Looks like Cal is showing a bit of its true colors these last two weeks, losing to both Utah and UCLA on the road. These are decent opponents, but Cal has lost in sort of its now typical manner under this coaching regime. The defense is downright bad, and Cal becomes one dimensional.
I watched both games, and Utah played absolutely horrific and still beat Cal thanks to some timely turn-overs. However, you could see Utah was struggling in that game and failed on numerous occasions to put Cal away. Cal was in it until the last possession only because Utah let them stick around. I think this is what odds makers saw when they made SC favorites last week against Utah. That being said, Utah still moved the ball well against Cal and forced Goff to look fairly average.
UCLA really did a number on Cal. Cal's pass defense was horrendous, and UCLA picked Cal apart time and time again. UCLA rushed well, but got so much in the air, that the running game was almost an afterthought, albeit unintentionally. UCLA still ran for well over 5 yards per carry.
I think SC sticks with the balanced approach here because you can move the ball fairly easily on the ground and in the air against this Cal group. Points should not be too tough to come by. The trick is our defense. Goff looked very average against both Utah and UCLA, throwing a bunch of pics against Utah and getting sacked 5 times by UCLA. Cal is very different than Utah, and our defensive approach will be different too. I imagine we will be in nickel the entire game, so Adoree will have to play defense.
This game worries me some because Wilcox has shown he just doesn't like taking chances. With Cal spreading the field and having a seasoned and talented QB, I worry Wilcox will crawl back into his "rush 4 every down box" and not take the same aggressive approach he used against Utah, when we saw a lot of early down blitzing and even CB blitzes.
That being said, I just don't see enough defense from Cal to stop us consistently, and I predict a 7-10 point victory over an improved, but still D deficient Cal group.
I watched both games, and Utah played absolutely horrific and still beat Cal thanks to some timely turn-overs. However, you could see Utah was struggling in that game and failed on numerous occasions to put Cal away. Cal was in it until the last possession only because Utah let them stick around. I think this is what odds makers saw when they made SC favorites last week against Utah. That being said, Utah still moved the ball well against Cal and forced Goff to look fairly average.
UCLA really did a number on Cal. Cal's pass defense was horrendous, and UCLA picked Cal apart time and time again. UCLA rushed well, but got so much in the air, that the running game was almost an afterthought, albeit unintentionally. UCLA still ran for well over 5 yards per carry.
I think SC sticks with the balanced approach here because you can move the ball fairly easily on the ground and in the air against this Cal group. Points should not be too tough to come by. The trick is our defense. Goff looked very average against both Utah and UCLA, throwing a bunch of pics against Utah and getting sacked 5 times by UCLA. Cal is very different than Utah, and our defensive approach will be different too. I imagine we will be in nickel the entire game, so Adoree will have to play defense.
This game worries me some because Wilcox has shown he just doesn't like taking chances. With Cal spreading the field and having a seasoned and talented QB, I worry Wilcox will crawl back into his "rush 4 every down box" and not take the same aggressive approach he used against Utah, when we saw a lot of early down blitzing and even CB blitzes.
That being said, I just don't see enough defense from Cal to stop us consistently, and I predict a 7-10 point victory over an improved, but still D deficient Cal group.
