Game Breakdown: Bears come up just short again in familiar frustration

It was a less than ideal end to a less than ideal season for Cal on Friday.

There’s not a lot left to say about this team as 12 games have officially run their course, but there is one sentiment that’s been constant throughout this year:

“Almost."

With a 35-28 loss to No. 17-ranked UCLA serving as fitting finale, the Bears lost 5 "almost" games this season.

That’ll be the spin on this 4-8 season as coach Justin Wilcox finishes his sixth year as head coach with the worst record of his tenure (not counting the shortened 2020 pandemic season).

There isn't much consolation in "almost," though, especially after a third straight losing season for the program.

"We all just need to expect more from ourselves -- coaches, players, our program, support staff, everybody and be just a little bit better in everything that we do," Wilcox said. "We have adjustments we need to make as a football team, and I think everybody who surrounds the football team, all of us can improve and be better. I love the guys on the team. They give us great effort. We have to play a little bit better -- a little bit better more often and give ourselves a chance to win the game. We've had unfortunately a handful of those this year and last year."

After snapping a six-game losing streak last week with a momentous win over rival Stanford, the Bears (4-8, 2-7 Pac-12) actually led 21-10 late in the second quarter against the Bruins (9-3, 6-3).

But the defense then allowed UCLA go to 75 yards in 5 plays and 40 seconds to score a touchdown with 18 seconds left before halftime. Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson was 4-for-4 passing for 56 yards on the drive and scored on a 19-yard run.

That was the first of three straight scores for the Bruins, as Thompson-Robinson added a 14-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter, Jeremiah Hunter fumbled a punt return for Cal giving UCLA the ball at the Bears' 43 and the Bruins converted with a 26-yard Nicholas Barr-Mira field goal early in the fourth quarter for a 27-21 Bruins lead.

Four plays into the ensuing Cal possession, quarterback Jack Plummer connected with Hunter for a 49-yard completion to the Bruins' 8, setting up an 8-yard touchdown pass to running back Jaydn Ott for a 28-27 Bears lead.

But UCLA retook the lead on a 5-yard Zach Charbonnet touchdown run to put the visitors back ahead with 7:53 remaining.

Cal got one last chance in the final 2 minutes after UCLA threw incomplete on fourth-and-2, but on a fourth-and-6 completion to Ott, the running back had the ball punched out by UCLA's Kain Medrano for a game-sealing fumble.

Plummer finished 24 of 34 for 294 yards, 4 touchdowns and 0 interceptions in arguably his best game as a Bear, while Hunter had a career-best day with 8 catches for 153 yards and 2 TDs.

But UCLA rushed for 352 yards, led by 119 and a TD from Charbonnet, 89 from T.J. Harden and 88 and 2 TDs from Thompson-Robinson.

"They're very talented, and yeah, the QB, he's a very gifted runner as well. They do a great job with their run game, their O-line doesn't get talked about enough, and obviously Charbonnet and Harden are really good players," Wilcox said. "Yeah, we had a tough time getting any negative plays on them. Very, very difficult for us to get negative plays today, and then we had a hard time getting to the quarterback."

Wilcox, who led Cal to an 8-5 mark in 2019, was resolute afterward that he could get the program turned around and moving in a different direction again next season.

"I know it can get done. I believe in the guys in the locker room, and we're going to continue to push them and set very, very high expectations for how we do things. And we're going to continue to recruit and develop the roster in a competitive environment. I know we can do it. I know they know we can do it. But we have to evolve and have higher standards for everything that we do as a football program," he said.

"... The record was not near what we thought it could have and should have been, so that's very disappointing. Can't get used to that, never will, so it's disappointing. The results of the games were disappointing as a whole. ... The record's not acceptable for the players or the program, but I know and have conviction of what we're capable of doing and it's going to, as I mentioned, there's going to be additions and there's going to be changes as we move forward. But I'm very, very optimistic about what we can accomplish here and doing it the right way."

First Quarter

7:04, UCLA - Jake Bobo 5-yard reception from Dorian Thomspon-Robinson. (7-0, Bruins0

0:16, Cal - J. Michael Sturdivant 46-yard reception from Jack Plummer. (7-7)

Second Quarter

9:33, UCLA - Nicholas Barr-Mira 23-yard field goal. (10-7, Bruins)

4:37, Cal - Jeremiah Hunter 38-yard reception from Jack Plummer. (14-10, Bears)

0:58, Cal - Jeremiah Hunter 22-yard reception from Jack Plummer. (21-10, Bears)

0:18, UCLA - Dorian Thompson-Robinson 19-yard rush. (21-17, Bears)

Third Quarter

7:06, UCLA - Dorian Thompson-Robinson 14-yard rush. (24-21, Bruins)

Fourth Quarter

14:01, UCLA - Nicholas Barr-Mira 26-yard field goal. (27-21, Bruins)

11:16, Cal - Jaydn Ott 8-yard reception from Jack Plummer. (28-27, Bears)

7:53, UCLA - Zach Charbonnet 5-yard rush. 2PT attempt is GOOD (Jake Bobo reception from Dorian Thompson-Robinson). (35-28, Bruins)

WR Jeremiah Hunter

What else can you even say about this young man? Two insane touchdown catches over defenders and a total of 8 catches for 153 yards against UCLA is more than enough to get you the offensive player of the game award. He’s been outstanding all year and this performance gets him to 60 catches for 965 yards and 5 touchdowns on the season. A pretty fantastic junior campaign for Hunter that leaves the door open for all sorts of possibilities for him.

Safety Daniel Scott

Scott finished his night with double-digit tackles (16 total, 12 solo) and filled up that end of the stat sheet, including a forced fumble. But what sealed this award for him in his final game as a Bear is a two-play sequence in the red zone. Scott made a fantastic one-on-one tackle on Dorian Thompson-Robinson (something not many can say) and then broke on a slant in the end zone to prevent a UCLA score and force the Bruins to settle for a field goal. That stand proved huge to the potential outcome of this game, as it kept UCLA’s lead from being insurmountable as Cal tried to come back with under 2 minutes left.

Jack Plummer and Jeremiah Hunter’s second touchdown of the day.

This is just a phenomenal catch from Hunter and one that he can certainly be proud of. But more than that, it’s an ode to the UCLA defense for choosing to leave him in single coverage.

The Bears could not stop the run with any sort of consistency today.

The Bruins ran for 352 yards on the Bears, and despite the defense coming up with some big stops in spots it just was not a good effort in the run defense. If you let a team run for over 350 yards on you, you’re probably not going to have a great finish. But despite that, the Bears stayed close in this one.

It means the season’s over.

It means that Cal finishes 4-8 for its lowest win total in the Justin Wilcox era (COVID year notwithstanding). The Bears will need to take some time to reflect on this one and then return in the offseason with a new plan for 2023. The defense faced serious regression from its highs a few years back and struggled to get pressure and make tackles in open space. They could also potentially be losing several key players after this season, including a certain departure from Scott.

There’s bound to be lots of reevaluation after this season -- or at least there should be. Wilcox has made it abundantly clear that the goal is to compete for the Pac-12 championship, not a .500 record. Going 0/2 in both departments in year six is not fun for anyone involved.

The pressure’s going to be on for the Bears this offseason. Early signing day is looming near and Cal’s class still needs to finish shaping up. In addition to this, the Bears will need to hire an offensive coordinator soon (it’s sounding like that could happen in the next 10 days of so, so keep your eyes peeled on that front).

What happens for Cal in the next weeks and months is going to be massive for Wilcox and the Bears in 2023.

Bowl game or bust in ‘23.

Passing

Jack Plummer: 24 of 34 for 294 yards, 4 TDs and 0 INT

Rushing

Jaydn Ott: 13 carries for 55 yards

DeCarlos Brooks: 2 carries for 9 yards

Jackson Sirmon: 1 carry for 2 yards

Jack Plummer: 1 carry for 2 yards

Receiving

Jeremiah Hunter: 8 catches for 153 yards and 2 TDs

J.Michael Sturdivant: 5 catches for 70 yards and 1 TD

Jaydn Ott: 8 catches for 51 yards and 1 TD

Monroe Young: 2 catches for 18 yards

Elijah Mojarro: 1 catch for 2 yards

Defense

Oluwafemi Oladejo: 17 tackles, 0.5 tackle for loss

Daniel Scott: 16 tackles, 1 forced fumble, 1 tackle for loss, 1 pass breakup

Jackson Sirmon: 13 tackles, 0.5 tackle for loss

Craig Woodson: 8 tackles, 2 QB hurries

Jeremiah Earby: 8 tackles, 1 pass breakup

Ricky Correia: 7 tackles, 0.5 sack

Nate Burrell: 7 tackles

Miles Williams: 6 tackles, 1 tackle for loss

Xavier Carlton: 5 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, 0.5 sack