I'm talking about the drive that started in the 4th quarter with 4 minutes left.
Like the games we lost this year, the first 2 plays we tried to "run and hide" with conservative runs - instead of playing aggressively which was how got our points in the first place. By 3rd down we reduced to an ill fated attempt by Mendoza which led to the game being in jeopardy.

Honestly Bloesch, Wilcox. Haven't you guys learned anything from your previous mistakes?

Haven't you guys learned to stop the whipping a dead horse bellowing even when we beat an away team that is likewise very motivated?? Great win all the way around. Teams don't play to lose or to make mistakes but they win when they are proud and coached to not stop fighting!

72CalBear said:

---

Haven't you guys learned to stop the whipping a dead horse bellowing even when we beat an away team that is likewise very motivated?? Great win all the way around. Teams don't play to lose or to make mistakes but they win when they are proud and coached to not stop fighting!

---

So are you saying Cal wasn't proud and/or that it wasn't coached to stop fighting for four games this season?

It was a terrible sequence. Fortunately Wake Forest's QB threw a pick and bailed us out.

sycasey said:

---

It was a terrible sequence. Fortunately Wake Forest's QB threw a pick and bailed us out.

---

Too often we bag on the coaches for their conservatism on offense, but if that is their deficiency because they are conservatively defensive minded, then you have to give them some credit when the defense seals the deal. You can't simply just give the credit to the opposing QB as it was their mistake an not our ability to dominate. We had like 4 turnovers for goodness sake, we seem to be doing something right on D - why not roll with that when that game is for the taking?

I feel like the complaints here shift between what the offense doesn't do to what the defense doesn't do to what the other team gave us. Perhaps we should enjoy the win and give credit where credit is due, instead of shifting to the safety argument on the other side of the ball.

72CalBear said:

---

Haven't you guys learned to stop the whipping a dead horse bellowing even when we beat an away team that is likewise very motivated?? Great win all the way around. Teams don't play to lose or to make mistakes but they win when they are proud and coached to not stop fighting!

---

Honestly I try no to be too critical. Many times on this board and the basketball board I call out posters for being too negative.

But I feel my statement had a little more substance to it then just a whine. This is an opinion board, I have rooted for the Bears for over 50 years. Go back and read the game thread. Many who have watched every down this season felt the same way I did. I commend the players for playing hard, but the mood of the game thread exemplifies that last night we dodged a bullet. And it wasn't the first game of the season. We saw four previous losses occur with playcalling of the same manner. At some point a coaching staff has to evaluate their personell and base a lot of their strategic decisions on what they have. Happy with the win, but an adjustment needs to be made.

RedlessWardrobe said:

---

72CalBear said:

---

Haven't you guys learned to stop the whipping a dead horse bellowing even when we beat an away team that is likewise very motivated?? Great win all the way around. Teams don't play to lose or to make mistakes but they win when they are proud and coached to not stop fighting!

---

Honestly I try no to be too critical. Many times on this board and the basketball board I call out posters for being too negative.

But I feel my statement had a little more substance to it then just a whine. This is an opinion board, I have rooted for the Bears for over 50 years. Go back and read the game thread. Many who have watched every down this season felt the same way I did. I commend the players for playing hard, but the mood of the game thread exemplifies that last night we dodged a bullet. And it wasn't the first game of the season. We saw four previous losses occur with playcalling of the same manner. At some point a coaching staff has to evaluate their personell and base a lot of their strategic decisions on what they have. Happy with the win, but an adjustment needs to be made.

---

The mood of the game thread is a bunch of posters who expect doom and gloom and then whine and moan when the possibility of such starts to develop. The posts are much more PTSD than anything else.

RedlessWardrobe said:

---

72CalBear said:

---

Haven't you guys learned to stop the whipping a dead horse bellowing even when we beat an away team that is likewise very motivated?? Great win all the way around. Teams don't play to lose or to make mistakes but they win when they are proud and coached to not stop fighting!

---

Honestly I try no to be too critical. Many times on this board and the basketball board I call out posters for being too negative.

But I feel my statement had a little more substance to it then just a whine. This is an opinion board, I have rooted for the Bears for over 50 years. Go back and read the game thread. Many who have watched every down this season felt the same way I did. I commend the players for playing hard, but the mood of the game thread exemplifies that last night we dodged a bullet. And it wasn't the first game of the season. We saw four previous losses occur with playcalling of the same manner. At some point a coaching staff has to evaluate their personell and base a lot of their strategic decisions on what they have. Happy with the win, but an adjustment needs to be made.

---

Adjustments were made, that's how Nando ended up with the remarkable line of 40 of 56 attempts for 385yds,

It was a solid road conference win, you have to put to rest the Woody Allen mentality of the club that would have us will suck by definition.

- The QB that throws a pick sucks by definition and has nothing to do with the fact that we actually lead the NCAA in interceptions, and by a solid margin now.

- A team we beat is weak by definition because they lost to us. Wake is a mid-tier ACC team, we beat them on the road and covered the spread.

The team is improving and learning to close out games. We have the opportunity to put together a very solid win streak and a shot at closing the season with a statement road win against a top 10 team that would put us in a good bowl game.

oski003 said:

---

RedlessWardrobe said:

---

72CalBear said:

---

Haven't you guys learned to stop the whipping a dead horse bellowing even when we beat an away team that is likewise very motivated?? Great win all the way around. Teams don't play to lose or to make mistakes but they win when they are proud and coached to not stop fighting!

---

Honestly I try no to be too critical. Many times on this board and the basketball board I call out posters for being too negative.

But I feel my statement had a little more substance to it then just a whine. This is an opinion board, I have rooted for the Bears for over 50 years. Go back and read the game thread. Many who have watched every down this season felt the same way I did. I commend the players for playing hard, but the mood of the game thread exemplifies that last night we dodged a bullet. And it wasn't the first game of the season. We saw four previous losses occur with playcalling of the same manner. At some point a coaching staff has to evaluate their personell and base a lot of their strategic decisions on what they have. Happy with the win, but an adjustment needs to be made.

---

The mood of the game thread is a bunch of posters who expect doom and gloom and then whine and moan when the possibility of such starts to develop. The posts are much more PTSD than anything else.

---

The negativity and pessimism were earned. At the beginning of the season there a substantial number of posters who thought we could compete for the conference championship. Others who referred to themselves as realistic said we would be in or close to the upper half of the ACC. Our Bears reverted to form by sweeping our first 3 nonconfernce games before laying an egg in our first conference game. The sentiment is that we played well, losing 14-9 againt a tough, conference contendng FSU (which has won only 1 game this year against us). Then we lose a game we were winning (by 25 points) and should have won against undefeated Miami, and people posted that we had a moral victory against a playoff bound team. Then we snatched defeat out of the jaws of victory once again at Pitt (with the bizarre going for 2 points after touchdown). Before losing to NC State, there was a realization that we are not as good as our talent. Sure, we are on a 2 game winning streak, but that's against a weak and depleted OSU and a weak Wake Forest.

So, where are we? We are in the bottom 5 or 6 of the conference with Boston College (better overall records), NC State (which beat us), Wake Forest, Stanford, and Florida State (winless except for us). Meanwhile some of us are terrified that Know Nothing Knowlton will give Wilcox another extension.

Cal88 said:

---

RedlessWardrobe said:

---

72CalBear said:

---

Haven't you guys learned to stop the whipping a dead horse bellowing even when we beat an away team that is likewise very motivated?? Great win all the way around. Teams don't play to lose or to make mistakes but they win when they are proud and coached to not stop fighting!

---

Honestly I try no to be too critical. Many times on this board and the basketball board I call out posters for being too negative.

But I feel my statement had a little more substance to it then just a whine. This is an opinion board, I have rooted for the Bears for over 50 years. Go back and read the game thread. Many who have watched every down this season felt the same way I did. I commend the players for playing hard, but the mood of the game thread exemplifies that last night we dodged a bullet. And it wasn't the first game of the season. We saw four previous losses occur with playcalling of the same manner. At some point a coaching staff has to evaluate their personell and base a lot of their strategic decisions on what they have. Happy with the win, but an adjustment needs to be made.

---

Adjustments were made, that's how Nando ended up with the remarkable line of 40 of 56 attempts for 385yds,

It was a solid road conference win, you have to put to rest the Woody Allen mentality of the club that would have us will suck by definition.

- The QB that throws a pick sucks by definition and has nothing to do with the fact that we lead the NCAA in interceptions by a solid margin now.

- A team we beat is weak by definition. Wake is a mid-tier ACC team, we beat them on the road and covered the spread.

The team is improving and learning to close out games. We have the opportunity to have a very solid win streak and a shot at closing the season with a statement road win against a top 10 team that would put us in a solid bowl game.

---

Only 4 teams (including us and FSU) have a worse conference record than Wake Forest, which is 1-5 at home. I'm glad we were able to hold on to the win, but, seriously, this is not a quality win against a quality opponent.

southseasbear said:

---

Cal88 said:

---

RedlessWardrobe said:

---

72CalBear said:

---

Haven't you guys learned to stop the whipping a dead horse bellowing even when we beat an away team that is likewise very motivated?? Great win all the way around. Teams don't play to lose or to make mistakes but they win when they are proud and coached to not stop fighting!

---

Honestly I try no to be too critical. Many times on this board and the basketball board I call out posters for being too negative.

But I feel my statement had a little more substance to it then just a whine. This is an opinion board, I have rooted for the Bears for over 50 years. Go back and read the game thread. Many who have watched every down this season felt the same way I did. I commend the players for playing hard, but the mood of the game thread exemplifies that last night we dodged a bullet. And it wasn't the first game of the season. We saw four previous losses occur with playcalling of the same manner. At some point a coaching staff has to evaluate their personell and base a lot of their strategic decisions on what they have. Happy with the win, but an adjustment needs to be made.

---

Adjustments were made, that's how Nando ended up with the remarkable line of 40 of 56 attempts for 385yds,

It was a solid road conference win, you have to put to rest the Woody Allen mentality of the club that would have us will suck by definition.

- The QB that throws a pick sucks by definition and has nothing to do with the fact that we lead the NCAA in interceptions by a solid margin now.

- A team we beat is weak by definition. Wake is a mid-tier ACC team, we beat them on the road and covered the spread.

The team is improving and learning to close out games. We have the opportunity to have a very solid win streak and a shot at closing the season with a statement road win against a top 10 team that would put us in a solid bowl game.

---

Only 4 teams (including us and FSU) have a worse conference record than Wake Forest, which is 1-5 at home. I'm glad we were able to hold on to the win, but, seriously, this is not a quality win against a quality opponent.

---

It is a win against a conference opponent that had a 4-4 record.

southseasbear said:

---

oski003 said:

---

RedlessWardrobe said:

---

72CalBear said:

---

Haven't you guys learned to stop the whipping a dead horse bellowing even when we beat an away team that is likewise very motivated?? Great win all the way around. Teams don't play to lose or to make mistakes but they win when they are proud and coached to not stop fighting!

---

Honestly I try no to be too critical. Many times on this board and the basketball board I call out posters for being too negative.

But I feel my statement had a little more substance to it then just a whine. This is an opinion board, I have rooted for the Bears for over 50 years. Go back and read the game thread. Many who have watched every down this season felt the same way I did. I commend the players for playing hard, but the mood of the game thread exemplifies that last night we dodged a bullet. And it wasn't the first game of the season. We saw four previous losses occur with playcalling of the same manner. At some point a coaching staff has to evaluate their personell and base a lot of their strategic decisions on what they have. Happy with the win, but an adjustment needs to be made.

---

The mood of the game thread is a bunch of posters who expect doom and gloom and then whine and moan when the possibility of such starts to develop. The posts are much more PTSD than anything else.

---

The negativity and pessimism were earned. At the beginning of the season there a substantial number of posters who thought we could compete for the conference championship. Others who referred to themselves as realistic said we would be in or close to the upper half of the ACC. Our Bears reverted to form by sweeping our first 3 nonconfernce games before laying an egg in our first conference game. The sentiment is that we played well, losing 14-9 againt a tough, conference contendng FSU (which has won only 1 game this year against us). Then we lose a game we were winning (by 25 points) and should have won against undefeated Miami, and people posted that we had a moral victory against a playoff bound team. Then we snatched defeat out of the jaws of victory once again at Pitt (with the bizarre going for 2 points after touchdown). Before losing to NC State, there was a realization that we are not as good as our talent. Sure, we are on a 2 game winning streak, but that's against a weak and depleted OSU and a weak Wake Forest.

So, where are we? We are in the bottom 5 or 6 of the conference with Boston College (better overall records), NC State (which beat us), Wake Forest, Stanford, and Florida State (winless except for us). Meanwhile some of us are terrified that Know Nothing Knowlton will give Wilcox another extension.

---

We're playing like a top 30 team right now, not like an ACC bottom feeder, Sagarin recent is #32 not including yesterday's win.

Here is the Sagarin ACC team ranking before our win:



We're out of the ACC playoffs, so we're playing for a decent bowl game. If you're out of the playoffs and CCG, it boils down to a beauty contest for the bowls and we're looking better every week,

southseasbear said:

---

oski003 said:

---

RedlessWardrobe said:

---

72CalBear said:

---

Haven't you guys learned to stop the whipping a dead horse bellowing even when we beat an away team that is likewise very motivated?? Great win all the way around. Teams don't play to lose or to make mistakes but they win when they are proud and coached to not stop fighting!

---

Honestly I try no to be too critical. Many times on this board and the basketball board I call out posters for being too negative.

But I feel my statement had a little more substance to it then just a whine. This is an opinion board, I have rooted for the Bears for over 50 years. Go back and read the game thread. Many who have watched every down this season felt the same way I did. I commend the players for playing hard, but the mood of the game thread exemplifies that last night we dodged a bullet. And it wasn't the first game of the season. We saw four previous losses occur with playcalling of the same manner. At some point a coaching staff has to evaluate their personell and base a lot of their strategic decisions on what they have. Happy with the win, but an adjustment needs to be made.

---

The mood of the game thread is a bunch of posters who expect doom and gloom and then whine and moan when the possibility of such starts to develop. The posts are much more PTSD than anything else.

---

The negativity and pessimism were earned. At the beginning of the season there a substantial number of posters who thought we could compete for the conference championship. Others who referred to themselves as realistic said we would be in or close to the upper half of the ACC. Our Bears reverted to form by sweeping our first 3 nonconfernce games before laying an egg in our first conference game. The sentiment is that we played well, losing 14-9 againt a tough, conference contendng FSU (which has won only 1 game this year against us). Then we lose a game we were winning (by 25 points) and should have won against undefeated Miami, and people posted that we had a moral victory against a playoff bound team. Then we snatched defeat out of the jaws of victory once again at Pitt (with the bizarre going for 2 points after touchdown). Before losing to NC State, there was a realization that we are not as good as our talent. Sure, we are on a 2 game winning streak, but that's against a weak and depleted OSU and a weak Wake Forest.

So, where are we? We are in the bottom 5 or 6 of the conference with Boston College (better overall records), NC State (which beat us), Wake Forest, Stanford, and Florida State (winless except for us). Meanwhile some of us are terrified that Know Nothing Knowlton will give Wilcox another extension.

---

We certainly look better when we aren't missing 3 starting OL and our 2 starting wideouts, all while having a hurt star running back. Regardless, I agree that our coaching isn't worthy of making the college football playoff. They have too much of a history of middling records.

CALiforniALUM said:

---

sycasey said:

---

It was a terrible sequence. Fortunately Wake Forest's QB threw a pick and bailed us out.

---

Too often we bag on the coaches for their conservatism on offense, but if that is their deficiency because they are conservatively defensive minded, then you have to give them some credit when the defense seals the deal. You can't simply just give the credit to the opposing QB as it was their mistake an not our ability to dominate. We had like 4 turnovers for goodness sake, we seem to be doing something right on D - why not roll with that when that game is for the taking?

I feel like the complaints here shift between what the offense doesn't do to what the defense doesn't do to what the other team gave us. Perhaps we should enjoy the win and give credit where credit is due, instead of shifting to the safety argument on the other side of the ball.

---

The same defense had just given up two quick TD drives, so if the plan was to hang the result on them then I think it's a bad process. But yes, thankfully we got a good result in the turnover.

I would still criticize the offensive sequence before that for being overly predictable and conservative, when we needed to put the game away.

Let's not make Brittney Spears song our theme song…..

Now, I will say that besides that conservative sequence near the end, I did like the offense for most of the game: going pass-first and mitigating our weaknesses on the OL. Essentially being an Air Raid team. It needs to be the approach with this group, through it unfortunately marginalizes Ott.

oski003 said:

---

southseasbear said:

---

Cal88 said:

---

RedlessWardrobe said:

---

72CalBear said:

---

Haven't you guys learned to stop the whipping a dead horse bellowing even when we beat an away team that is likewise very motivated?? Great win all the way around. Teams don't play to lose or to make mistakes but they win when they are proud and coached to not stop fighting!

---

Honestly I try no to be too critical. Many times on this board and the basketball board I call out posters for being too negative.

But I feel my statement had a little more substance to it then just a whine. This is an opinion board, I have rooted for the Bears for over 50 years. Go back and read the game thread. Many who have watched every down this season felt the same way I did. I commend the players for playing hard, but the mood of the game thread exemplifies that last night we dodged a bullet. And it wasn't the first game of the season. We saw four previous losses occur with playcalling of the same manner. At some point a coaching staff has to evaluate their personell and base a lot of their strategic decisions on what they have. Happy with the win, but an adjustment needs to be made.

---

Adjustments were made, that's how Nando ended up with the remarkable line of 40 of 56 attempts for 385yds,

It was a solid road conference win, you have to put to rest the Woody Allen mentality of the club that would have us will suck by definition.

- The QB that throws a pick sucks by definition and has nothing to do with the fact that we lead the NCAA in interceptions by a solid margin now.

- A team we beat is weak by definition. Wake is a mid-tier ACC team, we beat them on the road and covered the spread.

The team is improving and learning to close out games. We have the opportunity to have a very solid win streak and a shot at closing the season with a statement road win against a top 10 team that would put us in a solid bowl game.

---

Only 4 teams (including us and FSU) have a worse conference record than Wake Forest, which is 1-5 at home. I'm glad we were able to hold on to the win, but, seriously, this is not a quality win against a quality opponent.

---

It is a win against a conference opponent that had a 4-4 record.

---

Yes, both teams had 4-4 records going into the game.

Wake Forest had victories over NC A&T (1-8 overall), NC State (2-3 in conference with wins over us and Stanford), U Conn (4-3 overall), and Stanford.

Yes, it was a road win against a mediocre conference team that is 1-5 at home. This is not a signature win.

oski003 said:

---

southseasbear said:

---

oski003 said:

---

RedlessWardrobe said:

---

72CalBear said:

---

Haven't you guys learned to stop the whipping a dead horse bellowing even when we beat an away team that is likewise very motivated?? Great win all the way around. Teams don't play to lose or to make mistakes but they win when they are proud and coached to not stop fighting!

---

Honestly I try no to be too critical. Many times on this board and the basketball board I call out posters for being too negative.

But I feel my statement had a little more substance to it then just a whine. This is an opinion board, I have rooted for the Bears for over 50 years. Go back and read the game thread. Many who have watched every down this season felt the same way I did. I commend the players for playing hard, but the mood of the game thread exemplifies that last night we dodged a bullet. And it wasn't the first game of the season. We saw four previous losses occur with playcalling of the same manner. At some point a coaching staff has to evaluate their personell and base a lot of their strategic decisions on what they have. Happy with the win, but an adjustment needs to be made.

---

The mood of the game thread is a bunch of posters who expect doom and gloom and then whine and moan when the possibility of such starts to develop. The posts are much more PTSD than anything else.

---

The negativity and pessimism were earned. At the beginning of the season there a substantial number of posters who thought we could compete for the conference championship. Others who referred to themselves as realistic said we would be in or close to the upper half of the ACC. Our Bears reverted to form by sweeping our first 3 nonconfernce games before laying an egg in our first conference game. The sentiment is that we played well, losing 14-9 againt a tough, conference contendng FSU (which has won only 1 game this year against us). Then we lose a game we were winning (by 25 points) and should have won against undefeated Miami, and people posted that we had a moral victory against a playoff bound team. Then we snatched defeat out of the jaws of victory once again at Pitt (with the bizarre going for 2 points after touchdown). Before losing to NC State, there was a realization that we are not as good as our talent. Sure, we are on a 2 game winning streak, but that's against a weak and depleted OSU and a weak Wake Forest.

So, where are we? We are in the bottom 5 or 6 of the conference with Boston College (better overall records), NC State (which beat us), Wake Forest, Stanford, and Florida State (winless except for us). Meanwhile some of us are terrified that Know Nothing Knowlton will give Wilcox another extension.

---

We certainly look better when we aren't missing 3 starting OL and our 2 starting wideouts, all while having a hurt star running back. Regardless, I agree that our coaching isn't worthy of making the college football playoff. They have too much of a history of middling records.

---

For how many years will we continue to use injuries as excuses? (And why do we have so many injuries? Of course that's a different story.) The problem is coaching. In the previous 7 years we have only 2 winning seasons, 3 minor bowl games, and 1 bowl win.

southseasbear said:

---

oski003 said:

---

southseasbear said:

---

Cal88 said:

---

RedlessWardrobe said:

---

72CalBear said:

---

Haven't you guys learned to stop the whipping a dead horse bellowing even when we beat an away team that is likewise very motivated?? Great win all the way around. Teams don't play to lose or to make mistakes but they win when they are proud and coached to not stop fighting!

---

Honestly I try no to be too critical. Many times on this board and the basketball board I call out posters for being too negative.

But I feel my statement had a little more substance to it then just a whine. This is an opinion board, I have rooted for the Bears for over 50 years. Go back and read the game thread. Many who have watched every down this season felt the same way I did. I commend the players for playing hard, but the mood of the game thread exemplifies that last night we dodged a bullet. And it wasn't the first game of the season. We saw four previous losses occur with playcalling of the same manner. At some point a coaching staff has to evaluate their personell and base a lot of their strategic decisions on what they have. Happy with the win, but an adjustment needs to be made.

---

Adjustments were made, that's how Nando ended up with the remarkable line of 40 of 56 attempts for 385yds,

It was a solid road conference win, you have to put to rest the Woody Allen mentality of the club that would have us will suck by definition.

- The QB that throws a pick sucks by definition and has nothing to do with the fact that we lead the NCAA in interceptions by a solid margin now.

- A team we beat is weak by definition. Wake is a mid-tier ACC team, we beat them on the road and covered the spread.

The team is improving and learning to close out games. We have the opportunity to have a very solid win streak and a shot at closing the season with a statement road win against a top 10 team that would put us in a solid bowl game.

---

Only 4 teams (including us and FSU) have a worse conference record than Wake Forest, which is 1-5 at home. I'm glad we were able to hold on to the win, but, seriously, this is not a quality win against a quality opponent.

---

It is a win against a conference opponent that had a 4-4 record.

---

Yes, both teams had 4-4 records going into the game.

Wake Forest had victories over NC A&T (1-8 overall), NC State (2-3 in conference with wins over us and Stanford), U Conn (4-3 overall), and Stanford.

Yes, it was a road win against a mediocre conference team that is 1-5 at home. This is not a signature win.

---

Who said this was a signature win? It was a good win on the road against a 4-4 team. Thanks.

Cal88 said:

---

Here is the Sagarin ACC team ranking before our win:

---

Man, those losses to FSU and NC State were so bad.

Cal88 said:

---

RedlessWardrobe said:

---

72CalBear said:

---

Haven't you guys learned to stop the whipping a dead horse bellowing even when we beat an away team that is likewise very motivated?? Great win all the way around. Teams don't play to lose or to make mistakes but they win when they are proud and coached to not stop fighting!

---

Honestly I try no to be too critical. Many times on this board and the basketball board I call out posters for being too negative.

But I feel my statement had a little more substance to it then just a whine. This is an opinion board, I have rooted for the Bears for over 50 years. Go back and read the game thread. Many who have watched every down this season felt the same way I did. I commend the players for playing hard, but the mood of the game thread exemplifies that last night we dodged a bullet. And it wasn't the first game of the season. We saw four previous losses occur with playcalling of the same manner. At some point a coaching staff has to evaluate their personell and base a lot of their strategic decisions on what they have. Happy with the win, but an adjustment needs to be made.

---

Adjustments were made, that's how Nando ended up with the remarkable line of 40 of 56 attempts for 385yds,

It was a solid road conference win, you have to put to rest the Woody Allen mentality of the club that would have us will suck by definition.

- The QB that throws a pick sucks by definition and has nothing to do with the fact that we actually lead the NCAA in interceptions, and by a solid margin now.

- A team we beat is weak by definition because they lost to us. Wake is a mid-tier ACC team, we beat them on the road and covered the spread.

The team is improving and learning to close out games. We have the opportunity to put together a very solid win streak and a shot at closing the season with a statement road win against a top 10 team that would put us in a good bowl game.

---

This is exactly where I'm at given all options.

A+

We have an offensive line that is struggling to block. There's no call that can fix that. That's mostly a recruiting issue but I am also not a huge fan of how high our offensive line blocks. They all look like a bunch of waist benders. We look like a team that plays with almost zero leverage.

sycasey said:

---

Now, I will say that besides that conservative sequence near the end, I did like the offense for most of the game: going pass-first and mitigating our weaknesses on the OL. Essentially being an Air Raid team. It needs to be the approach with this group, through it unfortunately marginalizes Ott.

---

Running Ott into the teeth of the defense on first down marginalizes Ott.

Pass first does not mean never run. In both 2015 and 2016 we had nearly 2,000 yards rushing. RBs put up good numbers on Air Raid teams all over the country.

Moreover, getting the ball to Ott in space, sometimes as a check down, is how he can make big plays and be a factor.

SO disappointed Wilcox just promoted the OL coach for his 4th OC hire making it permanent without making the bowl game a tryout and then compounded it by having Bloesch try to do two jobs at the same time resulting in both areas being the major weaknesses of this team. That is just bad management and it was entirely predictable and preventable.

The players deserve better. The fans deserve better.

MinotStateBeav said:

---

We have an offensive line that is struggling to block. There's no call that can fix that. That's mostly a recruiting issue but I am also not a huge fan of how high our offensive line blocks. They all look like a bunch of waist benders. We look like a team that plays with almost zero leverage.

---

Don't you think it would help if the OL coach could work on and coach the OL full time and the OC could work on scheme and play calling full time?

This was entirely predictable when Wilcox promoted his OL coach to OC, with his only previous experience a year being Co-OC under an offensive HC and at the G5 level, while at the same time having him also hold down the OL coaching duties. It was predictable and preventable, just incredibly bad management for a guy "still learning" on the job in year 8 making $5 million a year.

MinotStateBeav said:

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We have an offensive line that is struggling to block. There's no call that can fix that. That's mostly a recruiting issue but I am also not a huge fan of how high our offensive line blocks. They all look like a bunch of waist benders. We look like a team that plays with almost zero leverage.

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Exactly.

Half empty, half full. Same as it always is and it goes for our fan base. This is the only song we know. It's boring and it's slow. I really wish we'd go. Oblivion or to the moon.

Wilcox is actually a perfect fit for this era we are in.

calumnus said:

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MinotStateBeav said:

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We have an offensive line that is struggling to block. There's no call that can fix that. That's mostly a recruiting issue but I am also not a huge fan of how high our offensive line blocks. They all look like a bunch of waist benders. We look like a team that plays with almost zero leverage.

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Don't you think it would help if the OL coach could work on and coach the OL full time and the OC could work on scheme and play calling full time?

This was entirely predictable when Wilcox promoted his OL coach to OC, with his only previous experience a year being Co-OC under an offensive HC and at the G5 level, while at the same time having him also hold down the OL coaching duties. It was predictable and preventable, just incredibly bad management for a guy "still learning" on the job in year 8 making $5 million a year.

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Yes, but the problem issues shouldn't be something that requires that much time to perform, other than recruiting but that's usually a coaching staff issue. The lineman playing with no leverage shouldn't need a full timer to correct. That is basic offensive line 101 that gets taught in high school. I see this problem with a lot of zone scheme coaches. But blocking a zone scheme still shouldn't have your lineman playing so high,

oski003 said:

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southseasbear said:

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Cal88 said:

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RedlessWardrobe said:

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72CalBear said:

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Haven't you guys learned to stop the whipping a dead horse bellowing even when we beat an away team that is likewise very motivated?? Great win all the way around. Teams don't play to lose or to make mistakes but they win when they are proud and coached to not stop fighting!

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Honestly I try no to be too critical. Many times on this board and the basketball board I call out posters for being too negative.

But I feel my statement had a little more substance to it then just a whine. This is an opinion board, I have rooted for the Bears for over 50 years. Go back and read the game thread. Many who have watched every down this season felt the same way I did. I commend the players for playing hard, but the mood of the game thread exemplifies that last night we dodged a bullet. And it wasn't the first game of the season. We saw four previous losses occur with playcalling of the same manner. At some point a coaching staff has to evaluate their personell and base a lot of their strategic decisions on what they have. Happy with the win, but an adjustment needs to be made.

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Adjustments were made, that's how Nando ended up with the remarkable line of 40 of 56 attempts for 385yds,

It was a solid road conference win, you have to put to rest the Woody Allen mentality of the club that would have us will suck by definition.

- The QB that throws a pick sucks by definition and has nothing to do with the fact that we lead the NCAA in interceptions by a solid margin now.

- A team we beat is weak by definition. Wake is a mid-tier ACC team, we beat them on the road and covered the spread.

The team is improving and learning to close out games. We have the opportunity to have a very solid win streak and a shot at closing the season with a statement road win against a top 10 team that would put us in a solid bowl game.

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Only 4 teams (including us and FSU) have a worse conference record than Wake Forest, which is 1-5 at home. I'm glad we were able to hold on to the win, but, seriously, this is not a quality win against a quality opponent.

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It is a win against a conference opponent that had a 4-4 record.

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Thanks for the obvious correction
The argument was made that Wake Forest is a 1-5 team at home thereby ignoring that it had 4-0 game winning streak coming into the Cal game.

72CalBear said:

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Haven't you guys learned to stop the whipping a dead horse bellowing even when we beat an away team that is likewise very motivated?? Great win all the way around. Teams don't play to lose or to make mistakes but they win when they are proud and coached to not stop fighting!

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If the horse keeps kicking you, it's not dead yet.

It's been kicking for like 65 years. Over 85 depending on how you count.

MinotStateBeav said:

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calumnus said:

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MinotStateBeav said:

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We have an offensive line that is struggling to block. There's no call that can fix that. That's mostly a recruiting issue but I am also not a huge fan of how high our offensive line blocks. They all look like a bunch of waist benders. We look like a team that plays with almost zero leverage.

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Don't you think it would help if the OL coach could work on and coach the OL full time and the OC could work on scheme and play calling full time?

This was entirely predictable when Wilcox promoted his OL coach to OC, with his only previous experience a year being Co-OC under an offensive HC and at the G5 level, while at the same time having him also hold down the OL coaching duties. It was predictable and preventable, just incredibly bad management for a guy "still learning" on the job in year 8 making $5 million a year.

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Yes, but the problem issues shouldn't be something that requires that much time to perform, other than recruiting but that's usually a coaching staff issue. The lineman playing with no leverage shouldn't need a full timer to correct. That is basic offensive line 101 that gets taught in high school. I see this problem with a lot of zone scheme coaches. But blocking a zone scheme still shouldn't have your lineman playing so high,

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What was their technique like last year? Because last year we had the #48 offense in the country and we are FAR better at QB this year. If we had last year's offense we would be 9-0.

If tgeir technique is worse, you have to explain why, this being their second year under Bloesch, they are worse? Including worse technique? And in game 9?

Cal88 said:

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RedlessWardrobe said:

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72CalBear said:

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Haven't you guys learned to stop the whipping a dead horse bellowing even when we beat an away team that is likewise very motivated?? Great win all the way around. Teams don't play to lose or to make mistakes but they win when they are proud and coached to not stop fighting!

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Honestly I try no to be too critical. Many times on this board and the basketball board I call out posters for being too negative.

But I feel my statement had a little more substance to it then just a whine. This is an opinion board, I have rooted for the Bears for over 50 years. Go back and read the game thread. Many who have watched every down this season felt the same way I did. I commend the players for playing hard, but the mood of the game thread exemplifies that last night we dodged a bullet. And it wasn't the first game of the season. We saw four previous losses occur with playcalling of the same manner. At some point a coaching staff has to evaluate their personell and base a lot of their strategic decisions on what they have. Happy with the win, but an adjustment needs to be made.

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Adjustments were made, that's how Nando ended up with the remarkable line of 40 of 56 attempts for 385yds,

It was a solid road conference win, you have to put to rest the Woody Allen mentality of the club that would have us will suck by definition.

- The QB that throws a pick sucks by definition and has nothing to do with the fact that we actually lead the NCAA in interceptions, and by a solid margin now.

- A team we beat is weak by definition because they lost to us. Wake is a mid-tier ACC team, we beat them on the road and covered the spread.

The team is improving and learning to close out games. We have the opportunity to put together a very solid win streak and a shot at closing the season with a statement road win against a top 10 team that would put us in a good bowl game.

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Those close losses in the 4th quarter have given opponents the belief that we are soft. And, that gives them the motivation to play as hard as they can when they're behind at the end of the game. Their coaches implore that we will fold when pressed. Maybe yesterday's effort will help to dispel that, but the only true way to do it is to get the lead and increase it to the end. Unfortunately, that means continuing to take the risks that got you the lead in the first place. Our coaches are too risk averse to do that. Maybe Nando isn't. Will he change the play at the line?

As to the OL, they have now shown that size and agility are not enough. As others have observed, we need better recruiting and more recruiting. Taking 2 or 3 per year is not enough. Same with DL, for that matter.

In the 4th quarter vs teams other than Davis, San Diego State, and Oregon state we:

Auburn: Gave them 2 opportunities to drive the field to get a touchdown and got 2 interceptions (W)

Florida State: Gave up a TD relatively early in the quarter. That drive included a 27 yard pass on 3rd and 18 deep in their own territory, a 4th down conversion at midfield, and a 36 yard TD pass on 3rd and 7.

Miami: Gave them 92 yards to go for a TD with ~2 minutes remaining. Gave up a 77 yard pass on the first play of the drive. Gave up a 22 yard pass on 3rd and 20.

Pittsburgh: Drove into field goal range to potentially go up 1 but missed it. Would have left Pitt with 1:50 left to go down and kick a field goal to win it.

NC State: Gave up a TD for the lead with 6:32 remaining in the game. Drive included a 23 yard pass on 3rd and 10 and a 41 yard TD pass on 3rd and 7. Missed a field goal that would have given Cal the lead with 1:34 left on the clock for NC State to drive down the field and get a field goal to win it.

Wake Forest: Gave them the ball up 3 2:16 left on the clock and got an interception.

So out of the 6 games, we got an interception to prevent a comeback attempt in 2 of the games, and we didn't in the other 4.

In 3 of the other 4 we gave up a 3rd and 10 or longer, including a 27 yard pass on 3rd and 18 and a 22 yard pass on 3rd and 20. In the other one (Pitt) we gave up a 72 yard TD run on 4th and 1 deep in Pitt territory, and their other TD came after a conversion on 4th and 5.

All of these games are similar. We force the other team to make low percentage plays against us and we fail to stop them on those plays repeatedly. If we manage to force an INT on those drives we win, otherwise we lose.

MrGPAC said:

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In the 4th quarter vs teams other than Davis, San Diego State, and Oregon state we:

Auburn: Gave them 2 opportunities to drive the field to get a touchdown and got 2 interceptions (W)

Florida State: Gave up a TD relatively early in the quarter. That drive included a 27 yard pass on 3rd and 18 deep in their own territory, a 4th down conversion at midfield, and a 36 yard TD pass on 3rd and 7.

Miami: Gave them 92 yards to go for a TD with ~2 minutes remaining. Gave up a 77 yard pass on the first play of the drive. Gave up a 22 yard pass on 3rd and 20.

Pittsburgh: Drove into field goal range to potentially go up 1 but missed it. Would have left Pitt with 1:50 left to go down and kick a field goal to win it.

NC State: Gave up a TD for the lead with 6:32 remaining in the game. Drive included a 23 yard pass on 3rd and 10 and a 41 yard TD pass on 3rd and 7. Missed a field goal that would have given Cal the lead with 1:34 left on the clock for NC State to drive down the field and get a field goal to win it.

Wake Forest: Gave them the ball up 3 2:16 left on the clock and got an interception.

So out of the 6 games, we got an interception to prevent a comeback attempt in 2 of the games, and we didn't in the other 4.

In 3 of the other 4 we gave up a 3rd and 10 or longer, including a 27 yard pass on 3rd and 18 and a 22 yard pass on 3rd and 20. In the other one (Pitt) we gave up a 72 yard TD run on 4th and 1 deep in Pitt territory, and their other TD came after a conversion on 4th and 5.

All of these games are similar. We force the other team to make low percentage plays against us and we fail to stop them on those plays repeatedly. If we manage to force an INT on those drives we win, otherwise we lose.

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All true, but look at the 3rd and longs and 4th down plays. Inevitability in each of them, the defense is playing a zone defense where the coaching seems to place the defenders behind the sticks. In other words, the D coaches decided to call plays that do not put the players in a position to make plays to stop the first down. The coaches are worried the offense will go over the top instead of taking the more likely risk of throwing to the sticks. As a result, Cal gets burned each and every time.

01Bear said:

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MrGPAC said:

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In the 4th quarter vs teams other than Davis, San Diego State, and Oregon state we:

Auburn: Gave them 2 opportunities to drive the field to get a touchdown and got 2 interceptions (W)

Florida State: Gave up a TD relatively early in the quarter. That drive included a 27 yard pass on 3rd and 18 deep in their own territory, a 4th down conversion at midfield, and a 36 yard TD pass on 3rd and 7.

Miami: Gave them 92 yards to go for a TD with ~2 minutes remaining. Gave up a 77 yard pass on the first play of the drive. Gave up a 22 yard pass on 3rd and 20.

Pittsburgh: Drove into field goal range to potentially go up 1 but missed it. Would have left Pitt with 1:50 left to go down and kick a field goal to win it.

NC State: Gave up a TD for the lead with 6:32 remaining in the game. Drive included a 23 yard pass on 3rd and 10 and a 41 yard TD pass on 3rd and 7. Missed a field goal that would have given Cal the lead with 1:34 left on the clock for NC State to drive down the field and get a field goal to win it.

Wake Forest: Gave them the ball up 3 2:16 left on the clock and got an interception.

So out of the 6 games, we got an interception to prevent a comeback attempt in 2 of the games, and we didn't in the other 4.

In 3 of the other 4 we gave up a 3rd and 10 or longer, including a 27 yard pass on 3rd and 18 and a 22 yard pass on 3rd and 20. In the other one (Pitt) we gave up a 72 yard TD run on 4th and 1 deep in Pitt territory, and their other TD came after a conversion on 4th and 5.

All of these games are similar. We force the other team to make low percentage plays against us and we fail to stop them on those plays repeatedly. If we manage to force an INT on those drives we win, otherwise we lose.

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All true, but look at the 3rd and longs and 4th down plays. Inevitability in each of them, the defense is playing a zone defense where the coaching seems to place the defenders behind the sticks. In other words, the D coaches decided to call plays that do not put the players in a position to make plays to stop the first down. The coaches are worried the offense will go over the top instead of taking the more likely risk of throwing to the sticks. As a result, Cal gets burned each and every time.

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I'm not surprised. I haven't looked at the tape for all of the above but I would guess:

1) We didn't bring pressure.

2) The upside of zones is they help you keep your eyes on the QB which can help lead to interceptions. The downside is if you don't apply pressure you give the QB and WR time to find a soft spot in the zone.

3) The opposing teams DID complete some low percentage plays that they wouldn't have thrown normally due to good coverage but had no choice. Florida States game winning touchdown comes to mind where it was a well covered route with zero margin for error on the throw. I doubt they could repeat that play on a consistent basis, but backed into a corner they had to try and it worked.

southseasbear said:

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oski003 said:

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southseasbear said:

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oski003 said:

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RedlessWardrobe said:

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72CalBear said:

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Haven't you guys learned to stop the whipping a dead horse bellowing even when we beat an away team that is likewise very motivated?? Great win all the way around. Teams don't play to lose or to make mistakes but they win when they are proud and coached to not stop fighting!

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Honestly I try no to be too critical. Many times on this board and the basketball board I call out posters for being too negative.

But I feel my statement had a little more substance to it then just a whine. This is an opinion board, I have rooted for the Bears for over 50 years. Go back and read the game thread. Many who have watched every down this season felt the same way I did. I commend the players for playing hard, but the mood of the game thread exemplifies that last night we dodged a bullet. And it wasn't the first game of the season. We saw four previous losses occur with playcalling of the same manner. At some point a coaching staff has to evaluate their personell and base a lot of their strategic decisions on what they have. Happy with the win, but an adjustment needs to be made.

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The mood of the game thread is a bunch of posters who expect doom and gloom and then whine and moan when the possibility of such starts to develop. The posts are much more PTSD than anything else.

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The negativity and pessimism were earned. At the beginning of the season there a substantial number of posters who thought we could compete for the conference championship. Others who referred to themselves as realistic said we would be in or close to the upper half of the ACC. Our Bears reverted to form by sweeping our first 3 nonconfernce games before laying an egg in our first conference game. The sentiment is that we played well, losing 14-9 againt a tough, conference contendng FSU (which has won only 1 game this year against us). Then we lose a game we were winning (by 25 points) and should have won against undefeated Miami, and people posted that we had a moral victory against a playoff bound team. Then we snatched defeat out of the jaws of victory once again at Pitt (with the bizarre going for 2 points after touchdown). Before losing to NC State, there was a realization that we are not as good as our talent. Sure, we are on a 2 game winning streak, but that's against a weak and depleted OSU and a weak Wake Forest.

So, where are we? We are in the bottom 5 or 6 of the conference with Boston College (better overall records), NC State (which beat us), Wake Forest, Stanford, and Florida State (winless except for us). Meanwhile some of us are terrified that Know Nothing Knowlton will give Wilcox another extension.

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We certainly look better when we aren't missing 3 starting OL and our 2 starting wideouts, all while having a hurt star running back. Regardless, I agree that our coaching isn't worthy of making the college football playoff. They have too much of a history of middling records.

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For how many years will we continue to use injuries as excuses? (And why do we have so many injuries? Of course that's a different story.) The problem is coaching. In the previous 7 years we have only 2 winning seasons, 3 minor bowl games, and 1 bowl win.

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Agree. I'll happily take the win, but after the game I had more of a sense of relief than of satisfaction. Wake Forest was clearly mediocre at best. And they did not play very well, seemingly trying to give the game to us. Yet, we managed to make a close game of it.

And I'm sorry, but I started to not enjoy the game very much in the second quarter when we once again made a poor decision to go for two... and exacerbated the decision by not having a good play dialed up to get those two points. Then, of course, WF goes for two in the fourth quarter (better decision) and had a play that got the receiver open and... boom, two points.