Go Joe Bruin finishes off their preview of the UCLA Football schedule with their season ending showdown against big brother, the California Golden Bears.
Last year was going to be the best in Head Coach Sonny Dykes‘ tenure at Cal. He was fielding what some would call the best quarterback in the country, his receiving corps was phenomenal and the defense was in very good shape.
This would be the best chance they would get to battle for the Pac-12 North Division. If only Washington, Oregon and Stanford were not in their division.
There was no doubt that Cal was a talented team in 2015. Behind QB Jared Goff, the Golden Bears were an offensive threat with their “Bear Raid”. But that changes as Goff and five of his receivers are gone. On top of that they return only five defensive starters.
It seems that this year, instead of being able to thrive, Cal is just hoping to survive.
Dykes has the herculean task of trying to not let this season get away from him. Last year saw the Golden Bears make massive strides but that is the past and the future is going to be a tough one to navigate though.
As other Pac-12 North teams will continue to fly high this season, it looks like Cal is going to hit some turbulence.
Next: 2015 Record and Recap
2015 Record and Recap
California Golden Bears 8-5 overall, 4-5 Pac-12
California was a very entertaining team last season. From their 73-14 bludgeoning of Grambling in their season opener to several surprise victories throughout the season, the Bears were a team to be taken seriously.
Cal took on San Diego State in their second week and had a field day in a 35-7 win, but it was the game in the folioing week that all eyes would be on. The Golden Bears were slight favorites against Texas and managed to get the 45-44 win and though it was not that shocking, it did turn heads.
Cal got even more attention with back-to-back wins against both Washington schools. Going into the Wazzu game, the Bears broke into the AP Poll at #24. Unfortunately, four straight loses to Utah, UCLA, USC and Oregon sent them plummeting in the Pac-12 standings and were not ranked the rest of the year. They bounced back in a win against Oregon State, but hit a final wall against Stanford. The Bears ended the regular season with a victory against Arizona State and took down the Air Force 55-26 in the Armed Forces Bowl.
Though it was not the way Dykes hoped for, him and his Bears would take it, especially Jared Goff, who proved to have such a successful season, he was about to make history in the NFL Draft.
Next: Key Players and Stats
Key Players
QB Davis Webb
With Jared Goff moving on to the NFL after getting drafted #1 overall, the Bears will stake their fortune in Texas Tech transfer Davis Webb. After playing 10 games in his freshman year, Webb saw his minutes dwindle the next two years.
In his second year he was out with an injury halfway though 2014. The next year he was bypassed for Patrick Mahomes. With a last chance to start, Webb transferred to Cal. So far, he is doing a bang up job. In Cal’s first game, Webb threw for 441 yards and 4 touchdowns against Hawaii.
Muhammad has played in an average of 11 games per season with the Bears, meaning he not only knows the offense but is well experienced. With the Golden Bears losing six receivers, the bread and butter of their “Bear Raid” offense, Cal might need to get more yards on the ground.
That is where Muhammad comes in. The Bears, have RBs Tre Watson and Vic Enwere (all three ran for over 500 yards last season), but Muhammad should be able to get the majority of carries..
As the third leading tackler on the Golden Bears defense from last season with 70 total (43 solo, 27 assists), Drew returns as one of the more experienced players on that side of the ball. After losing more than half of their starters, the Golden Bears are going to look for leadership, which Drew brings.
He is fast, has good field vision and is a big time tackler who can wrap up his opposition and aggressively drag them to the ground. The Bears were the 6th best pass defense team in 2015 and hopefully try to improve on that this year with the help of Drew.
Stats
- UCLA leads the series against big brother 52-32-1
- Last season, Cal averaged 376.3 yards through the air, 3rd best in the nation.
- UCLA leads the series when played in Berkeley, 20-22
- In the last eight games in Berkeley, Cal leads the series 7-1
Next: Offenses Vs. Defenses
UCLA Offense Vs. Cal Defense
The Golden Bear defense made improvements last year under DC Art Kaufman as they saw a significant change in points allowed. But when they lose over half of their starters, it will be hard to continue on that path the following year. Still, Cal has some talent on the defense, but will it be enough?
The Bruins will have nearly a season running their Amoeba Offense (spread and power formations) by the time they get to Cal. QB Josh Rosen should be in sync with a handful of receivers which will help them move the ball downfield.
Adding in the Bruins running backs into the mix (which could go 5-deep) will help keep the Bear defense guessing. Unfortunately, UCLA will have the talent and coaching advantage and should be able to cut through the defense with little effort
Related Story: UCLA OC Kennedy Polamalu Talks About the Offense
Cal Offense Vs. UCLA Defense
The Bears are not going away from their pass-heavy Bear Raid. They don’t have last year’s tools but they do have some players developing and if Davis Webb can find some chemistry with a few of his receivers, they could be in decent shape by this time of the season.
The Bears also have three good-looking running backs in Khalifa Muhammad, Tre Matson and Vic Enwere. If UCLA still has trouble stopping the run this deep into the season, then Cal should send all their RBs at the Bruins, especially since that might be the only way to beat the Bruin defense.
Cal will pass, but do they have enough to get by the best secondary in the conference? Honestly, they can try, but the UCLA defensive backs have an insane amount of talent and are 3-deep at nearly every secondary spot.
Next: Final Analysis and Prediction
Final Analysis
It is not a shot, it’s just the truth: Cal will not be that good this year. Many outlets have them finishing 5th in the North, especially with the rise of Washignton schools and the last two Pac-12 Champions Oregon and Stanford riding high at the top.
As much as I would like to see Cal succeed, it just might not happen this year,
Either way, Cal will come out with fists flying against little brother and they have at least two things working for them: (1) UCLA does not have a good track record in Berkeley in the last several years and (2) this might be a high-pressure game for the Bruins if they find themselves in a late-season race for the Pac-12 South Division.
With that being said, this could be one of those games UCLA loses and are suppose to win or it could be a spirited-affair where UCLA is mentally prepared for a big victory. I believe it will be the latter.
More from Go Joe Bruin
- UCLA Football: It’s time for the nation to meet Dante Moore
- UCLA Football: Where are they ranked heading into week 4
- UCLA Football: Position battle breakdown for Utah showdown
- UCLA vs. Utah: Location, time, prediction, and more
- UCLA Football: Highlights from Chip Kelly’s appearance on the Jim Rome Show
Next: UCLA Football Hires a Mental Conditioning Coach
Prediciton
UCLA 35 – Cal 17