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Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips: Can Cal figure out USC’s high flying offense this Saturday?

Published on October 31, 2022October 31, 2022 by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Jack Plummer quarterback of the Cal Bears fires a pass against the Oregon Ducks defense on Sat Oct 29, 2022 at Cal Memorial Stadium in Berkeley (AP News photo)

On the Cal Bears podcast with Morris:

#1 The Oregon Ducks (7-1) were like a kettle full of hot water slow to boil but once they hit a certain temperature it was started to be a big concern for Cal Bears (3-5) head coach Justin Wilcox and the Bears defense after holding a brief 10-0 lead before the second quarter Ducks explosion.

#2 The Ducks were looking end zone in the second quarter and their quarterback Bo Nix carried for three times to put touchdown scores on his game stats that would have the Ducks never looking back for the rest of the game.

#3 Morris talk about what coach Wilcox said after the game of his team’s performance, “There’s some things that happened at the end of the first half and start of the second that if we would have performed a bit better, then we could have made that game very competitive,”

#4 The Bears were able to stop the Ducks offense early it was the first time in six games that the Ducks went scoreless in a first quarter which spoke to the potential of Cal’s defense.

#5 The Bears now face the USC Trojans (7-1) it will be Cal’s second consecutive week in a row facing a ranked school. The Trojans are coming off a win against the Arizona Wildcats (3-5) 45-37. How can Cal stop the USC’s high flying offense this coming Saturday?

Join Morris Phillips for Cal Bears podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Nix For Six: Oregon QB starts slow, then shreds Cal in 42-24 win

Published on October 29, 2022 by moepeaLeave a comment

By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–It’s the story thus far of Cal’s season, and their four-game losing streak: spotty play, and the inability to sustain momentum.

“There’s some things that happened at the end of the first half and start of the second that if we would have performed a bit better, then we could have made that game very competitive,” coach Justin Wilcox said.

Cal’s 42-24 loss to Oregon saw Cal stop the high-scoring Ducks early, handing them their first, scoreless opening quarter in six games, but not backing that effort with a significant lead they could protect. Instead Cal’s brief 10-7 advantage evaporated and quarterback Bo Nix emerged.

Nix led the Ducks on a pair of touchdown drives before halftime, another in the third, and another to start the fourth quarter. Within that stretch, the Bears went without points on five, straight possessions and found themselves trailing 35-10 with 12:19 remaining.

Deflating? You bet, especially for Cal fans inside Memorial Stadium that gained a charge from Cal’s encouraging, first 25 minutes of play. But this was hardly surprising. The Ducks, winners of seven straight, are jelling under new coach Dan Lanning, and they own this series. Oregon has won 12 of 14 since 2009.

Lanning’s remarks after the game reflected the dominance. The former Georgia defensive coordinator didn’t expend a bunch of words crediting Cal. Instead, his focus was clearly on what his club needs to clean up with their unspoken goal of remaining in the National title hunt.

“At times we really had it and at times we didn’t,” Lanning said. “(We) struggled a little bit times at times in the red area, gave up some big pass plays that we don’t want to see on defense. I think all around there’s moments of improvement for our team. I think our guys are hungry to improve.”

Nix stood as the biggest difference between the clubs with his 27 of 35, 412-yard afternoon. The Auburn transfer had three touchdown passes and ran for three more scores. That combination of passing yardage and touchdowns put Nix in rare company with the deceased Dwayne Haskins and current 49er Brock Purdy as the only FBS quarterbacks to throw for at least 400 yards and three touchdowns along with three rushing touchdowns in the last ten seasons.

“I didn’t play my best today, but fortunately the guys around me played really good to still put up some points,” said Nix, with his mind on a pair of interceptions he threw that ultimately didn’t damage his team at all.

The Bears haven’t beaten a team ranked in the top ten nationally since 2017, and the numbers revealed the distance they’ll need to cover to again pull of that feat. No. 8 Oreon put up 586 yards in total offense and 42 points, which is two touchdowns more than Cal had allowed in the six, previous games this season.

Freshman Kai Millner replaced Jack Plummer in the fourth quarter, and the redshirt freshman led Cal to a pair of respectability-grabbing touchdowns in the game’s final five minutes. Plummer didn’t play poorly with 214 yards passing and the touchdown pass to J. Michael Sturdivant that gave Cal its lead. But with the game’s outcome decided, Wilcox opted to get Millner valuable experience.

Sturdivant and Jeremiah Hunter were Cal’s bright spots with a combined 11 catches, and their ability to outduel Oregon’s secondary for a pair of lengthy pass completions. Given their success, Hunter’s words after the game confirming that the Cal locker room remains unified holds significance. Hunter also echoed Wilcox regarding Cal’s inconsistent play.

“We have to have a game where–like coach said–both sides of the ball come together and play their best,” Hunter said. “We haven’t done that yet.”

The Bears visit USC on Saturday night with the No. 10 Trojans giving them a second, consecutive, top ten opponent.

Cal Bears podcast with Michael Duca: Cal takes on tough battle with Oregon this Saturday

Published on October 27, 2022October 27, 2022 by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Cal Bears quarterback Jack Plummer looks for a receiver against the Washington Huskies at Cal Memorial Stadium in Berkeley on Sat Oct 22, 2022 (AP News photo)

On the Cal Bears podcast with Michael:

#1 The Washington Huskies quarterback Michael Penix threw a 14 yard pass to receiver Jalen McMillian for a game winning touchdown last Saturday to help Washington get past the Cal Bears at Cal Memorial Stadium in Berkeley 28-21.

#2 Penix has been rolling he threw his eighth straight 300 yard game against Cal for 374 yards and two touchdowns was this a matter of Penix was just that good or the Cal defense just couldn’t contain Penix.

#3 Meanwhile Cal quarterback Jack Plummer threw well enough to win the game throwing for three second half touchdowns as Cal drops to 3-4.

#4 Cal Receiver J. Michael Sturdivant said that the Bears can beat anybody but last Saturday’s game just got away. Was Sturdivant saying that Cal can beat anybody overstating Cal’s ability to beat any other team or they really are good enough to beat other teams.

#5 Cal’s challenge doesn’t get any easier as they face the rough and ready number eight ranked Oregon Ducks (6-2) who have won six straight games and beat one of the tougher opponents in the Pac 12 last Saturday the UCLA Bruins 45-30 last Saturday. So this gives you an idea how tough Cal’s next game will be at Berkeley.

Join Michael for Cal Bears podcasts Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips: Cal’s Sturdivant says Bears can beat anyone confidence builder going into Oregon Saturday

Published on October 27, 2022October 27, 2022 by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Washington linebacker Kamren Fabiculanan (13) and safety Asa Turner (20) tackle California wide receiver J. Michael Sturdivant (7) after Sturdivant’s catch in first half action at Cal Memorial Stadium in Berkeley (AP News photo)

On the Cal Bears podcast with Morris:

#3 Meanwhile Cal quarterback Jack Plummer threw well enough to win the game throwing for three second half touchdowns as Cal drops to 3-4.

Morris does the Cal Bears football podcasts Mondays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Good, Bad And All That’s Between: Bears’ effectiveness wanes then surges in 28-21 loss to Washington

Published on October 23, 2022November 13, 2022 by moepeaLeave a comment

By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–At some point, the Cal Bears went from hanging around to hanging touchdowns.

And at some point, the Washington Huskies went from being lulled to sleep to no lull at all.

Cal’s 28-21 loss to the visiting Huskies was a strange affair. But college football games often are strange. Only winning makes them more familiar.

Cal’s biggest misgiving on a Saturday night in which their offensive showed up late, and their defense departed early? It’s okay to be fashionably late if you can fashion together a win.

“We played some good football in stretches in the game, but we lost so that sucks obviously,” said linebacker Jackson Sirmon, who led Cal with 11 tackles.

“I thought our players gave us everything they had,” coach Justin Wilcox said. “In the first half we didn’t get quite enough going on offense. In the second half, we needed one more stop… somewhere. And we didn’t get it done. They’re a good team. That’s the bottom line.”

The Huskies piled up the yardage as their offense has done all season with an average of 528 yards per game coming in. But in a 245-yard first half, Washington came away with just two field goals and a 6-0 lead. Quarterback Michael Penix saw a couple of his early passes dropped. A curious decision by Huskies’ coach Kalen DeBoer to attempt a field goal when his offense faced a 4th-and-3 at Cal’s 18-yard line preceded Peyton Henry’s second field goal.

A conservative Huskies offense? Yes, in part. Previously DeBoer had attempted fourth down conversions 19 times in seven games, making them one of the most, aggressive attacks in the nation. But with Cal sputtering on offense–just 83 yards in the first half–Washington took what it was easily afforded.

The Bears announced after the game that standout, offensive tackle Michael Cindric will miss the remainder of the season saying only that he’ll require surgery in advance of next season. His absence prompted a second, reshuffling of Cal’s offensive line in less than a month. That essentially cost Cal’s offense early as they rushed for just five yards and saw Jack Plummer take a pair of damaging sacks that killed Cal drives.

Plummer gamely came out firing in the second half, marching Cal to a 7-6 lead after he connected with J. Michael Sturdivant on a 8-yard touchdown pass. Immediately, Plummer had Jadyn Ott and Mason Starling (starting in place of the injured Jeremiah Hunter) engaged as well.

Five minutes into the second half, the Bears had the lead and momentum. The Huskies were left to answer for their porous, secondary that was thrown on repeatedly in losses to UCLA and Arizona State. And they responded behind Penix, the national leader in passing yardage.

Washington’s 11-play drive capped by Cameron Davis’ 6-yard run to the end zone, and the ensuing two-point conversion with Penix throwing to Ja’Lynn Polk restored a 14-7 lead for the visitors.

Penix would add a pair of touchdown passes early in the fourth. His 36-yard completion to Richard Newton put the Huskies in control, leading 28-14 with 10:19 remaining.

Down two touchdowns, Cal didn’t go away. They put together a 12-play drive that was crystallized by Mavin Anderson’s leaping, touchdown catch on 4th-and-7. Anderson also contributed a 34-yard catch on the drive that brought Cal within 28-21 with 6:11 remaining.

Plummer finished 21 of 34, 245 yards passing and three touchdowns. But his last gasp attempt at a game-tying score died with an incomplete pass at the Washington 42-yard line with 28 seconds left.

“There’s a lot of belief, and we keep fighting,” DeBoer said of his Huskies (6-2). “And most importantly, we just need to keep getting better. And when you really try to narrow it down, don’t get overwhelmed by the big picture. Just get better”

The Bears (3-4) face another high-scoring opponent in Oregon on Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium.

Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips: Cal moves past Colorado loss; Looks forward to Washington Saturday

Published on October 16, 2022 by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

California wide receiver J. Michael Sturdivant, is carried by Colorado linebacker Robert Barnes, back left, and cornerback Kaylin Moore for a down after making a first half catch in Colorado on Sat Oct 15, 2022 (AP News photo)

On the Cal podcast with Morris:

#1 Cal Bears (3-3) suffered what could be their worst loss of the season as the Colorado Buffaloes (1-5) quarterback JT Shrout threw an overtime pass to wide receiver Montana Leomonious-Craig that got Colorado past Cal 20-13.

#2 The Buffaloes Trevor Woods knocked a ball loose intended for Cal receiver Mason Starling on a first and goal. When it was fourth down the students a Colorado University stormed the field victorious.

#3 It was the Buffaloes first victory of the season and their defense held Cal to 103 yards on offense.

#4 Morris did Cal quarterback Jack Plummer have to run all day he was 29-52, 262 yards, with one touchdown and one interception.

#5 The Washington Huskies (5-2) are headed for Cal this Saturday. The Huskies won their last game against the Arizona Wildcats 49-39. Huskies have been going good how do you see this match this Saturday.

Join Morris for the Cal Bears podcasts Mondays at http://www.sportsradioservice

Emotional Stampede: Winless Colorado stuns Cal in OT, 20-13

Published on October 15, 2022October 16, 2022 by moepeaLeave a comment

By Morris Phillips

Re-energized and inspired by an injured teammate’s recovery, Colorado was a force to be reckoned with for the Cal Bears.

It didn’t matter that the Buffs were allowing an average of 38 points per game, they held Cal scoreless in an eye-opening, first half.

Then Colorado withstood a back-and-forth fourth quarter, and scored the only touchdown of overtime, a 22-yard pass from J.T. Shrout to Montana Lemonious-Craig to win 20-13.

“This is all about their response, their resolve,” interim coach Mike Sanford said. “The stuff that I said here 10 days ago, everyone thought I was crazy when I talked about what an unbelievable group of resilient fighters that we have in our locker room. I think everybody had a chance to see that on full display today.”

From 0-5 to winning a sixth game in front of a raucous, home crowd that stormed the field after Cal’s Jake Plummer’s last pass attempt in the end zone fell incomplete doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Throughout, the Bears couldn’t sustain anything offensively, and they looked nothing like the team that put up 49 points on Arizona three games ago.

“It’s very hard to win at this level scoring one touchdown,” coach Justin Wilcox said. “You’ve got to put the ball in the end zone, and credit to them. They did it more than we did.”

Plummer’s pass to Mason Starling on first down in overtime appeared to be caught to pull call within an extra point of getting Cal even, but fast-closing safety Trevor Woods ripped the ball loose.

“I saw the ball lobbed in there, and he didn’t really make an effort to go get it,” Woods said. “I punched it as hard as I could.”

Plummer finished 29 for 52 passing for 262 yards and one interception where he overthrew a deep ball down the middle. While Plummer was mildly effective, the Cal run game suffered a miserable afternoon with only 35 yards rushing and one, lengthy run of 22 yards from Jadyn Ott.

“You can’t run a run play or a pass play very effectively if you don’t start up front. Generally speaking you have to block the people up front in the run and pass game and we we didn’t do a good enough job of that today, and their front got after our front.”

The high point for Cal was a third quarter touchdown pass from Plummer to J. Michael Sturdivant that saw Sturdivant calmly get his feet down in bounds after a leaping catch along the sideline. That put Cal up, 7-3.

The Buffs responded early in the fourth with a one-yard run from Anthony Hankerson that capped a six-play drive, and put Colorado up, 10-7. Cal got a field goal from Dario Longhetto to tie at 10, then with time expiring, Longhetto hit from 34 yards to tie the game, 13-13, at the end of regulation.

Buffs running back Deion Smith was injured early in the fourth quarter, and after several anxious moments, Smith was removed by a stretcher while surrounded by the entire Colorado team. When the celebration moved from the field to the locker room after the game, the team was given that much more to celebrate. Smith was up and walking.

“Deion is up and walking and I think he was emotional because he didn’t have a chance to celebrate on the field with his teammates. But he was a huge part of that victory, both in his play and more importantly, just how much this team loves him and showed their support for him.”

If Colorado’s story wasn’t improbable enough, Shrout replaced starter Owen McCown, who was hit in the mid-section, and couldn’t continue. But Shrout came on and led Colorado to it’s only touchdown in regulation, and a 10-7 lead.

The Bears (3-3) return to Memorial Stadium in Berkeley on October 22 to host Washington.

Stanford Upsets Fighting Irish 16-14; Win ends Cardinal 3 game skid

Published on October 15, 2022October 15, 2022 by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Stanford Cardinal cornerback Ethan Bonner (13) is thrilled after defeating the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Sat Oct 15, 2022 at Notre Dame (@GoStanford photo)

By Barbara Mason

Last Saturday Stanford (2-4) dropped a heart- breaker in the final seconds of their game against Oregon State 28-27. Fast forward and the Cardinal were facing (3-3) Notre Dame in South Bend on a chilly Saturday night.

The Fighting Irish are coming off three wins in a row, most recently beating BYU 28-20. The Cardinal held on Saturday night at Notre Dame for a 16-14 squeaker to pick up their second win of the season and snapped the Fighting Irish’s winning streak.

The passing and rushing excellence that we saw from Notre Dame last week was nowhere to be found in the first half of this game. The struggling Cardinal started strong in the first quarter. Casey Filkins rushed for two yards to give Stanford an early 7-0 lead. Stanford would finish off the first half with a 45 yard Joshua Karty field goal taking a 10-0 lead into the locker room at half time.

The Stanford Cardinal would extend their lead in the third quarter with a second Karty field goal, this one a 43-yard kick and a 13-0 Stanford lead.

The expected Notre Dame domination in this game was absent in the first half but came to life in the third quarter when an Audric Estime ten yard romp gave the Fighting Irish their first touchdown of the game.

Notre Dame still trailed 13-7 but with a lot of time left on the clock there was a real shift in momentum. With time running out in the third quarter the Cardinal went on 4th and 2 and failed. Stanford was 0-2 on fourth downs.

The Notre Dame offense was wearing the Cardinal defense down going into the fourth quarter. The Fighting Irish would start the quarter with a 41- yard touchdown from Drew Pyne to Tobias Merryweather to give Notre Dame their first lead of the game 14-13. After 2 1/2 lackluster quarters Notre Dame had turned this game around.

The Stanford offense continue to test the Notre Dame defense and Karty kicked his third field goal of the game, this one another 43-yarder taking back the lead for the Cardinal 16-14.

With 6:35 left in the game Notre Dame fumbled and the upset-minded Cardinal recovered. Stanford was able to hang on for the win 16-14. This game had so many highs and lows but it was the Cardinal defense that came up huge.

Next Saturday the Cardinal will take on Arizona State. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 PM.

Stanford Upsets Fighting Irish 16-14

Cal Bears podcast with Michael Duca: Cal prepares to face winless Buffaloes in Colorado on Saturday

Published on October 13, 2022 by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Washington State Cougars quarterback Cameron Ward (1) is caught by Cal Bears defensive end Ethan Saunders (99) at Pullman on Sat Oct 1, 2022. The Bears hope to get back in the win column this Sat Oct 15, 2022 when they face the Colorado Buffaloes (AP News photo)

On the Cal Bears podcast with Michael Duca:

#1 Michael coming off the bye from last week how important is it for Cal Bears to have had that rest after getting defeated by Washington State Cougars and having lost two of their last three games?

#2 The WSU’s quarterback Cameron Ward seemed like he had all day on Sat Oct 1st at Pullman throwing for three touchdowns in the 28-9 victory over Cal.

#3 The Bears did have their flashes on the defensive side of the football when Ward intercepted twice.

#4 The Bears just simply were hurting on the offensive side of the ball scoring only nine points and quarterback Jack Plummer could not convert any touchdowns throwing 23-33 for 272 yards.

#5 The Bears should be well rested and are facing an winless Colorado Buffaloes (0-5) team who has made coaching changes and were just landslided in their last game Saturday by the Arizona Wildcats 43-20. Will Cal be able to make work of the Buffs this Saturday?

Join Michael for Cal Bears podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com Thursdays

Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips: Can Cal have a chance at a bowl game?

Published on October 10, 2022October 10, 2022 by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

California safety Daniel Scott, right, intercepts a pass intended for Washington State wide receiver Lincoln Victor during the first half at Pullman on Sat Oct 2, 2022 (AP News photo)

Cal/Colorado questions:

While Cal and Colorado were off this past weekend, the other ten teams were in action with USC beating Washington State, and UCLA shocking Utah to stay undefeated at 6-0 atop the Pac-12 standings. Cal sits at (3-2, 1-1) with a bowl game as their goal. Given what’s going on elsewhere in the conference are Cal’s bowl aspirations realistic?

The big news locally last week was the shuttering of KGO Radio and the uncertainty of their new format, which goes into effect this morning. KGO is the flagship radio station of the Cal sports network with all of their football and basketball games broadcast on KGO. No announcement has been made regarding those broadcasts going forward. What happens next with the Cal Bears on the radio?

Colorado interim coach Mike Sanford, new defensive coordinator Gerald Chapman and new offensive coordinator Clay Patterson have a plan to jump start the Buffs. What should Cal expect from the new CU coaching staff?

Colorado is the fifth Power 5 program to change coaches during this season, along with–in order–Nebraska, Georgia Tech, Arizona State and Wisconsin. Can a winless team like CU (0-5, 0-2) have any success in their first game under new leadership? What have the other four teams done their first time out?

What’s Jack Plummer’s status for Saturday against Colorado. Plummer took several big hits a week ago at Washington State and didn’t finish the game. Will he be ready for CU?

Morris Phillips does Cal Bears football podcasts Mondays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com