Golden Nuggets: A Familiar Story

Football

• Jake Curtis notes that in the previous two seasons, the Bears started off hot before losing three in a row. In each case the Bears wound up winning after that. Could that happen this year against Utah? Here is a free short article from his website Cal Bears Maven, then a longer article with the same premise for the SF Chronicle (may require a subscription). The excerpt is from the Chronicle version.

Each of the two previous years, Cal ended its three-game skid emphatically. The Bears stunned eighth-ranked Washington State 37-3 to end the skid in 2017, and they blasted Oregon State on the road 49-7 to halt the 2018 losing streak before upsetting No. 15 Washington the following Saturday.

An upset of Utah would fit the script written the past two seasons. Defensive end Luc Bequette suggests Cal can take something from that.

“I think we can,” he said, “especially last year how we bounced back in the second half of the season. This is a different team, but a lot of the same players.”

Last year’s win over Oregon State began a stretch of four wins in five games for Cal.

Wilcox doesn’t buy the theory, noting that such similarities are for fans and the media, not for coaches and players.

• There’s a lot more that goes into a Cal FB practice than you might think. Check out this behind the scenes video.

• Zeandae Johnson will leave Cal leaving a lasting impact on the defense. But before that, he gets to play against his childhood friend Jaylon Johnson (no relation) for the first time on Saturday.
• Find out what made Jaden Casey want to commit to Cal...

Misc.

• Find out what made Fatou Samb want to choose Cal Women’s Basketball.

“My relationship with the Cal coaching staff was one of my main factors for making my decision,” Samb said. “I feel like the entire staff was looking to invest in me off and on the court! I truly trust and believe that this staff will help me to reach my potential on the court, academically, and as a person.

“Coach Charmin mentioned one thing that stuck to me; it was to make sure to impact positively every player that walked through her doors beyond basketball. Relationship was an important factor because these were the people (along with the team) that I would be around 24/7 throughout my college career. I want to be around this group to reach success for Cal women’s basketball!”

• On and off the field, women’s soccer’s Emily Smith is a great problem solver.

Beat the Utes!