Tag: California Golden Bears

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

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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

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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.

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

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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

Cal Bears podcast with Michael Duca: Cal looking for a road win; Colorado looking for first win

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Cal Bears quarterback Jack Plummer looks for an open receiver during first half action at Pullman on Sat Oct 1, 2022 against the Washington State Cougars (AP News photo)

Cal Bears podcast with Michael:

#1 Michael, the Washington State Cougars quarterback Cameron Ward had himself an afternoon against the Cal Bears throwing 27-40 for 343 yards for three touchdowns and two interceptions.

#2 Cougars wide receiver Renard Bell caught eight passes for 115 yards and touchdown the Bears had a tough time covering him.

#3 Cal looked for Jaydn Ott to carry them to scoring but the Cougar defense stopped the Bears in the red zone. They held Ott to only 69 yards on 16 carries.

#4 Bears quarterback Jack Plummer fell short he didn’t get any touchdown passes and when he handed off the Cougars came in to stop the run. On the day Plummer threw 23-33 for 273 yards.

#5 The Bears next opponent Colorado Buffaloes (0-5) have problems in their most recent game were crushed by the Arizona Wildcats 43-20. Buffaloes quarterback threw was Owen McCown 14-30 for 186 yards and one touchdown. The Bears who have lost two of their last three games are hoping to pick up their their fourth win of the season how do you see this match up between the Bears and Buffaloes this Saturday in Colorado.

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

Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips: Homecooking puts Golden Bears back in win column; Cal’s Ott runs past Wildcats in Berkeley

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Cal Bears Jaydn Ott rushes for a 73 yard carry against the Arizona Wildcats on Sat Sep 24, 2022 at Cal Memorial Stadium in Berkeley (AP News photo)

On the Cal Bears podcast with Morris:

#1 Morris after a tough loss at Notre Dame last week the Cal Bears redeemed themselves with a rather convincing win over the Arizona at Cal Berkeley last Saturday 49-31.

#2 Basically the mantra was give the ball to Jaydn Ott and when Cal quarterback Jack Plummer did Ott was off to the races carrying for 274 yards and three touchdowns.

#3 On a second play of the first quarter from scrimmage Ott was so reliable he took the ball and ran for 73 yards. Ott also who appeared to have been stopped on another play turned around and took the ball for an 18 yard carry.

#4 Cal head coach Justin Wilcox said of Ott that he’d seen flashes for a long time and has a lot of ability to take it to the house. Morris do you view this game as a break out game for Ott?

#5 On Sat Oct 1st the Bears head to Pullman to take on the Washington State Cougars. The Cougars got edged by the Oregon Ducks 44-41 before that loss the Cougars had won three straight games. This no doubt will be another big test for coach Wilcox and the Bears.

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

Ott’s 3 TD’s, decisive third quarter lead Cal past Arizona, 49-31 in the Pac-12 opener

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–The 624 yards of offense amassed by Arizona and Cal before halftime on Saturday turned out to be an appetizer.

Jadyn Ott, with his 274 yards rushing and three touchdowns, was the fully satisfying buffet spread across the breadth of the afternoon in the Bears’ 49-31 homecoming win in their Pac-12 opener.

Ott, the freshman who didn’t impact Cal’s narrow loss to Notre Dame, announced himself with a 73-yard score on Cal’s second offensive play. In the third quarter, he was powerful and elusive on an 18-yard run and score. Then in the fourth quarter with Cal looking to finish off the Wildcats, Ott again turned on the speed in a 72-yard touchdown jaunt.

Ott’s 274-yards rushing stands as the most by an FBS player this season, and the third most in Cal history, trailing Jahvid Best (311 yards, 2009) and Jerry Drew (283, 1954).

“We’ve been talking about it for a long time. You’ve seen it in flashes. We saw it a bunch today. He’s a dynamic guy and has the ability to take it to the house from a lot of spots,” coach Justin Wilcox said.

“Every time I touch the ball, I feel like I’m going to score,” Ott said. “That’s my mentality.”

Despite Ott’s breakaway run early, Cal was on its collective heels at the half, trailing 24-21 and unable to stop UA’s Jayden de Laura, who would finish with 401 yards passing.

Wilcox’s trademark halftime adjustments normally consist of cleaning up defensive assignments. But in a game that belonged to playmakers on both sides, Cal leaned heavily on its running game and a rotating cast of offensive linemen as much as benefitting from a turnover in a third quarter that turned the game around.

After forcing a punt on Arizona’s initial drive of the third quarter, Cal regained the lead with an eight-play 87-yard drive capped off by Keleki Latu’s 3-yard touchdown catch on fourth-and-one. Quarterback Jack Plummer leaned on his tight ends on the drive with Latu’s two catches and two big gainers from Elijah Mojarro.

An Arizona three-and-out was followed by Cal’s five-play drive that put them up 35-24. Ott finished the drive with a run that saw him slowed by three Wildcat defenders before breaking free to score from 18 yards out.

With the third quarter drawing to a close, linebacker Orin Patu broke free and dislodged the football from a scrambling de Laura, and Miles Jernigan pounced on it to set up Cal at their 32-yard line.

Six plays later, Plummer connected with Jeremiah Hunter for a 37-yard pass and score and Cal had an insurmountable 42-24 lead with 14:53 remaining.

“We couldn’t stop the run and when you can’t stop the run, you run into the issues of you have to try to press,” coach Jedd Fisch said. “I think we started to press there at the end and started turning the ball over in the fourth quarter. That’s what cost us.”

Led by Ott, Cal totaled 354 yards on the ground, the biggest chunk of their 599 yards in total offense. That along with a 3-0 advantage in turnovers allowed the Bears to turn the tide, an overcome Arizona’s 536 yards in offense.

“In the first half, we didn’t tackle well, we didn’t rush, we didn’t cover anybody. It was bad,” Wilcox said.

Numerous players saw their first significant time on the field as Cal Bears, and they made the most of it. Sioape Vitikani, a 335-pound freshman came up with seal block that sprung Ott for his first touchdown run. T.J. Sessions, a Montana State transfer helped break Ott free on his third quarter score.

For Arizona, freshman Tetairoa McMillan came up with an outstanding catch in the end zone despite Cal’s Isaiah Young being in position to make a play. Sophomore Dorian Singer came up with a one-handed catch along the sideline in what was otherwise a rough, fourth quarter for Arizona.

The Bears travel to Pullman, WA next Saturday to face Washington State. The Cougars took a 27-15 lead into the fourth quarter over Oregon on Saturday only to see the No.15 Ducks rally to win 44-41, and saddle the Cougars with their first loss after a 3-0 start.

Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips: Just wasn’t meant to be for Cal; Loss comes down to tipped ball

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Notre Dame safety Brandon Joseph (16) and Cal Bears wide receiver Mavin Anderson (11) jump for the ball as the ball was tipped and bounced off several players in the last second of the game at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend on Sat Sep 17, 2022 (AP News photo)

Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips:

#1 Drew Pyne quarterback of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (1-2) made inroads in his first game under center for the Irish. Pyne threw for 150 yards and two touchdowns in the Notre Dame 24-17 win in South Bend Indiana over the Cal Bears (2-1).

#2 Morris the win was also pretty special for Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman it was his first victory as head coach for Notre Dame.

#3 The Irish came in ranked No.5 to start the season and had to comeback from behind three times to beat the Bears by a touchdown.

#4 Morris, tough finish for the Bears missed a last second shot when Cal quarterback Jack Plummer let one loose in the end zone as the ball bounced several players and receiver Jeremiah Hunter had it in his hands but the ball ended up off his hands and on the end zone grass.

#5 The Arizona Wildcats (2-1) will be playing the Bears next Sat Sep 24th at Cal Memorial. The Wildcats are coming off a 31-28 win against the North Dakota State Bison (2-1). Wildcats quarterback Jayden de Laura threw for 229 yards and one touchdown. Morris how do you see the Wildcats and Bears matching up this coming Saturday?

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

Irish Smell Blood: Notre Dame survives Cal’s initial success, and pulls away in a 24-17 win

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By Morris Phillips

Once Notre Dame minimized the negativity of an 0-2 start, a halftime deficit in game three, keeping the focus on themselves and their physical advantages, the California Bears were made to pay.

Cal’s first trip to South Bend since 1967 was far more competitive than the last, but the Fighting Irish prevailed 24-17 on the strength of a decisive, fourth quarter in which Cal was shutout.

In the end, coach Marcus Freeman was the most emotional member of the Irish’s sideline, and that was a good thing for the hosts.

“I think we we’re down three, and I just said, this isn’t going to be a repeat,” said Freeman, after his first career win, excited and nearly breathless in his post-game comments. “This isn’t going to be here we go again. We are going to change the outcome of this game. And it’s going to be by our offense going out there and doing what we have to do and executing, and then our defense when we get the opportunity we’re going to go out there and execute. And that’s what you saw. We needed that. That was a big moment for us, because I could see it on some guy’s faces, and even mine, ‘Oh, shoot, here we go again.’ It’s not here we go again.”

Cal lead 7-0, 10-7 and 17-14 when Freeman made his declaration. And from that point the second half simply didn’t go Cal’s way. The Irish’s punishing run attack found the first crack in Cal’s armor, and their defense, specifically a relentless, pass rush with seven dropping in coverage kept quarterback Jack Plummer from doing anything decisive.

Trailing 24-17 midway through the fourth quarter, the Bears drove to the Notre Dame 22, but suffered three straight incompletions followed by Isaiah Foskey’s sack of Plummer on fourth down.

Cal regained possession with 1:03 remaining and appeared cooked when Plummer was intercepted on first down. But a review of the play revealed a targeting foul on safety J.D. Bertrand that occurred before the interception and allowed Cal to retain possession.

Plummer then completed passes on four, consecutive plays to get Cal to the Notre Dame 29, but a sack, and an incomplete pass left Cal with the game’s final play from the 35. Plummer threw the ball in the end zone and saw several players tip it, including Cal’s Jeremiah Hunter, but the ball hit the ground ending the game.

“We played them down to the last play, Plummer said. “It was exciting. If we had scored there, we were going for two and try to get out of there.”

Plummer’s afternoon mirrored his team’s as a whole. The Purdue transfer finished 16 of 37 for 184 yards, with much of the production coming early and the incomplete passes late. But throughout the quarterback showed a surprising, running dynamic with 12 carries for 34 yards including a 24-yard gain in the second half. That dimension kept Cal alive at key junctures and in position to steal the game at the finish.

“We had chances to win. Too many errors. One or two more plays,” coach Justin Wilcox said.

The Bears enjoyed early success with the game’s first score, an 18-yard pass to J. Michael Sturdivant, who was wide open in the end zone behind the defense. Notre Dame quarterback Drew Pyne, who started in place of the injured Tyler Buchner, showed rust in the first half as did his receivers, who dropped a couple of passes.

A phantom offsides penalty on the Cal field goal coverage unit gave the Irish a second opportunity in Cal territory which they cashed in for their first score of the game. Chris Tyree’s 21-yard catch-and-run got Notre Dame even, 7-7.

At halftime, a frustrated Wilcox declined to comment on the offsides call that set up the score. Replay showed there was no movement along the Cal defensive front on the play.

The Bears open conference play on Saturday at Memorial Stadium against Arizona.

Downright Rebellious: UNLV’s late rally falls short, Cal moves to 2-0 with 20-14 win

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–California is looking forward after they hung on to defeat UNLV 20-14.

The Rebels and coach Marcus Arroyo are looking back, trying to understand how the numerous, second half opportunities they were afforded didn’t culminate with a touchdown that would have given them a late lead.

“We’ve got a locker room full of guys right now that are disappointed we didn’t finish that game,” Arroyo said. “You’ve got to capitalize against quality opponents.”

The Bears led 14-0 and 20-7, and at one point during the third quarter also held a sizeable advantage in time of possession, but from an offensive standpoint, they couldn’t finish off UNLV. Empty trips into the red zone and a damaging, early, second quarter interception kept the Rebels in it.

In the end, Cal’s defense pulled through when Henry Ikahihifo sacked UNLV quarterback Doug Brumfield for a loss of 13 yards with 1:03 remaining. Two plays later, Isaiah Young picked off Brumfield’s desperation, downfield pass.

While the Bears’ offense went from spirited to sputtering, their defense contained Brumfield, who threw for just 206 yards, while misfiring 15 times, and running for just 12 yards on ten attempts. Ricky White, the Rebels’ top receiver caught just one pass after the first quarter and totaled 56 yards on four catches.

Cal’s blitzing, which intensified on the final UNLV drive, not only led to the key interception, but also showed in the visitor’s penalty numbers, which saw them commit eight infractions for 101 yards.

“No. 1, is to win the game. It carries more weight than any other goal,” Wilcox said. “We also recognize where we need to get better.”

In that category, kicker Dario Longhetto converted field goals in the second and third quarters, but his miss from 43 yards with 8:06 remaining kept the game within one score.

Plummer finished 28 of 39 for 278 yards, but only two of his completions went for more than 10 yards. The first of those two saw freshman running back Jaydn Ott go 12 yards on a swing pass and leap into the end zone for a 14-0 Cal lead.

“He missed a couple, but he threw some very good balls,” Wilcox said of Plummer. “We’ve got to do things to protect him, to keep that pass rush at bay.”

The 2-0 Bears travel to South Bend, Indiana next weekend to face Notre Dame, who inexplicably lost to Marshall 26-21, their first ever loss to a team from the Sun Belt Conference. The Bears’ undefeated start will create confidence as will a match up against signal caller Ty Buchner, who has yet to throw a touchdown pass in two games, and was picked off twice by the Thundering Herd.

“They’re still a really good team,” said sixth-year defensive back Daniel Scott cautiously.

Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips: Cal goes up against UNLV; Feels momentum after opening day win against UC Davis

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Cal Bears quarterback Jack Plummer gets ready to throw the football, Plummer hit three receivers on the day for three touchdown passes against the UC Davis Aggies at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley on Sat Sep 3, 2022 (AP News photo)

On the Cal Bears podcast with Morris:

#1 Morris after the UC Davis Aggies scored the first touchdown of the game it didn’t take long for the Cal Bears to answer back in the second quarter to take a ten point lead 17-7 for a half time score.

#2 The Bears Jack Plummer threw for three touchdowns it was Plummer’s first game under center for Cal and he pretty much had the rule of the roost with the football taking Cal to a 34-13 win.

#3 Cal in that first quarter just regrouped going into that second quarter minus one. The Bears are now 11-0 against the Aggies all time.

#4 Morris, talk about the receivers that Plummer got to throw to three yards to Jeremiah Hunter, eight yards to Jadyn Ott, and 14 yards to Mavin Anderson.

#5 Talk about how much confidence Cal will have going into week 2 facing UNLV with the home field advantage next Sat Sep 17th at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley.

Morris Phillips does the Cal Bears podcasts each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com