Game week has arrived for Cal, and on Monday head coach Justin Wilcox met with reporters for close to 20 minutes to look ahead to his eighth campaign leading the Bears that will begin against a familiar face on Saturday when UC Davis makes its way to Berkeley.
Below is a full rundown of Wilcox's press conference as he answered questions about his team's offseason, the quarterback battle and his outlook for the fall.
Do you have a sense of what your team is going to look like, or do you have to really wait until Saturday afternoon to know that?
I think the true test is game day. I have a lot of confidence in the guys that returned and then the guys that we added, either through the transfer portal or high school. But yeah, there is a process, in terms of playing together, creating that chemistry, I think, which is really, really important on offense, defenses and special teams. So ultimately, the test is on Saturdays, but I'm excited for them. I'm excited for us. We'll have a lot of growth just being out there on the field together for the first time, and we'll need to make sure that each and every play, series, game, that we're out there, that we're we're getting a little bit better.
Have you ever coached a team with this many new players, and how do you think they're developing that chemistry so far?
I have not. It's just part of the era that we're in, but I think they've done a really good job. Starting way back in January, when some of these newcomers joined us, and then again, in in June, of working together on and off the field. I think guys recognize that team chemistry is critically important, just like blocking and tackling is, and spending time with each other outside of the building is key to that, and they did a really nice job of that.
Obviously a familiar face on the opposing sideline this Saturday with Tim Plough. What's your mindset facing off against him, and what are you expecting from this UC Davis team?
Well, I know Tim well. He's a heck of a coach, heck of a person. They're going to be really well coached in all phases of the game. I know those guys are going to come in here prepared. They got good players, and so we got a ton of respect for that team and their coaches. And, it'll be a hard fought game. I know that, and I know our team's going to be excited to play, too. It's the first game of the year, first time for a lot of them in a Cal uniform. So it's an exciting time.
