Author: moepea

I like lilacs, mist and cold air.

Made Baskets And Turnovers: Cal Runs Past Grambling 86-63 Despite 26 Turnovers

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–Coach Charmin Smith needs her Cal team to clean up their ball handling and cut down on the turnovers. But on Wednesday, Smith scheduled Grambling, a conundrum disguised as a basketball team that lives and breathes by forcing their opponents to cough up the ball.

The result: an 86-63 win for the hosts, but the Bears committed 26 turnovers, which set off alarms inside Haas Pavilion.

“We have to take better care of the ball,” Smith admitted. “We know that. We’re living dangerously right now. We have to clean it up.”

The Bears are 5-0 with a signature win at Gonzaga. As a testament to how well they’ve played overall, the Bears have spent every second of their five second halves so far with at least a 10-point lead. That’s noticeable and impressive enough to capture ESPN Bracketology’s attention, which projects the Bears as an NCAA qualifier as a No. 11 seed.

Of course, the season is young, and bigger tests are on the immediate horizon, starting with Auburn’s visit to Berkeley on Friday night. Following Auburn, the Bears  will see Michigan State and either Arizona or Vanderbilt in Palm Springs. All three schools are also projected as NCAA teams, meaning the jockeying for postseason position starts now.

What Smith liked was just as apparent as the unsightly turnovers: a five-minute stretch in the third quarter in which Cal made eight 3-pointers. That ballooned Cal’s 13-point lead to a 67-41 advantage that effectively ended the visiting Tigers upset aspirations.

Lulu Twidale led Cal with 19 points, a total boosted by her efficient 4 for 7 shooting from distance. Marta Suarez added 16, Ioanna Krimili had 15, and freshman post Gabrielle Abigor scored 11 on 4 for 4 shooting.

Kahia Warmsley led Grambling with 16 points, and Douthshine Prien and Lydia Freeman had 10 each. The Tigers were the SWAC regular season champions last season, winning 23 games. Coach Courtney Simmons concedes that her group, with 10 new faces this season, doesn’t shoot it well, but they do commit to a tremendous amount of defensive activity across all 94 feet, which explains how they succeed in the SWAC. But against Cal, the disparity in made threes (12-1 for Cal) and 32 percent shooting for the Tigers made for a lopsided result.

“If you research and do your homework on this, we probably shot 30 something percent last year and won 23 games,” Simmons said. “The key to the way we play is to rebound the basketball. In this system, there’s no such thing as a bad shot. We don’t go out and recruit kids that can only shoot the basketball. I recruit athletes to give the kids that can shoot the ball a little bit of problems.”

Simmons, intently dissecting the numbers with a scoresheet in hand, conceded that her Tigers fell short of 30 offensive rebounds, their average which leads the nation. Grambling managed “just” 19 o-boards, which wasn’t enough to compensate for their poor shooting.

“It’s the discipline factor. It’s not finding the shooters in transition, which was the same thing that happened to us at Tulane (in their previous game),” she said.

Auburn, a physical, defensive-minded group as well, arrives on Friday in a rematch of last season’s meeting in Alabama that went to Cal, 67-53 with Suarez scoring 27 points.

Syracuse Comes West To Bear Hunt In Capturing 33-25 Win Over Cal

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–Coach Fran Brown’s preparation–for the post-game press conference–was flawless.

Accordingly, his Syracuse football team was best prepared to counter Cal’s momentum, built off consecutive wins, and took control of what could have been a tight game early.

“I was with coach (Kirby) Smart, and he told me, ‘we will not be hunted,'” Brown said. “And I told the team before the game, ‘we will not be hunted. We do the hunt.’ I’m not walking out here, scared.”

Not scared, and not preoccupied with tough results versus Boston College and Pitt, Syracuse surprised the Bears early and held on for a 33-25 road win. Cal’s bowl aspirations were put on hold with the loss, as was their path out of the cellar of the ACC standings.

For the first time in a season of jarring results, Cal was beaten from start to finish, with little to say had one or two plays gone their way.

Fernando Mendoza was intercepted twice in the first quarter, and the tone was set. Mendoza’s game shrunk, and the confidence on the visitor’s sideline grew.

“You can’t turn over the ball like that… It was my worst turnover game of the season by far, and [it] just simply was not my day,” Mendoza said.

“To start fast and get up early, that was big. And both sides of the ball did it,” Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord said.

McCord triggered a quick passing attack and effective run game to the extent that Cal’s defense was gassed early. Play action pass plays were especially successful as the Orange led 13-0 and extended that lead to 27-7 at halftime. McCord and the offense racked up 299 yards in offense in the first half, while skillfully navigating away from Cal’s defensive playmakers.

“We certainly were outplayed today. There’s no doubt about that,” coach Justin Wilcox said. “I don’t see anything we did very well.”

Two lengthy run plays highlighted Cal’s attack with Jaivian Thomas’ 75-yard dash trimming Syracuse’s lead to 13-7 in the second quarter. On Cal’s first offensive snap of the fourth, Jadyn Ott broke free for 53 yards. But that drive stalled, and Cal could only cut the deficit to 30-17 after Ryan Coe converted a 44-yard field goal with 12:43 remaining.

Jackson Kennedy’s 32-yard field goal capped a 13-play Syracuse drive that effectively ended Cal’s afternoon by taking a chunk of the time remaining. Mendoza connected with Jonathan Brady on a five-yard TD pass, but Cal failed to regain possession with a successful onside kick in the final minute.

In his first year at Syracuse after a fulfilling season with Georgia as defensive backs coach in which the Bulldogs won the National Championship and Brown was named the #1 national recruiter by 24/7 Sports, Brown’s Orange have been confident despite mixed results on the field. Their damaging loss at Pittsburgh on October 24 was a nationally-televised embarrassment, but Brown refused to reference it after beating Cal.

Instead, the ebullient Brown celebrated Cal’s picturesque campus, stated his respect for Wilcox, and his team’s emphasis on limiting Nyziah Hunter (three catches for 42 yards) and not getting victimized by Bears’ cornerback Nohl Williams. With all boxes checked regarding Syracuse’s first visit to Berkeley since 1968, Brown concluded by celebrating himself.

“I should have let y’all hear my song,” Brown said before powering up his hand-held, Bluetooth speaker cued to Lil Durk’s “100 Grand,” a reference to his disclosure that to his wife’s dismay, he doesn’t shower after losses.

“Smelling like a hundred racks,” Brown mimicked confidently.

Williams Sparks Cal Women to Statement 86-65 Win at Gonzaga

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(picture courtesy of Colin Mulvany, The Spokesman-Review)

By Morris Phillips

Kayla Williams has already been in the right place before… twice.

On Thursday at Gonzaga, Williams was the embodiment of the right place (at the right time) again.

The graduate transfer from USC put up 25 points, six assists, four steals, and Cal never trailed in an 86-65 win at Gonzaga. The Bears improved to 4-0, and now have their initial statement victory for NCAA Tournament consideration.

Lulu Twidale had 18 points, Ioanna Krimili added 17, and Marta Suarez scored 14 while holding Zags standout Maud Huijbens to 0 of 6 shooting. Williams sprinted up the floor right before halftime and sank a long 3-pointer at the buzzer to put Cal up 13. With 25 seconds remaining in the third quarter, Williams struck again from distance to put Cal up 19, entering the fourth.

The Bears shot 58 percent from the floor for the game after starting 13 of 20 through the first 13 minutes of play.  Gonzaga uncharacteristically committed 24 turnovers.

“We have these inexperienced guards that are handling the ball a lot, and they’ve (the Bears) got some good defenders,” coach Lisa Fortier said. “Some of them were forced, but other times too, we were a bit casual.”

Yvonne Ejim, the Canadian Olympian, didn’t score her first basket until 26 seconds remained in the first quarter, with Gonzaga already trailing by double digits. Cal’s center Michelle Onyiah played Ejim physically throughout and temporarily forced the Zags’ leading scorer to initiate her offense at the free throw line and back. Ejim finished with 27 points, eight rebounds, but only her first two baskets briefly shaved Cal’s lead to single digits. Ejim’s subsequent six baskets and ten made free throws all came with Cal leading comfortably.

“We are going to get turnovers because we’re trying to make the right reads,” Ejim said. “They’re there. We’re just not connecting. That just takes time.”

The Bears frustrated the home team’s starters with physical defense that left Gonzaga tentative and forced seven turnovers in the initial surge. The Zags’ new backcourt in place of the graduated and departed Truong sisters played well eventually, but went into the third quarter struggling to get Ejim the ball consistently.

Ines Bettencourt’s misdirected pass into the post bounced out of bounds, followed by a three-second violation as Ejim couldn’t shed Onyiah in a third quarter sequence that left the home team’s leading scorer visibly frustrated. Again, Ejim recovered, but after the game’s outcome was cemented.

Natalia Ackerman provided one of the two made baskets from Cal’s bench, but she did so adroitly, reaching behind herself to grab a pass, then turning 180 degrees toward the basket to lay it in. Ackerman’s third quarter basket put Cal up 50-38.

“Taking care of the ball and the way that we can shoot and score the ball definitely were strengths of ours,” coach Charmin Smith said. “On the defensive end, to force them into 24 turnovers is huge and bodes well for where we’re trying to head defensively and thinking about defending ACC teams.”

Williams began her career at UC Irvine, where she was Big West Freshman of the year with a career-best 32 points in January 2021 and first-team all-conference as a sophomore. She transferred to USC and helped lead the Women of Troy to their first NCAA appearance under coach Lindsay Gottlieb. But after starting all 31 games that season, Juju Watkins’ arrival relegated the 5’7″ guard to the bench in her senior season.

That demotion was Williams’ impetus for pursuing a graduate season at Cal, where she has regained her superior play immediately. She was 9 of 12 from floor against Gonzaga and a defensive pest in the Zags’ passing lanes.

The Bears attempt to stay unbeaten on Wednesday when Grambling visits Haas Pavilion at 7:00pm.

Ejim, Gonzaga The Opening Acts In Cal’s Opponent Showcase

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By Morris Phillips

One after another, accomplished players and talented teams cross paths with the Cal Bears, starting Thursday night at Gonzaga.

Canadian Olympian Yvonne Ejim and the Zags are up first, on the occasion of their first game following a lopsided loss at Stanford that dropped Gonzaga out of the Top 25 national rankings after one week of the season. The Zags scored four points in the first quarter, and lost by 31 to Stanford, who essentially switched places with their non-conference rival in the national polls.

Two seasons ago, Gonzaga registered an 18-point win over Stanford that stands as their best in program history, with the Cardinal then ranked 3rd nationally. Now the Zags are looking for a quick rebound and a return to grace, and Ejim, on track to become the leading scorer in Gonzaga history later this season, is the barometer for that effort. Once again, Cal occupies the unenviable spot as the team that must face a quality team one game after they were knocked around by Stanford.

Coach Charmin Smith knows her Bears need to be ready, especially early in the game on Thursday in a loud environment in Spokane. But the themes and motivations aren’t Smith’s concerns, better defense and offensive consistency from her group are. But after three, easy wins by an average of 37 points, Smith and Cal sense the urgency of their first road trip.

“We need to make a statement of our own,” she said.

Last season in Berkeley, the Bears let Gonzaga escape with a 78-70 win in overtime, after the hosts led most of the first half, and regained several leads in the fourth quarter. That Cal team needed bench support that was lacking with Ioanna Krimili out injured, and Michelle Onyiah limited by foul trouble. Marta Suarez and Cal’s departed backcourt of Leilani McIntosh and McKayla Williams all played at least 43 of the 45 minutes that day, and the Bears wilted late and were outscored 13-5 in the overtime period.

Cal has Krimili, in her 5th year, this time, along with experienced, transfer guards, Kayla Williams (USC), Jayda Noble (Washington) and capable freshman Lola Donez and Zahra King. The Zags are trying to find their hyper pace in the absence of graduated twins Kaylynne and Kayleigh Truong. New starters Claire O’Connor and UConn transfer Ines Bettencourt aren’t as swift as the Truong twins and that in turn limits Ejim’s effectiveness in transition, where she excels.

“We have to stop her in transition,” Smith said of limiting Ejim. “We can’t let her get easy baskets. And at the other end, we have to make her guard.”

The Bears will play as many as 13 teams this season that currently have a place in the Top 25 or in the next group of 10 to 15 that are getting votes. Stanford is the only one of the 13 that Cal will play twice, so scouting and preparedness will be crucial in all of these meetings. Cal may have an idea what to expect from Ejim, who was limited to 12 points against Stanford, a point total she’s exceeded in 36 of her last 39 games. But they need to be up to speed on O’Connor and Bettencourt, along with Maud Huijbens, who played just 19 minutes against Cal last season, but will likely play more than 30 on Thursday.

Natalia Ackerman, who decided to continue her college basketball career only a month before school started, is Cal’s secret weapon. In her first three games at Cal, after four, injury-plagued years at Cal Poly, Ackerman has 22 points, 18 rebounds, five steals and three blocks in just 33 minutes on the floor. Matched against inexperienced reserves, she’s thrived, doing a little of everything for Cal as their biggest threat outside their starting five. Smith said, she’s not surprised as Ackerman’s return to form followed her health returning in the off-season when she debated whether she wanted to play for a fifth season.

Smith said she’s reluctant to restrict any of her shooters outside of Krimili and Lulu Twidale, who have combined to start the season a scorching 23 of 45 shooting from 3-point distance. The rest of the Bears are 11 of 38, 29 percent, but have provided the Bears with the desired spacing on offense that creates driving lanes to the basket. It’s Smith’s belief that the other shooters will become more efficient as the season progresses.

“The more threes,’ the merrier,” Smith said.

Cal Women Use Physicality, Pace To Wear Down Host San Jose State in 82-53 Win

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By Morris Phillips

SAN JOSE–The depth of talented teams in women’s college basketball is quite noticeable in the season following the Angel Reese/Caitlin Clark supernova that elevated the sport to new levels of visibility.

For Cal’s women, that means the Top 40 is the new Top 25. Most of Cal’s biggest opponents this season currently reside in the Associated Press “vote getting” group just outside the first 25. It’s that group Cal wants to join for the purpose of seizing their first NCAA Tournament berth since 2019.

The quest has begun in earnest as the Bears completed a 3-0 opening week by beating host San Jose State, 82-53, on Saturday afternoon. Coach Charmin Smith wants a physical group defensively that also plays with pace offensively without turning the ball over. Smith admits it’s a dense mix.

“I think this was the lowest in turnovers for us to only have eight,” Smith said. “And they’re a really aggressive team, so we made some strides there. We know we need to be better with taking care of the ball, so we’re just taking steps to keep moving towards who we want to be ultimately.”

Cal’s wins against SJSU, Idaho, and St. Mary’s came with an average margin of victory of 37 points, which immediately catches the attention of the pollsters. But a win on Thursday at Gonzaga, currently in that group following the Top 25, would mean more, a sign that the Bears belong.

In that group are future opponents Miami, Michigan State, Georgia Tech, Syracuse, likely Thanksgiving opponent Vanderbilt and Stanford, who Cal plays twice. In addition, Cal plays No. 24 Alabama of the SEC, and six ACC conference opponents that are ranked as high as No. 6 Notre Dame and as low as No. 19 Florida State with North Carolina State, Louisville, North Carolina, and Duke in between.

Spartans coach April Jackson admitted that Cal went further in approaching their goals than her group did on Saturday. San Jose State trailed 15-3, 23-13 after the first quarter, 40-22 and 51-28 at halftime. The third quarter was even more lopsided as SJSU made just two baskets and scored six points. With Cal emptying their bench in the fourth, the Spartans won that 10-minute stretch, 19-12.

“Cal’s a good basketball team,” Jackson said. “They’re coming off a really good season and obviously returning a lot of key pieces. I don’t want to dismiss that they are a very talented team. But I think it was a good test for us to get an opportunity to see the level of physicality that we can face down the line. So I think it was a really good opportunity for us. We played a full game, we came back in that second half and actually competed. And when you get faced with that type of adversity to finish the last 10 minutes strong and together is always a positive sign.”

Ioanna Krimili led Cal with 18 points, Kayla Williams had 16, and Lulu Twidale added 14. Michelle Onyiah had eight points, 10 rebounds, and graduate transfer Natalia Ackerman was a beehive of activity with eight points, seven rebounds, one assist, one block in only 13 minutes on the floor.

Finau Tonga was the only SJSU player to score in double figures with 12. The Spartans’ defense was largely ineffective as they forced just eight turnovers and committed 23 fouls. That led to Cal converting 21 of 25 from the foul line.

First ACC Win For Cal: Bears Survive A Shootout At Wake Forest, Win 46-36

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By Morris Phillips

Fernando Mendoza’s late fourth quarter dash for 24 yards came with a pair of Cal companions that were poised to escort their quarterback the remaining 16 yards to paydirt.

Then Mendoza tackled himself.

If you know Cal’s recent history regarding late game collapses, it made complete sense. Mendoza popped up and signaled the next play to his teammates, a couple of whom looked stunned. Mendoza’s reasoning was a narrow 3-point lead, and ball possession was far more comforting than a 10-point lead without the ball, even as just 1:49 remained in the game.

That’s Cal football, and the residual fear created by four, agonizing ACC losses by a combined total of nine points.

Did we mention that streak of conference defeats has ended?

It has, as Cal enjoyed a cool, comfortable Friday evening in North Carolina by outlasting Wake Forest, 46-36. Mendoza continued his hot run with 385 yards passing, two touchdown passes, and one touchdown run that could have been two.

“We found a way to win,” coach Justin Wilcox said. “It’s hard to win. We have a ton of respect for Wake Forest. I’m proud of our players.”

The Bears’ (5-4, 1-4) special teams set the tone early when Hunter Barth ripped the ball loose from kick returner Demond Claiborne, Miles Williams scooped the football and dashed nine yards to give Cal a 10-0 lead five minutes in.

Cal built leads of 20-7, 29-14, and 39-29 with 6:38 remaining only to see Wake Forest respond each time. With Cal clinging to a 39-36 advantage after the two-minute warning, Mendoza broke free, but his calculated move forced the Demon Deacons to burn a pair of timeouts.

Jaivian Thomas then ran 11 yards with 1:10 remaining for Cal’s final score, which re-established a two-score lead.

Ryan Coe, demoted from his position due to missed field goals, re-emerged with a pair of 54-yard field goals. Freshman Derek Morris, the new starting kicker but lacking Coe’s leg strength, also converted from 38 and 29 yards, along with nailing all four of Cal’s extra points.

“I’m just proud of that guy for continuing to stick with it through some tough times,” Wilcox said of Coe. “For Ryan to come in and hit two 54-yarders, that’s big time. We knew he could do it. We’ve seen it. It’s not surprising. It’s really a testament to him.”

Hank Bachmeier was 19 of 36 passing for 274 yards for the Deacons, but he was picked off three times. Nohl Williams was the recipient of one of Bachmeier’s errant throws, his seventh interception of the season, a total that leads the nation.

“They were the more physical team on both sides of the line of scrimmage,” Deacons coach Dave Clawson said. “Their defensive line really kind of got the best of our offensive line. We did not take care of the football. The sequence of the blocked field goal that led to the touchdown was really costly.” 

Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium didn’t exactly benefit from the first gridiron meeting of the two universities, despite the near perfect fall weather. The actual in-stadium attendance appeared to be fewer than 5,000 people in a facility that seats 30,000.

Early Start Served Fast: Cal blitzes Idaho State 88-36 to start 2-0

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–Crazy kids wanting to yell and scream half-filled Haas Pavilion Thursday morning. They were obliged by the Cal Bears, who provided three-point shooting, blocked shots, nifty steals, and rebounds that led to fastbreaks… a lot of fastbreaks.

A howling success was realized as Cal posted a lopsided 88-36 win to move to 2-0 on the season. Ioanna Krimili paced Cal’s balanced scoring with 18 points.

“It’s amazing to see all those kids, and I had the opportunity to also work with some of them in some of the schools, so it was great,” Krimili said. “The energy was very high, and it’s always amazing to play in front of them.”

A 14-1 start to the game immediately pushed the visiting Bengals to the brink, and their tepid shooting wasn’t anything near what was needed to recover. Idaho State shot 22 percent from the floor, which was the biggest reason Cal posted a 52-point margin of victory, the first time they’ve dominated to that extent since December 2015 against Cal State Northridge.

Idaho State was limited to single-digit scoring in three of the quarters. They outscored Cal 12-11 in the second and trailed by 16 at the half, by 39 after three.

The pace, in the half court and transition, was fast throughout. Coach Charmin Smith wants her team to hustle for quality shots in transition, and they achieved that with 22 fastbreak points, augmented by 13 offensive rebounds and 14 second-chance points. 

“We’re really trying to emphasize good shot selection and getting easy baskets, and I think we have weapons all over the floor, so it’s really hard to stop us when we’re sharing the basketball,” Smith said. “Our defense fuels our offense when we’re getting stops, and we get to play fast. I think we’re a really hard team to guard.”

Kayla Williams and freshman Zahra King were blurs attacking the basket. The graduate/freshman duo at the point combined for 20 points, seven rebounds, including the first nine points of King’s career. Michelle Onyiah added 10 points, eight rebounds.

Cal isn’t pre-ordained to be an effective shooting team from distance, but they certainly can trust shot artists Krimili and Lulu Twidale, who undoubtedly have the green light from the 3-point arc. Krimili has the most made threes of any returning player in Division 1 and Twidale is in Krimili’s class with her fast, confident release as soon as daylight breaks. The duo have combined for 16 of Cal’s 24 3-point makes to start the season.

“I think the nice thing about our team is that we have so many people that can score the ball, and I knew I can score the ball. I know my teammates are going find me.”

Idaho State, picked to finish eighth in the 10-team Big Sky conference, got seven points each from Halle Wright and Maria Dias. Piper Carlson was the Bengals’ leading rebounder with seven.

Cal visits San Jose State on Saturday to meet the Spartans at the Events Center at 1pm.

Experience Goes A Long Way: Cal’s Women Open With Impressive 90-58 Win Over Short-Handed St. Mary’s

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–Lost among the excitement of Cal’s decisive 90-58 opening night win and their prospects for a competitive debut season in the ACC was former Cal assistant Jeff Cammon trying to get his Gaels’ back to Moraga with their confidence intact.

Last season, Cammon had a lot more experience on the team bus, and St. Mary’s nagged Cal in a 74-69 loss in which they came dangerously close to the home team after trailing by 15 with just seven minutes remaining.

On Monday, with two freshman guards playing extensively, without marquee offensive leader Zeryhia Aokuso and his entire team flubbing on an intricate, defensive game plan, Cammon watched the evening unravel in a 2nd quarter that saw the Bears outscore his group 22-6 and lead 42-21 before the break.

“It’s super challenging,” Cammon said. “You’re dealing with young ladies who have almost zero experience at the Division 1 level, not to mention we haven’t been together too long. We went to Italy but this is a whole different deal.”

Meanwhile, Charmin Smith’s Bears were unyielding, relying on their size, talent, and experience to wear down St. Mary’s from the early minutes to the final horn. Sophomore Lulu Twidale led Cal with 24 points, Marta Suarez added 17, and the graduate core of Ioanna Krimili (124 games at the D1 level), Kayla Williams (112 games) and Michelle Onyiah (105 games) combined for 34.

Cammon said Onyiah might have presented the biggest challenge with her quick, rehearsed post moves and 6’3″ grown woman confidence.

“Michelle is such a challenge for us. She’s so big and athletic for us,” Cammon said. “It puts a little pressure on us. Do we sink down and try to help or leave her to go one-on-one against our bigs?”

Smith wanted improvement, and she has it, declaring that this is her most impressive roster in six seasons as head coach. Last year, Smith and the Bears experienced a breakthrough with 19 wins and a WNIT Tournament postseason berth. With the additions of impact transfer portal additions, Williams, Jayda Noble, and Natalia Ackerman, Cal could surprise in the coast-to-coast ACC.

Williams ran the offense seamlessly in place of departed point guard Leilani McIntosh, and Krimili selflessly assisted Williams as Cal complied 17 assists on 28 made baskets. Inside the paint, Cal had their way with 18 more free throw attempts than the Gaels. Outside, they made 14 threes on 30 attempts.

Cal’s 22nd-ranked recruiting class showed nerves as the quintet of rookies combined to shoot 1 of 8 from the floor.   Kamryn Mafua, the highest ranked Cal freshman according to recruiting services, buried a wide-open three with 1:09 remaining to give Cal its biggest lead of 34 points.

The Bears have a Thursday matinee affair at 11:00 a.m. against Idaho State at Haas Pavilion before traveling to San Jose State on Saturday.

2

ACC Weekly: Can Pitt or SMU Define Themselves?

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By Morris Phillips

Pat Narduzzi’s Pitt Panthers haven’t really beaten anyone of substance. Rhett Lashlee’s SMU Mustangs have impressive results, but admittedly, they can’t say they’ve played clean football.

Who are these two ACC teams currently at the top of the heap of the expanded conference with their biggest challenges still ahead of them?

Honestly, they don’t know themselves. But the process of gaining their unique identities starts on Saturday night in Dallas when they meet with a share of first-place in November on the line.

“Pretty much what we saw: we played pretty good football minus six turnovers and a goal line stand, which makes it really bad football,” Lashlee admitted in recounting the Mustangs’ thrilling escape act at Duke, a 28-27 win in overtime in their previous game.

SMU built a 21-7 third quarter lead only to see the host Blue Devils tie it and force overtime with touchdowns on their last third quarter possession and the first fourth quarter possession. Throughout SMU and quarterback Kevin Jennings suffered self-inflicted wounds with three interceptions and three fumbles while not forcing any Duke turnovers. The 6-0 disparity in miscues was unusual, even more so when SMU held on in overtime. It marked the first time since Marshall’s 2011 win over Memphis that a team had overcome that severe of a turnover deficit.

“We’ve never had a game like that, I’ve never had a game like that. It’s kind of like a twilight zone scenario.”

Narduzzi’s Panthers weren’t considered to be an ACC title contender by the media, not even close. Picked 13th (while 1-7 Florida State was picked 1st), they’ve beaten North Carolina, Syracuse, and Cal, none of whom created much buzz in the poll either. The veteran coach, who’s known for his gruff manner and pushing his players’ buttons, likely spiced up pre-season practices with references to his team’s lacking reputation. Narrow, non-conference wins over Cincinnati and West Virginia didn’t get people talking either. Destroying Syracuse 41-13 last Thursday did, but the highlights were littered with the Orange making damaging mistakes.

Now Pitt’s 7-0 for the first time since 1982, and SMU is much more talented than anyone they’ve played to date. A big road win would bring validation, but it may take some tweaking of Pitt’s mentality. Narduzzi admitted as much.

“I want our guys to play angry. I want them to play with an attitude and a chip on  their shoulder all the time,” Narduzzi said. “We’ll find different ways to piss them off, get them angry, and feel disrespected.”

Neither team can write their ticket to the ACC Championship game with a win Saturday as Clemson and Miami are also undefeated in conference play. For SMU, whose only loss is to BYU, the path would get clearer as they finish against Boston College, Virginia and Cal, all of whom they will be favored against. Pitt’s backloaded schedule still has them hosting Virginia and Clemson, with visits to Louisville and Boston College.

One thing’s certain: the SMU-Pitt loser faces the uphill climb everyone expected them to face before the season started.

“Our motto for the year is ‘prove it,'” Narduzzi said. “Just find a way to get it done, and improve who you are week in and week out. Because nobody cares what happened in the first seven games of the season.”

Eli Holstein, Pitt’s prolific passer who transferred from Alabama, has thrown for 1,805 yards and 17 touchdowns. He didn’t finish the Syracuse game after suffering an undisclosed injury, but he’s been cleared medically and is expected to start against SMU. Kevin Jennings, the Mustangs’ signal caller was questionable as well, but he’s expected to start and contend with a Pitt defense that’s been excellent, and opportunistic.

SMU might have the best playmaker in running back Brashard Smith, who hits the hole with force while being a factor in the pass game. Smith has 10 touchdowns, and has steadily been trusted to handle the football more and more. Last week against Duke he had a season-high 26 carries for 117 yards and three receptions for another 22 yards.

HOKIES SEEK FOURTH STRAIGHT WIN AT SYRACUSE:

Bhayshul Tuten is performing like the barometer for Virginia Tech as one of the ACC’s best backs who has been even better in the Hokies’ current, three-game win streak. Tuten rushed for 80 yards on 17 carries last week as the Hokies drubbed Georgia Tech at home, 21-6.

Prior to that Tuten hit his career-best with 266 yards rushing in a win over Boston College. It was the fifth time the senior has eclipsed 100 yards on the ground, including all four of his home games.

Suddenly, Virginia Tech is 5-3 and 3-1 in the ACC, giving them hope that a miraculous finish to the season could propel them into the ACC Championship game. But first, they must deal with a difficult environment at Syracuse’s JMA Dome and their quarterback Kyle McCord, who’s been better more often than not, although he did struggle in the Orange’s 41-13 loss at Pitt.

Meanwhile, Tuten suffered an injury against Tech last week, and he’s looking for clearance to play on Saturday. Coach Brent Pry was non-committal but was hopeful that he’ll have his offensive leader on Saturday.

“He’s tough. If he has an opportunity to play he will,” Pry said of Tuten.

Fast Start, Quicker Improvisation Propels Cal To A Streak-Ending, 44-7 Win Over Oregon State

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–Saturday’s resounding 44-7 win over Oregon State wasn’t about finding answers to the persistent questions. It was about changing the discourse entirely.

Can Cal win a close game? Can its defense summon a critical stop in the fourth quarter? Should coach Justin Wilcox be retained for a ninth season?

Those questions weren’t broached and will have to be answered in the coming weeks. In fact, any nagging questions must be asked of the visiting Beavers. They were nearly a complete no-show, falling behind by two touchdowns in the first six minutes and 31-0 at the half.

Fernando Mendoza threw for a career-best 364 yards, and freshman Derek Morris kicked a school-record tying five field goals in the win. For both, there was sweet redemption as Cal’s revamped offensive line protected Mendoza beautifully, and Morris gained confidence after his fourth quarter, field goal miss that would have given the Bears a lead last week against NC State with 90 seconds remaining.

“We just want to be really consistent in our play and have a standard of play that doesn’t deviate, regardless of who we play, what the score is, what the weather is like, whether there are fans or no fans,” coach Justin Wilcox said, in skillful acceptance of his team’s resilient play without mention of their painful, four-game losing streak that had them winless since September 14.

Against an OSU defense decimated by injuries and personnel lost in the transfer portal, the Bears started fast and never looked back. Cal’s first 11 offensive plays amassed 122 yards and two touchdowns. By the end of the first quarter, the total yardage disparity was glaring with the Beavers outgained 196-17.

Craig Woodson came up with Cal’s 14th interception on the season when Gevani McCoy’s pass to the boundary was late. That was the first of OSU’s two turnovers and the end of McCoy’s afternoon. He was replaced by graduate student Ben Gulbranson for the remainder of the game with the Beavers trailing 17-0.

“We didn’t play well tonight,” OSU coach Trent Bray said. “So it’s frustrating because we’re better than our record, and we need to play to that standard.”

Wilcox was fulfilled, but he didn’t like that five of his team’s drives ended with a field goal instead of a touchdown. The Bears’ second drive did achieve the desired result, but it forced the head coach to do some explaining afterward. Mendoza completed a screen to Jaivian Thomas in a tight space, and he was immediately engaged by safety Isaiah Chisolm. But Thomas refused to go down. Instead, he was spun back facing Mendoza. In a split second and through eye contact between Thomas and Mendoza, the running back lateraled to his quarterback, who sailed into the end zone from nine yards untouched.

Wilcox was asked if that was the way the play was designed. His first answer in jest was “yes.” But he quickly explained that the players took it upon themselves, knowing one important tenet of Cal football.

“You never want to take away the playmaking ability of a football player. We’re not trying to build robots. However, decision-making is critical,” Wilcox preached. “Those are the moments you have to be right.”

The Bears get their second bye week before traveling to Wake Forest on November 8. Wilcox said his team will maintain a typical game week practice schedule. While the Bears welcomed back Jadyn Ott, who spelled Jaivian Thomas with 10 carries, he wasn’t particularly effective. The hope is the additional time will aid Ott and allow prolific linebacker Cade Uluave to return. Uluave missed the game due to injury, but his teammates still managed to shut off Oregon State’s run game that managed 60 yards on 27 carries.