1st Big Game thoughts
(Written by kencraw)
I was PROFOUNDLY disappointed in yesterday afternoon’s game. It appears my prediction that Cal could be competitive with any Pac-12 team was complete BS. I won’t go game by game through all my predictions in pre-game posts, but I can’t think of one I so poorly predicted as yesterdays… EVER!
I put most of yesterday’s loss on the coaches:
- Horrible game plan
- Poorly prepared players for emotions of a rivalry game
- Zero meaningful in-game adjustments
- Bad play-calling
Frankly, my doubts about the ability of the Dyke regime to take us anywhere beyond mediocrity are as high, if not higher than the end of last year. Said another way, who that we lost to this year, based on the lack of progress we’ve seen as the season progresses, would we have hopes of beating next year:
- UW is in year one of a new coaching staff. They’re going to be better, enough so that even if Cal played a better game we still lose, particularly with the game in Husky stadium
- UCLA has clearly improved since we played them… and the game will be on the road.
- Oregon game was never REALLY in doubt… and the game will be on the road (catching a theme here?).
- Stanford needs no comment… and the game will be on the road (OK, Cal seems to do great in Palo Alto for the most part, the size of the Cal contingent really rattling Stanford, but still, the crowd ain’t going to turn the tide here.)
- USC ended up close, but how much of that was prevent defense letting us get closer than we really were, plus their depth problems will be slowly going away.
- Arizona, OK, that’s a team we might beat next year. IF they don’t get better themselves.
Then you have to add that it took overtime to beat CU, and we’ll have to travel on the road to Boulder, with the trouble the elevation gives us, it’s very reasonable to suggest a regression there.
So maybe we trade Arizona for CU or maybe we get lucky and beat both. Maybe we beat USC because they’ll still be thin next year and they’ll be in Berkeley. Or maybe we’re built to beat UCLA. But as it stands right now, I’ve got no hope that ALL of those maybe’s come true.
Let’s just hope this team can rebound, beat BYU, so we get to that bowl game and the all important extra practice time that comes with it.
(they need it)
November 23rd, 2014 at 9:58 am
Nothing on the three reviewed touchdowns that were all overturned? It was some of the most infuriating things I have seen as a cal fan.
November 23rd, 2014 at 4:10 pm
I was already on the way to the car at that point. I left when Rubenzer threw the fade interception to the corner.
November 23rd, 2014 at 4:52 pm
The three overturned touchdowns in a row was the most Cal sequence ever. There’s no other team in the NCAA that would happen to.
I feel horrible for the players. Their coaching staff is not up to the task of competing at this level. They are completely out of their league. Go back to the mid-majors, your horrible prep and piss-poor in game manager doesn’t fly in the PAC 12, Dykes.
November 23rd, 2014 at 5:56 pm
That was actually a bit harsh, but that’s how I’m feeling after watching the USC game and the Stanford game live. I’m so sick of traveling to see this team, only to witness a squad that is not prepared to play.
My friends and I do an annual reunion for a Cal game each year. Sometime home, some time road. This year was USC, last year was Colorado. Year before that was Nevada. It has been 5 of 6 years since some of my crew have seen a live victory. So depressing.
November 23rd, 2014 at 5:57 pm
Ken: We switch back to Utah and ASU next year.
November 23rd, 2014 at 6:53 pm
Ah yes, I should have remember that Katser. Of course, ASU and Utah are no more appealing. I’d sure rather face CU and UA again.
November 24th, 2014 at 4:51 am
Omg did I actually make it through more of a game than my brother? I am usually the first Crawford to give up on a game.
Also what about losing that safety on the first play of the game. The announcers made it seem like he was a big loss for us. I wouldn’t know, with the plethora of games on the Pac-12 network, I don’t get to see many games these days.