lot to learn. Still, Jackson was a backup QB at TCU for two years - didn't they teach him anything?


I hear what you're saying. But if boller had tedford the whole time and not holmoe, he probably leaves for the nfl early


Meh. I don't remember Tedford turning Zach Maynard into an NFL QB.
ducky23
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BearSD said:

ducky23 said:

HearstMining said:

As I pointed out on another thread, the last Cal QB who only played the position his senior year of HS was the famous "Jesus in cleats", Kyle Boller. It wasn't until his senior year at Cal that he was a good college QB. Boller wasn't the athlete Jackson is, but at least as accurate a passer and a terrifically strong arm. But the point is, you're right, there's a lot to learn. Still, Jackson was a backup QB at TCU for two years - didn't they teach him anything?


I hear what you're saying. But if boller had tedford the whole time and not holmoe, he probably leaves for the nfl early


Meh. I don't remember Tedford turning Zach Maynard into an NFL QB.


Yeah that's because one was the #1 QB recruit in the country and the other was Keenan Allen's brother
MrGPAC
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Last year Cal lost 28-21. They had the ball at midfield with just over a minute on the clock to tie the game and turned it over on downs.

This was with Musgrave's offense...

The game was 6-0 at halftime.

Our defense appears to be better than last years. If we can't keep it closer than 14 points (7 point loss last year + flipping homefield advantage) then that does not bode well for the rest of our season.

So to answer the question...we need to play the same game we did last year, but with an offensive performance better than what Musgrave could offer. If we can't do that then we have serious problems with offensive coaching...and I'm not saying we don't...I lost whatever faith I had left in Wilcox after going down 17-0 to start the game vs Idaho.
heartofthebear
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CNHTH said:

I'm not really expecting any delta on defense I think we're good enough to hold the huskies to 30 points meaning we have to find a way to get 30. And since our kicking game is dog doo doo that means 5 tds. Which is a tall task but not totally impossible.
Udubb's only weakness I see is in their secondary and I think it's important that spavital find a way to get the corners in man along the sidelines.
Jackson has proven he can throw the back shoulder ball but the question is will he ever have an opportunity to do so if Ott can't get going and he's constantly scrambling for his life.
I know we haven't seen it yet and I'm surprised that we haven't but I would love to see a t/ wishbone formation and possibly 12 personnel of some sort. Have to protect in this game to have a chance.
Would love to see a t with Ott/ ifanse /alfieri to the sides of Jackson with Hunter plus endries plus Grizzle
For the record I don't think it's likely but if spav at least starts with 12 personell or something new to my eyes I will refrain from drinking wild turkey in q1
it will at least take the kind of defense Cal had against Auburn, including plenty of short fields via turnovers. Then Cal needs to actually convert those scoring opportunities. The trouble is that Washington's offense is sooo much better than Auburns. It is multi-dimensional and the QB is so much better. So, good luck with that. But I like Cal's tackling and penchant for turnovers on D. That could at least make things interesting.

Cal's problem is that the pac-12, ironically, may be the best conference in the nation this season. There are 5 teams that are legit candidates for a final ranking in the top 10 (Washington, Oregon, USC, Utah & Colorado) and three of those could end up #1 (Washington, Oregon and USC). Notice I included Washington as a potential national champion.

In the meantime, Oregon St and UCLA are probably also going to end up in the top 20. The only team Cal avoids is Colorado.

Of all of those teams, I think Washington and Oregon are the least likely to succumb to a Cal upset. But I guess anything is possible.
Trumpanzee
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They don't show up....
Golden One
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Prayer.
wifeisafurd
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My answer would be Penix does not play the game or most of the game. I simply don't think Cal can score with Udub.
fight4california
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CNHTH said:

What it will take to upset udubb
A miracle?
Cabin14
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KenBurnski said:

Maybe they just assumed he'd played a full 9 innings before hanging up his spikes?
He's lacks patience in the pocket so I guess it stands to reason he'd bail after 3.
Cabin14
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heartofthebear said:

CNHTH said:

I'm not really expecting any delta on defense I think we're good enough to hold the huskies to 30 points meaning we have to find a way to get 30. And since our kicking game is dog doo doo that means 5 tds. Which is a tall task but not totally impossible.
Udubb's only weakness I see is in their secondary and I think it's important that spavital find a way to get the corners in man along the sidelines.
Jackson has proven he can throw the back shoulder ball but the question is will he ever have an opportunity to do so if Ott can't get going and he's constantly scrambling for his life.
I know we haven't seen it yet and I'm surprised that we haven't but I would love to see a t/ wishbone formation and possibly 12 personnel of some sort. Have to protect in this game to have a chance.
Would love to see a t with Ott/ ifanse /alfieri to the sides of Jackson with Hunter plus endries plus Grizzle
For the record I don't think it's likely but if spav at least starts with 12 personell or something new to my eyes I will refrain from drinking wild turkey in q1
…notice I included Washington as a potential national champion….
As you should.
Larno
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philly1121 said:

BarcaBear said:

Cal Strong! said:

The best approach to beat UW this weekend would have been to hire Kaelen Deboer two years ago or Deion Sanders last year.

That being said, this game can be won. Can it be won by Wilcox? We will find out soon.


Deion Sanders would fail here. Colorado had to drop their educational standards to admit many of his portal players. I was surprised, but only because I didn't know Colorado had standards to begin with. lol
Oh those darn educational standards. Do the alumni at CU care right now? To be fair, I wanted them to bite the dust against Colorado State. I turned the game off thinking it was over. Oops.

I think they will go down against Oregon this weekend tho.
It would be great to have the enthusiasm and hype around our team that Colorado has now but they will come back to earth this week against Oregon and will also have a tough time against the other good teams in the league. I only watched part of the game but Colorado St. should have won. They choked in a mighty way, giving up a 98 yard drive in just a couple of minutes. The flash of Sanders has worked for three games but the reality of facing teams that actually have good players will bring them back to earth. Or, I could be completely wrong and they could do well. We shall see.
Econ141
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Larno said:

philly1121 said:

BarcaBear said:

Cal Strong! said:

The best approach to beat UW this weekend would have been to hire Kaelen Deboer two years ago or Deion Sanders last year.

That being said, this game can be won. Can it be won by Wilcox? We will find out soon.


Deion Sanders would fail here. Colorado had to drop their educational standards to admit many of his portal players. I was surprised, but only because I didn't know Colorado had standards to begin with. lol
Oh those darn educational standards. Do the alumni at CU care right now? To be fair, I wanted them to bite the dust against Colorado State. I turned the game off thinking it was over. Oops.

I think they will go down against Oregon this weekend tho.
It would be great to have the enthusiasm and hype around our team that Colorado has now but they will come back to earth this week against Oregon and will also have a tough time against the other good teams in the league. I only watched part of the game but Colorado St. should have won. They choked in a mighty way, giving up a 98 yard drive in just a couple of minutes. The flash of Sanders has worked for three games but the reality of facing teams that actually have good players will bring them back to earth. Or, I could be completely wrong and they could do well. We shall see.


CSU should have won just like Cal should have won. Getting over the hump is the sign of a good coach. They had to drive 98 yards to tie the score and did it.

Every team can lay and egg but the good ones are the ones that don't crack it. Colorado has two P5 road victories so the emotional rivalry game being close I don't think hints at a weak team.

Unfortunately their best player is out now as it would have been great to see them at their best against Oregon.
BearHunter
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What will it take to beam them?

We are going to have to learn how to hold defensive players without getting caught.
Cal Strong!
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OldenBear said:

Cal Strong! said:

BarcaBear said:

Cal Strong! said:

The best approach to beat UW this weekend would have been to hire Kaelen Deboer two years ago or Deion Sanders last year.

That being said, this game can be won. Can it be won by Wilcox? We will find out soon.


Deion Sanders would fail here. Colorado had to drop their educational standards to admit many of his portal players. I was surprised, but only because I didn't know Colorado had standards to begin with. lol
No. He wouldn't.

Colorado football had the highest GPA in their history this past Spring.





welllll ,,,,, let's chk again next Spring
This is the attitude that has kept us from winning the Rose Bowl since 1938. Let's just take a little more time to further consider things, and then we can check back to see if the winners are still winning in a few months.
HearstMining
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heartofthebear said:

CNHTH said:

I'm not really expecting any delta on defense I think we're good enough to hold the huskies to 30 points meaning we have to find a way to get 30. And since our kicking game is dog doo doo that means 5 tds. Which is a tall task but not totally impossible.
Udubb's only weakness I see is in their secondary and I think it's important that spavital find a way to get the corners in man along the sidelines.
Jackson has proven he can throw the back shoulder ball but the question is will he ever have an opportunity to do so if Ott can't get going and he's constantly scrambling for his life.
I know we haven't seen it yet and I'm surprised that we haven't but I would love to see a t/ wishbone formation and possibly 12 personnel of some sort. Have to protect in this game to have a chance.
Would love to see a t with Ott/ ifanse /alfieri to the sides of Jackson with Hunter plus endries plus Grizzle
For the record I don't think it's likely but if spav at least starts with 12 personell or something new to my eyes I will refrain from drinking wild turkey in q1
it will at least take the kind of defense Cal had against Auburn, including plenty of short fields via turnovers. Then Cal needs to actually convert those scoring opportunities. The trouble is that Washington's offense is sooo much better than Auburns. It is multi-dimensional and the QB is so much better. So, good luck with that. But I like Cal's tackling and penchant for turnovers on D. That could at least make things interesting.

Cal's problem is that the pac-12, ironically, may be the best conference in the nation this season. There are 5 teams that are legit candidates for a final ranking in the top 10 (Washington, Oregon, USC, Utah & Colorado) and three of those could end up #1 (Washington, Oregon and USC). Notice I included Washington as a potential national champion.

In the meantime, Oregon St and UCLA are probably also going to end up in the top 20. The only team Cal avoids is Colorado.

Of all of those teams, I think Washington and Oregon are the least likely to succumb to a Cal upset. But I guess anything is possible.
  • I thought Idaho's offense (particularly the QB) was much better than Auburns and, while Cal gave up 17 in the first half, they did a good job of stopping that offense in the second half.
  • I think Sirmon needs to take some chances to put pressure on Penix - he can't play bend-don't-break.
  • I did notice that Hearns got lit up by Idaho a couple of times and was pulled, but returned in the second half. He's a tough, tenacious player, but doesn't have elite speed or height. Cal will have to be careful with match-ups in the defensive backfield.
Rushinbear
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Econ141 said:

Larno said:

philly1121 said:

BarcaBear said:

Cal Strong! said:

The best approach to beat UW this weekend would have been to hire Kaelen Deboer two years ago or Deion Sanders last year.

That being said, this game can be won. Can it be won by Wilcox? We will find out soon.


Deion Sanders would fail here. Colorado had to drop their educational standards to admit many of his portal players. I was surprised, but only because I didn't know Colorado had standards to begin with. lol
Oh those darn educational standards. Do the alumni at CU care right now? To be fair, I wanted them to bite the dust against Colorado State. I turned the game off thinking it was over. Oops.

I think they will go down against Oregon this weekend tho.
It would be great to have the enthusiasm and hype around our team that Colorado has now but they will come back to earth this week against Oregon and will also have a tough time against the other good teams in the league. I only watched part of the game but Colorado St. should have won. They choked in a mighty way, giving up a 98 yard drive in just a couple of minutes. The flash of Sanders has worked for three games but the reality of facing teams that actually have good players will bring them back to earth. Or, I could be completely wrong and they could do well. We shall see.


CSU should have won just like Cal should have won. Getting over the hump is the sign of a good coach. They had to drive 98 yards to tie the score and did it.

Every team can lay and egg but the good ones are the ones that don't crack it. Colorado has two P5 road victories so the emotional rivalry game being close I don't think hints at a weak team.

Unfortunately their best player is out now as it would have been great to see them at their best against Oregon.
If we lose our best player, it's "that's Cal". When a favorite team loses theirs, it's an excuse for an L.

That's football. If CU has to rely on one player to win, they're a thin team anyway.

Deion is the shiny, new thing, but the jury is still out. .500 and the losing starts this week. (watch for excuses and moral victories). CU has set themselves up. Every team now wants to beat them and CU will be playing every team's best game. Should be interesting.

I must say that I'm impressed that CU has taken a bunch of strangers and molded them into a well-coordinated team. Is it talent? Not by itself, no. The coaching is as much to credit.
Rushinbear
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HearstMining said:

heartofthebear said:

CNHTH said:

I'm not really expecting any delta on defense I think we're good enough to hold the huskies to 30 points meaning we have to find a way to get 30. And since our kicking game is dog doo doo that means 5 tds. Which is a tall task but not totally impossible.
Udubb's only weakness I see is in their secondary and I think it's important that spavital find a way to get the corners in man along the sidelines.
Jackson has proven he can throw the back shoulder ball but the question is will he ever have an opportunity to do so if Ott can't get going and he's constantly scrambling for his life.
I know we haven't seen it yet and I'm surprised that we haven't but I would love to see a t/ wishbone formation and possibly 12 personnel of some sort. Have to protect in this game to have a chance.
Would love to see a t with Ott/ ifanse /alfieri to the sides of Jackson with Hunter plus endries plus Grizzle
For the record I don't think it's likely but if spav at least starts with 12 personell or something new to my eyes I will refrain from drinking wild turkey in q1
it will at least take the kind of defense Cal had against Auburn, including plenty of short fields via turnovers. Then Cal needs to actually convert those scoring opportunities. The trouble is that Washington's offense is sooo much better than Auburns. It is multi-dimensional and the QB is so much better. So, good luck with that. But I like Cal's tackling and penchant for turnovers on D. That could at least make things interesting.

Cal's problem is that the pac-12, ironically, may be the best conference in the nation this season. There are 5 teams that are legit candidates for a final ranking in the top 10 (Washington, Oregon, USC, Utah & Colorado) and three of those could end up #1 (Washington, Oregon and USC). Notice I included Washington as a potential national champion.

In the meantime, Oregon St and UCLA are probably also going to end up in the top 20. The only team Cal avoids is Colorado.

Of all of those teams, I think Washington and Oregon are the least likely to succumb to a Cal upset. But I guess anything is possible.
  • I thought Idaho's offense (particularly the QB) was much better than Auburns and, while Cal gave up 17 in the first half, they did a good job of stopping that offense in the second half.
  • I think Sirmon needs to take some chances to put pressure on Penix - he can't play bend-don't-break.
  • I did notice that Hearns got lit up by Idaho a couple of times and was pulled, but returned in the second half. He's a tough, tenacious player, but doesn't have elite speed or height. Cal will have to be careful with match-ups in the defensive backfield.

I thought Hearns had speed and that it was his size that was the issue. Maybe he has speed, but not the hips.
DiabloWags
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GoOskie said:

Our boys will need to play faster, stronger, jump higher and score more points. Oh and definitely fly around out there.
"Cults don't end well. They really don't."
DiabloWags
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Rushinbear said:



I must say that I'm impressed that CU has taken a bunch of strangers and molded them into a well-coordinated team. Is it talent? Not by itself, no. The coaching is as much to credit.

We have neither.
So we wont be tearing down any goal posts anytime soon.
"Cults don't end well. They really don't."
6956bear
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HearstMining said:

heartofthebear said:

CNHTH said:

I'm not really expecting any delta on defense I think we're good enough to hold the huskies to 30 points meaning we have to find a way to get 30. And since our kicking game is dog doo doo that means 5 tds. Which is a tall task but not totally impossible.
Udubb's only weakness I see is in their secondary and I think it's important that spavital find a way to get the corners in man along the sidelines.
Jackson has proven he can throw the back shoulder ball but the question is will he ever have an opportunity to do so if Ott can't get going and he's constantly scrambling for his life.
I know we haven't seen it yet and I'm surprised that we haven't but I would love to see a t/ wishbone formation and possibly 12 personnel of some sort. Have to protect in this game to have a chance.
Would love to see a t with Ott/ ifanse /alfieri to the sides of Jackson with Hunter plus endries plus Grizzle
For the record I don't think it's likely but if spav at least starts with 12 personell or something new to my eyes I will refrain from drinking wild turkey in q1
it will at least take the kind of defense Cal had against Auburn, including plenty of short fields via turnovers. Then Cal needs to actually convert those scoring opportunities. The trouble is that Washington's offense is sooo much better than Auburns. It is multi-dimensional and the QB is so much better. So, good luck with that. But I like Cal's tackling and penchant for turnovers on D. That could at least make things interesting.

Cal's problem is that the pac-12, ironically, may be the best conference in the nation this season. There are 5 teams that are legit candidates for a final ranking in the top 10 (Washington, Oregon, USC, Utah & Colorado) and three of those could end up #1 (Washington, Oregon and USC). Notice I included Washington as a potential national champion.

In the meantime, Oregon St and UCLA are probably also going to end up in the top 20. The only team Cal avoids is Colorado.

Of all of those teams, I think Washington and Oregon are the least likely to succumb to a Cal upset. But I guess anything is possible.
  • I thought Idaho's offense (particularly the QB) was much better than Auburns and, while Cal gave up 17 in the first half, they did a good job of stopping that offense in the second half.
  • I think Sirmon needs to take some chances to put pressure on Penix - he can't play bend-don't-break.
  • I did notice that Hearns got lit up by Idaho a couple of times and was pulled, but returned in the second half. He's a tough, tenacious player, but doesn't have elite speed or height. Cal will have to be careful with match-ups in the defensive backfield.

I agree with less bend but don't break. But not non stop blitzing. UW has elite college WRS. All 3 starters have a shot at the NFL. Odunze and McMillan seem like locks. UW will make some plays. The Bears will need to minimize the chunk plays. UW likes to throw downfield. Penix is very good at it. The Bears have to mix it up and get some hits on the QB.

UW at times almost completely goes away from the run. Cal may look to add another DB to the mix to help against the pass. But UW will use the TE. They like the TE in the red zone. Westover the TE has 4 TDs on 10 catches.

Holding UW down will be hard. Cal will need to present some offense to have a chance. Can they run it well enough to limit the UW possessions? Can they score when the get in the red zone. UW is decent on defense but not elite. There likely will be some plays available. Can this offense make them? To me that is the biggest concern.

DiabloWags
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6956bear said:



Holding UW down will be hard. Cal will need to present some offense to have a chance. Can they run it well enough to limit the UW possessions? Can they score when the get in the red zone. UW is decent on defense but not elite. There likely will be some plays available. Can this offense make them? To me that is the biggest concern.


Agreed.

If Cal has any chance, we'll have to avoid 3rd and LONG situations.
Going 3 and out will just keep putting our defense back out on the field and its only a matter of time before they get worn down and give up a big play vs Penix. - - - Last week, he had 4 TD's and 375 yards at the HALF.


"Cults don't end well. They really don't."
heartofthebear
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HearstMining said:

heartofthebear said:

CNHTH said:

I'm not really expecting any delta on defense I think we're good enough to hold the huskies to 30 points meaning we have to find a way to get 30. And since our kicking game is dog doo doo that means 5 tds. Which is a tall task but not totally impossible.
Udubb's only weakness I see is in their secondary and I think it's important that spavital find a way to get the corners in man along the sidelines.
Jackson has proven he can throw the back shoulder ball but the question is will he ever have an opportunity to do so if Ott can't get going and he's constantly scrambling for his life.
I know we haven't seen it yet and I'm surprised that we haven't but I would love to see a t/ wishbone formation and possibly 12 personnel of some sort. Have to protect in this game to have a chance.
Would love to see a t with Ott/ ifanse /alfieri to the sides of Jackson with Hunter plus endries plus Grizzle
For the record I don't think it's likely but if spav at least starts with 12 personell or something new to my eyes I will refrain from drinking wild turkey in q1
it will at least take the kind of defense Cal had against Auburn, including plenty of short fields via turnovers. Then Cal needs to actually convert those scoring opportunities. The trouble is that Washington's offense is sooo much better than Auburns. It is multi-dimensional and the QB is so much better. So, good luck with that. But I like Cal's tackling and penchant for turnovers on D. That could at least make things interesting.

Cal's problem is that the pac-12, ironically, may be the best conference in the nation this season. There are 5 teams that are legit candidates for a final ranking in the top 10 (Washington, Oregon, USC, Utah & Colorado) and three of those could end up #1 (Washington, Oregon and USC). Notice I included Washington as a potential national champion.

In the meantime, Oregon St and UCLA are probably also going to end up in the top 20. The only team Cal avoids is Colorado.

Of all of those teams, I think Washington and Oregon are the least likely to succumb to a Cal upset. But I guess anything is possible.
  • I thought Idaho's offense (particularly the QB) was much better than Auburns and, while Cal gave up 17 in the first half, they did a good job of stopping that offense in the second half.
  • I think Sirmon needs to take some chances to put pressure on Penix - he can't play bend-don't-break.
  • I did notice that Hearns got lit up by Idaho a couple of times and was pulled, but returned in the second half. He's a tough, tenacious player, but doesn't have elite speed or height. Cal will have to be careful with match-ups in the defensive backfield.

Hearns had a breakout season as a true frosh and has plateaued ever since. He has been over-rated since then as he has actually regressed. Maybe he can reclaim the mojo but he's going to have to earn it. In the meantime, there are others like Kaylin Moore that are playing better right now. And I think Erby has more upside.
 
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