Cal and Nevada finish up a three-game series that started in 2010, but Cal and their I-80 public school counterpart have a history that goes back over a century.
"It's gonna be a fun game," offensive line coach Angus McClure noted. "There's always been a tradition with Cal and Nevada, when I first coached at Nevada in the mid-90s, we played Cal. You're talking about two schools that played their first game I believe in the 1800s (1899)."
For McClure, it goes beyond the schools' history and into his own. The Cal offensive line coach was at Nevada (in 2018 to 2019) prior to his move back home to the Bay Area. McClure had two stints in Reno, has a son on the team (QB Hamish McClure), and has worked with Nevada head coach Jay Norvell on multiple occasions.
"There's a lot of tradition," McClure said, "certainly on a personal note with my son being over there, and I have a nephew that's a student assistant coach there as well and how close I am with that staff, starting with Jay Norvell. We've worked together at three different universities and I think the world of Jay."
McClure worked at Nebraska, UCLA, and Nevada with Norvell, and his younger son Malcolm is playing his high school ball at Bishop Manogue in Reno (along with Cal OL commit Sioape Vatikani). Beyond that, McClure helped to bring in a handful of guys up to Reno that make up a solid part of their roster. He brought in a number of starters for the Wolfpack, including C Tyler Orsini, WR Tory Horton (3rd in receiving for Nevada a year ago), K Brandon Talton, P Julian Diaz (who just earned a scholarship), and a host of others.
Both Justin Wilcox and Norvell noted that that familiarity may help with specific personnel, but there will have been obvious changes in calls and signals. McClure echoed those statements.
"I saw them play in high school so I understand the type of players they are, their mindset," McClure noted, "and their attitude. They brought in some blue-collar type of guys at Nevada, that's the type of program they are, and they're similar to us, we want guys that are mentally tough and hardworking guys. I have a little more in-depth knowledge, which could be an advantage for us, but we still have to execute what our assignments are and do what we have to do on the field."
With his older son Hamish, it has been a blackout on specific football talk in the leadup to game one, though it certainly hasn't stopped the two from talking, as the Wolfpack have also been in the Bay Area while practicing at Stanford.
"I talk to my son every couple days," McClure noted, "I know they've been battling the smoke, practicing down in the Bay Area. It has been a challenge for them. I know the Wolfpack, they're going to ready for us, we're going to be ready for them."
Other Notes
Left tackle Will Craig has been back in practice, and is poised to start Saturday after missing a good chunk of camp.
"Will came back, our guys in the training room and the strength staff did a good job of getting him back fast," McClure said, "He hasn't missed a beat. He was able to participate in everything but practice, he was in the walkthrough every day, he got to sit in multiple meetings a day. He was sharp when he came back, and we brought him back with a progression, he's had a nice week of practice."
Bill Musgrave had said earlier in the week that they 'felt Craig's presence' when he's in, and McClure elaborated on that point.
"The left tackle position is critical," McClure said, "and there's a little more emphasis on third down, you've got to have that guy who can hold up for you. Will certainly can do that. He has great athleticism, he understands our system so he understands the calls. When we're getting a variety of pressures, he puts us in the right protection there. That's why, when he came back, we really felt his presence."
That means Ben Coleman will likely see more use as a utility lineman than at left tackle or one specific position, but from everything the Cal staff has said in the past week, the third year offensive linemen is set to play early and often.
"Ben's the type of guy who can play all five positions for us," McClure said, "he's a very valuable person for our unit. We expect him to play a lot, he'll play multiple positions for us. We want to take advantage of his skill set, and if certain guys need a blow, we're able to move him around."
On a roster news note, OLB Curley Young Jr. is no longer a part of the football program, per Justin Wilcox Saturday. The third year outside linebacker from Hendrickson, TX had been absent during the open practices media were allowed to view and is no longer listed in the UC Berkeley Student Directory. He has not entered the transfer portal at this time.
