California Golden Blogs - Cal vs. USC: Thursday-night WTFery is not enough as Cal falls, 45–24The OG CGB team moved to WriteForCalifornia.com. Cal Golden Bears coverage by SBNation.https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48267/cgb-fave.png2016-10-30T02:22:25-07:00http://www.californiagoldenblogs.com/rss/stream/131065832016-10-30T02:22:25-07:002016-10-30T02:22:25-07:00Cal A.D. reportedly didn’t fight the unusual USC scheduling
<figure>
<img alt="NCAA Basketball: NCAA Tournament-First Round-California vs Hawaii" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/h56JnB2kaZKYrl2jqYQgwpVRo7E=/0x0:2088x1392/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/51596069/usa-today-9194196.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This seems unwise. </p> <p id="27xr1z"><a href="http://">One little tidbit regarding the poor Cal-USC scheduling by the Pac-12.</a> Athletic director Michael Williams appeared to sign off on it pretty quickly.<a href="http://www.mercurynews.com/2016/10/26/did-the-pac-12-conference-doom-cals-chances-to-beat-usc/"> Jon Wilner has more.</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p id="mRSSR5">The Bears have known this was coming since late last year, when the conference presented a master 2016 schedule to the schools for approval.</p>
<p id="rPqQug">In response to a request for comment, Cal athletic director Mike Williams noted the “unusual circumstances” of the schedule but said the Bears wanted to “respect the will of the majority of our conference colleagues once the vote is conducted.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p id="NnjL0F">This is a bit disconcerting that an athletic director didn’t think twice about allowing the Cal-USC scheduling to occur the way it did. There should have been way more that went into the process rather than simply bending to the will of the Pac-12.</p>
<p id="LtXNQJ">First of all, it is the closest thing to a decided advantage you can possibly get—a home team on a bye week facing a road team on a short week of rest. Any seasoned athletic director would fight hard against these type of contests. It gives a football squad a disadvantage they don’t need to inherit. </p>
<p id="szbRw7">Again, the easy solution would’ve been the following.</p>
<ul>
<li id="naxse3">Cal-USC and Cal-Oregon should have been flipped. </li>
<li id="55Qsa3">Cal plays on the road at USC on a Thursday night after a bye week. </li>
<li id="LT0ov3">Cal then hosts Oregon at home on a slightly longer week on a Friday night. </li>
<li id="hRob6m">That way Cal gets an extra day of rest each day on its bye week, plays USC on an equal playing field, and then plays a rested Oregon team with an extra amount of time to practice.</li>
<li id="AuSLyd">The Pac-12 gets their Thursday night and Friday night ESPN games, and no one is disadvantaged in the slightest.</li>
</ul>
<p id="CiVy59">This compromise could have happened in a dozen different permutations too. Move the Friday night game around. Make the Cal-UCLA game the Friday night game instead. There were a billion different permutations that could’ve been used to fix this. </p>
<p id="DUegfK">Instead, no real resistance from the athletic department, and the Cal players had to endure a football week from hell. </p>
<p id="YNl40F">Let’s be clear. Cal did not lose to USC because Cal did not have enough rest to play USC. But the Golden Bear players were not provided any favors from their athletic department. Logistically, academically, and athletically, this should all have been avoided. </p>
https://www.californiagoldenblogs.com/2016/10/30/13470006/california-golden-bears-athletic-director-mike-williams-usc-trojans-schedulingAvinash Kunnath2016-10-29T03:09:28-07:002016-10-29T03:09:28-07:00Sonny Dykes seems unhappy with Cal defensive coaches
<figure>
<img alt="NCAA Football: California at Southern California" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/HhjQvMBENliPYQlzrJcc8xeyN2Y=/0x51:1706x1188/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/51588299/usa-today-9636499.1477735768.jpg" />
<figcaption>Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Tough words from the Cal head coach.</p> <p id="4BE8wK">Cal head coach Sonny Dykes appeared to be especially unhappy with not just the Pac-12, but the team’s execution and overall coaching on Thursday night. Dykes took the tone that Cal didn’t play well because they weren’t coached very well, with the tone especially harsh on the defensive side of the football. </p>
<div id="YHULRe">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" align="center">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">"If we don't play well, that means we didn't coach well," dykes says</p>— Ryan Gorcey (@RGBearTerritory) <a href="https://twitter.com/RGBearTerritory/status/791892190003814400">October 28, 2016</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="ySSf5g">Sounds tough. The full extent of that quote is even tougher regarding Dykes’s current feelings about the defensive coaching staff.</p>
<blockquote><p id="4pw89O">"We've got to tackle better. It's up to us to teach your guys how to tackle. If we don't play well then we didn't coach well."</p></blockquote>
<p id="H4rVaQ">For those of you who are unhappy with the Cal defensive coaching (I think that’s almost all of you!), this is the closest you can get with regards to a vote of no-confidence. Could changes be afoot this offseason?</p>
<p id="XFok7Q">Some postgame quotes available below. <a href="http://www.calbears.com/news/2016/10/28/football-cal-usc-post-game-quotes.aspx">More are available at </a><a href="http://CalBears.com">CalBears.com</a>.</p>
<p id="aGOsV3"><strong>Cal coach Sonny Dykes</strong></p>
<div id="AD5knL"><div><div style="left: 0px; width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.2493%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3faUZyMv80A?wmode=transparent&rel=0&autohide=1&showinfo=0&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" style="top: 0px; left: 0px; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;"></iframe></div></div></div>
<blockquote>
<p id="d1aZqI">"We got down early and didn't execute well early. We didn't do a good job on third down and got to do better and be able to move the chains. We didn't look sharp. We had to move some receivers around with Chad out and other guys going down. We didn't execute well. Give USC credit. They're a good team and Clay has done a nice job and they've gotten better every week. The QB has improved and done a nice job. They did a good job against us in the run game. We have to be able to stop somebody from running the football against us."</p>
<p id="3oosPA">"I thought we did some good things at times offensively to give us a chance to get back in the game. As bad as we started we cut it to 28-17 and had a chance to make it one score but didn't do anything with it. We got to play better and coach better but that's a beat up team. I hope the Pac-12 thinks better of not doing this to someone else."</p>
<p id="pFd2Zc">"Singleton was out. He tried to play. We started running out of bodies. Our timing wasn't what it normally is in timing because we were playing guys out of position but we have to get them ready to play. It's my job to get them ready regardless. We practiced once this week in pads – thought that was the way to go to get to the game more fresh. It's hard to practice one time before you play a game."</p>
</blockquote>
<p id="9V5Phd"><strong>Cal quarterback Davis Webb</strong></p>
<div id="snbWFR"><div><div style="left: 0px; width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.2493%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rr6XJSBCiI0?wmode=transparent&rel=0&autohide=1&showinfo=0&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" style="top: 0px; left: 0px; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;"></iframe></div></div></div>
<blockquote>
<p id="ayh798">(On playing without <a href="http://www.calbears.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7158">Chad Hansen</a> and momentum switch on first drive, dropped pass for potential TD)</p>
<p id="TYaqgz">"That's how the ball goes sometimes. There are plenty of throws I miss, plenty of drops. It's a short week and something we had to deal with because of injuries. We didn't play well tonight and it starts with me. It was a game where we didn't click in the first half and had a lot of miscues. And give credit to USC. There's a reason they're one of the best teams in the Pac-12.</p>
</blockquote>
<p id="EukAM1"><strong>Cal wide receiver Demetris Robertson</strong></p>
<div id="eTyDA7"><div><div style="left: 0px; width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.2493%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eZ3t-0KRe2g?wmode=transparent&rel=0&autohide=1&showinfo=0&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" style="top: 0px; left: 0px; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;"></iframe></div></div></div>
<p id="WAKOXj"></p>
<p id="sKgrlE"><strong>Cal defensive end DeVante Wilson</strong></p>
<div id="bIQLqQ"><div><div style="left: 0px; width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.2493%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/obrMZV0_R84?wmode=transparent&rel=0&autohide=1&showinfo=0&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" style="top: 0px; left: 0px; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;"></iframe></div></div></div>
<blockquote><p id="whCgQh">(On USC's running game)"It was tough. We had some miss tackles and stuff we have to clean up for next week. A credit to them."</p></blockquote>
https://www.californiagoldenblogs.com/2016/10/29/13464646/california-golden-bearsAvinash Kunnath2016-10-28T02:00:02-07:002016-10-28T02:00:02-07:00USC 45, Cal 24: Defense Gets Scorched
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/N3DBvDsQKVJL4Buh3NtrONv1EWw=/62x0:4123x2707/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/51569607/usa-today-9636614.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>After a week of debating the merits (or lack thereof) of Cal playing an away game with only six days rest (compared to USC's 13 days of rest), Cal performed as they essentially warned everyone they would - very poorly. Chad Hansen was out for this game, Webb did not look 100%, and the defense was nonexistent. So, what would a talented USC team do with such a Cal team? Feast. A lot.</p> <h4 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 10pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" id="docs-internal-guid-2ebfc6d4-09da-d0fd-a10e-10ff3175e766"><span>First Half</span></h4>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span>Many Cal fans watching on TV probably did not make it through the first half of this game. Heck, USC fans didn’t even show up for this game—a significant portion of Memorial Coliseum was empty for this late Thursday night of middling Pac-12 teams (not a good look for TV). For Trojan fans, the first half was the Sam Darnold Show. For Bear fans, it was the No Show (particularly on defense).</span></p>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><br></div>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span>Let’s look at the outcomes of Cal’s first four drives: punt, punt, interception, punt. For USC: touchdown, touchdown, punt, touchdown. What does that mean? By three minutes into the second quarter, the Trojans had jumped on Cal by three TDs. Down 0–21, Cal was in a humongous hole from the get-go.</span></p>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><br></div>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span>Cal’s QB Davis Webb looked rusty in the first half. Webb completed 11 of 20 passes for 133 yards, 1 TD, and 1 INT. Webb’s throws looked weak. USC’s fast offense forced Webb to throw a large number of short slants and screens, dink and dunks that were mostly to no avail. On a few occasions, the short passing game did set up the longer bombs from Webb, particularly to true freshman phenom WR Demetris Robertson (who finished the first half with 4 receptions for 65 yards, including a 32-yard deep catch).</span></p>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><br></div>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span>The Golden Bears’ saving grace in the first half was RB Khalfani Muhammad. The diminutive back was a steady workhorse for the Bears, amassing 9 carries for 55 yards, including a 24-yard scamper. Muhammad bailed out the Bears a number of times to help keep the chains moving.</span></p>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><br></div>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span>On the defensive side of the ball, Cal’s injuries certainly caught up to them. As head coach Sonny Dykes shared in his halftime interview with ESPN, Cal’s defense was just running out of bodies and barely hanging on. USC QB Sam Darnold completed 14 of 20 passes for 193 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INTs at this point. RB Ronald Jones III had 9 carries for 151 yards. WRs JuJu Smith-Schuster and <span>Darreus Rogers</span> combined for 9 carries, 142 yards, and 2 TDs. Cal’s defense was slow to the ball, horrid in wrapping-up and tackling ball carriers, and just generally sloppy the entire first half.</span></p>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><br></div>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span>First-half score</span><span>: Cal 10, USC 28</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"> </p>
<h4 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 10pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" id="docs-internal-guid-2ebfc6d4-09da-d0fd-a10e-10ff3175e766"><span>Second Half</span></h4>
<p>The second half didn't treat Cal much better than the first half. Cal got going on offense at times, then turned the ball over other times. USC's offense was clicking well at times, but also turned the ball over. Cal's defense was pretty much just as atrocious as in the first half, allowing USC to gash them for big-time yardage on multiple occasions.</p>
<p>For Cal, Webb definitely got his passing numbers up in the second half. By the end of the game, Webb completed 34 of 54 passes for 333 yards, 2 TDs, and 1 INT. These were pretty subpar Bear Raid numbers. Webb connected with many receivers (11 in total), but had only two passing TDs—one nice fade to freshman WR Melquise Stovall in the endzone and another with RB Tre Watson doing the work on a 22-yard scamper. Robertson and Stovall were his main targets (9 receptions for each player, combining for 159 receiving yards between them).</p>
<p>Cal's ground game was relegated to bench status in the second half as Webb had to air it out in hopes of getting quick points for Cal. Muhammad finished with 15 carries for 89 yards. Watson had 11 carries for just 33 yards.</p>
<p>Cal's defense just put its offense in a hole from the get go—a hole so deep that even a Herculean effort would've fell short. Unfortunately for Cal, its offense didn't even play close to that. With superstud WR <span>Chad Hansen</span> out and Webb not looking 100%, Cal's offense essentially sputtered through the game. Perhaps the most telling sign of Cal's ineffectiveness was that it converted 25% (3 of 12) of its 3rd downs, compared to USC's 60% (6 of 10) 3rd-down efficiency. Dykes was brave in going for four 4th downs, but his team only converted two of them.</p>
<p>The real stars of the game? USC QB Sam Darnold scorched Cal though the air, finishing with 18 completions on 25 throws, 231 yards passing, 5 TDs, and 1 INT. USC RB Ronald Jones III also had himself a great game with 18 carries for 223 yards and 1 TD, including a long 61-yard run.</p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span>Final score</span><span>: Cal 24, USC 45<br></span></p>
https://www.californiagoldenblogs.com/2016/10/28/13450804/cal-24-usc-45-bears-defense-gets-scorchedKevin Wu2016-10-27T23:03:44-07:002016-10-27T23:03:44-07:00Submit your report cards for the 45–24 rout
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/HkkgNBr4qs55wbOVVvXWlBGIub8=/0x45:3000x2045/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/51567517/GettyImages-618678824.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Harry How/Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The 2016 win-loss-win-loss and USC–Cal all-loss streaks will continue.</p> <p id="G0dMEJ">The <a href="https://www.californiagoldenblogs.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">California Golden Bears</a> played with heart against the <a href="https://www.conquestchronicles.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">USC Trojans</a>... but without healthy bodies. The offense had a slow start and the defense was just stretched too thin to get the necessary stops. Cal lost to USC 45–24, dropping to 4–4 (2–3 Pac-12).</p>
<p>Here's your thread for your immediate reaction and to submit a report card for the game. I'm sure they'll all be cheery.</p>
<p><iframe src="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScAZEbPF3rOGO2rJ4zrrb5jvjaR0nRyTKc0emfg89LNBUuB9A/viewform?embedded=true" width="760" height="500" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0">Loading...</iframe></p>
https://www.californiagoldenblogs.com/2016/10/27/12950746/california-golden-bears-usc-trojans-dykes-webb-hansen-robertson-darnold-jackson-smith-schusterLeland Wong2016-10-27T22:16:28-07:002016-10-27T22:16:28-07:00Q4: 15 minutes... down 42–17... Go Bears?
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/i-w5w7pYOcvaDPZnJOA6_oE7NJU=/0x22:3048x2054/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/51568605/usa-today-9636495.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Can the Bears continue our streak and push this game to overtime?</p> <p id="1YG18w">The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.californiagoldenblogs.com/">California Golden Bears</a> went to overtime against Oregon State and double overtime against Oregon. The Bears must make up an 25-point deficit in the last 15 minutes against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.conquestchronicles.com/">USC Trojans</a> if we want to go to three straight overtime games.</p>
<p>Or just winning the game outright in the next 15 minutes would be great, too. Let's try to do that.</p>
https://www.californiagoldenblogs.com/2016/10/27/13342362/california-golden-bears-usc-trojans-dykes-webb-hansen-robertson-darnold-jackson-smith-schusterLeland Wong2016-10-27T21:14:28-07:002016-10-27T21:14:28-07:00Q3: Cal scored a touchdown! We're only down 28–10!
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/vy8AZMutxJbntoDybDO-6HeT9f0=/0x160:1988x1485/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/51567481/usa-today-9636249.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The first half went well.</p> <p id="IRwS7c">The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.californiagoldenblogs.com/">California Golden Bears</a> trail the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.conquestchronicles.com/">USC Trojans</a> by an absurd 28–10.</p>
<p>But 28–10, schmentyeight–schmen—10 points feels like a blessing all things considered.</p>
<p>Here comes the third quarter. I'm sure things will be much better.</p>
https://www.californiagoldenblogs.com/2016/10/27/13342360/california-golden-bears-usc-trojans-dykes-webb-hansen-robertson-darnold-jackson-smith-schusterLeland Wong2016-10-27T20:16:50-07:002016-10-27T20:16:50-07:00Q2: Tale as old as time—USC leads 14–0
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/D5S7MLpCdSTzhx6QsD3NsRxsYZs=/82x0:3219x2091/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/51567249/usa-today-9636258.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Tale as old as time. Song as old as rhyme.</p> <p id="2BVszp">Brace yourself for this: the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.californiagoldenblogs.com/">California Golden Bears</a> are trailing the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.conquestchronicles.com/">USC Trojans</a> by 14–0. This is a new feeling that I'm not quite used to. Plus, two Bears—<span>Josh Drayden</span> and <span>Aaron Cochran</span>—got injured in the process of the game. I'm feeling great right about now.</p>
https://www.californiagoldenblogs.com/2016/10/27/13342358/california-golden-bears-usc-trojans-dykes-webb-hansen-robertson-darnold-jackson-smith-schusterLeland Wong2016-10-27T19:15:03-07:002016-10-27T19:15:03-07:00Q1: Could I BE any more ready for Cal to beat SC?
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/2varviRPUo9DLMaL9tWyi1kQJZY=/0x104:3792x2632/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/51429415/usa-today-9573490.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Start strong! Start strong? Start song?</p> <p id="LzZeCZ">Thursday nights is always associated with Friends for me, which is absurd since that show has been off the air since 2004—over ten years ago.</p>
<p>And the last time the <a href="https://www.californiagoldenblogs.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">California Golden Bears</a> defeated the <a href="https://www.conquestchronicles.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">USC Trojans</a>, Friends was still on-air. (Well, producing new TV shows, considering it's still on-air in syndication.)</p>
<p>Here's your thread to discuss the first quarter!</p>
https://www.californiagoldenblogs.com/2016/10/27/13342356/california-golden-bears-usc-trojans-dykes-webb-hansen-robertson-darnold-jackson-smith-schusterLeland Wong