This has been a frustrating year for Cal, to say the absolute least. Five losses by a single score, including an Arizona game where a significant chunk of the team missed the game due to a Covid outbreak. Yet something happened Saturday, after a disjointed first quarter in Palo Alto, where the pieces fell into place and Cal ran away from Stanford, Axe in tow, with a 41-11 victory.

In rewatching the game, there wasn't just one standout play, like Chase Garbers' run in 2019, or a specific player (a la Garbers, Geoff McArthur in 2003, Shane Vereen in 2009, Joe Igber in 2002) that made all the plays necessary. Like most victories in the Justin Wilcox era, there were a handful of things that went right to make up the win.

Lu-Magia Hearns

The true freshman cornerback, one of the latest offers in the 2021 class, may be the top performer from his recruiting class so far. The true freshman from De La Salle undercut a Bryce Farrell post on the second play from scrimmage for his first INT (the first from a cornerback this year) and had the assignment on a number of Stanford's bigger wideouts. With four other pass breakups against the likes of Michael Wilson, John Humphreys and Elijah Higgins, Hearns continues to look comfortable at his outside spot.

13 Personnel and the TE position

A consistent theme was Cal's use of 13 personnel, especially in the second half where the Bears focused on their run game. Gavin Reinwald (and later Elijah Mojarro) often motioned into the backfield to serve as a pseudo fullback, and the Bears got some nice blocks from the likes of Reinwald, Jake Tonges, Collin Moore (who got his man on skates on Chris Brooks' 75 yard run), Jermaine Terry, Mojarro and Keleki Latu. Latu had a nice 4th and 1 conversion on a little boot play with a TE release.

In an offense that wants to use the tight end, four of Cal's five offensive touchdowns came out of formations with two or more tight ends.

Pull Blocks

Cal's improvement as a gap scheme team was noticeable against Stanford, with 20 gap scheme plays to 8 zone plays. Gap scheme uses a lot of down blocks combined with pulls to create creases, and Cal's backs hit those hard. Chris Brooks followed a Matt Cindric pull for his big gain, while Marcel Dancy followed a McKade Mettauer pull (in which the Stanford defender appeared to try and cut Cal's offensive lineman) to an open crease and 76 yards of open field. All four of Chris Street's runs came on gap plays, including his touchdown.

Trevon Clark

Clark noted in the post-game press conference that he knew he was going to score on the slant route when the play was called, as it was something they ran in practice. Stanford played their safeties closer to the line, after struggling against the run in the past, and that tendency, along with Cal executing a play right on time, paid off. Garbers put the ball right in the window between the linebacker and safety, and with no help behind the safety, Clark had a sprint for the end zone.

That marked two big plays made by Clark in the Big Game, after a near miracle catch in the 2019 game set up the game winner. Clark now has two 100+ yard games this season, with only five catches combined in those games.

Brooks, Dancy, and RB Depth

With Damien Moore fumbling on the first carry, there was a bit of trepidation about the rest of the game. Moore didn't return, and was in the injury tent for a portion of the game as well. Cal would then play five running backs, with Chris Brooks and Marcel Dancy getting the carries. Dancy, who hadn't quite broken a run this year, aside from the called back run against Colorado, was encouraging to see, as he turned on the jets to outrun a bad angle by Jonathan McGill.

This felt a bit like a Jeff Tedford era game, where the Bears would throw a third string back in and would immediately get production. Those third string backs were later starters in their own right (see: Marshawn Lynch, Justin Forsett, Jahvid Best, Shane Vereen), but guys like Marcus O'Keith or Terrell Williams also had late plays in some of those games. That's how it felt when Street took one last run nearly untouched to the house, or DeCarlos Brooks coming in for a nice gain. Cal's running back room will lose Dancy and maybe Brooks after this year, but the group has the horses behind those two and with Moore.

Nate Rutchena and Mo Iosefa

Nate Rutchena had 10 tackles in the scoresheet, probably more since a couple were assigned to Femi Oladejo, who didn't play. Mo Iosefa, before a targeting penalty made him leave the game, was on fire, with two tackles for loss in the first half. Both are rounding into form, Iosefa tackling well after returning from injury and Rutchena continuing an improbable rise from greyshirting to being one of Cal's most important front seven players. Their mobility and tackling improvement has made a difference as Cal is the best in the conference in scoring defense.

Monroe Young

It only takes one play to make a difference, and Young deserves the credit for setting up Cal's second touchdown. Young has been great in pratice on double moves, and made a contested catch on a somewhat underthrown ball. Young has strong hands, and while he's been a solid blocker, Cal is not afraid to use him as a receiver now, which doesn't telegraph the offense.

Trick Plays

Bill Musgrave emptied the clip Saturday night, running four different trick plays. Seeing the first in real-time, backup QB Robby Rowell made a pronounced throwing motion as he signaled in the call, and thus came the double pass. Both Clark and Garbers were surprised that Clark was covered on the play, but the senior wideout would make a great catch in the redzone, which Cal would turn into a field goal.

The second, a hook and ladder taken nearly directly from the 2008 Big Game, only netted Dancy 4 yards prior to the 76 yard touchdown run, but Nikko Remigio would be the recipient of a reverse for 27 yards after Stanford botched an onside kick. The final gadget, which saw Dancy try a halfback pass in the direction of Tonges, fell harmlessly incomplete.

The gadget plays are something fans have wanted to see for a while, and the Bears finally tested what they can do. There's a place for other trick plays now that these are on film.

Penalties

The one rough piece in the Cal win, other than early turnovers, were the numerous penalties, as two took Cal out of a position to score touchdowns and others extended Stanford drives, including both Stanford scoring drives. Cal struggled with penalties early in the year, but they'd mostly figured out that area over the past handful of games. It didn't cost them in the Big Game, but it's something to tighten up when they play UCLA next week.

Other Notes

- Cal, somewhat improbably after a 1-5 start, still has a chance at a bowl game if they can win out. UCLA, off a 62-33 shellacking of USC, stands as the biggest roadblock to that goal

- Cam Goode is now in 10th all time in sacks by a Cal player, with 19.5 total over his career

- Cal had 28 different players take a rep on offense and 29 on defense

- An article from another site went out about how 28 of 30 players offered by both Cal and Stanford ultimately chose Stanford went out yesterday. Both players who chose Cal, J Michael Sturdivant and Derek Wilkins, made appearances near the end of the game. Kaleb Higgins also appeared for the first time in a game

- Cal now holds the record for most yardage in a Big Game, with 636 yards, with their most rushing yards (352) since Jahvid Best ran wild on Washington in 2008 (431 yards)

- Stanford got 6 pressures on Chase Garbers total on 31 dropbacks