Posted on premium board as well, posting here for more discussion!

Wow. Another loss that makes you really question yourself as a Cal fan. What a horrible way to lose. It feels like in just the few short years I've been here, I've experienced so many heartbreaking losses. Thoughts:

- Kicking is just inexcusable. I said I wouldn't fret about kicking unless today's game showed issues, and it did. We cannot miss those two field goals. If we make literally just 1, we kick the FG at the end of the game to win. We have to figure out what to do with Coe. Just inexcusable. Maybe we look at bringing in an outside consultant to replace Longwell. What a nightmare.

- Our OL and the offensive penalties are mind bendingly frustrating. What an undisciplined team. This is supposed to be Wilcox's speciality, right- teams that are well-coached and don't commit penalties? Haven't seen that the last two years, that's for sure! We probably win this game without the horrible false starts and illegal motions.

- On this note, I think at some point we have to consider if taking Bloesch away from just being focused on the OL, and handing him the keys to the overall offense has been a net negative for the team. The OL clearly has struggled, and while I understand that is in part due to injuries, there is no excuse for the repeated penalties, bad snaps in previous weeks, and overall poor play.

- The fact that our defense held FSU to 14 and we didn't win says everything. Our offense cannot be this anemic. We have arguably the most talent on offense in years, and yet are simply unable to convert in the red zone or get key momentum early in games.

- I take issues with the repeated runs into the gut of the DL. I get what Bloesch is trying to accomplish- wear down the DL so later in the game we can have more success. But we get almost nothing out of it, Jaydn is usually gang tackled before he even gets to the line of scrimmage, and we clearly have more success running outside the sticks

- There was a lot to like about the defense today but Sirmon continues to be an enigma on 3rd down stops. We simply cannot give up 3rd and 18, 3rd and 8, then a TD on the next 3rd and 8. Bend dont break is fine but when we have them behind the sticks, END THE DRIVE!!

- Some positives: Sirmon & the defense held FSU to a low point total, which is probably even lower if the offense could find its feet and stop giving the ball back to FSU. The WRs continue to make some great catches and I still think our RB room is good.

Today was a huge loss. Not just because of the very winnable game. But this was the most excitement and national attention I've seen Cal get in years. Probably a decade+. I had friends from home on the east coast texting me about Cal and this game. The twitter burners, the memes and jokes, the chance for Gameday to come see us vs Miami-- we absolutely blew it. Totally and utterly blew it. And it's on the coaching staff. They didn't have our guys ready. We were an undisciplined team with lots of costly penalties, FSU looked very mediocre, and we took an L on a national spotlight. Horrible.

Look- the season isn't over and I'm not saying that the world is crumbling. I actually think we'll win a considerable amount of games. But please no moral victories. "Oh we came close vs a brand like FSU!" Please stop. This was a huge chance for our program to truly take a step forward and unleash our brand, and we completely failed. It is 100% on the coaches. This was a huge missed opportunity. A really sad day for Cal Football. We continue our losing streak vs winless teams. So disappointing.

Thoughts?

The second missed field goal looked like it was blocked.

How many times in red zone? 5 or 6? Nine points..inexcusable

Anarchistbear said:

---

How many times in red zone? 5 or 6? Nine points..inexcusable

---

The final was our 6th. 2 missed FGs. 6 trips to the red zone resulting in 3 FGs.

A great summary, thanks for posting.

We blew a huge opportunity to build on the recent spotlight on Cal and likely secure GameDay in 2 weeks against Miami. That is a huge punch in the gut.

What bothers me most is how entirely predictable our flaws are under Wilcox. None of the problems we saw tonight (missed FGs, porous OL, awful playcalling) are new or surprising.

Cal football under Wilcox is Groundhog Day, and we haven't figured out how to break out of our eight year recurring nightmare yet.

Good post. Congrats to Sirmon and the defense. I used to be a defender of Wilcox. No more though. This need to end.

gobears15 said:

---

A great summary, thanks for posting.

We blew a huge opportunity to build on the recent spotlight on Cal and likely secure GameDay in 2 weeks against Miami. That is a huge punch in the gut.

What bothers me most is how entirely predictable our flaws are under Wilcox. None of the problems we saw tonight (missed FGs, porous OL, awful playcalling) are new or surprising.

Cal football under Wilcox is Groundhog Day, and we haven't figured out how to break out of our eight year recurring nightmare yet.

---

Spot on. I'd like to add poor discipline and not starting the game like they were on fire. They always start a game like they just rolled out of bed. Wilcox seems to be uninspiring.

GoOskie said:

---

Good post. Congrats to Sirmon and the defense. I used to be a defender of Wilcox. No more though. This need to end.

---

The defense is Wilcox and Sirmon but I will give Sirmon props, after the disastrous decline over the last couple of years the defense is much improved, everything else though has gone nowhere

Strykur said:

---

GoOskie said:

---

Good post. Congrats to Sirmon and the defense. I used to be a defender of Wilcox. No more though. This need to end.

---

The defense is Wilcox and Sirmon but I will give Sirmon props, after the disastrous decline over the last couple of years the defense is much improved, everything else though has gone nowhere

---

Many of the numbers look good. But the 3rd and long conversions were killers. One or two I get but this happens way too often. It is a repeating scenario over the last 3 to 4 years. The final TD for FSU was a 3rd and 8. He threw a dime.

6956bear said:

---

Strykur said:

---

GoOskie said:

---

Good post. Congrats to Sirmon and the defense. I used to be a defender of Wilcox. No more though. This need to end.

---

The defense is Wilcox and Sirmon but I will give Sirmon props, after the disastrous decline over the last couple of years the defense is much improved, everything else though has gone nowhere

---

Many of the numbers look good. But the 3rd and long conversions were killers. One or two I get but this happens way too often. It is a repeating scenario over the last 3 to 4 years. The final TD for FSU was a 3rd and 8. He threw a dime.

---

We gave up 14 points and couldn't beat a bad FSU team, our problems go way beyond 3rd down

Agree. I suppose I feel my disappointment is in many ways based on the long lost hype that the Bears have recently. Reality with all the flaws you mentioned, came crashing down. I am so glad I didn't have the date I had planned over for the game.

My post game thoughts...I think we, as Cal fans, need to be careful about the herb we partake in.
That Calgorithm had us going crazy all week with dreams of winning the ACC.

I genuinely forgot we were Cal, and that it doesn't really matter who our coach is, this is our karma
take a deep breathe and accept it. it is what it is. lolol

we have a glaring weakness, beyond all others: our kicking game. reminded me of Auburn last year.
if our kicker hits those 2 missed field goals we win the game.

as to defense. what defensive scheme do you imagine would have changed the outcome?

gobears15 said:

---

A great summary, thanks for posting.

We blew a huge opportunity to build on the recent spotlight on Cal and likely secure GameDay in 2 weeks against Miami. That is a huge punch in the gut.

What bothers me most is how entirely predictable our flaws are under Wilcox. None of the problems we saw tonight (missed FGs, porous OL, awful playcalling) are new or surprising.

Cal football under Wilcox is Groundhog Day, and we haven't figured out how to break out of our eight year recurring nightmare yet.

---

I couldn't have said it any better myself, Bro. Great post.
Under Wilcox we are stuck in the mediocrity of the
Twilight Zone. It just ain't happening. It's depressing
when it appears you have no hope. Same old same old
under Wilcox. Every year you attempt to be optimistic
only to be let down by a vanilla coach.

We must have the worst 3rd and 8+ defense in FBS.

Blocked or no block, missing those two FG is terrible. Whoever we have as consultants or special teams coaches need to be fired. Second year in a row an early season win scuppered by missed FGs.

I told you field goal kicking would determine this game. And we are really paying this kicker? We should have paid the good kicker we had that went to ucla. Good kickers are hard to find. Plus no special teams coach.

So the game shouldn't have come down to field goals? No it would shouldn't, but it did.

Offensive play calling isn't even equal to the good high school team.

I have nothing to add, all you guys have said it directly. A very winnable game, no excuses.

Very disappointed.

We had a chance to change the negative narratives about our football program. Instead, we just reinforced them. Missed opportunities, repeated unforced errors, folding under pressure, finding a way to lose a winnable game . . . .this is all classic Cal.

Most years I expect this stuff and don't really care when it happens. This year I let myself hope things had changed. It stings more as a result.

i think the letdown from sebasta's billboards, to our fans doing work for calgorithm, everyone was talking about us. to yalls point, we NEEDed this win and the spotlight because the opposite might mean death to this program in 6 years.

wilcox washed all that down the drain. institutional support or not, we literally carried him this year and gave him a loaded gun to help us turn this program's perception around and he couldnt get it done

what a gut punch

DaveT said:

---

We had a chance to change the negative narratives about our football program. Instead, we just reinforced them. Missed opportunities, repeated unforced errors, folding under pressure, finding a way to lose a winnable game . . . .this is all classic Cal.

Most years I expect this stuff and don't really care when it happens. This year I let myself hope things had changed. It stings more as a result.

---

told my wife the same thing. it hasnt hurt this bad since 2019 against ASU. this one hurts more because what I know now about realignment

TedfordTheGreat said:

---

DaveT said:

---

We had a chance to change the negative narratives about our football program. Instead, we just reinforced them. Missed opportunities, repeated unforced errors, folding under pressure, finding a way to lose a winnable game . . . .this is all classic Cal.

Most years I expect this stuff and don't really care when it happens. This year I let myself hope things had changed. It stings more as a result.

---

told my wife the same thing. it hasnt hurt this bad since 2019 against ASU. this one hurts more because what I know now about realignment

---

In 2019 losing Garbers meant that season was gone, right now it's murky, could we get throttled by Miami and win the rest of our games? Sure, but at 4-0 we could have at least toyed with the idea of competing with Miami and having some relevancy but tonight knocks us down a bit from a 10-win outlook and Charlotte, what I despise about going 8-4 or even 9-3 is that we would be improving on paper but still not close to contending for anything significant, which is what we need to do in the next few years if we want to harbor any illusions about not being thrown off the realignment carousel, and at 7-5 or worse, forget it by 2030 we are on our way out

Strykur said:

---

TedfordTheGreat said:

---

DaveT said:

---

We had a chance to change the negative narratives about our football program. Instead, we just reinforced them. Missed opportunities, repeated unforced errors, folding under pressure, finding a way to lose a winnable game . . . .this is all classic Cal.

Most years I expect this stuff and don't really care when it happens. This year I let myself hope things had changed. It stings more as a result.

---

told my wife the same thing. it hasnt hurt this bad since 2019 against ASU. this one hurts more because what I know now about realignment

---

In 2019 losing Garbers meant that season was gone, right now it's murky, could we get throttled by Miami and win the rest of our games? Sure, but at 4-0 we could have at least toyed with the idea of competing with Miami and having some relevancy but tonight knocks us down a bit from a 10-win outlook and Charlotte, what I despise about going 8-4 or even 9-3 is that we would be improving on paper but still not close to contending for anything significant, which is what we need to do in the next few years if we want to harbor any illusions about not being thrown off the realignment carousel, and at 7-5 or worse, forget it by 2030 we are on our way out

---

We will probably get destroyed in two weeks but if we do somehow manage to only lose one game this season, today was the one to lose. We still essentially control our own destiny in the conference.

bearsandgiants said:

---

Strykur said:

---

TedfordTheGreat said:

---

DaveT said:

---

We had a chance to change the negative narratives about our football program. Instead, we just reinforced them. Missed opportunities, repeated unforced errors, folding under pressure, finding a way to lose a winnable game . . . .this is all classic Cal.

Most years I expect this stuff and don't really care when it happens. This year I let myself hope things had changed. It stings more as a result.

---

told my wife the same thing. it hasnt hurt this bad since 2019 against ASU. this one hurts more because what I know now about realignment

---

In 2019 losing Garbers meant that season was gone, right now it's murky, could we get throttled by Miami and win the rest of our games? Sure, but at 4-0 we could have at least toyed with the idea of competing with Miami and having some relevancy but tonight knocks us down a bit from a 10-win outlook and Charlotte, what I despise about going 8-4 or even 9-3 is that we would be improving on paper but still not close to contending for anything significant, which is what we need to do in the next few years if we want to harbor any illusions about not being thrown off the realignment carousel, and at 7-5 or worse, forget it by 2030 we are on our way out

---

We will probably get destroyed in two weeks but if we do somehow manage to only lose one game this season, today was the one to lose. We still essentially control our own destiny in the conference.

---

brother. i hv been down this road many times and kept the hopium going. thats how i watched every game in the last two decades. but it just feel hopeless because the man at the hem of the ship has the same losing tendency for the last 8 years. he. is. just. not. a. winner. period.

if i see wilcox learning from his mistakes over the years. i will feel differently. i was really hoping to be proven wrong. i will still watch and go to games RoY but man its tough for all bear fans tonight.

I watched the first half live and I was very stressed. But then I had guests come over and just decided to catch the 2nd half after they left. I checked the score first and saw that we lost and then I watched the 2nd half. I was not stressed at all since I knew the result. Because of that I could watch dispassionately. Here's what I saw:

Things 100% on us:

• Pre-snap penalties. I want to blame the loud environment but we saw it last week at home.
• Kicking. Yes, one was tipped by FSU but the one before he just hooked right should've been an easy chip shot.

Other than that, you have to give credit to FSU's DL. Not that our OL is stellar, but they've got elite dudes at DL that was just punishing our inside linemen. That was known going in and they stepped up. Even with better coaching, I just don't think we have the hogs up front.

Where I am disappointed is that Bloesch has no answers for the blitz. Even with everyone picking up their assignments, when they're sending the house, we have to make them pay for that. Where's the quick outs that goes to the vacated spots on the field?

Despite all this, we had a chance to win it at the end. That last throw to Grizzell was just off. If that is thrown a little better or if Grizzell didn't have his stride interrupted by the DB, that would've been a TD and a win.

It sucks to lose but I can't say I'm surprised. We knew we had some weakness and we had no answers for them. And we're just not playing clean football. The players needs to dial it in -- they are just to antsy or too amped up. Just wayyyy too many false starts.

Also, as expected, DJU punished us with some chunk throws. I hate that dude.

if u watch wilcox's post game presser. Again, he gives and recites in clear detail the breakdown on defense, but yet on offense he just keeps saying "it's bad we need to be good/better". How Justin? As a defensive guy, i don't think he knows nor has he hired someone that knows.

The thing that I have always had with Wilcox is that to him "we are just a few plays away from winning the game". It reeks of settling for mediocrity. I'd like to think that our coaching staff wants to win every game 49-0. So while we are a FG or two from winning the game against terrible teams, we are actually 3 to 4 TDs away from being a great football team. By the way he talks you'd think that he will be happy if we clean up a few things and scrap by with a win.

Thinking like that is what gets us 50/50 teams that goes 5-7, 6-6, 7-5 every damn year

TedfordTheGreat said:

---

if u watch wilcox's post game presser. Again, he gives and recites in clear detail the breakdown on defense, but yet on offense he just keeps saying "it's bad we need to be good/better". How Justin? As a defensive guy, i don't think he knows nor has he hired someone that knows.

---

How does he retain a locker room where he grills the defense in detail for giving up 2 scores and then just passively mentions the offense needs to improve, this ain't 1987 where you could win games with the expectation you could scape out wins by holding opponents to 7-10 points

Strykur said:

---

TedfordTheGreat said:

---

if u watch wilcox's post game presser. Again, he gives and recites in clear detail the breakdown on defense, but yet on offense he just keeps saying "it's bad we need to be good/better". How Justin? As a defensive guy, i don't think he knows nor has he hired someone that knows.

---

How does he retain a locker room where he grills the defense in detail for giving up 2 scores and then just passively mentions the offense needs to improve, this ain't 1987 where you could win games with the expectation you could scape out wins by holding opponents to 7-10 points

---

Bingo

Watch the SDSU presser, the Auburn presser. Same damn thing every time

It's because he only knows D. That's fine, but as other posters have said, then spend BIG on a OC who knows what he's doing, not a lazy coaching search and settling

one more thought. I really hope that Bloesch works out. It's in our best interest. Early returns in the TxTech game, and all 4 of our games this year is not promising.

In any other D1 program, this would have been a "gotta nail it" hire where Wilcox would have felt the heat and said "jeez, this is my last shot, i need to really nail this hire, let me do everything i can and open up the search, interview a bunch of people, give Bloesch a live interview at the bowl game, let's make sure we cross our Ts and dot our Is because we f*cked up 3 times already"

Naw, he just made a hire within a week before bowl season. It's the typical "if this doesn't work out, there's always a next time!" type mentality.

All roads leads back to the incompetence of Knowlton and his extensions

TedfordTheGreat said:

---

one more thought. I really hope that Bloesch works out. It's in our best interest. Early returns in the TxTech game, and all 4 of our games this year is not promising.

In any other D1 program, this would have been a "gotta nail it" hire where Wilcox would have felt the heat and said "jeez, this is my last shot, i need to really nail this hire, let me do everything i can and open up the search, interview a bunch of people, give Bloesch a live interview at the bowl game, let's make sure we cross our Ts and dot our Is because we f*cked up 3 times already"

Naw, he just made a hire within a week before bowl season. It's the typical "if this doesn't work out, there's always a next time!" type mentality.

All roads leads back to the incompetence of Knowlton and his extensions

---

Exactly. Tell Bloesch the Independence Bowl is his audition as OC, don't just give him the job permanently when Spavital makes a lateral jump to Baylor.

Same thing with Knowlton after Wilcox flirted with Oregon after the 2021 season and turned them down. No need to extend him out another 6 years. At least wait and see how he does in 2022.

Just managerial incompetence. It is like these guys have never run a business before.

TedfordTheGreat said:

---

i think the letdown from sebasta's billboards, to our fans doing work for calgorithm, everyone was talking about us. to yalls point, we NEEDed this win and the spotlight because the opposite might mean death to this program in 6 years.

wilcox washed all that down the drain. institutional support or not, we literally carried him this year and gave him a loaded gun to help us turn this program's perception around and he couldnt get it done

what a gut punch

---

I've been mulling over why this one hurt so much more than the others, and I think you nailed it.

As a collective fan base, we've done more to prop up our coach and our AD than any other fan base in the country. The fact that he still cant get the job done is beyond depressing. What more can we possibly do?

bluehenbear said:

---

We must have the worst 3rd and 8+ defense in FBS.

Blocked or no block, missing those two FG is terrible. Whoever we have as consultants or special teams coaches need to be fired. Second year in a row an early season win scuppered by missed FGs.

---

Missed field goals are bad, but this loss should not be put on the kicker. Yes, he blew it, but he was the bailout option for ineffective offense.

It's on the offense for squandering SIX trips to the red zone. You don't win football games when you can't score a SINGLE touchdown. Against a winless team, no less. 100% on the offense not getting it done.

Just my opinion, but after watching this game to make an issue that the defense gave up some big third down plays seems unreasonable. Watch any football game, there is always going to be a random amount of third and long plays in which the offense succeeds - even our own offense pulled some off.

After this game, pointing fingers at our defense? Really? Wow, the defense gave up a whopping 14 points. Meanwhile we watched an offense that managed to get in their own way every time they got into the red zone with ridiculous unavoidable penalties time after time. Honestly, inside the 20 if we can't run a play with a man in motion that 1)causes offensive lineman to move early, 2) causes the man in motion to illegally move forward before the ball is even snapped, then just scrap it.

Get off the defense's case. They are not the reason we lost this game.

Good post. But, as this reply indicates, when it comes to football, we are Cal.

Back in 1996, when we were undefeated to start the season, looking for a win against Washington State, and about to go in for the go-ahead score at the end of the game from inside the five-yard-line, but QB Pat Barnes inexplicably just dropped the ball while trying to hand it off and the Cougs recovered, someone said it best:

"Once again Cal football stares greatness in the face and decides they'd rather not f*^k with it."

And so it continues. No Gameday. No top of the conference standings. What hurts, as usual, is we had a chance. It was there for the taking. We just didn't do it.

AuNBearkeley said:

---

Good post. But, as this reply indicates, when it comes to football, we are Cal.

Back in 1996, when we were undefeated to start the season, looking for a win against Washington State, and about to go in for the go-ahead score at the end of the game from inside the five-yard-line, but QB Pat Barnes inexplicably just dropped the ball while trying to hand it off and the Cougs recovered, someone said it best:

"Once again Cal football stares greatness in the face and decides they'd rather not f*^k with it."

And so it continues. No Gameday. No top of the conference standings. What hurts, as usual, is we had a chance. It was there for the taking. We just didn't do it.

---

Yeah but we covered that game because wsu took the safety.

The FSU dl overpowered our ol. and, mendo has to have a presnap protection call he can go to - two lined up on the left and we had only one ol to block them. maybe a two tight end set more often.

Overall, the FSU d was strong and fast.

Our d was pretty good. held them to one td per half. that normally gets you the win.

Once the crowd got juiced, no one could hear anything at the line. hence the presnap penalties. we're talking 90k people yelling as loud as they could. we don't hear that too often, esp at home.

we're gonna hafta wait on JW until the end of the season anyway and there's only one more team that has the Noles' talent and they're next game. the rest give us a pretty good chance. 7-5.