Chabbear said:

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First Play: Halfback pass for a TD would wake up everyone. GO BEARS

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shhhh (the walls have ears> eyes)

Trumpanzee said:

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I got my Cal Bear Hawaiian shirt I have worn for the past 20 years, it seems to get smaller each year! Do you think a win makes a statement or way to early? It seems (from what I have read) there is a lot of optimism amongst the new coaching staff. It would be great to see a new team come together!

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Wait a minute? You've worn the same shirt for 20 years of Cal football? Dude! That shirt is cursed. You need to burn it and get a new one.

BearlyCareAnymore said:

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Trumpanzee said:

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I got my Cal Bear Hawaiian shirt I have worn for the past 20 years, it seems to get smaller each year! Do you think a win makes a statement or way to early? It seems (from what I have read) there is a lot of optimism amongst the new coaching staff. It would be great to see a new team come together!

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Wait a minute? You've worn the same shirt for 20 years of Cal football? Dude! That shirt is cursed. You need to burn it and get a new one.

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I wear my 2004 Roll On You Bears t shirt game 1 every year as well!

We'll know pretty quickly how this team stacks up...

bearsandgiants said:

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I'm excited to see JKS. Followed this saga all along and was so happy to finally land him. He looked great in the Polynesian Bowl, but all along I expected we'd see Brown and maybe no JKS at all this year, and that he'd transfer and do well somewhere else and we'd never get to enjoy it. Tomorrow is a really special day for Bear fans. So much excitement. So much promise. I really hope the coaching staff doesn't lay an egg. They've made some bold decisions this far. Good sign.

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By many accounts, Brown was the third best QB in camp. That was consistent with their transfer rankings with Sagapolutele as a 4 star and Brown a 3 star. Thus, it would have been really disappointing if they started Brown and would have sent a bad message to the team, though like you I kind of expected it. I am not sure how "bold" it is to start the best player, but at least it is not being mind-numbingly conservative.

I remember when Tedford said of true freshman Marshawn Lynch "He is the best football player I've ever been around" and I thought "Then how do you not find a way to get that talent on the field? How come he spends 90% of the game on the bench?"

So I am not sure of the other bold moves, but I am happy we are playing Sagapolutele. He is a rare talent.

bearsandgiants said:

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calumnus said:

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bearsandgiants said:

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I'm excited to see JKS. Followed this saga all along and was so happy to finally land him. He looked great in the Polynesian Bowl, but all along I expected we'd see Brown and maybe no JKS at all this year, and that he'd transfer and do well somewhere else and we'd never get to enjoy it. Tomorrow is a really special day for Bear fans. So much excitement. So much promise. I really hope the coaching staff doesn't lay an egg. They've made some bold decisions this far. Good sign.

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By many accounts, Brown was the third best QB in camp. That was consistent with their transfer rankings with Sagapolutele as a 4 star and Brown a 3 star. Thus, it would have been really disappointing if they started Brown and would have sent a bad message to the team, though like you I kind of expected it. I am not sure how "bold" it is to start the best player, but at least it is not being mind-numbingly conservative.

I remember when Tedford said of true freshman Marshawn Lynch "He is the best football player I've ever been around" and I thought "Then how do you not find a way to get that talent on the field? How come he spends 90% of the game on the bench?"

So I am not sure of the other bold moves, but I am happy we are playing Sagapolutele. He is a rare talent.

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they're starting another freshman in the backfield, they prioritized o linemen in the portal, hired Rivera, got two kickers and made bold decisions with the offensive coaching hires too. As far as personnel, they seem to have shifted to more of a play-the-best attitude regardless of experience. I like it. All around, this is what I have always wanted us to do. Sure, we may still find a way to lose, but it's exciting.

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The Rivera hire was by Lyons, with him becoming Wilcox's boss only two or thre months ago. All the other hires were earlier by Wilcox/Knowlton, as all the previous hires were and followed his old pattern (Wilcox's friends from the Pacifc Northwest). We will find out whether it works this time, tomorrow.

Check out the new Cal collection here:

[url=https://www.reynspooner.com/collections/university-of-california-berkeley][/url]https://www.reynspooner.com/collections/university-of-california-berkeley

Econ141 said:

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I feel like this week all I have done is just say and wait. Feels like the longest wait ever and we still have all day tomorrow to wait.

If JKS looks sharp I definitely think that would foreshadow a good (7+ win) to great (9+ win) season.

If we win but he looks really shaky and it was only because the defense we won, I think the chances of this being 5-7 win season may be in the cards.

A loss ... Oh boy.

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I think you should brace yourself for the possibility that a true freshman in his first game in a very tough road environment looks unspectacular. That doesn't mean he won't be a star by season's end and look every bit as good as we hoped he could be. Win or loss, amazing or underwhelming, tomorrow night doesn't define his career

Bearly Clad said:

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calumnus said:

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K1min8r said:

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99% of my optimism is based on Coach Anae... and then Harsin and Rolo's ability to execute a good offense because our line holds. If our line is dominant, we have a great season.

We'll see soon enough!

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At Auburn Harsin inherited a seasoned, proven junior Bo Nix (future Heisman and #1 pick) and had two future NFL draft picks in Jarquez Hunter and Tank Bigsby at RB and managed 28 pts per game, #68 in the country in scoring, only slightly better than Cal's offense that same year with Musgrave at OC, Garbers at QB, Chris Brooks at RB…. But maybe Harsin does better with less talent? He did win a lot of games in in the MWC.

With Wilcox and his again hiring his unemployed friends as OCs I am in the "show me" camp. I am excited to see Sagapolutele but I think we need to keep our expectations reasonable. Cal fans are a bit too quick to overexpect and then blame players well when they fall short of unreasonable.

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Yo. Being lukewarm on Harsin is reasonable but Bo Nix was neither a Heisman nor a #1 pick. Where are you getting your info from?

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You are right, I waa in a hurry and got sloppy. How about "in the Heisman running (3rd), broke the NCAA record for completion percentage (over 77%), lead the nation in TDs, first round draft pick."? Is it not the case, that Nix went from leading the #68 offense under Harsin at Auburn to being the focus of the #9 offense at Oregon the next year?

Last year, Wilcox's friends Harsin and Rolovich were both unemployed and available . Wilcox promoted his OL coach instead.

calumnus said:

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Bearly Clad said:

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calumnus said:

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K1min8r said:

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99% of my optimism is based on Coach Anae... and then Harsin and Rolo's ability to execute a good offense because our line holds. If our line is dominant, we have a great season.

We'll see soon enough!

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At Auburn Harsin inherited a seasoned, proven junior Bo Nix (future Heisman and #1 pick) and had two future NFL draft picks in Jarquez Hunter and Tank Bigsby at RB and managed 28 pts per game, #68 in the country in scoring, only slightly better than Cal's offense that same year with Musgrave at OC, Garbers at QB, Chris Brooks at RB…. But maybe Harsin does better with less talent? He did win a lot of games in in the MWC.

With Wilcox and his again hiring his unemployed friends as OCs I am in the "show me" camp. I am excited to see Sagapolutele but I think we need to keep our expectations reasonable. Cal fans are a bit too quick to overexpect and then blame players well when they fall short of unreasonable.

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Yo. Being lukewarm on Harsin is reasonable but Bo Nix was neither a Heisman nor a #1 pick. Where are you getting your info from?

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You are right, I waa in a hurry and got sloppy. How about "in the Heisman running (3rd), broke the NCAA record for completion percentage (over 77%), lead the nation in TDs, first round draft pick."? Is it not the case, that Nix went from leading the #68 offense under Harsin at Auburn to being the focus of the #9 offense at Oregon the next year?

Last year, Wilcox's friends Harsin and Rolovich were both unemployed and available . Wilcox promoted his OL coach instead.

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Harsin is born and raised in Boise Idaho. Was a QB at BSU and became head coach at BSU. I would not be surprised if we see a different tempo for our offense. It has been mentioned before that our offense was too "vanilla" at times. If Harsin's brings BSU trickery with him, we could see the "statue of liberty" play.....

BearForceOne said:

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Chabbear said:

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First Play: Halfback pass for a TD would wake up everyone. GO BEARS

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I was thinking the new offensive staff should announce their arrival and the beginning of a new era by opening with a 50 yard BOMB a la Tedford's first playcall for Kyle Boller. But then again, it might be best to save this for the home opener next week so that I can witness it in person!


Boler did not throw that bomb on the first play of the Tedford era. It was a trick-play that went for 70 against Baylor(?).

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BearlyCareAnymore said:

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Trumpanzee said:

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I got my Cal Bear Hawaiian shirt I have worn for the past 20 years, it seems to get smaller each year! Do you think a win makes a statement or way to early? It seems (from what I have read) there is a lot of optimism amongst the new coaching staff. It would be great to see a new team come together!

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Wait a minute? You've worn the same shirt for 20 years of Cal football? Dude! That shirt is cursed. You need to burn it and get a new one.

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Well this is how it works. I start the season wearing my lucky "Hawaiian shirt" (13-7 over the past 20 year opening day) until we lose, which in some seasons that might be game 5 after beating up "Marshmallow State" then I change to a Cal T shirt until we win and then go back to Hawaiian shirt one more time until our next loss. It usually goes back to the closet for the rest of the season.....probably why it has lasted 20 years.....

Thanks to NIL and The Portal, Cal will take the field tonight with 57 new players, including 13 starters who weren't on the team last year.

I think it was easier re-memorizing the roster of the team formerly known as the Oakland A's each year.

~ is this the country rock for the beavs, guess the score, sub-thread . . . - 19 - 18 good guys

calumnus said:

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Trumpanzee said:

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calumnus said:

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Bearly Clad said:

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calumnus said:

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K1min8r said:

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99% of my optimism is based on Coach Anae... and then Harsin and Rolo's ability to execute a good offense because our line holds. If our line is dominant, we have a great season.

We'll see soon enough!

---

At Auburn Harsin inherited a seasoned, proven junior Bo Nix (future Heisman and #1 pick) and had two future NFL draft picks in Jarquez Hunter and Tank Bigsby at RB and managed 28 pts per game, #68 in the country in scoring, only slightly better than Cal's offense that same year with Musgrave at OC, Garbers at QB, Chris Brooks at RB…. But maybe Harsin does better with less talent? He did win a lot of games in in the MWC.

With Wilcox and his again hiring his unemployed friends as OCs I am in the "show me" camp. I am excited to see Sagapolutele but I think we need to keep our expectations reasonable. Cal fans are a bit too quick to overexpect and then blame players well when they fall short of unreasonable.

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Yo. Being lukewarm on Harsin is reasonable but Bo Nix was neither a Heisman nor a #1 pick. Where are you getting your info from?

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You are right, I waa in a hurry and got sloppy. How about "in the Heisman running (3rd), broke the NCAA record for completion percentage (over 77%), lead the nation in TDs, first round draft pick."? Is it not the case, that Nix went from leading the #68 offense under Harsin at Auburn to being the focus of the #9 offense at Oregon the next year?

Last year, Wilcox's friends Harsin and Rolovich were both unemployed and available . Wilcox promoted his OL coach instead.

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Harsin is born and raised in Boise Idaho. Was a QB at BSU and became head coach at BSU. I would not be surprised if we see a different tempo for our offense. It has been mentioned before that our offense was too "vanilla" at times. If Harsin's brings BSU trickery with him, we could see the "statue of liberty" play.....

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I don't need trick plays, but regular use of misdirection and not running predictably on first down for 2 or 3 yards leading to having to always pass on 3rd down would make me reasonably happy.

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I agree, anything but predictable but creative.

I've got 27-20 California with the Beavers taking an early lead based on home field, our secondary needing to gel and learn to play with each other, and lots of new offensive pieces including a true freshman QB. But we settle down and close strong

Set the tone right away, go deep!

Trumpanzee said:

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Set the tone right away, go deep!

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Even if we end up calling a creative game, I'd put money on the UTSA transfer up the middle as our first play.

If folks are this excited about playing Oregon State, why on earth are we in the ACC and not in the new Pac12?

I guess I get to wear my lucky Hawaiian shirt next week! Go Bears!