California Golden Blogs - Cal v. USC Gameday StreamThe OG CGB team moved to WriteForCalifornia.com. Cal Golden Bears coverage by SBNation.https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48267/cgb-fave.png2018-11-07T03:00:04-08:00http://www.californiagoldenblogs.com/rss/stream/48482272018-11-07T03:00:04-08:002018-11-07T03:00:04-08:00Know your opponent: Previewing the U$C offense
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<figcaption>Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>The Bears face an underperforming and injured Trojan offense</p> <p id="PsLEmZ">The <a href="https://www.conquestchronicles.com/">USC Trojans</a>’ offense to date has been quite underwhelming, particularly for a team with an offensive-minded head coach. Even before the injury to QB <span>JT Daniels</span>, the USC offense hasn’t had the same firepower that fans grew accustomed to under Clay Helton. With that said, the regression this year perhaps should have been expected. <span>Sam Darnold</span> moved onto the NFL and at long last <span>Ronald Jones</span> is no longer a threat whom the <a href="https://www.californiagoldenblogs.com/">California Golden Bears</a> need to be concerned with. (Starting RB Stephen Carr is also doubtful for the Cal game nursing a high ankle sprain.) For most programs, losing your starting quarterback and running back might be enough to give some level of leniency to a coaching staff. That is never the case of USC. When four- and five-star talent rotates in and out of your program like a McRib in October, the expectation is almost always win now. </p>
<p id="SlQOSy">The Trojans currently find themselves ranked 43rd overall in <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2017/10/13/16457830/college-football-advanced-stats-analytics-rankings">S&P</a>+ and 43rd in off. S&P+. Considering one of those games comes without future star JT Daniels at the helm, the Trojans haven’t been all that bad by most standards. Before their loss to Utah, there were signs that the Trojans were going to start their usual October roll after beating Washington State, Arizona, and Colorado consecutively. The Utah game was a resounding stop to that movement and the Daniels injury left the Trojans going to their backup quarterback in their eventual loss to Arizona State. </p>
<p id="8DHyQ3">While advanced stats are favorable for the Trojans, taking a took at their team statistics paint a far less rosy picture. The Trojans rank 75th in points per game, 98<sup>th</sup> in rushing yards per game, and 62nd in passing yards per contest. As almost is always the case, the Trojans had a nice match-up against Oregon State to figure themselves out before Cal rolls into town this Saturday. </p>
<h3 id="ohZSuN">JT Daniels</h3>
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<cite>Photo by Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images</cite>
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<p id="tOvxPz">How do you replace a four-year starter and top-three overall <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl-draft">NFL draft</a> pick? Find the best passing high school quarterback in California and get him to come play as a freshman. The first-year journey for Daniels hasn’t been as historic as Sam Darnold’s rise to fame, but he has shown flashes throughout the 2018 season. You can make a strong case that Darnold inherited a very good Trojans team with several upperclassmen who were waiting for the right spark for the offense. Daniels came into a much younger team looking to rebuild after losing NFL-caliber talent like <span>JuJu Smith-Schuster</span>, <span>Robert Woods</span>, Ronald Jones, and Adoree’ Jackson over the last several years. Daniels inherits the likes of <span>Tyler Vaughns</span> (who has played extremely well his first two years) along with <span>Michael Pittman Jr.</span> as the upperclassmen receivers for Daniels. (Pittman was diagnosed with a Bone bruise in his shoulder this week and looks highly unlikely to suit up this Saturday.) His high school teammate (Amon-Ra St. Brown) has been a huge target, playing a very similar role to what <span>Kanawai Noa</span> has been for Cal except St. Brown is a true freshman. St. Brown looks like a future star and the combination of Daniels and him should be one that will appropriately haunt Cal fans for several years to come. </p>
<h3 id="tNTuM4">Match-up to watch: Cal’s defensive line vs USC’s offensive line</h3>
<p id="yd6PpO">How can the Trojans walk away victorious on Saturday? Win the battle in the trenches and churn up yards on the ground. For the last few years, Cal has faced an uphill battle against a Trojan offensive line that has almost always outclassed Cal in regards to both height and weight. </p>
<p id="10Hbql">This is a match-up that is strikingly similar to when Cal played UCLA and was facing a bigger offensive line for the first time this season. Where Cal failed against UCLA, they succeeded against Washington, leaving this game as another glimpse into just how strong this defense can be. Cal will be forced to send at least four defensive lineman frequently against the Trojans, leaving the secondary to win the one-on-one match-ups that we have seen Cal previously lose against the athletic, fast, and dominant Trojan receivers. This year, the match-up for the secondary is as gettable as it has been in a long while. If the Bears can pressure Daniels, they should be able to disrupt enough of his passing lanes to throw off the USC passing attack. <span>Camryn Bynum</span>, <span>Elijah Hicks</span>, <span>Traveon Beck</span>, <span>Ashtyn Davis</span>, and <span>Jaylinn Hawkins</span> all have shown the ability to lock down any passing attack they have faced so far this year, including the nation’s best passing offense last week. The Bears’ success on Saturday depends on <span>Alex Funches</span>, <span>Chris Palmer</span>, and <span>Rusty Becker</span> disrupting the pocket as often as possible while staying stout against the USC rushing attack.</p>
<p id="HmHdAB"> If that happens, Saturday can become a very winnable football game for the Bears in a place where wins have been MIA over the last decade. </p>
https://www.californiagoldenblogs.com/2018/11/7/18057404/california-golden-bears-usc-trojans-helton-martin-daniels-st-brown-aca-cedricAndy Johnston2013-11-11T07:30:02-08:002013-11-11T07:30:02-08:00Can Cal find a silver lining from the USC debacle?
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<figcaption>Thearon W. Henderson</figcaption>
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<p>The Bears had humiliating performances on defense and special teams, but at least Jared Goff seems to be getting back on track. </p> <p><b>What were the things that upset you the most about Cal's loss to USC? Did you find any silver lining in defeat? <br><br>Ruey Yen:</b> The score and the terrible special team plays are the two obvious glaring negatives from the game. Still, the Bear Raid was able to put together a few drives in the game. Kenny Lawler Jr shined for the second consecutive game. Jared Goff also continued to put up (empty-ish but still) record book breaking numbers for a freshman QB. We are also one week closer to the offseason, where we can all be unrealistically optimistic about the improvements of the players.</p>
<p><b>atomsareenough: </b>Well, gee. I guess you could say I was upset by the grand scale and immense margin of defeat. That pretty much everything that can go wrong, continues to go wrong. That every week we manage to find new and spectacularly facepalmy ways to get completely blown out and humiliated. That we've lost to USC 10 years in a row. That we allowed nearly 9 yards per carry, 256 yards, and 4 TDs rushing to the Trojans. That we allowed pedestrian Trojan QBs to look fantastic with 17 for 21 passing, for 243 yards and 2 more TDs.</p>
<p>That our offense continues to be incredibly inconsistent despite nearly a year of running it. That the only victories in our beautifully renovated stadium the past two years have been a completely fluky game against UCLA and two uncomfortably close wins against FCS schools. That we are playing an absolutely godawful team in Colorado this coming week and I'm not remotely convinced we will beat them. That we still have yet to go to Palo Alto to play Stanford, and that they are not only one of the best teams in the country, but we just saw them completely dominate one of the <i>other</i> best teams in the country.</p>
<p>There are no silver linings for me from this game, except maybe that the season is one game closer to being mercifully over. I credit our players for continuing to play hard, and I'm proud of them for that. I'm still gonna watch the next two games and pull for our guys, but I think I've had just about all I can take this year. I usually enjoy watching a bunch of bowl games every year just as a college football fan, and heck, my other team, Syracuse, is kinda doing okay and should hopefully make a bowl... but I'm just kinda football'd out right now. Feels bad, man.</p>
<p><b>Leland Wong: </b>There was disappointment all over our annual loss to USC. How about a school record for points allowed in a season? Tying an NCAA record for punts returned for a touchdown? Allowing USC to put up more points on us than they did on the horrid and hopeless Huskies of 08? USC scoring the most points against us in over 80 years?</p>
<p>Perhaps the biggest disappointment is the loss of all that improvement we saw in the Arizona game. I know football is a very complex system and one shouldn't expect a purely linear improvement from one week to the next, thanks in part to unforeseeable events like the injury to LB Hardy Nickerson, Jr, leading us to play literally the last MLB we have and forcing the coaches to draw up emergency plans in case we saw another injury at that position rather than develop game strategy. Nonetheless, the bottom line is we went from a solid performance in all phases of the game, where it started to seem like everything was clicking, to this embarrassment. Hopefully the players can keep their heads up and keep working for the next game.</p>
<p>The biggest positive of the game is the return to form of QB Jared Goff. If he can continue this level of play, I think the fans will start to feel more comfortable with the bold declaration that he is the program's long-term answer.</p>
<p><b>Nick Kranz: </b>Special teams was obviously the glaring issue, and it really has been a problem for two weeks running. It's very frustrating that, just as the offense and defense showed the faintest signs of life, that special teams would start slumping so badly.</p>
<p>If you take away those three punt team touchdowns (which, obviously, is extremely tenuous logic) then this is a blowout more along the scale of what happened against Washington or UCLA, and not the 60something point monstrosity that we all saw. This falls under the realm of stating the obvious but this team cannot afford for the few bright spots to dim at all.</p>
<p>Seriously though, this season has been a chore. I wish it were over now so that the team could focus on practicing and getting healthy and letting good players on other teams graduate.</p>
<p><b>Berkelium97:</b> What's most frustrating is that this team finds new, spectacular ways to lose. We gave up a ridiculous 3 special teams touchdowns and let the conference's third-worst scoring team put up 62 points. We allowed ourselves to get thrashed by a thoroughly mediocre USC offense--don't let all the hype from the announcers fool you, this has not been a good offense at all. They had their most efficient outing of the year through the air their most productive game of the year on the ground. After it looked like the defense was improving (if you can count one data point as improvement), they came crashing back down to earth. As usual, it was a heavy dose of fundamental issues plaguing the defense: missed tackles, bad angles, free-roaming tight ends.</p>
<p>The messes on special teams and defense obscured another decent performance from the offense. Goff looked sharp and the offense managed to convert red zone trips into touchdowns for the second consecutive week. The running game had its most productive game of the year thanks to good blocking and success with some new wrinkles: sweeps to WRs and the speedbone (diamond with both Muhammad and Bigelow). This was one of the best performances of the year against the impressive USC defense. Only ASU tallied more rushing yards and only ASU and Arizona had more passing yards. After several weeks of disappointment, the offense may finally be improving.</p>
<h4>More from California Golden Blogs:</h4>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.californiagoldenblogs.com/2013/11/10/5085610/is-this-rock-bottom-usc-administers-62-28-punch-in-the-face-to-cal?utm_source=californiagoldenblogs&utm_medium=nextclicks&utm_campaign=blogs">Is This Rock Bottom? USC Administers 62-28 Punch in the Face to Cal</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.californiagoldenblogs.com/2013/11/10/5081842/golden-nuggets-california-bears-usc-trojans?utm_source=californiagoldenblogs&utm_medium=nextclicks&utm_campaign=blogs">Golden Nuggets: Bears try to stay positive after USC loss</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.californiagoldenblogs.com/cal-vs-usc-2013/2013/11/9/4677190/11-9-13-cal-vs-usc-post-game-open-thread?utm_source=californiagoldenblogs&utm_medium=nextclicks&utm_campaign=blogs">USC 62, Cal 28 postgame thread: Mercifully, it's over.</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.californiagoldenblogs.com/2013/11/10/5088740/cal-vs-usc-postgame-notes?utm_source=californiagoldenblogs&utm_medium=nextclicks&utm_campaign=blogs">Cal vs. USC: Postgame Notes</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.californiagoldenblogs.com/2013/11/10/5090004/duke-70-cal-58-2-blue-devils-too-much-for-hungry-bears?utm_source=californiagoldenblogs&utm_medium=nextclicks&utm_campaign=blogs">Duke 70, Cal 58: #2 Blue Devils too much for hungry Bears</a></li>
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https://www.californiagoldenblogs.com/cal-vs-usc-2013/2013/11/11/5090192/cal-bears-football-2013Avinash Kunnath2013-11-10T23:00:15-08:002013-11-10T23:00:15-08:00Cal vs. USC: Postgame Notes
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<figcaption>Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Here are some postgame notes and stats from Cal's 62-28 loss to USC.</p> <p> </p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p>There it is. Thank you. RT <a href="https://twitter.com/GoldenBlogs">@GoldenBlogs</a>: .<a href="https://twitter.com/YahooDrSaturday">@YahooDrSaturday</a> some postgame thoughts: <a href="http://t.co/Ysn5Px0wEv">pic.twitter.com/Ysn5Px0wEv</a> [<a href="https://t.co/5NRiAJOSlg">https://t.co/5NRiAJOSlg</a>]</p>
— Dr. Saturday (@YahooDrSaturday) <a href="https://twitter.com/YahooDrSaturday/statuses/399339786160193536">November 10, 2013</a>
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<script src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
CGB's own Vlad Belo <a href="http://www.californiagoldenblogs.com/2013/11/10/5085610/is-this-rock-bottom-usc-administers-62-28-punch-in-the-face-to-cal">summarized</a> the game thusly:</p>
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<p>The 62-28 final score belies any positives coming out of the game for the Bears (1-9, 0-7 Pac-12). But for the sake of pointing out the positive, Goff did complete 35 of 49 passes for 260 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. ... And the Bears did manage to show a fairly capable running game, racking up 190 yards rushing on 43 attempts. Cal also committed only six penalties in the game...</p>
<p>After a competitive loss last week against Arizona, Saturday's performance against USC was disappointing to say the least. More than disappointing are the losing numbers that continue to pile up: eight straight losses this season, 12 straight losses in Pac-12 games, 10 straight losses to USC, and 14 straight losses to FBS opponents.</p>
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<p><a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Cal&src=hash">#Cal</a> starts their tenure in new Memorial Stadium 1-12 against FBS opponents, and are 1-15 dating back to 2010. 30-6 in previous 36 games.</p>
— GoldenBlogs (@GoldenBlogs) <a href="https://twitter.com/GoldenBlogs/statuses/399316531386916864">November 9, 2013</a>
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<p>62 points scored by USC football most ever allowed by Cal at Memorial Stadium. Previous most: 59, by Oregon last year.</p>
— Jeff Faraudo (@JeffFaraudo) <a href="https://twitter.com/JeffFaraudo/statuses/399740432155820032">November 11, 2013</a>
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<p>CC Times' Jeff Faraudo uncovered this <a href="http://www.ibabuzz.com/beartalk/2013/11/10/football-if-62-points-seemed-like-a-lot/">disappointing stat</a>:</p>
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<p>The 62 points USC scored Saturday represented more than the highest total the Trojans have ever scored against Cal at Berkeley.</p>
<p>They were the most <i>any</i> opponent has put on the scoreboard at Memorial Stadium, which opened in 1923.</p>
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<p>Post-Game Press Conference Interviews (11/9/2013): Dykes <a href="http://t.co/EvYbReWxji">http://t.co/EvYbReWxji</a> | Barton <a href="http://t.co/J02prMQARo">http://t.co/J02prMQARo</a></p>
— Cal Football (@CalFootball) <a href="https://twitter.com/CalFootball/statuses/399363000739434496">November 10, 2013</a>
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<p>Bouza <a href="http://t.co/gUcN2kLLoM">http://t.co/gUcN2kLLoM</a> | Goff <a href="http://t.co/7SqFe0a5XT">http://t.co/7SqFe0a5XT</a></p>
— Cal Football (@CalFootball) <a href="https://twitter.com/CalFootball/statuses/399363236262182913">November 10, 2013</a>
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<p>Here are some selected stats from Cal's official <a href="http://www.calbears.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=749425&SPID=126513&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=209304072&DB_OEM_ID=30100">postgame notes</a>:</p>
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<p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/162538/jared-goff">Jared Goff</a> ended the day 34-for-48 for 255 yards and three touchdown passes.</p>
<p>Goff’s first and third touchdown passes went to <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/162510/kenny-lawler">Kenny Lawler</a>, giving Lawler five touchdown receptions in the past two games. Lawler posted six catches for 54 yards on the day.</p>
<p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/207285/khalfani-muhammad">Khalfani Muhammad</a> led Cal in rushing with 10 carries for 61 yards and his third rushing TD this season, fourth overall. Cal’s 195 team rushing yards were a season best, including Jeffrey Coprich’s career-high 10 carries for 55 yards.</p>
<p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/162514/michael-barton">Michael Barton</a> notched his first career sack in the second quarter, and tied his personal best in tackles with nine.</p>
<p>USC’s three punt return touchdowns ties the Pac-12 record (3 by UCLA vs. Stanford in 1954) and the NCAA record.</p>
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<p>That's seven TDs for Jared Goff in his last two games.</p>
— Cal Rivals (@CalRivals) <a href="https://twitter.com/CalRivals/statuses/399314586546864128">November 9, 2013</a>
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<p>This is now statistically the worst <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Cal&src=hash">#Cal</a> defense in the history of the program. 433 points allowed is most-ever by a Bears D.</p>
— Cal Rivals (@CalRivals) <a href="https://twitter.com/CalRivals/statuses/399300259152556033">November 9, 2013</a>
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Lastly, with the last home game also being Senior Day, 13 players were honored prior to kickoff yesterday:</p>
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<p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/113631/mitchel-bartolo">Mitchel Bartolo</a>, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/77646/jackson-bouza">Jackson Bouza</a>, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/77643/mark-brazinski">Mark Brazinski</a>, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/77651/dan-camporeale">Dan Camporeale</a>, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/77650/deandre-coleman">Deandre Coleman</a>, Vincenzo D’Amato, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/77648/spencer-hagan">Spencer Hagan</a>, Lucas King, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/113086/brandon-madueno">Brandon Madueno</a>, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/162536/steffan-mos">Steffan Mos</a>, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/113637/bill-tyndall">Bill Tyndall</a>, Chad Smith and Matt Williams.</p>
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<p>Best wishes to them in their future endeavors.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p>Sonny just now: "thank you to our fans for your loyalty & support... fan & students have been incredible this year"</p>
— GoldenBlogs (@GoldenBlogs) <a href="https://twitter.com/GoldenBlogs/statuses/399327568353980416">November 10, 2013</a>
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https://www.californiagoldenblogs.com/2013/11/10/5088740/cal-vs-usc-postgame-notesEugene Choo2013-11-10T03:00:01-08:002013-11-10T03:00:01-08:00Not-so-special teams dooms Cal: USC rolls 62-28
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<figcaption>Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>A beautiful sunny afternoon at Memorial Stadium, the Joe Roth Memorial Game, and senior day for 13 Cal players. It was the perfect setting for Cal to break a seven game losing streak, a 13-game losing streak to FBS opponents, and a nine-game losing streak to USC. Except it wasn't. </p> <p>It seems silly to say there was a "turning point" in the 62-28 beating that the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/usc-trojans">USC Trojans</a> laid on the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/california-golden-bears">California Golden Bears</a> on Saturday. After all, Cal fell behind 21-0 in a horrid first quarter that saw Cal give up a touchdown on a punt return and, for the ninth time in ten games, a touchdown on the opposing team's first offensive series. But strangely enough, the game wasn't decided after that horrible beginning. After two touchdown passes by <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/162538/jared-goff">Jared Goff</a> on consecutive possessions, the Bears were back in the game, trailing only 21-14 with 9:41 left in the first half.</p>
<p>And then the turning point. <span>In a span of 5:54 after Cal's second touchdown, the Trojans wrested control of the game for good and did so by illustrating the difference between a team that executes and a team that does not. The gory scenario--</span></p>
<ul>
<li><span>On the ensuing series after Cal's second touchdown, the Bear defense appeared to make a key play when linebacker <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/162514/michael-barton">Michael Barton</a> sacked <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/136350/cody-kessler">Cody Kessler</a> for an 8-yard loss to force a 2nd-and-18. But on the next play, USC outplayed and outsmarted Cal. USC dialed up a screen pass to <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/136361/javorius-allen">Javorius Allen</a>, who turned the short pass into a 57-yard touchdown. Cal's defense basically had no shot at Allen: USC's downfield blocking combined with the Cal defense being caught out of position paved the way for a momentum-killing score. </span></li>
<li><span>Cal's crisis of execution continued on the following series. Down only 28-14, the Bears had two chances to pick up first down yardage on perfectly thrown passes by Goff. But Kenny Lawler could not hold onto a pass on the right sideline on second down and Chris Harper was caught off guard by a pass that hit him in the facemask on third down, forcing the Bears to punt. That proved to be disastrous: Cal failed to execute its punt protection correctly, USC's Soma Vainuku blocked Cole Leininger's punt, and Josh Shaw returned the blocked punt 14 yards for a touchdown to make it 35-14. </span></li>
<li><span>It only got worse on the next series. After a false start penalty and a sack of Goff by <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/78133/devon-kennard">Devon Kennard</a> stalled a Cal drive that had progressed to midfield, the Bears were forced to punt. <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/161018/nelson-agholor">Nelson Agholor</a>, who had already returned a punt 75 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter, took this punt at his own 7-yard line and effortlessly returned it 93 yards for his second touchdown of the game, giving USC a 41-14 lead. With the return, Agholor became the first Trojan to return two punts for touchdowns in a game since Mike Garrett did it in 1965 against...you guessed it...Cal. (And, by the way, the three punt return touchdowns by USC in the game tied a conference record. Oh joy.)</span></li>
</ul>
<div>Turning point complete. After getting back into the game, the Bears failed to seize the momentum. Instead, they paid the price for a failure to execute on offense, defense, and special teams. And it was game over.</div>
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<div>"Our punt team killed us," <a href="http://www.calbears.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=749425&SPID=126513&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=30100&ATCLID=209304089" target="_blank">lamented Cal coach Sonny Dykes after the game.</a> "I think when you sit down and look at today, we cut it to a 21-14 lead and had some momentum. We finally had some confidence taking the lather off their defensive line a little bit, and a little tired. We did some things offensively to move the football, then gave up 21 points on our punt team.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>"I've been doing this a long time and that has always been a strength of ours. Our team last year at Louisiana Tech led the entire nation in net punting. We start three practices every week with our punt team; it is a big deal to us. That was 21 points at a pretty critical point in the ball game when we had some momentum, and felt like we had an opportunity to be in the game."</div>
<div><br></div>
<p>Oh, sure, there was still more than one half of football left to play. But USC (7-3, 4-2 Pac-12) had taken Cal's best shot, shook it off, and punched the Bears in the face again. The rest of the game was just a matter of figuring out what USC's final margin of victory would be -- and to see if the Trojans would unleash anymore explosion plays on the Bears. (And they did: Allen blistered the Bears with a 79-yard touchdown run in the 3rd quarter and third-string running back <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/38288/ty-isaac">Ty Isaac</a> battered the Bears with a 37-yard touchdown run in the 4th quarter.)</p>
<p>The 62-28 final score belies any positives coming out of the game for the Bears (1-9, 0-7 Pac-12). But for the sake of pointing out the positive, Goff did complete 35 of 49 passes for 260 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. Goff has 3,141 passing yards this season, ranking second on Cal's single-season top-10 list. (Pat Barnes is first with 3,499 yards in 1996.) And the Bears did manage to show a fairly capable running game, racking up 190 yards rushing on 43 attempts. Cal also committed only six penalties in the game (though three of them were facepalm worthy personal foul and/or unsportsmanlike conduct calls).</p>
<p>After a competitive loss last week against Arizona, Saturday's performance against USC was disappointing to say the least. More than disappointing are the losing numbers that continue to pile up: eight straight losses this season, 12 straight losses in Pac-12 games, 10 straight losses to USC, and 14 straight losses to FBS opponents.</p>
<p>The Bears close out the season with games at Colorado and at Stanford. The way Cal played on Saturday does not inspire much confidence of avoiding a 1-11 season.</p>
https://www.californiagoldenblogs.com/2013/11/10/5085610/is-this-rock-bottom-usc-administers-62-28-punch-in-the-face-to-calVlad Belo2013-11-09T15:32:42-08:002013-11-09T15:32:42-08:00Submit your report cards for the 62–28 slaughter
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/QU0RsKaEJCy9NSp70AXOfqche3U=/0x5:4000x2672/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/22832531/20131109_mbr_al2_153.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Submit your report card for the 62–28 loss.</p> <p>Well. That was something.</p>
<p>Tommy Trojan could have sleepwalked his way to that 62<b style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px;">–</b>28 victory, which featured some huge special teams plays by USC.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p>USC leads Cal 62-21 in 4th quarter. Most points for Trojans vs Cal since 74-0 win in 1930</p>
— Josh Dubow (@JoshDubowAP) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoshDubowAP/statuses/399312009449050112">November 9, 2013</a>
</blockquote>
<p>How do you think we fared against the Trojans? Hold your cursor over the survey to scroll down, or <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Qj5raMsB5xR-Wf8ElFk9LG04lPOx2sTIaBiwb0aJcwM/viewform" target="_blank" style="background-color: #ffffff;">click here to fill out the report card</a>.</p>
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https://www.californiagoldenblogs.com/cal-vs-usc-2013/2013/11/9/4677190/11-9-13-cal-vs-usc-post-game-open-threadTheBuckeyeBear2013-11-09T14:51:50-08:002013-11-09T14:51:50-08:00Cal vs. USC Q4 thread, USC thrashing Cal 55–21
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/4wieW-NHMCm4a79nn1_DVxkr-OU=/0x0:4000x2667/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/18710315/20120908_kdl_ax5_376.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Kelley L Cox-US PRESSWIRE</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>GO BEARS!</p> <p>Bear Raid record-breaking, eh? The only scoring record being broken is the record for most points allowed...</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p>we now officially have the worst defense in school history: 433 points given up breaks the former record of 431 (2001 in 11 games).</p>
— GoldenBlogs (@GoldenBlogs) <a href="https://twitter.com/GoldenBlogs/statuses/399300574614544384">November 9, 2013</a>
</blockquote>
<p>And this is the most points USC has scored in a Pac-12 game since they slaughtered the horrible and hapless Huskies of 2008, 56<b style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px;">–</b>0.</p>
<p>Can this game just end already?</p>
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https://www.californiagoldenblogs.com/football/2013/11/9/4677214/11-9-13-cal-vs-usc-4th-quarter-open-threadTheBuckeyeBear2013-11-09T13:46:28-08:002013-11-09T13:46:28-08:00Cal vs. USC Q3: Special teams leads USC to 41–14
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/3x04ce8VlI6xzsF5Jix9e-EZxNA=/0x16:4000x2683/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/22827811/187486669.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Thearon W. Henderson</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Halftime + 3rd quarter combo pack</p> <p>Cal offense showed some signs of life with two touchdowns...</p>
<p>But USC responded with an offensive touchdown and two special teams touchdowns(in addition to their first-quarter special teams TD).</p>
<p>The football gods giveth and the football gods taketh.</p>
<p>Here's your open thread for halftime and the 3rd quarter. GO BEARS!</p>
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https://www.californiagoldenblogs.com/football/2013/11/9/4677230/11-9-13-cal-vs-usc-3rd-quarter-open-threadTheBuckeyeBear2013-11-09T12:48:44-08:002013-11-09T12:48:44-08:00Cal vs. USC Q2 thread: USC dominates to 14–0 lead
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/q1Pll-M2mij0b7AqXhxHDA73r0A=/0x0:4000x2667/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/18710695/20120929_lbm_bs4_548.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Ed Szczepanski-US PRESSWIRE</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>GO BEARS!</p> <p>Tale as old as time. Song as old as rhyme. USC dominating Cal.</p>
<p>USC scores on special teams and offense to go up 21<b style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px;">–</b>0. Not to mention an injury to LB Hardy Nickerson, Jr.</p>
<p>Can the fans even stay positive in the second quarter?</p>
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https://www.californiagoldenblogs.com/football/2013/11/9/4677238/11-9-13-cal-vs-usc-2nd-quarter-open-threadTheBuckeyeBear