The Cal football team had a bye last week and the Bears spent the time licking their wounds and trying to correct much of what has gone wrong in the season that has left them with a 1-4 record.
The Bears must travel to Eugene Friday night where they take on No. 9 Oregon.
“Every bye week is unique. It depends on where it falls in the season and what the health of your team is like,” head coach Justin Wilcox said Monday in a Zoom call with the media. “As I mentioned some of the bye week was taking reps off Cameron Goode and Elijah (Hicks) and Trevon Clark, some of these guys who have a lot of reps under their belt and getting them healthy. And also utilizing some of those reps to develop guys who have played this season, but haven’t had as many reps.”
And Wilcox likes what he saw on the practice field. “I sound like a broken record here, but we practiced well,” he said. “We had a different rhythm of practice last week because of the bye week. Some guys needed to spend some time getting healthy. For other players, it was about development and then for everybody there was the initial game plan for Oregon.”
Wilcox said that Will Craig and Nikko Remigio, two players who were nursing injuries last week, will be good to go Friday night. Running back DeCarlos Brooks, however, is “week-to-week” and outside linebacker Kuony Deng requires still more time to heal.
The Bears' lone victory last year was over Oregon. But neither Wilcox nor his players are putting much stock in that as a factor in what might happen Friday night. They say there hasn’t been much talk about it.
“Really what we’re focused on is the individual improvements needed for each coach, player and position group for us to play better,” Wilcox said. “Last year was last year. We’re focused on playing better as a team. I don’t feel like the guys are lacking confidence. We just haven’t finished games.”
“We were glad to get that win last year but this is a new year,” Hicks said. “During the bye week we really dialed into the things we need to improve on. In the DB room specifically, I feel like we’ve been getting better each week. But we’re hungry. We know we can play a lot better than we’ve been putting out there. We’re excited for this week.”
Remigio agrees. “Referring to games that we’ve played in the past, I don’t think it has too much of an effect on how we approach the games this year and our overall outlook on Oregon as a program currently,” he said. “I wouldn’t say it’s something we’re relying on too heavily.”
Hicks’ Good Works
In his five years at Cal, Hicks has made a point of “giving back” to the Berkeley and East Bay community. His latest venture is the Intercept Poverty Foundation, which will help needy Cal students with some financial assistance.
“We are just helping students on campus put $500 to $700 in their pocket to help them overcome some financial roadblocks,” Hicks said. “. Maybe they could use some extra food, maybe their car broke down and they need some assistance to get that fixed. Or they may need a new laptop.
“Those are things I know affect people studying and I want to be able to create this and find a way to help students focus on school and not be worried about how they are going to get their next meal or how they are going to get their laptop fixed. I’m fortunate enough to have a scholarship and even with that, I know how tough college can be. It is something very close to me. I want to bring attention to the issue of poverty on campus And do my best letting people know so they can chip in and help.”
Hicks, one of 12 children, said he knows what it’s like to miss a meal or rely on Top Ramen. “I relate to that, because those are the things I had to do growing up. I want to figure out ways to help.”
He said he has been generating funds, “by asking for donations and posting on social media and got some donations there. I got some donors and fans who chipped in.”
Bear8 said:
Your interpretation is an expression of your outlook. Please note that "your" is mentioned twice in the prior sentence.
UrsineMaximus said:
Oklahoma replaced Rattler due to poor play with a freshman QB. Nebraska, after 5 games, shuffled their OL to include a new LT. Today, Cal's line up for the Oregon game was published. Not one change to the starting 11 on offense. Huh?? After a week of self scouting and development Cal concluded no changes were necessary?
The man doesn't appear to have a clue. Our play reflects that.calumnus said:
Repeatedly saying "we practiced well" and then having bad games and then repeating does seem suspect. Maybe practices need to be modified? It reminds me of Wilcox's statement when asked why we moved the ball and scored in the first half, but not in the second half "I don't know. We were running the same plays we ran in the first half, they just weren't working any more."
If they had a five star (see Caleb Williams) backing Garbers, you might have seen a change.UrsineMaximus said:
Oklahoma replaced Rattler due to poor play with a freshman QB. Nebraska, after 5 games, shuffled their OL to include a new LT. Today, Cal's line up for the Oregon game was published. Not one change to the starting 11 on offense. Huh?? After a week of self scouting and development Cal concluded no changes were necessary?
71Bear said:If they had a five star (see Caleb Williams) backing Garbers, you might have seen a change.UrsineMaximus said:
Oklahoma replaced Rattler due to poor play with a freshman QB. Nebraska, after 5 games, shuffled their OL to include a new LT. Today, Cal's line up for the Oregon game was published. Not one change to the starting 11 on offense. Huh?? After a week of self scouting and development Cal concluded no changes were necessary?
The point being, Cal has zero depth, they will be "dancin' with the one that brung ya" for the rest of the season.
Top players don't care who's already there. They believe they're better and will beat them out. That's how you want top recruits to think.calumnus said:71Bear said:If they had a five star (see Caleb Williams) backing Garbers, you might have seen a change.UrsineMaximus said:
Oklahoma replaced Rattler due to poor play with a freshman QB. Nebraska, after 5 games, shuffled their OL to include a new LT. Today, Cal's line up for the Oregon game was published. Not one change to the starting 11 on offense. Huh?? After a week of self scouting and development Cal concluded no changes were necessary?
The point being, Cal has zero depth, they will be "dancin' with the one that brung ya" for the rest of the season.
Kai Milner is a 4 star. I suspect he is not in the three deep because they want to let Justyn Martin or some other top QB recruit believe the position is wide open next year.
It is wide open. Millner has done nothing to prove he is ready to take over. Otherwise, he would be in the mix today.calumnus said:71Bear said:If they had a five star (see Caleb Williams) backing Garbers, you might have seen a change.UrsineMaximus said:
Oklahoma replaced Rattler due to poor play with a freshman QB. Nebraska, after 5 games, shuffled their OL to include a new LT. Today, Cal's line up for the Oregon game was published. Not one change to the starting 11 on offense. Huh?? After a week of self scouting and development Cal concluded no changes were necessary?
The point being, Cal has zero depth, they will be "dancin' with the one that brung ya" for the rest of the season.
Kai Milner is a 4 star. I suspect he is not in the three deep because they want to let Justyn Martin or some other top QB recruit believe the position is wide open next year.
Rushinbear said:Top players don't care who's already there. They believe they're better and will beat them out. That's how you want top recruits to think.calumnus said:71Bear said:If they had a five star (see Caleb Williams) backing Garbers, you might have seen a change.UrsineMaximus said:
Oklahoma replaced Rattler due to poor play with a freshman QB. Nebraska, after 5 games, shuffled their OL to include a new LT. Today, Cal's line up for the Oregon game was published. Not one change to the starting 11 on offense. Huh?? After a week of self scouting and development Cal concluded no changes were necessary?
The point being, Cal has zero depth, they will be "dancin' with the one that brung ya" for the rest of the season.
Kai Milner is a 4 star. I suspect he is not in the three deep because they want to let Justyn Martin or some other top QB recruit believe the position is wide open next year.
Pretty much.71Bear said:If they had a five star (see Caleb Williams) backing Garbers, you might have seen a change.UrsineMaximus said:
Oklahoma replaced Rattler due to poor play with a freshman QB. Nebraska, after 5 games, shuffled their OL to include a new LT. Today, Cal's line up for the Oregon game was published. Not one change to the starting 11 on offense. Huh?? After a week of self scouting and development Cal concluded no changes were necessary?
The point being, Cal has zero depth, they will be "dancin' with the one that brung ya" for the rest of the season.
Barely. He's a 3 by some other services. He's closer to a Max Gilliam level of 3-4 star than a Kline consensus 4 star. He's not in the three deep because he's not ready. Top level QB recruits think they can win any open competition anyway.calumnus said:71Bear said:If they had a five star (see Caleb Williams) backing Garbers, you might have seen a change.UrsineMaximus said:
Oklahoma replaced Rattler due to poor play with a freshman QB. Nebraska, after 5 games, shuffled their OL to include a new LT. Today, Cal's line up for the Oregon game was published. Not one change to the starting 11 on offense. Huh?? After a week of self scouting and development Cal concluded no changes were necessary?
The point being, Cal has zero depth, they will be "dancin' with the one that brung ya" for the rest of the season.
Kai Milner is a 4 star. I suspect he is not in the three deep because they want to let Justyn Martin or some other top QB recruit believe the position is wide open next year.
Kline? Buh stole his bike!concernedparent said:Barely. He's a 3 by some other services. He's closer to a Max Gilliam level of 3-4 star than a Kline consensus 4 star. He's not in the three deep because he's not ready. Top level QB recruits think they can win any open competition anyway.calumnus said:71Bear said:If they had a five star (see Caleb Williams) backing Garbers, you might have seen a change.UrsineMaximus said:
Oklahoma replaced Rattler due to poor play with a freshman QB. Nebraska, after 5 games, shuffled their OL to include a new LT. Today, Cal's line up for the Oregon game was published. Not one change to the starting 11 on offense. Huh?? After a week of self scouting and development Cal concluded no changes were necessary?
The point being, Cal has zero depth, they will be "dancin' with the one that brung ya" for the rest of the season.
Kai Milner is a 4 star. I suspect he is not in the three deep because they want to let Justyn Martin or some other top QB recruit believe the position is wide open next year.
concernedparent said:Barely. He's a 3 by some other services. He's closer to a Max Gilliam level of 3-4 star than a Kline consensus 4 star. He's not in the three deep because he's not ready. Top level QB recruits think they can win any open competition anyway.calumnus said:71Bear said:If they had a five star (see Caleb Williams) backing Garbers, you might have seen a change.UrsineMaximus said:
Oklahoma replaced Rattler due to poor play with a freshman QB. Nebraska, after 5 games, shuffled their OL to include a new LT. Today, Cal's line up for the Oregon game was published. Not one change to the starting 11 on offense. Huh?? After a week of self scouting and development Cal concluded no changes were necessary?
The point being, Cal has zero depth, they will be "dancin' with the one that brung ya" for the rest of the season.
Kai Milner is a 4 star. I suspect he is not in the three deep because they want to let Justyn Martin or some other top QB recruit believe the position is wide open next year.
