One didn't have to read between the lines to get the sense from Cal coach Justin Wilcox on Tuesday that he isn't exactly basking in his team's 2-0 start to the season.

As the Golden Bears prepare for by far their toughest test yet, a road game Saturday at Notre Dame, Wilcox and coordinators Bill Musgrave and Peter Sirmon all offered their assessments of the team's play so far.

"We played well enough to win, but not near where we're capable of playing," Wilcox said plainly. "So we need to improve significantly. These small things that make a big difference -- whether that's cleaning up a technique so we don't get a penalty, maybe it's an identification, on defense it was we need one more step in the ground on some of our tackles. We missed too many tackles because we didn't get our last foot in the ground. That's key.

"The return units and special teams need to improve, and there's small details there that can be much better. You put all those things together and you play better football, but I don't know that there's one thing that you can say, 'Well, this is the reason.' It's a combination of all those."

Cal started slow against FCS foe UC Davis in its opener, locked in a tied game until the final minutes of the second quarter on the way to an ultimate 34-13 win.

Last weekend against UNLV, the Bears didn't score a touchdown after the first quarter, settling for two field goals the rest of the way, as the Rebels kept it close until the end in a 20-14 Cal win.