Cal: Wilcox fine-tuning program, with his eye focused on bowl bid
After losing three games by a combined seven points last season, no detail is being ignored this year.
Seriously, nothing is considered trivial.
Cal head football coach Justin Wilcox got body wash for the locker-room showers when the players said they weren’t happy with the soap, and when he was alerted that the water being dispensed in the team dining room was lukewarm, he provided a new machine.
“Having a head coach who is not above any small job is awesome,” senior running back Patrick Laird said. “The players love it. We feel like
we’re treated really well, and you want to play hard for a guy like that.”
Plus, it drives home one of the major points Wilcox has been making since he arrived before last season, intent on transforming the program: “It all matters. … I want to provide for them and give them everything they need. But then, the expectations are just sky high.”
Cal has its sights on qualifying for a bowl game for just the second time in a seven-year span, but first the Bears know they’ll have to answer some questions in training camp, which opens Friday.
Who’s the quarterback?
Junior Ross Bowers started every game for Cal last season, going 5-7 while completing 59 percent of his passes for 3,039 yards, with 18 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. His experience and command of the offense give him huge advantages over senior Chase Forest, transfer Brandon McIlwain and redshirt freshman Chase Garbers, but there’s still plenty of competition for the starting role.
“Everything is probably on the table,” Wilcox said. “… I honestly wouldn’t rule out anything at this point.”
How does Cal create a vertical passing game?
The Bears are solid with the returns of possession receivers Vic Wharton III and Kanawai Noa, who combined for 123 catches and 1,659 receiving yards last season. But they’ll have to find somebody to provide a deep threat now that speedy Demetris Robertson has transferred to Georgia.
Jordan Duncan, Jeremiah Hawkins and Nikko Remigio will get plenty of chances in camp to prove that they can make plays down the field, and offensive coordinator Beau Baldwin might get creative with a suddenly stacked group of tight ends and using Laird as a receiver out of the backfield.
Will Year 2 see a jump or a slump?
In their Berkeley debuts, Wilcox and coordinator Tim DeRuyter helped Cal improve in 14 of the 15 primary defensive statistics tracked by the NCAA — most important, trimming opponents’ scoring from 42.6 points per game to 28.4.
The defense returns 13 players who combined for 89 starts last season, including 11 of the top 14 tacklers. Gone, however, are dynamic linebacker Devante Downs, vocal leader Raymond Davison and dependable defensive linemen James Looney and Tony Mekari.
Can they still be special?
With the graduation of Matt Anderson, who scored a school-career-record 316 points, and Dylan Klumpf having transferred to Arizona, the Bears are looking for a kicker and a punter. Steven Coutts was a Ray Guy semifinalist for punting at Louisiana in 2016, but the competition at placekicker is wide open.
Of the placekickers, redshirt freshman Chris Landgrebe and sophomore Gabe Siemieniec seemed to seesaw on the spot this spring, and City College of San Francisco transfer Greg Thomas will join the competition during training camp.
What will it take to win the close ones?
The Bears lost a one-point game in double overtime to Arizona and got edged by a field goal by both Stanford and UCLA last season. They’ve spent the offseason trying to figure out how to finish such nail-biters and believe they’ve defined what makes for a winning culture.
“Part of those losses were some culture things. Those were cultures wins for them and culture losses for us. We really take that to heart,” Laird said. “We’re a program focusing on culture, focusing on accountability, focusing on the little details and doing the right things.
“Sustained effort will give us sustained success.”