California Golden Blogs - Regular season finale: Cal vs. BYU 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.png2014-12-02T11:01:02-08:00http://www.californiagoldenblogs.com/rss/stream/70699342014-12-02T11:01:02-08:002014-12-02T11:01:02-08:00Should Cal have gone for it on 4th down?
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<figcaption>Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>What are your thoughts on Sonny Dykes's 4th down decision making against BYU? What decisions did you like, dislike, etc? What disappointed you about the performance? </p> <p><b>Vincent S</b>: I'll talk specifically about the last one. I think we should've gone for it. The defense hasn't done well against the offense all game. If you expect your defense to make a quick stop, it doesn't matter quite as much where they do it. If your defense isn't going to make a quick stop, you'd rather BYU quickly score so that you get the ball back to score yourself. Punting gives BYU a longer field to run more clock off with.</p>
<p>Also, that false start penalty destroyed our chances. It forced us to call our last timeout, taking away the middle of the field for the rest of the game. It backed us up 5 yards, meaning Goff has to wait longer (behind an embattled O-line) for his receivers to get open. To paraphrase Ted Robinson and Glenn Parker, that was horrific officiating. None of us saw where the false start was. You'd laugh if it weren't so sad</p>
<p><b>Berkelium97</b>: When forming an opinion, if you find that you're consistently taking a more conservative position than BYU, then it's probably time to re-evaluate your decision-making process.</p>
<p><b>boomtho:</b> Awful, awful, awful. I think he got pretty much every 3rd and long/4th and short near midfield wrong. He punted from the Cal 41 in the 1st at 4th and 1 and from the Cal 31 in the 4th quarter on 4th and 1. We also had two third and longs near midfield, where we tried long passes (fade routes 20+ yards) and ended up punting on 4th and 8 and 4th and 9, instead of getting intermediate yardage and making it a reasonable 4th down. On top of those bad decisions, he also trotted Langford out for a long field goal after trying a long pass play the play before, again missing the chance to get intermediate yardage.</p>
<p>In addition to the 3rd/4th down calls, Dykes also terribly misused his timeouts at the end of the game. He took a timeout WHEN THE CLOCK WAS STOPPED AND THE CHAINS WERE MOVING.</p>
<p>I can't really express how disappointed I was in this performance. We came out flat at home in a game we needed for bowl eligibility, we let a walk on WR torch us, we continued to bring pressure even when BYU showed great adjustments (RB wheel routes)... I really think the staff cost us this game.</p>
<p><b>Ruey Yen</b>: I am as confused as everyone else on Sonny's conservative approach with regards to 4th down. I know our offense has not clicked that well in recent weeks, but that is still our bread and butter (especially given how our D is not so questionable). I do think "by the book", in a tie game, you do punt the ball on 4th and 1, but "the book" assumes that one has a competent defense. Besides, we want forward and flexible thinking leader in Berkeley, we shouldn't blindly follow conventional wisdom. As an aside, I don't know if Rubenzer was hurt or something (we probably would be second guessing why Rubenzer is playing on key downs if he was used) given how his most notable contribution in the game was a punt. We were very fortunate that BYU scored as quickly as they did to give us a legit shot to tie the game.</p>
<p>For the rest of the game, the punting on 4th down looked particularly bad in hindsight for us since <span>Cole Leininger</span> had an uncharacteristic off game punting the ball.</p>
<p>Look, I like Sonny and the staff and how they are improving the academic side of things, but the coaches need to up their games this offseason. When we are not as talented physically as many of the other schools in the conference, we need to compensate by our tactics. I am starting to think our unique yards-getting and "fun" offense is not innovative enough.</p>
<p><b>Sam Fielder: </b>Everyone has pretty much covered the frustration I feel about the 4th ans short calls and the lack of going for it, so I'll talk about what disappointed me the most about this game besides the super conservative playcalls. I'm not sure if Sonny just tightened up under the pressure of the slate of big games but I really feel like his performance and ability to get the team ready for the last 3 games specifically is very disappointing. Against USC and Stanfurd the team came out really tight and never really managed to get themselves back into it, while in the BYU game there was baffling dumb penalty (Pac-12 refereeing incompetence notwithstanding) after dumb penalty. To me, that speaks of a team that just wasn't focused and mentally prepared to play and that's on the coaches.</p>
<p>The other frustrating thing is the lack of halftime adjustments. If you go into the half leading you have to know that the opposing team is going make some moves to change up things and it seems to me that you'd want to make some moves of your own to counter that. But time after time it seems like Cal has come out for the 2nd half and looked completely caught off-guard that the opposition has made some moves to stop them. I think that generally ties into the whole game management thing along with the 4th and shorts and the use of time-outs.</p>
<p>I really like Sonny and his staff and I think they've done a great job in making this team better off the field and working under some tough circumstances. But based on the less than stellar decisions we've seen this year I have to begin to question whether we've come close to Sonny's ceiling or if he can improve as the team does.</p>
https://www.californiagoldenblogs.com/cal-vs-byu-2014/2014/12/2/7318139/california-golden-bears-sonny-dykes-4th-down-strategyAvinash KunnathboomthoVincent SheuBerkelium97Ruey YenSam Fielder2014-12-01T03:00:02-08:002014-12-01T03:00:02-08:00Cal vs BYU: The Novel
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<figcaption>Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Hi ho, hi ho...a bowlless we will go.</p> <h3>I. In which we make sense of things</h3>
<p>For two seasons in this space, and even longer on Twitter, you have seen me write again and again about taking the long view. About keeping things in perspective. About remembering that 2015 is the real year to judge this staff.</p>
<p><span>Well, it is now 2015, which started on Saturday at about 5PM PT.</span></p>
<p>The debate will rage all offseason as to whether or not Coach Dykes deserves a third year, or what the expectations should be, but the reality is, he's getting it regardless: another slate of 12 games that will really tell us about his long-term viability. True, there will be some who have made up their minds on that topic already, and a disaster like this one makes them seem quite a bit more correct -- something that seems obvious to say, but is, I think, a serious concession from someone who insists only on reasonability and levelheadedness<span>. </span></p>
<p><span></span><span>Truthfully, there aren't a lot of people anywhere that can spin this individual performance as encouraging. Against an opponent with nothing to play for, an opponent already missing their starting quarterback, starting running back, and number one wide receiver, we were outschemed and outcoached from basically wire to wire. </span></p>
<p><span>It was, in no uncertain terms, unacceptable. </span><span>And without better results next season, keeping Coach Dykes for much longer might be too. </span></p>
<p><span></span><span>We'll find out soon enough. </span></p>
<p><span></span><span>In the moment, though, all we have to dwell in is the same thing many of us predicted we'd feel at this point anyway. Bowlless frustration. Yes, the s</span>taff -- whom I love and am actively cheering for -- still exceeded expectations in 2014 simply to get this far...but they have left us heading into the months to come with much, <b>much </b>more to be desired.</p>
<p><i>Some weeks, watching the tape is just an exercise in futility. This was one of them, since I saw everything I needed to see right there from the Student Section. <span>Also, I'm tired. Like, really tired. Limping into the end of the season, not unlike our own squad.</span></i></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<p>Time to get ready for September 5th.</p>
— Aaron Cochran (@Cochran_Aaron) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cochran_Aaron/status/538944539080540160">November 30, 2014</a>
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<h3>II. In which we discuss the Bear Raid</h3>
<p><i>Acceptable-</i></p>
<ul>
<li><span>They had close to 600 total yards. They completed close to 60% of their third downs. They had only one turnover, despite seeing their average first down gain drop from 7.63 in the first half to 3.75 in the second. Regardless of the end result, the offense passed. They scored 35 points, which is enough to win. That is why they receive this grade.</span></li>
<li><span>The official stats sheet says Jared Goff was hit only three times, which is a blatant falsehood if I ever saw one. He was hit four times on our last drive alone, with BYU. Just a ridiculous inability to protect him the last few games of the year, from all sides of the offensive line, and I'm really glad he didn't get seriously hurt. Good lord. Otherwise, he played as well as usual, to be honest. 63% completion, 6.6 YPA, four scores. Close to 400 yards through the air. </span></li>
<li><span>Congratulations to him for the record. Means little in a loss. But we sure do have a good one. The Kline camp has pretty much fled, now.</span></li>
<li><span>BYU did a really great job in the second half of at least slowing him down some, though. As Scotty noted, they were able to get pressure without nearly as much blitzing in the second, so with that extra body to play coverage, BYU saw success dropping for coverage. They had our route patterns scouted out cold, and had someone either right there, or close to the throw. Jared just happened to fit it around them, or they failed to haul in a few easy interceptions -- and they did, with at least two in the final half that should have gone for scores. </span></li>
<li><span>The one mistake of Jared's that they caught was a post route where the corner could recover and undercut the pass.</span></li>
<li><span>Generally happy with how the game was called this week from Coach Franklin. No odd moments to question him about. We felt like we had a good shot at out-physicalling the BYU front in the run game and it worked somewhat well, as we played with an extra offensive lineman or two on many plays on Saturday, pounding the ball for almost 200 yards on the ground. This was fine. The game was not truly lost on the offensive playcalling, as it might have been a week ago.</span></li>
<li><span>If this is the final college game from both Chris Harper and Kenny Lawler -- and I fully expect it will be for at least one of them, if not both -- then they sure as hell left it all out there. They combined for nearly half of both the receptions and the yardage for Goff in this one, with the former shredding both deep down the field and in the short game, while Lawler remained the red zone threat he normally is. The only difference is this week he wriggled free on many a conversion, too, bothering the hell out of the Cougars on curl routes. Really ran hard after the catch, too, which he had shown in practice but not always in games.</span></li>
<li>The last four targets of the game going to Lawler should say plenty to you. Same as it did against UCLA. Easily the best game he's put on in a Cal uniform, although he would be well served, I think, with another year of seasoning. I'm also pretty selfish. Of course I want him back. I want all the receivers back.</li>
<li>Lasco cracked a thousand yards somewhere in the first quarter, which is a huge accomplishment this year. No one thought we had a thousand yard rusher in us. Marc Tausend -- not to single him out; more so because I respect his opinion so much -- guessed maybe 800 yards, and maybe a thousand <i>between </i>he and Muhammad. </li>
<li>He does have to stop leaving his feet so much, though. It's one of the things holding him back as a runner, and it makes people audibly gasp each time. Too many flashbacks of Jahvid.</li>
<li>Said earlier this year that neither freshman back is really ready for prime time yet, and the gap between them and Lasco grew only larger during the season. Many Watson runs, for example, seemed tentative and indecisive, with far too much reliance on moves, rather than hitting the space that was actually there. This is fine, though. With the Woodlands, Texas native Lasco likely returning next season, they'll have plenty of time to grow into the players we hope they should be -- both Tre and Vic. Lasco was once guilty of many of those same things himself. Look at him now. Look at him now. He's getting yardage. </li>
<li>Yes, that was a Chris Brown reference. </li>
<li>The Watson touchdown, which gave us a temporary seven point lead, was made possible by Maurice Harris' heads up thinking -- he slid in and screened off a few BYU defenders just enough to let Watson cross the pylon. Blocked without blocking. That's some zen shit. </li>
<li>Absolutely killer penalty by Trevor Davis. Unfortunate, since it forced us to burn our final timeout to avoid a ten second runoff.</li>
<li><span>Spotted Ray Hudson on the sideline in sweats. Must have suffered an injury that we didn't get out on the record.</span></li>
<li><span>Looking ahead to next season, the only sure departures are at center and right guard, with possible early entrants at wide receiver. We'll be back, guys. Yes, this group stayed pretty healthy all year, but I don't anticipate much regression here as a unit in general. Think we've proven at least the offense works at the Pac-12 level. Plus, Jared'll be at the helm. For now, though...</span></li>
</ul>
<blockquote lang="en" class="twitter-tweet">
<p>Just might be the worst day of my life.</p>
— Trigga (@BryceTreggs) <a href="https://twitter.com/BryceTreggs/status/538942255973662720">November 30, 2014</a>
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<h3>III. In which we take a look at game management</h3>
<div><i>Dreadful</i></div>
<div><br></div>
<div>This week, there are two major points of contention with me -- one that didn't have much impact in the end game, and one that ultimately lost us the game.</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li> <b>4th and 1, 2:52 1Q, Cal 41: </b>It was early, and we didn't yet have any idea that we could run on them essentially at will. The previous three rushes had gained a total of nine yards. We didn't want to give them the ball deep in our own territory in an already tie game. Those are about the only rationales I can come up with for not going for it here, and I'd still disagree with the decision not to try. We're in a game in which there should be no stops left. A bowl bid is on the line. You have absolutely nothing to lose, with every play to date thus far having gone for positive yardage or better. But you punted. Fine.</li>
<li> <b>4th and 1, 4:27 4Q, Cal 34:</b> This one's even dicier than the first, based on field position, but is a mismanagement in terms of game flow. At this point, you have not stopped the BYU offense all half, so kicking and trusting the defense is a foolish proposition at best. It's essentially hoping someone's going to come up with a big play, versus trying to get one yard you <i>almost damn near know </i>you can get in the run game. I mean, Lasco has proven beyond any and every expectation that he can be an effective short yardage back, plus you've pushed them around and around for three quarters, so there's not as strong an argument for not. The CGBers watching this game -- and there were a huge chunk of us in Student Section -- were completely unanimous in screaming for Coach Dykes to go for it, by the way. Each of us saw it as a concession, and I sat down knowing that the game had essentially been lost. And a few minutes later, it was. We played scared in this moment, sticking with conventionality on a team and an offense that has played itself up to be anything but. Egregious. Cowardly. Nonsensical. It was, if I may, Tedfordesque.</li>
</ul>
<div><span>Other stuff:</span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span>It's always hard to judge things like motivation and general intangibles, but they looked ready to play to <i>me. </i>21 first half points and a lead? What more could you have asked for, except that Christian Stewart's knee not be down on Devante's pick six? </span></li>
<li><span>What was startling is the amount of personal foul penalties every single week, from guys losing their minds or on ticky tack type shit. You can blame this on the refs, if you like. You can also blame this on the coaches, too, although I'm not exactly sure that they run around encouraging their players to draw penalties. I have no real opinion here. How does one necessarily "create" a disciplined team? Serious question.</span></li>
<li><span>Almost had an aneurysm when I saw Luke out there for what looked like a 4th and 8 conversion attempt on the first drive of the 4th quarter. Good thing we pooch punted.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<h3><span>IV. In which we discuss the defense </span></h3>
<div><i>Dreadful </i></div>
<blockquote lang="en" class="twitter-tweet">
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/Berroya">@Berroya</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/AGuyNamedNam">@AGuyNamedNam</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/kodiakcgb">@kodiakcgb</a> yes. We give up 10-14 less points if we bbdb. This defense was not ready for the scheme we employed.</p>
— Avinash Kunnath (@avinashkunnath) <a href="https://twitter.com/avinashkunnath/status/538949204610015232">November 30, 2014</a>
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<ul>
<li><span>For the people who wanted to see more pressure all season, you got your wish: we brought it in spades against BYU from the beginning. Linebackers from all angles. A ton of Jonathan Johnson. And what happened? Guys weren't able to finish the play -- an athleticism problem, mostly -- and guys weren't able to actually cover long enough to let the blitz get home, either -- a secondary problem. Personally, I think that tells me plenty as to why we weren't more aggressive this year. With none of our guys being a serious impact pass rusher -- Johnson being the closest -- capable of getting home <i>anyway</i>, doesn't it make more sense for us to help out the young DBs by playing softer? That's an odds thing to me, to be honest.</span></li>
<li>BYU also did a brilliant job of playcalling against the blitz, too, especially in the second half. It looked like they recognized some of the packages Kaufman was going to deploy, which is why the screens and dumpoffs worked to such devastating effectiveness. They had us outsmarted. Proof? Touchdown, fumble from 1 yard line, touchdown, touchdown, punt, touchdown in the second half. I didn't even bother calculating yards per play in the final two quarters.</li>
<li>People complain about playing off with our corners. Then you get the press you want and you have Cameron Walker press a 6'3, 215 pound receiver. Can't press well without a pass rush or corners that are good at that. Can't pass rush without DBs you trust to hang in coverage for extended periods of time. This year, we had neither.</li>
<li>Not sure Akina being here would have made too much of a difference. In any case, you just missed him. He was here two weeks ago.</li>
<li><span>We flushed Christian Stewart and had him on the run quite often, but couldn't really finish on a mobile quarterback like him. This has been fairly common in recent seasons, going all the way back to 2012 and earlier. Avi did note that flushing a quarterback from the pocket is not necessarily a good rush if he escapes to the outside without contain or anyone to tackle him, and he's right, but I do prefer it to guys being given 5+ seconds back there unharrassed, a la Hogan.</span></li>
<li><span>With a healthy Taysom Hill, BYU probably wins by 28. That much is clear. </span></li>
<li><span>I realize that the numbers will eventually read that Cal's 2014 pass defense allowed more yardage than any other in history. I also realize that that statistic is empty and meaningless without context, because it fails to factor in how pathetic the rush has been all season. Almost historically bad, really -- remember when we went something like 100 pass attempts without a sack? That we had a grand total of 16 over 12 games? Like, really? What can young DBs do against that?</span></li>
<li>Remember, per game statistics are useless because they are functions of who you play and how <i>they </i>play.</li>
<li><span>I am not advocating for the firing of either Fred Tate nor Greg Burns. There has been too much instability with our positional coaches in these areas the last few years, and we cannot continue to keep that revolving door going, especially in recruiting. They and the entire defensive staff are going to get a second run through, most likely -- things were absolutely horrific this season, but they did enough to keep us in a few games compared to the previous staff singlehandedly losing all of them, and that should let them all make it to 2015. </span></li>
<li><span>On at least one of the BYU touchdowns, Austin Clark was held and didn't get a call. This is the second consecutive week this happened.</span></li>
<li><span>Rushing defense was very, very strong, even ignoring the Christian Stewart rushing yardage. Yes, they had a dip in performance, but it was impressive work all season for me, considering that we trotted all new starters out there at every position. No McCain, no Moala, no Coleman, no Hunter, no Kragen or Campo. Pass rush wise is a different story, of course.</span></li>
<li><span>Not sure if it has anything to do with how much he's played the second half of the year, but Todd Barr looks weirdly skinnier now. </span></li>
<li>It doesn't mean much since we gave up 400 yards, and it'll be lost in the grand scheme of things. Still worth saying that Darius Allensworth probably had his best game in a Cal uniform with the pass breakups, and played the ball in the air better than he had before. Felt he was jobbed on his pass interference call, at least when I saw it live.</li>
<li>Yo, forreal, the size difference on both sides of the ball was pretty stark. Their corners and DBs were long and rangy and the size of the receivers was ridiculous too. </li>
<li>Curious as to why Aisea Tongilava got the start this week over Unc Davison (who was listed as the starter during pre-game), Jalen Jefferson, and Jake Kearney. They were probably more banged up than we ever found out about. That's my theory, anyway.</li>
<li>Let's acknowledge, one more time, the contributions of Michael Lowe and Austin Clark, who played their goddamn asses off this year on a young and ultimately flawed defense. Speculation among the #GQQNS is that Avery Sebastian might not return either, based on social media posts recently, but that is what it is. Speculation.</li>
<li>Projecting forward, much of the youthfulness that marked this unit will be gone, with only Clark and Lowe as departing starters. If anyone's about to declare for the NFL here, they'd be making a big mistake, since it's not like there's a ton of positive tape to sort through. </li>
<li>As far as two deep goes...all the corners should finally be at a point to expect decent production. The safeties will remain thinner than anyone would like, but that's quickly becoming a law of Cal fandom or something, and maybe the combination of Evan Rambo, Quentin Tartabull, and (rumored) Billy McCrary can provide something resembling depth. </li>
<li>All the LBs should be solid. Same as this year; high floor, low ceiling, with a rotation that is more or less already set. </li>
<li>Defensive line? Nobody really knows. Trevor Kelly and Jalil, most likely. A stronger Noah Westerfield. Whatever a returning Brennan Scarlett can give us. Whatever -- if anything -- Sione Sina will give us. James Looney off of transfer. Chris Palmer, maybe. Whatever Russell Ude or Lonny Powell are ready to contribute. But those are just names, at this point. Promises without real production. I'm not sure how much I'll get to scout any of them, since I have no idea where I'll be next summer. Would love to, though.</li>
</ul>
<h3>V. In which we crunch some numbers</h3>
<p><a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1P_armLuOB4F5UJof7hNuPPqYvuvKvgG0zR4cCEtKL08/edit?usp=sharing">Unofficial raw data here</a>.</p>
<div>
<table align="left" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="153"></td>
<td valign="top" width="154"></td>
<td valign="top" width="159">
<p>Cal</p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="171">
<p>BYU</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="153">
<p><b>Basics</b></p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="154">
<p>Possessions</p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="159">
<p>13</p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="171">
<p>14</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="153"></td>
<td valign="top" width="154">
<p>Yards/Play</p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="159">
<p>5.6</p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="171">
<p>7.0</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="153">
<p><b>3<sup>rd</sup> Downs</b></p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="154">
<p>Conversions</p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="159">
<p>12 of 21 (57.1%)</p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="171">
<p>7 of 14 (50%)</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="153"></td>
<td valign="top" width="154">
<p>Avg. Yards to go</p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="159">
<p><b>6.5 | MED: 6 [1]</b></p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="171">
<p><b>5.21 | MED: 4.5</b></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="153"></td>
<td valign="top" width="154">
<p>Avg. 1<sup>st</sup> down gain</p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="159">
<p><b>5.78 [2]</b></p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="171">
<p><b>5.68</b></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="153"></td>
<td valign="top" width="154">
<p>Power success rate (% of runs with 2 or fewer yards to go that were successful)</p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="159">
<p>3 of 3</p>
<p>Watson - YES</p>
<p>Enwere - YES</p>
<p>Lasco - YES</p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="171">
<p>4 of 4</p>
<p>Brown - 3X YES</p>
<p>Lasike - YES</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="153">
<p><b>Field Position</b></p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="154">
<p>Avg. Starting F.P.</p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="159">
<p>AVG: OWN 23.15</p>
<p>MED: OWN 25</p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="171">
<p>AVG: OWN 27.07</p>
<p>MED: OWN 25</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="153">
<p><b> </b></p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="154">
<p>Points Per Trip Inside 40</p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="159">
<p><b>12:16 1Q - 7 </b></p>
<p><b>15:00 2Q - 7</b></p>
<p><b>10:56 2Q - 7</b></p>
<p><b>3:38 2Q - 0 </b></p>
<p><b>7:19 3Q - 7</b></p>
<p><b>15:00 4Q - 0</b></p>
<p><b>11:48 4Q - 7</b></p>
<p><b>2:35 4Q -0</b></p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<p><b>4.375 [3]</b></p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="171">
<p>15:00 1Q - 7</p>
<p>7:29 2Q - 0</p>
<p>11:40 3Q - 7</p>
<p>8:25 3Q - 0</p>
<p>4:04 3Q - 7</p>
<p>4:27 4Q - 7</p>
<p><b>4.66</b></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="153">
<p><b>Defense</b></p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="154">
<p>Havoc (percentage of disruptive plays - TFL, picks, PDs, FFs, sacks - divided by total plays. 15.9% was average in 2013, with Navy last in the country at 9.3%.)</p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="159">
<p><b>8 (3 TFL, 1 FR, 1 INT, 3 PD) </b></p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<p><b>77 plays faced</b></p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<p><b>10.3% [4]</b></p>
<p><b> </b></p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="171">
<p><b>15 (5 TFL, 1 INT, 9 PD) </b></p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<p><b>101 plays faced</b></p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<p><b>14.8%</b></p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>
<div><br></div>
<p>Of further note:</p>
<ul>
<li><span>[1] - Not only did BYU consistently face shorter and extremely convertable third downs -- they were largely able to avoid third down entirely at times, thanks to large gains through the air on second. The 83 yarder to Jordan Leslie? Yep. You guessed it. First down was basically an opportunity for BYU to make it shorter, but ultimately didn't matter to them.</span></li>
<li><span>[2] - Surprised to see our slight edge on first down gains, especially as the offense slowed down in the second half. Still didn't say much overall, since BYU was able to continue getting after us as possessions continued, and drives stalled, or we beat ourselves with untimely penalties...again.</span></li>
<li><span>[3] - Cal's zero point trips: an understandable missed FG, a failed 4th down to end the game, punt by Rubenzer from the 40 yard line after a 1st down sack basically killed any hopes of the drive from the start. Relatively normal struggles, and none of which I'd look back at and moan as a really big missed opportunity.</span></li>
<li> <span>[3] BYU's zero point trips: a fumble at the 1 yard line and a punt after a sack. </span><span>The only problem was that the Cougars had a pretty easy time scoring from </span><i>outside </i><span>the 40 as well, thanks to the two bombs from again, it must be said, their backup quarterback. They should have scored seven <i>more </i>points had it not been for Christian Stewart completely losing his shit on a play option pass. Hell, even just a normal pitch would have worked. </span> </li>
<li><span>[4] - It would look like we generated more Havoc via rush, but again, an actual inability to finish the play hurts. BYU dominated this category more than it would appear here, with Jared taking a shot on too many dropbacks, and only his quick release -- okay, some of it's the System too -- saving us. Having an interception canceled via penalty was a rough one, too. All season long, though, Havoc has been an issue. Really need playmakers on defense in the worst way. Not sure how long we can wait to make it happen, though.</span></li>
</ul>
<h3><span>VII. In which we talk special teams </span></h3>
<div><i>Poor+ | Acceptable-</i></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span>Not entirely sure why Cole Leininger's punt average has dropped tremendously as the year has gone on. Is that a function of Coach Tommerdahl asking him to kick for hangtime? Has his leg gotten fatigued? Whatever the case, he got outpunted by Luke Rubenzer on Saturday, who dropped one right inside the one yardline. Sure, BYU would go on to score anyway, but...</span></li>
<li> <span>Nothing of value in the return game. Either return game. A missed block by Bradley Northnagel prevented what would have been a Trevor Davis touchdown. </span><span>Devante Downs running into Trevor Davis wasn't exactly a highlight reel moment for him, either. </span> </li>
<li><span>No problems with the decision to kick the 50 yard field goal, myself. It was 4th and 16. </span></li>
<li><span><span>The lack of passing grade here comes from the special teams doing very little of anything to actually help the efforts at victory.</span></span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3><span>VIII. In which there are notes</span></h3>
<ul>
<li><span>This week, the #GQQNs were a bit sparser than usual, with the Thanksgiving break and all...and then Mic Man Spencer Bowen (shout out to Spencer) called us by name to move over to an already empty student section, so we had to oblige. It will be a while before I'm back in front of the section again...probably til Halloween next season, when we play USC. I love each and every one of them very, very much.</span></li>
<li>Both Spencer and Matt are way familiar with me heckling and screaming from the front row. Their time at the front of SS has been appreciated. Love you guys. Now it's time for the boy Isaac Williams to take charge.</li>
<li><span>Attendance was, as to be expected, very, very down. Announced at 47k with less than 1/3rd that, probably. Understandable, but disappointing all the same. No card stunts attempted.</span></li>
<li><span>I am, at least in part, thankful that I now have my weekends back to myself. Whew. </span></li>
<li><span>Damn, I really wanted to chant IT'S THE SYS-TEM at Bronco Mendenhall. Like, really badly. Had Spencer, Matt, and company on board with that.</span></li>
<li><span>Was asked on Twitter if there were any remaining wrinkles I saw that the team never broke out. One that I can remember: a Bone variant where both wide receivers are Bone backs, and both Bone backs are wide receivers. If a team tries to man up the wideouts with linebackers, you can throw here pretty easily, or if they choose to go small and use nickels or safeties, then you run to the edge. Woulda been a cool look, I think.</span></li>
<li><span><a href="http://www.californiagoldenblogs.com/2014/7/31/5895985/14-predictions-for-the-2014-season">Final tally on preseason predictions</a>: YES, NO, NO, YES, YES, YES, NO, NO, NO, PARTIAL CREDIT YES?, NO, YES, NO, YES...? That's 6.25 of 14, and I'm counting the half only because I figured Scarlett's impact would be overstated a bit, not because I was correct in Avery being an impact returner. Think that's pretty decent, to be honest. Had no idea the talent on the wide receiver group would run seven deep.</span></li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<p>I think I'm mostly just mad that I'm gonna have to try to care about basketball now and I really don't want to.</p>
— Marc Tausend (@ManBearCal) <a href="https://twitter.com/ManBearCal/status/538931779617685505">November 30, 2014</a>
</blockquote>
<p>
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</p>
<h3>IX. In which we promo</h3>
<p><span>Thank you for your continued support, as this column (and my Twitter account) continues to take me to places I could have never imagined. I will return for a third season next year, revamped and tinkered with yet again. What happens next, I have no clue. But I</span><span> love you all. Seriously, I do.</span></p>
<p>Now...if you'll excuse me, I need to hibernate for a while. Writing this column takes a loooooooot out of me on top of my normal duties each week as a graduate student/future English teacher, and it is time to rest. <span>There's also a backlog of scouting reports I have to get to over the break, and I promise I'll do that...eventually.</span></p>
<p>Ah, shit. Almost forgot.</p>
<p>G<span>rambling. </span></p>
<p><span>We're coming. Expect us.</span></p>
<p>(Hey, just because we finished the year badly doesn't mean they don't deserve to know we're on the way, so they can prepare -- or not prepare -- accordingly. That's just called being polite.)</p>
https://www.californiagoldenblogs.com/2014/12/1/7239561/the-novel-cal-vs-byu-postgame-thoughts-2014Nam Le2014-11-30T03:00:02-08:002014-11-30T03:00:02-08:00No Bowl: Cal loses to BYU 42-35 in season finale
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<figcaption>Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The season is over. </p> <p>When Jared Goff's final pass of the 2014 <a href="https://www.californiagoldenblogs.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">California Golden Bears</a>' football season fell incomplete in the north end zone of Kabam Field at California Memorial Stadium, clinching a 42-35 victory for the <a href="https://www.vanquishthefoe.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">BYU Cougars</a> (8-4) and ending Cal's season one victory short of bowl eligibility, it was inevitable for the grueling exercise of mental self-torment to hit most Cal fans. The exercise of mentally reviewing the season was bound to result in recalling many moments during the season where the Bears might have made a play here and there to pick up one more win.</p>
<p>The fact of the matter is, there were many such moments. And I'm not just talking about the obvious ones like the Hail Mary pass by Arizona or the last minute interception by UCLA or the 100-yard fumble return and consequent 14-point turnaround by Washington. While Cal fans will remember those specific plays as fulcrums upon which the season pivoted, no epitaph of the Bears' 2014 season is complete without a discussion of Cal's inability to stop the opposition's passing game. Coming into Saturday's game against BYU, t<a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncaa.com/stats/football/fbs/current/team/695/p3">he Bears had given up 361.2 passing yards per game</a>, ranking 125th -- dead last -- in FBS in yards per game allowed. (In fact, entering Saturday, Cal and Washington State were the only two teams in FBS that averaged 300 yards or more given up per game through the air.)</p>
<p>As far as Cal's inability to defend the pass, Saturday's game proved to be a microcosm of the first eleven games of the season. BYU quarterback <span>Christian Stewart</span>, a former walk-on, torched the Bears' secondary for 433 yards (on 23 of 38 passing) and five touchdown passes. Twelve of those completions, 267 of those yards, and four of those touchdowns came as a result of passes to wide receivers <span>Jordan Leslie</span> (5 receptions, 155 yards, 2 TD) and Mitch Juergens (7 receptions, 107 yards, 2 TD). And the Bears looked particularly bad on the two fourth-quarter touchdowns to Leslie: (1) an 83-yarder in which Leslie beat <span>Cameron Walker</span> on a vertical route down the right sideline and (2) a 38-yard pass with 2:39 remaining that proved to be the game-winner, a play in which Leslie inexplicably ran free down the center of the field with none of the Cal defensive backs seeming to own the responsibility of covering him.</p>
<p>Frustrating as the long touchdowns to Leslie were, almost as frustrating was the Bears' inability to get a consistent pass rush on Stewart, a bugaboo of the Bears all season long. Though Cal managed three sacks on the afternoon, the Bears had numerous other opportunities where they simply could not get to Stewart before he was able to dump the ball off to checkdowns, who ran for big yardage after the catch. And ironically, one of Cal's three sacks on the afternoon was one that the Bears would have rather not had. In the second quarter, with Cal leading 21-14 and BYU facing a third down at the Cal 33, <span>Jalen Jefferson</span> chased Stewart into an ill-advised pass that was intercepted by <span>Devante Downs</span> and returned 53 yards for an apparent Cal touchdown. However, the Bears' BFF -- the replay official -- reversed the touchdown after determining that Stewart's knee had touched down before he threw the ball. Instead of a potentially game-changing pick 6 and a two-touchdown lead, the Bears had to settle for a seven-point halftime lead.</p>
<p><iframe src="//www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/8hFgz71QYac" frameborder="0" height="315" width="560"></iframe></p>
<p>Whatever momentum the Bears lost from the pick-6-that-wasn't they seemingly regained in the third quarter after a stunning turn of events left the Bears on the right end of a 14-point turnaround. The Cougars appeared as though they were going to parlay a Goff interception into seven points when the Cougars had first-and-goal at the Cal 1-yard line. But an errant lateral by Stewart was recovered by Cal's Stefan McClure, ending the scoring threat. <span>Tre Watson</span> capped Cal's ensuing drive with a 9-yard touchdown scamper around right end to give the Bears a 28-21 lead with 4:12 left in the third quarter.</p>
<p>The Bears could not hold the momentum, however. BYU answered the Watson touchdown with a frighteningly easy 10-play, 81-yard drive, scoring on Stewart's second touchdown pass of the day Juergens. Minutes into the fourth quarter, the Bears then found themselves behind after the defense could not capitalize on a <span>Luke Rubenzer</span> pooch punt that pinned the Cougars at their own 1-yard line. The Cougars converted a 3rd-and-1 and their own ten-yard line before Stewart burned the Bears with the 83-yard touchdown pass to Leslie.</p>
<p>Though the Bears would tie the game on an outstanding 23-yard pass play from Goff to <span>Trevor Davis</span> with 9:17 remaining and eventually got the ball back after a BYU punt with 6:54 left, the bowl dream was not to be. Cal elected to punt and fourth-and-one from its own 34, giving the ball back to BYU with 4:27 left. The Cougars drove 66 yards in just five plays for the game-winning score, the last four of them passes. The final play was the aforementioned wide-open 38-yard touchdown pass to Leslie.</p>
<p>Down by 7 with 2:35 left, Goff attempted to lead Cal on a game-tying or -winning drive. And he looked as if he might, marching the Bears from the Cal 33 to the BYU 9-yard line with 29 seconds left. Marring the drive, however, were a curious game management decision and a costly mental error. Cal Coach Sonny Dykes used a timeout 53 seconds remaining after a run by <span>Daniel Lasco</span> netted the Bears a first down at the BYU 35. Dykes burned the timeout (Cal's next-to-last) even though the clock stopped after Lasco made the first down. At the very <i>least</i>, if he was indeed intent on using a timeout in that situation, Dykes might have waited until the chains were moved and the ball was set for play. If he had done that, a timeout would not have been necessary because, as it turned out, BYU had an injured player who would have necessitated an officials' timeout.</p>
<p><iframe src="//www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/kWuu9O3WZ-M" frameborder="0" height="315" width="560"></iframe></p>
<p>The Bears' unnecessary timeout proved costly because of the mental error a moment later. After a 26-yard pass from Goff to <span>Kenny Lawler</span> (12 catches, 138 yards, 3 TD) gave Cal a first-and-goal at the BYU 9-yard line, the Bears were whistled for a false start (Cal's only penalty of the second half), moving them back to the 14-yard line. To avoid the 10-second clock runoff otherwise required by rule, the Bears were forced to use their final timeout with 29 seconds remaining. Though Cal saved 10 seconds, it no longer had a timeout -- a circumstance which may have limited the offensive options the Bears may have otherwise had in the red zone. Four incompletions later (each of which were intended for Lawler), Cal's bowl hopes were gone.</p>
<p>The loss was bitter and meant the Bears ended the season with three straight losses and losses in 6 of their last 7 games. But what should not be lost in the bitterness of the loss are some of the accomplishments the Bears achieved this season. Among them:</p>
<ul>
<li><span>Cal won 5 games after winning only 1 in 2013;</span></li>
<li><span>Lasco gained 130 yards on 26 carries against BYU, giving him his fifth 100-yard rushing performance of the season; Lasco also finished the season with 1,115 yards to become Cal's first 1,000-yard rusher since <span>Isi Sofele</span> in 2011;</span></li>
<li><span>Goff threw for 3,973 yards and 35 touchdowns, both Cal single-season records; </span></li>
<li><span>Lawler caught three touchdown passes against BYU, giving him 9 for the season, good for fifth all time on Cal's single season receiving list; </span></li>
<li><span>Cal set the school single-season record for team passing yards with 4,152, set the modern record for points in a season (459), and tied the school record for touchdowns (59). </span></li>
</ul>
<p>Numbers aside, the important stat is wins. And Cal was one victory short of achieving its goal of a bowl game this year. If Cal is to make progress in 2015, the Bears will have to see to it that they find a defense that can improve as much as the Cal offense did from 2013 to 2014.</p>
<p>
<script charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<p>Gonna look in the mirror and get myself better. That's the only thing I can control.</p>
— Trigga (@BryceTreggs) <a href="https://twitter.com/BryceTreggs/status/538944974478254082">November 30, 2014</a>
</blockquote>
https://www.californiagoldenblogs.com/2014/11/30/7308743/bowl-less-in-berkeley-cal-loses-to-byu-42-35-to-end-the-2014-seasonVlad Belo2014-11-29T17:19:26-08:002014-11-29T17:19:26-08:00BYU 42, Cal 35: Fill out your report card here!
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<figcaption>Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Report card inside!</p> <p>The most disappointing performance of the season was saved for last. With the season on the line, the California Golden Bears couldn't stop a walk-on backup BYU quarterback from lighting them up for 433 passing yards and giving up 28 second half points to take away bowl eligibility from the Bears.</p>
<p>The coaching by Sonny Dykes and crew was at best poor and at times abominable. They wasted timeouts and punted over and over on 4th down when the BYU offense proved they couldn't be stopped by the Bears. The Cal defense kept on blitzing when it was becoming quite clear that they were almost entirely ineffective in their aggressiveness, and BYU burned us with wide receivers running right past our defenders.</p>
<p>Cal's season is over. And Sonny and company have a lot of soul-searching to do.</p>
<p>Give us your grades. Hold your cursor over the survey to scroll through the entire form or <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1TzHqmg7I8uIS8y2SwLaLsENH_uvdk3q4CW1NvOxkTLk/viewform?usp=send_form" target="_blank">click here to fill out the report card</a>.</p>
<p><iframe width="760" height="500" frameborder="0" src="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1TzHqmg7I8uIS8y2SwLaLsENH_uvdk3q4CW1NvOxkTLk/viewform?embedded=true" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0">Loading...</iframe></p>
https://www.californiagoldenblogs.com/cal-vs-byu-2014/2014/11/29/6448637/california-golden-bears-byu-cougars-score-results-recap-photoAvinash Kunnath2014-11-29T16:20:34-08:002014-11-29T16:20:34-08:00Cal 28, BYU 28, 4th Q chat: 15 minutes for a bowl
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<figcaption>Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Q4!</p> <p>Heading out of halftime up 21-14 and starting the 2nd half with the ball, the Golden Bears had a golden opportunity to try and put the clamps on BYU early. After getting to midfeld and converting a 4th down, they then proceeded to stall at midfield and forced to punt. BYU took advantage of a few secondary miscues by the Bears, and managed to score the game-tying touchdown.</p>
<p>Jared Goff then made what looked like a critical error, getting intercepted on an underthrow and setting up BYU with great field position. The Cougars managed to get into the red zone, but then Christian Stewart threw a football pass five yards backwards and behind his man. That fumble was picked up by Stefan McClure and Cal regained all the momentum in one crazy play.</p>
<p>Cal then marched down the field behind Daniel Lasco running and retook the lead on an awesome Tre Watson scamper.</p>
<p>But BYU came right back and then marched all over what's looking like an outmanned and way too aggressive Cal defense that is making far too many mistakes and leaving defenders wide open Cal has crossed midfield at the end of the 3rd.</p>
<p>Is the 4th quarter ours? Discuss away and GO BEARS!</p>
https://www.californiagoldenblogs.com/2014/11/29/6449511/california-golden-bears-byu-cougars-score-results-chat-video-highglihtsTheBuckeyeBear2014-11-29T15:21:17-08:002014-11-29T15:21:17-08:00Cal 21, BYU 14, 3rd Q chat: Goff to Lawler show!
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<figcaption>Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Halftime + Q3</p> <p>In case you missed the first half, it kind of went like this for the Bear Raid.</p>
<p>Jared Goff found Kenny Lawler once.</p>
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<script src="http://player.espn.com/player.js?pcode=1kNG061cgaoolOncv54OAO1ceO-I&width=576&height=324&externalId=espn:11954816&thruParam_espn-ui[autoPlay]=false&thruParam_espn-ui[playRelatedExternally]=true"></script>
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<p>He liked it so much, he did it again!</p>
<p> </p>
<div class="snappytv-embed" style="position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe src="http://www.snappytv.com/snap/kenny-lawler-hauls-in-his-2nd-td-catch-about-college-football-byu-at-california-on-pac-12-bay-area_n3" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;" frameborder="0" height="100%" width="100%"></iframe></div>
<p> </p>
<p>Then just for good measure, he did it again!</p>
<p>
<script src="http://player.espn.com/player.js?pcode=1kNG061cgaoolOncv54OAO1ceO-I&width=576&height=324&externalId=espn:11955139&thruParam_espn-ui[autoPlay]=false&thruParam_espn-ui[playRelatedExternally]=true"></script>
</p>
<p>The trash can drill is sure paying dividends for the Bears. It's responsible for all 21 of our points (we missed a field goal opportunity), and it has Cal up in front at the half.</p>
<p>After a really shaky start, the Cal defense has firmed up, forcing a turnover and two punts in the second quarter to really keep the clamps on the Cougars. Despite having two touchdowns reversed by Pac-12 replay officials (bring us to FIVE in two weeks) and some more silly penalties (discipline!), Cal has done very well in the last two quarters.</p>
<p>If Cal plays the next two quarters like they did the 2nd, the Bears should go bowling.</p>
<p>Here's your halftime + 3rd quarter double thread. GO BEARS!</p>
https://www.californiagoldenblogs.com/cal-vs-byu-2014/2014/11/29/6449813/california-golden-bears-byu-cougars-2014-score-results-video-highlightsTheBuckeyeBear2014-11-29T14:23:20-08:002014-11-29T14:23:20-08:00Cal vs BYU 2nd Quarter Open Thread
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<figcaption>Bob Stanton-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>C</p> <p>The Cal defense started out with a bad drive, giving up two first downs on penalties. That kept the BYU drive going and helped the Cougars score the first points of the game.</p>
<p>Cal struck right back though. Jared Goff and the Bear Raid converted three first downs on third down conversions, and Goff hooked up with Daniel Lasco, Stephen Anderson, Bryce Treggs, and Chris Harper. Goff then found Kenny Lawler in the end zone to tie things up at 7-all.</p>
<p>After Cal defense got a stop, the Cal offense advanced to midfield, but stalled on 4th and very short. Cal chose to punt instead of going for it, BYU got the ball back, converted their own 4th short, and then bombed away to a wide open wide receiver to go up by 7. Cal looks like they might have to shoot this one out to get the victory.</p>
<p>Let's close out the first half. GO BEARS!</p>
https://www.californiagoldenblogs.com/cal-vs-byu-2014/2014/11/29/6450079/california-golden-bears-byu-cougars-score-schedule-updateTheBuckeyeBear2014-11-29T13:28:36-08:002014-11-29T13:28:36-08:0011/29/14 Cal vs BYU 1st Quarter Open Thread
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<figcaption>Bob Stanton-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Q1!</p> <p>Heeeeeeeeere's the kickoff! GO BEARS!</p>
https://www.californiagoldenblogs.com/cal-vs-byu-2014/2014/11/29/6450267/california-golden-bears-byu-cougars-open-threadTheBuckeyeBear