CU Buffs opponent preview: Cal Bears aim to get back on winning track

Jun. 29—Despite back-to-back disappointing seasons, California head football coach Justin Wilcox has done enough in Berkeley that Oregon pursued him in the offseason.

Wilcox chose to stay with the Golden Bears and he got a six-year, $28.5 million contract extension this spring. Five years into his tenure at Cal, though, the Bears are still trying to get the ball rolling.

This summer, BuffZone.com will preview each of Colorado's opponents for the 2022 season and in this installment, we look at Cal, which visits Folsom Field on Oct. 15.

A highly respected defensive coordinator for more than a decade, Wilcox, 45, was given his first head coaching opportunity with the Bears in 2017. After a decent first season (5-7 with three losses by three points or less), Wilcox took Cal to back-to-back bowl games in 2018 and 2019.

There were high hopes going into 2020, but few teams have been hit harder by COVID-19 protocols over the last two years.

Cal played only four games in 2020, losing three. Last year, the Bears played a November game at Arizona while missing 24 players, including their starting quarterback. They lost 10-3 (Arizona's only win in its last 24 games) and that probably cost Cal a bowl game.

Within the program, there is belief that the Bears can improve this year, but they'll need to overcome a lack of experience and fill some holes.

Cal averaged just 23.8 points per game last year, and most of the offensive production is gone, including quarterback Chase Garbers, a four-year starter who graduated. His likely replacement is former Purdue part-time starter Jack Plummer.

Three of the top four rushers (including Garbers), six of the top seven receivers and three of the five starting offensive line are also gone. The Bears will rely on new faces to step up if the offense is to improve.

Defensively, only four of last year's starters are back, but there is less concern about that side of the ball. Between Wilcox and coordinator Peter Sirmon, Cal has two of the better defensive coaches in the Pac-12 and has consistently had a solid defense during Wilcox's tenure.

Still, the Bears have to replace two of their top players from last year: outside linebacker Cameron Goode and safety Elijah Hicks. Both were seventh-round picks in the NFL draft.

Cal added some reinforcements through the transfer portal, however, and will lean on returners Daniel Scott (safety) and Lu-Magia Hearns III (cornerback) to anchor the secondary.

The Bears may not be a top contender for the Pac-12 North title, but their defense gives them a chance to get back on the winning track.

California Golden Bears

Head coach: Justin Wilcox, 6th season (26-28)

2021 season: 5-7, 4-5 Pac-12

Series with CU: Golden Bears lead 7-4

The Game

Who: California Bears at Colorado Buffaloes

When: Saturday, Oct 15, time TBA

Where: Folsom Field in Boulder

5 Guys to Watch

* DL Brett Johnson: Missed 2021 with a hip injury. In his first two seasons, however, he played in 17 games (13 starts), with 46 tackles, six tackles for loss and three sacks.

* RB Damien Moore: Finished second on the team with 517 rushing yards and led the team with six rushing touchdowns last year. During the four-game 2020 season, he had a team-high 188 rushing yards.

* QB Jack Plummer: A part-time starter at Purdue, he played in 21 games (13 starts) for the Boilermakers over the last three years, completing 64.8% of his passes (319-of-492) for 3,405 yards, 26 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. His brother, Will, is a QB at Arizona and played against CU the past two seasons.

* S Daniel Scott: One of the best safeties in the Pac-12, he led the Bears in tackles (82) last year and had 4.5 tackles for loss and three interceptions. In his career, he has 122 tackles and four interceptions.

* LB Jackson Sirmon: The Washington transfer is the son of Cal defensive coordinator Peter Sirmon. In four years with the Huskies, he played in 33 games (16 starts) and recorded 147 tackles. He led the Huskies with 91 tackles last year.

Good to know

* From 2013-16, the Bears had the worst scoring defense in the Pac-12 three times in four years. Wilcox took over in 2017 and the Bears jumped to seventh that year. They've finished in the top five in each of the last four seasons, including second last year (22.2 points per game).

* In 2021, the Bears were 96th in the country in scoring (23.8 points per game), but that was their best average since 2017, Wilcox's first year. They finished 60th in yards per play (5.9), but 99th in red zone scoring (78.05%) last year.

* Grand Junction native Bill Musgrave is in his third season as Cal's offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach. Musgrave, who played quarterback for the Denver Broncos in 1995-96, coached for 16 season in the NFL before going to Cal. Most recently, he was the offensive coordinator for the Broncos in 2017-18.

* Cal was 0-5 in one-score games last year and 1-7 over the past two seasons.

* The Bears are 1-7 in their last eight road games with the only win coming at Stanford last year. Overall, they've lost seven straight games outside of the state of California, with the last win coming at Mississippi on Sept. 21, 2019.

* Both teams will be coming off a bye week when they meet in Boulder. Cal is the only team coming off a bye that CU will face this season.

* CU is 4-2 against Cal in Boulder, including wins in the last two Folsom Field matchups, in 2013 and 2017.

* Kicker Dario Longhetto was 11-of-14 on field goals last year and 31-for-31 on extra points. For his career, he's 15-of-20 on field goals and 40-of-41 on extra points.

* Cal hasn't posted a winning record in conference play since going 5-4 in the Pac-10 in 2009. The Bears have been close under Wilcox, going 4-5 in three of the last four seasons.

* Outside linebackers coach Vic So'oto was originally hired by CU in December to coach the Buffs' defensive linemen. Two months later, he left the Buffs to take the position with Cal.

Portal movement

Cal has lost 10 scholarship players to the transfer portal, including several contributors from last season. Offensively, leading rusher Christopher Brooks (BYU), starting right guard McKade Mettauer (Oklahoma), key receiver/returner Nikko Remigio (Fresno State) and tight end Gavin Reinwald (Rice) are all gone. On defense, starting defensive end JH Tevis (Indiana), part-time starting corner Chigoze Anusiem (Colorado State) and part-time starting linebacker Evan Tattersall (UC Davis) all left. There were six additions and they could be significant. Plummer could be the starting quarterback, while Sirmon could be one of the top middle linebackers in the conference. The Bears also added defensive ends Odua Isibor from UCLA (4.5 TFL, 2 sacks last year) and Xavier Carlton from Utah. Tackle T.J. Session (starter at Montana State) and Rocky Mountain High School graduate Spencer Lovell (part-time starter at Arizona State) bolster the offensive line.