Cal plays Buffs with eye on first Pac-12 win
BERKELEY >> Only the oldest of Old Blues endured a Cal football season where the Bears lost more close games than they already have through the first half of this year’s schedule.
The Bears (1-5, 0-3 Pac12), who take on Colorado (2-4, 1-2) on Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium, have lost four times by seven points or fewer, including an overtime defeat at Washington and a 24-17 loss at Oregon last Friday night.
It’s been 57 seasons since Cal lost more than four games by seven points or fewer. Coach Ray Willsey’s 1964 Bears lost five in that range, falling to UCLA by four points, USC and Washington by five, and Illinois and Minnesota by six. That team finished 3-7.
Cal coach Justin Wilcox understands his team gets
no bonus points for close defeats.
“The win-loss column, that’s all there is,” Wilcox said. “We are all frustrated and disappointed in the way we’ve started the season.
“There’s been opportunities in every game to win the game. Ultimately, the stat that matters is winning and losing . . . . We’ve been close. They don’t count close in wins and losses.”
Senior tight end Jake Tonges said the narrow margins at least provide evidence the Bears aren’t far from success.
“From an emotional standpoint, it’s hard losing those close games. But I guess the one thing you can take away from it is we’re not out here getting blown out. We’re playing with every team,” he said.
“We really feel like we’re a couple plays away from we could be talking about a different first half of the season. That’s encouraging. We’ve just got to figure out a way to get it done in the second half of the season and pull off some wins.”
The second half begins Saturday. Here are some keys to the Colorado game: CONTROL THE BUFFS’ RUN GAME >> Defenses have often loaded up to stop Colorado’s ground attack, unconvinced freshman quarterback Brendon Lewis can hurt them. The strategy has generally worked, as CU is averaging just 138 rushing yards per game and Jarek Broussard is providing barely 51 yards per outing a year after he had 301 yards in one game and was voted Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year.
Lewis broke out with a career-best 248 passing yards and two touchdowns last week, but the opponent was Arizona, which has now lost 18 straight games. CU averaged just 8.5 points in four previous losses, so while the Bears will respect the pass, it makes sense to focus first on defending the run.
KEEP FINDING HUNTER >> Cal’s receiving corps has players with diverse skills, and sophomore Jeremiah Hunter provides a deep threat the Bears hope to continue exploiting. He had one catch of 23 yards or longer in each of the team’s first four games then was shut out by Washington State.
But Chase Garbers found him for gains of 26, 31 and 21 yards last week at Oregon. So, seven of Hunter’s 18 receptions this season have gone for 21 yards or more.