Cal struggling to find footing in 3-game skid
When Cal started practice Monday afternoon, it was 77 degrees, with blue skies as far as the eye could see.
Head coach Justin Wilcox told his team to look past what appeared to be pristine conditions in Strawberry Canyon, because the Bears are in the middle of a storm that is threatening their season.
After a 3-0 start, Cal has lost three straight games by an average of 18.3 points. Including Saturday’s 37-7 thrashing from previously winless UCLA, the Bears have committed 14 turnovers and gotten three takeaways during the three-game stretch.
“Coming into today, I think some guys were a little shook. They didn’t know exactly what we’re supposed to do at this moment,” senior outside linebacker Alex Funches said. “We’ve got to fight through it. …
“Two or three years from now, are you going to be proud of the fight you gave? Or are you going to be ashamed of the results?”
Even as Cal prepares to play at Oregon State (1-5, 0-3 Pac-12), which has lost 16 straight games against FBS opponents, it isn’t relying simply on stirring speeches to weather the storm and prompt a turnaround.
The Bears spent a portion of Monday’s video session looking at simple breakdowns in the past three games. The coaching staff spliced together video of the same plays being completed properly over and over again in practice and games to reinforce that the players can and have done this before.
They had an entire period of practice devoted to a turnover circuit, and even during the practice-closing developmental period, it was obvious that the younger players were focusing on trying to force turnovers.
“We all have to be part of the solution,” Wilcox said. “It’s easy to identify the problems. That’s really easy to do. We all have to be accountable, starting with me and every coach. Then, the players have to be accountable. We have to go perform better, and that’s the bottom line. … We’re very capable, but we have to play much cleaner. That’s on everybody in the program.
“We’re going to fight our way through it. It’ll turn. I’m absolutely convinced that it will turn.”
It didn’t turn last year. Cal went 3-0 against nonconference opponents last season, then dropped seven of nine Pac-12 games to miss bowl eligibility.
The Bears opened as a onetouchdown favorite for the game in Corvallis, probably the last time they’ll be favored to win this season after being upset in consecutive weeks. They need to win Saturday and find two more victories on the schedule to make it to the postseason for just the second time in seven years.
“You find out a lot about people in moments like this,” Wilcox said. “This is a pivotal moment for our team in a lot of ways. It’s a test of our character and who we’re going to be as a program. The only silver lining in that is, you find out who’s who.”
After Saturday’s loss, junior inside linebacker Evan Weaver apologized to fans on social media.
“You deserve better than what we are putting on the field,” he posted on Twitter. “We will make this better.”
Funches said he believes the team is better equipped to deal with the turmoil this season, saying the team is pointing thumbs instead of fingers and driving home his point by directing his thumbs at his chest.
Senior running back Patrick Laird said he doesn’t think the losing streak has anything to do with finger-pointing, bad attitudes or lack of effort. The captain said the team simply has to find a way to translate its practice performance into games.
So, does he think he’ll look back proudly on how the Bears respond to all of this?
“Yeah,” Laird said. “I hope so.” Injury updates: None of the players added to the injury report last week — quarterback Ross Bowers (thumb), safety Ashtyn Davis (concussion protocol), receiver Jordan Duncan (hand) and outside linebacker Malik Psalms (undisclosed) — has been lost for the season. Wilcox said he expects them back soon, including some possibly this week.