All in all, we love a stress free win on a beautiful day in Berkeley. 

The Bears got off to a slow start. With three minutes left in the first half… Cal led just 3 – 0. 

This could have been a scary moment, but by that point it was clear we had exhausted their front seven and would be able to dominate the line of scrimmage in the second half. 

Golden Bears win 35-3. 

JKS comes back down to earth:

Coaches agreed our 19 year old leader let the moment get to him this week. 

JKS showed no signs of jitters in his college football debut against Oregon State. The first throw he made was not a great one, but our receiver went up and made a play on the ball. From there, he sunk in and played four quarters of near-perfect football. 

After week one he was PFF’s #1 highest rated QB, but what really impressed Twitter and the talking heads was his poise and calm. 

That poise and calm thrust him into the national spotlight, but in week two, the moment did get to him.  

He looked eager to prove people right. He tried to take over the game instead of letting the game come to him. 

• At Oregon State he started 9-for-9 with two touchdowns. 
• Against Texas Southern he started 0-for-4 with two three-and-outs. 

To his credit, he then settled in and completed 26 of his remaining 33 passes (78% completion) and rushed for a TD. He threw one interception that was not his fault. Our right tackle let a defensive end through effectively untouched. JKS made the read quickly and adjusted his arm angle to avoid deflection, but unfortunately (per Bear Insider podcast) WR Kyion Grayes did not settle into the zone as he should have. The result: a tip and pick. 

Keep an eye on the right tackle.

It’s a relief to have the spotlight off our young QB. He can’t be happy with his play in Week Two, but luckily it was against an FCS opponent and we still got a W.  I’m looking forward to seeing how he bounces back. Let’s hope we see a balanced, calm and controlled JKS this Saturday against Minnesota. 

Wide Receivers: 

This group needs an intervention. They did a decent job of gaining separation in the second half against a terrible team, but I do not have faith in their ability to get open against Minnesota. 

There were three true drops… Four if you count the bad route that led to an interception. Veteran leader and sure-handed punt returner, Jacob De Jesus, dropped TWO. One was on 3rd and 7. I don’t have the answer here. This group just needs to step up.

Fingers crossed. 

Run Game: 

The first quarter was ugly for our Offensive Line. We failed to get a push and found no success between the tackles. Eventually, we overpowered and exhausted Texas Southern. By the middle of the second quarter it was clear we would be able to run the ball all afternoon if we wanted to. 

RBs were effective and showed some explosion. #1 Kendrick Raphael, who looked like the best back in Week One, ended up getting the bulk of the carries after Brandon High fumbled early. He rushed for 122 yards and a touchdown. 

Week one we ran a true committee: 

• Brandon High: 10 carries 
• Kendrick Raphael: 9 carries 
• LJ Johnson: 8 carries  

Now, it looks like we now have our starter:

• Kendrick Raphael: 17 carries 
• Brandon High: 5 carries 
• LJ Johnson: 3 carries 

Given our depth at OL and RB, this group should continue to improve throughout the season. 

Good Week for the Defense: 

The Defensive Line continues to look strong. They pressured the QB and stopped the run comfortably. Texas Southern running backs totaled just 22 yards on 15 carries. 

The coaching staff critiqued our pass rushers’ lack of discipline. We were winning one-on-ones but failed to stay in our rushing lanes. This allowed the QB to escape the pocket, rush for 30 yards, and complete several chunk plays down the field. 

Those plays accounted for ~150 of their total 192 yards. 

Wilcox did not complain much about tackling, but I saw plenty of room for improvement. 

More Amazing Defensive Backs? 

#5 Zeke Masses spends a lot of time in front of the camera. He has two interceptions on the season and should have three (one pick-6 was called back). He is lightning fast and always seems to be in the right place at the right time. 

#4 Brent Austin is the unsung hero. He has been a lockdown corner… Granted, not against the strongest competition. His PFF score of 84.6 makes him the second highest ranked CB in the nation. 

Masses is just behind him, ranked 4th among DBs. 

Will Cal continue its recent trend of developing elite talent in the secondary? 

Cade Targeting: 

The low-light of the game was a targeting call on Cade Uluave in the second half, which disqualifies him from the first half against Minnesota. A huge loss for the Bears. Luckily, his backup is seasoned BYU transfer, Harrison Taggart, who started all 12 games last year. 

Minnesota Preview: 

The Gophers have the nation’s highest ranked defense, primarily because they forced four turnovers last week. They are big, fast and athletic. Look out for their edge rusher #0. 

Their offense was unstoppable against ‘Northwestern State Demons’, but they struggled to score against the ‘Buffalo Bulls’… Squeaking out a 23-10 win. That gives me confidence that we can get stops.

Their QB looks fine. He makes good throws to the sidelines when he escapes the pocket. He has an ok deep ball. He is big and strong but not super mobile.

The biggest question… Can we hang with these guys in the trenches? Very hard to tell. I think we are big and strong enough, but the Big Ten is the Big Ten.

I see us struggling to run the ball between the tackles early. It may take the OL a few possessions to get used to a higher level of competition, but they should rise to the occasion. 

Minnesota cornerbacks are not great, but I still think they will shut down our receivers on the outside forcing JKS to go through his reads and check the ball down to the tight ends and slot man Jacob De Jesus. If we can establish the run, we will score points. Thank God we have a real, proven offensive coordinator in Bryan Harsin. 

Expect Cal defense to come out FIRING in the first half, motivated by their captain Cade Uluave being sidelined. Minnesota’s run game will be a true test for our front seven. I have faith that we can keep them in check and force them to take to the air.

Then we will see if our defensive backs deserve their PFF ratings.

Prediction: 

This Minnesota football team could be good… But I do not think Cal should be an underdog at home in this matchup.

We love playing a team coming of a 66 -0 victory.

And we love that the second half will start after midnight Minnesota time.

That’s just 7:00pm in Honolulu 🤙