Cal's 2020 season came to a crashing end Saturday morning. Not with a loss, but a positive COVID-19 test. One that would almost certainly prevent the Bears from playing the scheduled cross-division game the next week. Sunday proved that line to be true, as a final game with Arizona would be canceled, spelling an end to a 1-3 season. It was a year that started the way it finished, with two games canceled, and a whole lot of uncertainty in between.

Four games is all we'll see of Cal this fall, as they enter a long December, national signing day Wednesday, more recruiting into February's signing day, and spring football within the next few months. And in a season where Cal played four games, their fewest in a season in 126 years, it's easy to see this year as a mulligan. Like the Nihilists in the Big Lebowski, many believe this year means nothing.

Take a four game slice out of every season Cal has had under Justin Wilcox (or look at the year in four-game chunks), and none of them paint a full picture of what Cal was.

2019:

First four: 4-0, off to a top 25 ranking after a road upset of Washington and beating Ole Miss

Next four: 0-4, injuries take hold, offense slows to a crawl, capped off by a low point against Utah

Last four (prior to a bowl): 3-1, Chase Garbers comes back on fire after Devon Modster leads the Bears to a much needed win over Washington State, USC takes down a Garbers-less, Chris Brown-less squad with a lot of passing over the top

2018:

First four: 3-1, start with big defensive performances vs. North Carolina and BYU, have trouble figuring out the QB situation.

Next four: 2-2, Low point losses to Arizona UCLA with Brandon McIlwain being extremely turnover prone, rebound to destroy Oregon, play best defensive game of the Wilcox era against Washington

Final four: 2-2, Grindy wins against USC and Colorado off defensive play. Taken down in Pullman due to trying the two QB system, fall in the Big Game while continuing offensive struggles.

2017:

First four: 3-1, Two Power 5 wins over Ole Miss and UNC, come close to an upset of top 10 USC before falling apart in the fourth quarter.

Next four: 1-3, bad losses to Oregon and Washington, the strangest game ever in a 37-3 demolition of top 10 Washington State, losing Devante Downs, then a close loss to Arizona in the midst of Khalil Tate mania in double overtime

Last four: 1-3, win over a lame duck Oregon State team with an interim coach, a bad loss in Boulder, then two losses in a Big Game where the Bears ran out of time and a UCLA game where Devon Modster led the Bruins to victory.

None of those four game stretches defined what those teams were. That's how this season feels, more incomplete than anything. Four games can get you a taste of what a team is, but it doesn't get you the whole picture. With a roster that had a fair amount of issues due to contact tracing protocol, COVID-19, injuries, and opt-outs, it throws more of that taste into question.

2020, the taste

There are few things that can be taken away from this season:

- Cal's defense didn't have the personnel they wanted in order to play their normal 3-4 or 2-4-5, mainly due to outside linebacker opt-outs/injuries/contact tracing. They moved to a 3-3-5 in order to get more defensive backs on the field, even though they were stretched thin on the line

- Cam Goode played himself into an NFL role. Goode had a team leading 8 tackles for loss in four games, including 3.5 against Oregon. Brett Johnson also stood out as a pocket collapser/run stopper playing out of position at nose. Cam Bynum should be NFL bound as well

- Cal's offense moved to a more pro-style set, with multiple tight ends and using a fullback. There were mixed results. There were a couple successes, such as Chase Garbers throwing for over 300 yards against Oregon State, Kekoa Crawford and Nikko Remigio having big games against the Oregon schools, and Damien Moore recording over 100 yards against Stanford. There were also struggles, with Garbers averaging less than 6 yards per attempt, a tendency to not 'sweep the leg' with a lead in games, instead playing for the close game. The Bears also worked in some new offensive linemen, due to three OL starters being in quarantine for two of the four games.

- Special teams ranged from great (blocked punt against UCLA, 52-yard field goal against Oregon State) to catastrophic (four ST mistakes vs. Oregon State, game sealing blocked PAT vs. Stanford). A chunk of that comes from various players being out from week to week and limited practice time.

Who Excelled for 2021 (among newer faces):

- RB Damien Moore, who earned a bigger role moving forward, as the true freshman running back, per RB coach Aristotle Thompson, is great on the little things that make up his game, and he had the Bears' longest play from scrimmage (a 54-yard run against Stanford)

- LT Brayden Rohme and G Ben Coleman, two members of the 2019 class who stepped in due to older players being absent. Rohme played every snap against Oregon State and Stanford, while Coleman has made the jump, playing every offensive line spot except for center over the final two games of the season.

- DL JH Tevis, while Brett Johnson was excellent this year, Tevis also played well for the Bears, getting his first two sacks against Stanford while proving he can be effective in the run game. He has come a long way from when he enrolled at Cal at 225 lbs and as an outside linebacker

- OLB Braxten Croteau, the 'Croteautype' will see a bigger role in year three in the program, made a massive stop one on one against Oregon

- ILB Muelu Iosefa, earned his way into a starting role after enrolling early, around the ball and a solid tackler

- S Craig Woodson, showed flashes of who he could be in the future, garnered a few starts as the third safety.

Now What?

Now, the attention turns to which of the seniors returns, who stays, who transfers out, and whatever other twists and turns 2020 can provide. There is a lot riding on 2021 for Cal. This was supposed to be the year. Now it's a year delayed.

There has been an outpouring of appreciation in the aftermath of the final game being canceled for the players that put their hearts and souls into following the protocol associated with playing the season. They should be appreciated, because while football itself can be a cyclical grind, this season, with its constant testing and daily feeling of a lack of control, has been all the more grating. They have my respect.