Golden Nuggets: Post-Game Quotes, Find Out Why a Players Only Meeting Helped

Post-Game Press Conferences

As usual, videos are from Cal Athletics. They don’t seem to have transcripts up yet... so since I’m running late anyway, I’ll leave it up to you to watch them...

Football

• Post-game notes. Here are a few.

With today’s 49-7 victory over Oregon State, California has now won four of the last five meetings in the series. The Golden Bears improved to 4-3 overall and 1-3 in the Pac-12.

With the win, Cal earned its first Pac-12 road victory since a 30-24 decision at Washington on Sept. 26, 2015.

Chase Garbers started at quarterback and completed 17-of-26 passes for 234 yards and 3 touchdowns. His 55-yard pass to Vic Wharton III in the first quarter was Cal’s longest play from scrimmage this season.

Cal set a season high in big plays (20 yards or more from scrimmage) with eight against Oregon State. Five of the plays came in the first half, which tied the Bears’ full-game high entering the contest.

Patrick Laird rushed 22 times for 193 yards and 2 touchdowns. He earned his sixth career 100-yard rushing performance and his first of 2018. Laird’s rushing yards are the second highest of his career, surpassed only by his 214 yards (on 33 carries) vs. Oregon State last season.

After totaling 233 all-purpose yards against Oregon State last year, Patrick Laird went over 200 all-purpose yards for the second straight game against the Beavers, finishing with 241 today.

• There was an emotional players-only meeting the night before the OSU game (I haven’t watched the videos but it looks like Kunaszyk and Laird talk about it in theirs). Will that turn the season around?

Led mostly by seniors, the Cal players talked about a growing divide between the defense and offense, which had committed 14 turnovers, including five that were returned for touchdowns, during the three-game losing streak.

They talked about getting back to making the game fun, trusting each other and the possibility of still accomplishing some special things this season. Cal lost at UCLA last year, falling one win shy of bowl eligibility.

After Saturday’s win, the Bears need two wins in their final five to get to a bowl game for just the second time in seven years.

“We’re going to look back at it and be proud of how we responded or we’re going to be disappointed,” senior inside linebacker Jordan Kunaszyk said. “I think everybody who spoke had a powerful message. I think it had a huge impact on the team. I think it’s something we’re going to continue to look back on and remember some of our purposes, why we play this game and how we feel about each other.”

• What were the lasting questions after yesterday’s game? Cal Bears Maven asks 10, then answers them.

Question No. 1 – Is this result indicative of Cal’s untapped potential or merely confirmation that Oregon State is the worst team in the Pac-12?

Oregon State (1-6, 0-4 Pac-12) has now lost 17 consecutive games to FBS opponents, so the Beavers obviously have their issues. But they were coming off a bye and were playing at home, and Cal (4-3, 1-3 Pac-12) treated them like ragdolls. The 42-point triumph was the Bears’ largest margin of victory against an FBS team since a 52-7 victory over Colorado in 2010.

”That was painful,” Oregon State coach Jonathan Smith said. “I don’t really know any other way to describe it.”

• Is a loss against Washington a foregone conclusion? Not so fast... the Bears blowing out OSU opens the door to thoughts of an upset, as the Huskies may not have Myles Gaskin and Jake Browning has thrown more INTs than he usually does this year.
• Published before the OSU game, how should one feel about Cal Football through their first six games? Rivals looks through the positives and the negatives.
• Find out how Alex Netherda and his family are rebuilding after losing their home in the North Bay Fires almost exactly a year ago.

Volleyball

• Shortly after the publication of this article, the Pac-12 Networks will have a feature on Savannah Rennie and her battle with cancer. Here’s a preview.

I will likely be at the Cal Soccer doubleheader today. See you there and Go Bears!