Bruce Jenkins: Wilcox opens new era at Cal with a bang.
reacted as if it all made sense. Cal football coach Justin Wilcox didn’t break into a dance or leap into an assistant’s arms when Vic Enwere’s 1-yard plunge with about two minutes left virtually clinched the Bears’ 35-30 victory at North Carolina on Saturday. He allowed himself merely a thin smile and a single fist-pump.
For Cal fans back home, and those who made the trip, it felt like Champagne and confetti.
The Bears were a 13point underdog, but there was no doubt as to the superior team. That alone — a season-opening victory — gives the school’s beleaguered athletic department a huge boost. But there was considerable pressure on Wilcox to make everyone forget about the Sonny Dykes era and reveal an entirely new approach, just as quickly as possible.
Consider it done. The Bears played tough, they looked intimately familiar with a new system, and they turned in huge defensive plays when it counted. With Weber State up next, in Cal’s home opener, a 2-0 record seems likely. The Bears could even make it 3-0 with a home date against Ole Miss, which is reeling from the July resignation of head coach Hugh Freeze and recruiting violations that have shackled the football program, including a ban from postseason play.
Sure, that’s getting ahead of the game, but who can blame Cal followers for some unbridled early optimism? And how about Wilcox, sorting through a crowd of untested quarterbacks to make absolutely the right call on Ross Bowers?
The final seconds did not unfold properly for Cal. The Bears’ defensive backs became rudely aggressive with the Tar Heels’ desperate attempt to make the score more respectable, to the point where cornerback Camryn Bynum blatantly tackled wide receiver Austin Proehl for a passinterference violation, setting up Chazz Surratt’s 1-yard touchdown run. For a Cal team in dire need of defensive presHe ence, 24 points allowed sounds better than 30.
Still, such things amount to insignificance after a big win. The truth is that Wilcox, the son of storied 49ers linebacker Dave Wilcox, brings a defensive mentality long missing at Cal.
That’s the only way the Bears can make a dent in the Pac-12 Conference, and there were big plays all over the field, notably from cornerbacks Bynum and Marloshawn Franklin Jr., safety Derron Brown (big interception in the third quarter) and senior inside linebacker Devante Downs, who had 13 tackles, an interception and a forced fumble.
On the offensive end, it was all about depth. With wide receiver Demetrius Robertson struggling to get open, Vic Wharton had a huge day with five receptions for 156 yards, including a 43-yard play that set up the clinching touchdown. Jordan Veasy combined a diving catch (for a first down) with a leaping touchdown grab for a 7-0 lead. Patrick Laird, a backup running back, scored on the 54yard pass play that put the Bears ahead, 21-17.
It was also about Wilcox’s willingness to take a gamble or two. Early in the fourth quarter, Wilcox went for it on a 4th-and-1 from just outside midfield, and cashed in. Later in that drive, on another 4thand-1, he surprised the Tar Heels by having Bowers throw a feathery pass in the flat to 285-pound secret weapon Malik McMorris, who rumbled for 18 yards and a first down.
Bowers certainly wasn’t perfect, dropping a shotgun snap and throwing two interceptions, but here’s what Wilcox, his staff and every teammate will remember: In the second quarter, after unloading a pass, Bowers took a vicious, helmet-tohelmet hit from defensive tackle Jalen Dalton, who drew a targeting call and was ejected. It looked disastrous, the type of hit that could shelve a quarterback indefinitely.
Bowers didn’t miss a down. On the next play, he got clobbered by defensive tackle Aaron Crawford as he released a pass that hit Wharton in stride down the left sideline for a 67yard touchdown. That brought the Bears’ bench to life and cut UNC’s lead to 17-14 at halftime.
There was much more to come. Early in the third quarter, Bowers looked ripe for a sack by defensive end Tomon Fox. But the quarterback scrambled to his left, threw off-balance and hit Laird for the 54yard score. And on the play that gave Cal a 28-24 lead, it was a 20-yard bullet to Jordan Duncan — again, as Bowers was drilled to the ground.
Now, if only the Bears could get those numbers straight. It was awkward enough to have all three captains wearing No. 9: wide receiver Kanawai Noa, defensive end James Looney and placekicker Matt Anderson. (Can’t anyone stop this dreadful trend that spreads throughout the collegiate game?) Then there was the sight of the two Hawkinses, Jeremiah and the injured Jaylinn (his nephew), each wearing No. 6 as they left the field.
But, again, it all gets lost in the thrills and hilarity of a Cal victory. For all they care, all of the Bears can wear No. 137 at Memorial Stadium next week. There’s a long road back to true respectability, but it feels like a new day.