Cal Football Tuesday Practice Report

Following today's practice preparation for Saturday's Senior Day showdown vs. Colorado, offensive coordinator Beau Baldwin and senior quarterback Chase Forrest spoke with the press.

Takeaways from today’s media session:

Beau Baldwin:

• On if the team treated the Big Game cancellation (announced Friday morning) as a bye week: “You did but you didn’t, because all week, you didn’t. But we went into the weekend and they did treatment and they did some stuff on Friday with Coach Becton and the crew. But there was a bye feel to it because guys who were playing however many snaps in a game, didn’t.”
• On if there’s a different approach facing a team that underwent a coaching change (with Colorado HC Mike McIlwain’s dismissal at CU): “Not really. We just told our guys one of the focuses we had was speaking offense-specific, that truly, this week was where you 100% need to focus because there’s so many other things going on. There was a change of schedule last week. There’s a change of schedule this week with Thanksgiving and no classes. You’re going to practice earlier on Thursday. And you’re going to hear about things like the coaching change but all of that is truly irrelevant when it comes to Saturday at 4:00.”
• On senior QB Chase Forrest and his attitude after losing out on the starting QB battle last season and continuing to be a positive influence on the team: “I have as much respect for Chase as anyone I’ve ever coached -for a lot of reasons, not just because he stayed. It’s one thing to stay but he’s stayed and practiced and watched film like he’s a starter. Working with young guys like Garbers and watching film with McIlwain. You can call him almost an extra coach at times.”
• On how receiver injuries have impacted game planning: “It’s a continuity thing, especially with young quarterbacks playing this year with both Garbers and McIlwain. So then all of the sudden when receivers become interchangeable, you maybe take a step back in time and work on the timing and just getting used to things again. It’s all  part of the process. I’m excited for a guy like (Jordan) Duncan coming back with how much he put into it and how much he can help us.

https://youtu.be/d4RfyisxHOM

Chase Forrest:

• On how he goes about practicing and preparing: “My role my whole career is about how I’ll always be ready. My biggest fear is not being ready if I have to go into a game. So that’s just kind of my M.O. That’s how I was brought up and how I trained in high school.”
• On what stands out about his time at Cal: “That’s a loaded question. There’s so many things. The bowl game (Armed Forces Bowl in 2015), learning from guys and coaches on the team. This team, this culture building and how we’re playing now, that’s probably my favorite part. The seniors have taken a lot of ownership trying to build that up and it comes from the staff.”
• On what kept him at Cal as a 5^th year senior: “What kept me here was this team. A lot of my best friends are on this team. I trust the coaches and I wanted to be here. I could’ve had opportunities to leave but I chose to stay because I love this team and what’s going on here.”