In the aftermath of a late Saturday loss to Nevada that evaporated the enthusiasm of fans just happy to come back to California Memorial Stadium for the first time in two years, it took a while to think of a good postscript for a 22-17 loss to Nevada. It took a day, and a reminder that 7:30 local starts take you out for most of the next day. There's a lot to be said about Cal's performance, which saw the Bears have a good quarter, followed by three bad ones on their way to a season-opening loss. If there's one through line from the matchup, it is that Cal didn't stick to the identity they created for themselves.
Under Justin Wilcox, the Cal staff has preached being 'smart and tough.' Smart came through in game one of the Wilcox-era, as with an 11 point lead and less than a minute to go, the Cal DBs purposely held the North Carolina wideouts, taking time off the clock to secure a win. Tough came in 'gritty' wins over Washington and USC in 2018, and again after a thunderstorm delay against the Huskies in 2019. The Oregon game in 2020 even qualifies under this idea.
Against Nevada, Cal started to find that identity on offense in the first quarter. Cal had a drive spanning over 9 minutes for their first score, forcing a three and out, then putting together another touchdown drive thanks to a shot play to Jeremiah Hunter. 14-0 after a quarter made it seem like Cal had figured out what they wanted to be, a grinding team on offense that can keep opposing explosive offenses, like Nevada, off the field.
Then came the rest of the game. Cal ran the ball five times in quarters two and three after running 13 times in the first quarter. Chase Garbers averaged 4.7 yards per attempt for the game, as the Bears didn't deal well with Nevada's two-high coverage. Cal's offensive line, per Pro Football Focus, allowed pressure on 39% of Garbers' dropbacks, despite three-quarters of his pass attempts coming within ten yards of the line of scrimmage.
Cal's defense, for the most part, was alright, though Collin Gamble had his first real adversity as a college player, with a long touchdown to Romeo Doubs and one deep ball to Tory Horton coming over him. Cal stopped the run, allowing a sack adjusted average of 3 yards per carry, but that wasn't the main focus of the Nevada offense.
If there's a telling stat, it's this:
- Both teams ran 65 plays
- Nevada had 39 pass attempts, Cal had 38
- Nevada had 26 rush attempts, Cal had 27
Cal is not Nevada. Nevada is not Cal. Nevada has an identity, based around their strength of passing the ball, and they've developed the pass-catching targets and quarterback to do that. Their defense, while undersized, was disciplined and experiences, with 10 out of 11 starters being seniors or fifth year players.
The question becomes, what should Cal's identity be? During Wilcox's time, there has been a premium placed on recruiting size, with a few exceptions. That and the first quarter would point toward a team who could run the ball, take time off the clock, shorten the game. Cal does have a stable of backs who showed that they can be relied on. Damien Moore had 15 carries for 79 yards and a score, while the Brooks Brothers (nickname pending, not actual brothers), Chris and DeCarlos, ran for 71 yards combined on only five carries. Between those three, Cal averaged 7.5 yards per carry. These are numbers that win football games. The 4.7 yards per attempt by Garbers will not (with 5.6 yards being the average depth of target for the Cal QB). The offensive line was stronger in the run game than in the pass, and more running will only help on that front.
A team that grinds is the needed identity for Cal, because that's what they've recruited and have. That is the scheme they can fit to this talent, and it worked for 15 minutes. Then the Bears went away from it, struggled, and only had a modicum of success when they partially went back to it in the fourth quarter, but a sack and missed field goal doomed the Bears.
That's the lesson that Cal will have to take through the rest of the season. Cal knows what they have. They have good backs and a line that can block for them. They believe that they have a good wide receiver and tight end stable. They have a quarterback who has had success in throwing downfield in the past, but the light hasn't come on in this offense. They have a defense with plenty of veterans and more size than in the past, but more youth at corner than they've had in a while.
The year is not over, as the Pac-12 North may be a bit more up for the taking, after every team in the division struggled in week one. Cal has their most meaningful non-conference game of the season, as they head to Fort Worth in a rematch of the Cheez-It Bowl. They need to find an identity in the five days before if this year will allow the Bears to 'Finish the Job' they started in 2019.
