Notre Dame’s Opponents: Cal’s offensive struggles continue to undermine quality defense

Descriptions of Cal have not changed much in the last few years. “If the Bears have an offense …” starts most sentences that were meant as compliments.

It has been a consistent concern for head coach Justin Wilcox, struggling to recruit the playmakers needed to elevate a program. Yet, he turned down a reported job offer from Oregon, his alma mater, and instead signed an extension in Berkeley this offseason.

In five seasons leading Cal, Wilcox is a respectable 26-28, but beneath the surface of that record, the problems quickly become clear. Wilcox is only 15-25 in conference games. For that matter, the Bears have not had a winning record in a season of conference play since 2009, going 34-69 in those 12 years.

Why did UCLA and USC so gladly leave behind Cal and Stanford as they jumped to the Big Ten? In part because they left them behind long ago on the field.

2021 REVIEWCal has one of the five-worst rosters, talent-wise, in the Pac-12, and it did last year, too. The teams below and around the Bears have all endured coaching instability, but Wilcox’s job has remained secure throughout his tenure. Finishing 5-7 last season did not change that, especially since the Bears were competitive in five of those seven losses, going 0-5 in one-score games.

Pac-12 football average roster talent 2021-22 pic.twitter.com/POG6INHkCS

— hythloday almond (@hythloday1) May 12, 2022

One of those losses came against woeful Arizona despite Cal’s defense giving up only 10 points. Losing on that kind of afternoon is difficult, but it becomes borderline understandable when three offensive linemen and the starting quarterback are held out due to health and safety protocols.

The only Power Five team to need to move a game in 2021 due to COVID