Cal football: QB problem is one of “8,000 things” for Coach Justin Wilcox to fix
Cal’s play at quarterback remains an unresolved issue heading into next Saturday’s home game against Arizona State.
But when Justin Wilcox and his coaching staff evaluate the Bears’ latest performance — a 59-32 loss at No. 8 Washington on Saturday night — that won’t be the only issue they hope to address.
“There’s going to be 8,000 things,” Wilcox said, perhaps only exaggerating a bit. “We’re going to look for the things we can build upon. It’s hard to see those right now.”
Cal (2-2) opened its final season in the Pac-12 with a resounding thud. The Bears, headed to the Atlantic Coast Conference next fall, were down 14-0 before Washington had even taken an offensive snap. They gave up a 45-yard pick-six by linebacker Edefaun Ulofoshio on their first possession, then an 83-yard punt return for a touchdown by Rome Odunze after their second time with the ball.
“It’s as bad a start in a game I’ve ever been a part of,” linebacker Jackson Sirmon said.
“We couldn’t gain any momentum,” Wilcox said.
Fueled by 17 points off three Ben Finley interceptions, the Huskies (4-0 1-0) led 45-12 at halftime. They were up 40 points after scoring on their first possession of the third quarter.
By the time it was over, the Bears had allowed the most points in seven seasons under Wilcox.
Finley remained in the game until limping off with 2:50 to go in the third quarter after UW had a 95-yard interception return wiped out by a personal foul facemask penalty. The North Carolina State transfer held his lower back and slammed his helmet to the turf in frustration as he entered the medical tent.
Sam Jackson V, a sophomore transfer from TCU, played the rest of the way and helped generate three touchdowns, albeit against different UW personnel than started the game.
Wilcox had no update on Finley’s health status.
Asked who will start against ASU, he said, “I couldn’t give you an answer right now.”
Finley finished 17 of 32 for 207 yards, with touchdowns of 7 yards to Hunter and 24 yards to ex-Husky Taj Davis. He also was intercepted three times and narrowly missed being picked off a couple more times.
Wilcox said Finley remained in the game in the second half because, mistakes aside, he was moving the team. When he went out, Jackson came on to complete 10 of 14 attempts for 156 yards with a 20-yard TD pass to Trond Grizzell, and without an interception.
“I can’t tell you we have a starting quarterback right now,” Wilcox said.
Wilcox said he believes both are capable of playing winning football.
“Sam’s a very young player and we’ve got to help him grow,” he said. “I think Ben would say tonight was not a great night for him.”
No answers on defense
The matchup vs. the nation’s most prolific passing attack was no contest. Penix looked like a legitimate Heisman Trophy contender, finding open targets everywhere on the field and completing 19 of 25 passes for 304 yards and four touchdowns before spending the fourth quarter as a spectator.
Washington generated 529 yards of offense, almost half of that courtesy of receivers Odunze and Ja’Lynn Polk, who combined for 13 receptions for 237 yards with two TD catches apiece.
“Defensively, we didn’t do much to slow them down,” Wilcox said.
Kicker woes
Michael Luckhurst, who entered the game having missed six of nine field-goal tries plus a PAT, misfired on two more PATs before being replaced by freshman Mateen Bhagani, who converted his only attempt. The two will compete at practice this week, Wilcox said.
The Sun Devils visit
Arizona State (1-3, 0-1) has its own issues, but the Sun Devils trailed No. 5 USC just 27-21 entering the fourth quarter Saturday night before falling 42-28.
“Coach Wilcox’s message, my message, the entire team’s goal is going to be to learn from this,” Sirmon said, “to remember how much it sucks and use that to get our minds right to win a football game next week.”
With six games ahead against conference rivals ranked in the AP Top 25, the Bears understand they have to be much better at every position.
“And it’s not out of reach by any means . . . We’ve seen moments of it. Tonight we didn’t see much of it at all,” Wilcox said. “This is a big, big moment for us.”