Justin Wilcox still frustrated by Cal football's close losses: ‘Those are difficult'

San Francisco Chronicle​

4 days ago

In putting together a 6-7 record for the second consecutive season last year, Cal went 2-5 in games decided by one score. The Bears endured one particularly painful stretch in which they lost four straight games by a combined nine points.
On Tuesday, when a reporter at the ACC Football Kickoff event in Charlotte, N.C., asked Cal head coach Justin Wilcox about the Bears' struggles in tight games in 2024 and how they plan to remedy that issue in '25, Wilcox had a ready response.
'You didn't need to remind me, but I know the stat, yeah,' said Wilcox, who's entering his ninth season leading the Bears. 'Those are difficult, frustrating losses. We had plenty of opportunities to win those games.
'I wish it was as simple as, well, we need to do this one drill or address this one position or fix this one problem. It's not that simple.'
Wilcox then listed several components, from coaching and schematics to class schedules and admissions to 'support from every level of our institution. … I could name 50 things that can help us.'
The Bears will need help from either new players or ones who haven't had major roles in their time at Cal.
From last season, the Bears lost their starting quarterback (Fernando Mendoza, transferred to Indiana), top two running backs (Jaivian Thomas, transferred to UCLA; Jaydn Ott, transferred to Oklahoma), top wide receiver Nyziah Hunter (transferred to Nebraska), top tight end (Jack Endries, transferred to Texas), top tackler (Teddye Buchanan, fourth-round pick by Baltimore) and top interceptor (Nohl Williams, third-round pick by Kansas City).
One man expected to provide a lot of help to Wilcox and the entire team is Ron Rivera, the former Cal and Chicago Bears linebacker and longtime NFL head coach who was named the football program's general manager in March.
Wilcox said he and Rivera 'get to talk about anything and everything that has to do with Cal football. … He's a Cal Bear through and through, and he will tell you that. He will carry that flag.'
Who will carry the flag as Cal's starting quarterback for its opener at Oregon State on Aug. 30 remains uncertain. The competition centers on Devin Brown, who spent the past three seasons as a backup at Ohio State, and heralded freshman Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, the left-hander from Hawaii who committed to Cal but signed with Oregon, then quickly transferred from Eugene to Berkeley.
Redshirt freshman EJ Caminong is also in the mix, Wilcox said, but the fact that Cal brought Brown and Sagapolutele to Charlotte would lead you to believe they're the top two candidates.
'The history of the quarterback position at Cal is long with Aaron Rodgers and Jared Goff,' Brown said. 'The list goes on and on.'
Brown then went on about making the transition from the Buckeyes to the Bears.
'The biggest thing was building relationships on and off the field,' Brown said. 'The O-line had to be able to trust that they could be my friend off the field. They're not going to want to block for somebody that they don't like, right?'
This will be the third straight year in which the Bears begin preseason camp with their starting QB uncertain. In 2023, Sam Jackson V and Ben Finley were the top candidates. They alternated as starters for the first five games before Mendoza took the job. Last year, Mendoza held off Chandler Rogers to remain QB1.
'We feel like this team at each position is probably as competitive or more competitive than any team we've had in our tenure there, so that's a good thing,' Wilcox said. 'The goal is to bring in as many good players as we possibly can who fit us, who fit Cal, and let the competition sort the depth chart out.'
Briefly: Cal also brought defensive lineman Aidan Keanaaina and linebacker Cade Uluave to Charlotte. In an interview on the ACC Network, Wilcox hinted that Uluave might get playing time beyond his duties on defense. Uluave was both a linebacker and running back at Mountain Ridge High in Utah and he returned four kickoffs. … Brown wore No. 33, not the typical quarterback number, at OSU as a tribute to Pro Football Hall of Fame QB Sammy Baugh. Brown is wearing No. 13 at Cal as running back Dean-Taylor Chapman has No. 33. Brown jokingly said that Chapman 'is being a little stingy, but I wanted (No. 33), so we'll see what happens.'