This morning would have normally been a time to reflect on Cal's last game versus Washington, with a rewatch along with some morning coffee. That's not the case, as Cal and Washington (along with Utah and Arizona) saw their game canceled due to a positive COVID-19 test and contact tracing. That contact tracing took out Cal's entire defensive line, which made the game an impossibility for the Bears considering those restrictions.
Now, the Bears have an obstacle to face, and it's getting the guys in the contact tracing protocol, who repeatedly did not test positive for COVID-19, back to practice and ready to play.
Where the Situation Stands Now:
- Cal's defensive line is in contact tracing, the one positive is in quarantine. The Pac-12 guidelines state that a game can be ruled a no contest if teams do not have a minimum at a position (1 for QB, 7 for OL, 4 for DL), which Cal didn't due to the contact tracing
- There is the possibility of the Bears moving over offensive linemen, namely Erick Nisich, back to the defensive line (they may have already done this). This doesn't fix the situation for the Bears.
- The point of contention is the length of quarantine due to contact tracing, even with multiple negative tests. This two week recommended quarantine, starting from the last close contact with the player infected.
This situation as a whole has left players, parents, and coaches frustrated through the weekend, a situation compounded by other teams in the conference, namely Stanford, UCLA and Washington State, playing despite having multiple players out with COVID related issues (Stanford with 3, UCLA with a positive test, and Washington State with 32).
Even Justin Wilcox, who frequently refers to never getting too high or too low, was frustrated with the lack of communication between the football program and the city of Berkeley's public health department. It left the team, who set up their practices in order to avoid the 'close contact' that defines the need for contact tracing, feeling as though they were left in a no win situation.
This is an issue of communication more than anything else, as Wilcox noted that they had intermediaries between the program and the public health department. Getting more direct communication is vital for the Bears if they're going to continue to practice in Berkeley.
Whether the Bears will be able to play against Arizona State still hasn't been finalized, but should be something to look out for in the next couple of days.
On Arizona State, First Impressions:
If the Bears do play against Arizona State Saturday, they'll play against a team that has played already, one that fell to USC by way of late Trojan heroics from WR Drake London, K Parker Lewis, and QB Kedon Slovis, as ASU blew a 13-point lead with 2:59 to go.
The Sun Devils open as a 4.5 point favorite against the Bears, having taken the game in Berkeley last year by a count of 24-17. That game saw starting quarterback Chase Garbers break his collarbone, an injury that drastically changed the timbre of Cal's season.
Arizona State comes in with a sophomore in Jayden Daniels who excelled in 2019, new coordinators on each side in Zak Hill on offense and Marvin Lewis and Antonio Pierce on defense.
The ASU offense had Hill's hallmarks Saturday, with a ton of shifting and presnap motion. They had a handful of rotations at wideout (six different WRs took reps, senior WR Frank Darby did get injured), tight end (five different players at TE/H-Back, with Curtis Hodges on the field over 90% of the time) and RB (mainly two RBs in Chip Trayanum and Rachaad White, with a couple reps for Daniyel Ngata). ASU did run through a couple options at right guard with both Ladarius Henderson (4 QB pressures allowed, including two sacks) and Stanford transfer Henry Hattis (1 QB pressure allowed) struggling, per Pro Football Focus.
The ASU defense was opportunistic in forcing four turnovers, along with two more turnovers on downs. The defensive line, led by Michael Matus, Jermaine Lole and Tyler Johnson, had success in rushing the passer (16 QB pressures between those three), while safety Evan Fields forced two of the three fumbles. Lewis brings some of the scheme he ran with the Cincinnati Bengals with him, running a handful of twists and sending late pressure from the weakside of the defense. Merlin Robertson also impressed, as the linebacker had a diving interception in the redzone to keep points off the board.
Arizona State did wear down a bit, facing 97 total plays on defense as opposed to the 65 they got on offense. There is plenty of talent on the ASU roster, with Daniels being the ringleader of the group. One thing Daniels didn't do Saturday was throw the ball deep, only attempting two passes over 20 yards (both incomplete) out of his 23 attempts. He did complete every attempt when he wasn't blitzed, going 4-4 for 79 yards and a TD on those attempts.
The run game did garner 7.7 yards per carry, in part due to Trayanum, White, and Daniels, whose scrambling prolonged a number of drives for the Sun Devils (6 scrambles for 73 yards, along with 3 carries for 51 yards on designed runs). With the uncertainty around Cal's defensive line (and the possibility of guys not being as physically ready due to having to quarantine, this could be a place to watch for, so long as the game gets played.
For now, the wait is on for the Bears to work something out in order to play Saturday.
