Some thoughts:
Offense
I had no idea Cal was so proficient until I looked at the stats after the game. Was Cal efficient though? Probably not. But that will come in time.
- Jared Goff showed tremendous poise considering the position he was in Saturday night. Cal fans were finally treated to why the coaching staff chose Goff over Zack Kline and Austin Hinder and I hope fans truly understand why they made that decision at this point. Outside of the final drive, Goff slowly improved as the game rolled along and I never got the sense that the pressure of the moment was too much for him.
- And while there will be a small fraction of the fan base that will clamor for Kline all season long, the one argument they pose that I do agree with is Goff's arm strength. While I don't think his arm strength is nearly as much of an exacerbated problem as some make it out to be, it does bare watching in the coming weeks and years. Besides that, however, I think Goff has a chance to be special in this offense. The kid is poised, knows when to step up in the pocket, and has tremendous touch on his passes. A bright future for sure.
Despite the loss, the play of Bryce Treggs was just one of several reasons to be excited about. (Getty) - The offensive line performed better than I expected, but there is no doubt growing pains will continue. Big Freddie and Steven Moore held the edges well (although both did get beat at times - expected considering their inexperience) and I thought the guards did a decent job. I think Cal's lack of a high yards-per-average running game had more to do with the play-calling than the Bears' inability to open up holes for their 'backs.
- We came into the season expecting the receiving corps to be the best unit of the team and nothing happened Saturday night to change that thinking. Chris Harper and Bryce Treggs were above average and Kenny Lawler and Jackson Bouza had their moments as well. I felt really bad for Powe Jr. for dropping that ball but like Robert Jordan in 2004, that stuff only helps young players as their careers tread along. I have very little concerns about this group.
- I would like to see the Bears find a way to implement Richard Rogers a little more (which I think they will eventually). Rogers obviously isn't a burner by any stretch of the imagination but it'll be really nice if Goff could start to develop a better rapport with Rogers, giving Goff yet another potential outlet to help move the chains.
- The running backs had a up-and-down night but again that was probably to be expected considering the age of these guys. Brendan Bigelow is outstanding and I love how he never gives up on plays, but his vision is a lacking (something unfortunately you can't teach a player). There are times when Bigelow takes a straight shot hit from a defender that truly special collegiate 'backs like Jahvid Best or Shane Vereen would see coming from a mile away. Bigelow's shot when he suffered his concussion was a perfect example - no way in a million years Best ever would've let a defender line him up like that. Meanwhile, I thought Khalfani Muhammad was decent for his first game and Daniel Lasco will be an asset as well. Unless Lasco learns how to run a little lower though, I think by midseason Muhammad is going to establish himself as the clear #2 back.
Considering Saturday was essentially Andy Buh's first game as a true solo-bolo defensive coordinator in a big-time conference, I'll wait a couple games to get a better sense of what he like and doesn't like to call against certain offenses and situations.
With that said, some initial thoughts:
- Depth is a huge, huge, concern for all three units. Even if everyone was healthy, I think Cal still plays like a slightly above average defense so having guys hurt is bad news.
- Schematically, Cal's defense looked very plain and vanilla last night.
- It's clear the Bears are going to have to figure out a better way to create a pass rush.
- The defensive tackles (Deandre Coleman and Tiny Moala) were outstanding.
- Not so much the defensive ends though. Chris McCain and whoever else lines up on the opposite side can and have to be better. Ditto for the linebacking crew.
Unfortunately, it might take a while for Cal's secondary to get going. (Getty) - After the first drive where NU simply ran right through the Cal defense, I felt the coaching staff did a very good job of re-adjusting and getting guys lined up better.
- Unfortunately, I think the secondary is going to struggle all season. Stefan McClure and Kam Jackson are slightly above average corners in coverage but besides that everyone else (coverage wise) is a little below to very sub-par in coverage. Some of the guys back there just don't possess good coverage skills. With that said though, Avery Sebastian, Michael Lowe, and Alex Logan can all lay the wood. I was especially happy for Logan last night, especially considering the so-so season he had last year.
- Again depth is a major problem for Cal's defense and unfortunately it is not going to be solved this season. Guys are already hurt, more guys will get hurt, and more guys who shouldn't play will play. A perfect example was NU's final dagger when Venric Mark sliced right through Todd Barr and Lucas King for a critical big gain late in the contest. It's obviously not King or Barr's fault per se, they were forced into a position they weren't capable of succeeding in due to injuries.
I cannot express how happy I am to root for a team that actually performs well on specials. The fake field goal will go down right along side Williams to Gray as one of the all-time great moments in Memorial Stadium history.
- Cal actually has a placekicker.
- Cal has another NFL punter.
- Cal has a coach that is willing to keep the defense honest once in a while.
- Muhammad is going to break 2-3 kickoffs for TDs this year.
Other thoughts
- Absolute horse crap call by the officials to eject Chris McCain. 15 yard penalty? Sure. Ejection at that point of the game? C'mon man. I know what the rule says but every rule in athletics is left to be interpreted on a per situation basis. Absolutely ridiculous.
- Also ridiculous was NU's fake injury ploy. I didn't like it when Cal did it and I definitely didn't like it when Fitzgerald told his boys to do it last night. I agree with Dykes in that it makes a mockery of the game. Unfortunately, until the rules are changed Cal is going to see this more and more.
- Young team or not Dykes better get a hold of all these dumb penalties his team committed last night. This is the one area of the game that I personally feel should never be an issue, regardless of whether the team is full of seniors or full of freshmen.
- Great atmosphere at Memorial Stadium at it was great to see friendly faces old and new.
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