Golden Nuggets: Sandy Barbour takes responsibility for grad-rate failure

After the recent reveal of Cal's abysmal graduation rates in football and men's basketball, Athletic Director Sandy Barbour is holding herself accountable for this failure.

Cal athletics was dealt a humiliating blow with last week's report on graduation rates, in which Cal football ranked dead last among 72 major programs in the country and men's basketball wasn't much better.

Barbour, who has been athletic director since the fall of 2004, has to own it. She can't blame those numbers on departed coaches Jeff Tedford and Ben Braun. She was their boss. She extended their contracts during this dismal period. She is the one who has to be held accountable.

It's a tough time right now for Barbour, who likes to use the phrase "athletics done right." The report comes while her handpicked football coach, Sonny Dykes, is struggling in his debut season. While the Memorial Stadium financing plan is being questioned. But nothing is worse than messing with the essence of Cal: its academic pride.

In better news, former DB Tyre Ellison has been making an impact, but not on the football field, as he has earned a fellowship after rising above some difficult circumstances (video autoplays).

Cal Athletics

• This week on Inside the Locker Room: Coach Dykes, graduate assistant Jacob Peeler, and WR Richard Rodgers

Rugby

• Cal suffered a loss to Saint Mary's (at their eponymous Sevens Invitational), forcing the Bears to settle for third place

Field Hockey

• Cal secured a win on the road against Maine

Volleyball

• Adrienne Gehan became the 15th player in Cal history to score 1000 kills in Cal's win over Oregon State
• Libero Kerr is the Pac-12 Freshman of the Week after tying the school record with 33 digs in the win over no. 20 Oregon
• After that great weekend against the Oregon schools, Cal cracked the top 25 at no. 22!
• The need for constant live sports on the Pac-12 Network has created a scheduling nightmare for the studies of our student-athletes

Women's Golf

• Nicola Rossler had a top-20 finish at the Stanfurd Intercollegiate

Men's Basketball

• There's no better way to spend your Halloween than watching the Bears face off against the Humboldt State Lumberjacks in an exhibition!

Women's Basketball

• Come check out the open practice on November 3
• The Fever take a look at the rookie season of their first-round pick, Layshia Clarendon

Women's Soccer

• The Golden Bears suffered an upset at the hands (webbed feet?) of the Ducks

Football

• And updated injury list for the Bears

— Ryan Gorcey (@RGBearTerritory) October 29, 2013

• Ted Miller previews this week's slate of Pac-12 games, including Cal vs. Arizona
• Uncle Ted's Pac-12 Power Rankings are just in love with Cal!
• Hunter Hewitt takes a look at ten alarming stats, but none of them are alarmingly good...
• It's not all doom and gloom--Khairi Fortt is a semifinalist for the Butkus Award, honoring the nation's best linebacker
• WR Marvin Jones is the first Bengal to catch four touchdowns in one game, three of which were in the first half. NFL.com has video, which will autoplay!

— Cal Football (@CalFootball) October 27, 2013

• Check out all the other Bears' NFL performances this week
• Yahoo! wonders if Tony Gonzalez will be a midseason trade back to his first NFL team, the Kansas City Chiefs...