Golden Nuggets: Bye Week is Over! Now it is Oregon Week...

Football

• The Cal Football team knows after last year that a 3-0 start doesn’t guarantee a good season. They are spending the bye week working to prevent another 2-7 conference season, and fixing certain flaws (like the 4th quarter play).

The bye week coming after Week 3 would probably be interpreted by most fans as a minor misfortune. Playing in nine straight weeks down the stretch of the season is sure to be taxing. But this week in practice, Wilcox took a lighthearted approach to the matter.

“We’re going to make the most of it,” Wilcox said of the break in action. “They set the schedule, so until they start asking us when we want it, I’m not (going to comment). I don’t think if you love it or hate it the people who make the schedule are going to care.”

But perhaps the timing of the bye week will be a boon. With the ability to pinpoint exactly what went wrong last year and what tendencies are resurfacing (such as offensive inconsistency and poor fourth-quarter defense), a dismal ending to the season should be avoidable.

• Cal Sports Maven wraps up all the current Bowl Projections (well, as of week 3) so that I don’t have to. Boise State and Tedford’s Fresno State are common projected opponents.
• Patrick Laird was honored with an Allstate Good Works Team Recognition award, which was presented to him in surprise fashion at a school he was talking at.

Basketball

• The Bears are ready for a fresh start. That is especially true for Juhwan Harris-Dyson who’s season went off to a bad start after an early season illness cost him 3 games (and more when you consider stamina issues).

Coach Wyking Jones said Harris-Dyson remains the best athlete on the Bears’ roster and that fans only saw glimpses of what he can be.

“If you watch Juhwan play, his body is everything to his game. His quickness, his explosiveness, his change of direction, his speed,” Jones said. “You take 20 pounds off him, he’s not nearly as effective. He wasn’t able to be himself.”

Likewise, the Bears never were the team they hoped to be last season. Their inexperience — including six scholarship freshmen and a rookie coach in Jones — led to a painful season.

• Jabari Bird had sought treatment for mental illness.

Cal Athletics

• This week’s Knowlton Notes honors the 3-0 Football team and other great accomplishments by the Fall 2018 Cal sports teams.
• Cal Sports Maven summarizes the total pay of a bunch of former Cal athletes from across all sports leagues to find out who’s been paid the most. Of course, its Aaron Rodgers, but this list is very comprehensive and cool to read.

Misc.

• Cal Field Hockey has earned a ranking! But can they beat the nation’s top teams?
• The Daily Cal’s Men Swimming preview is up!
• Four former Rugby Bears have made it to the USA Selects team for the Americas Pacific Challenge, which will take place in mid-October in Montevideo, Uruguay. Congrats to Thomas Robles, Anthony Salaber, Brendan Daly and Nicklas Boyer!

Go beArs!