Cal’s 2-2 start has plenty of fans ready to hit the panic button, but that kind of snap judgment is exactly what college football invites in September. The Bears have already shown the offensive issues that burned them in a 24-10 loss to Clemson, yet it’s still far too early to stamp a season, a staff or a quarterback with a final verdict one-third of the way through the schedule.
That doesn’t mean the concerns are imaginary. Offensive coordinator and play-caller Jordan Somerville is the obvious lightning rod because this is his first season in that role, and that inexperience is a fair thing to question.
There’s even a chance Tosh Lupoi could change who handles the play-calling this week or sometime soon. Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele’s uneven play through four games has only intensified the scrutiny, especially after what he showed in his freshman season.
Still, first-year growing pains at the controls are hardly unheard of. Davis Webb, now in his first season as the Denver Broncos’ offensive coordinator and play-caller, has been widely praised as one of football’s brightest offensive minds and interviewed for three NFL head coaching jobs this offseason without ever having been a coordinator. Even so, when Denver averaged just 15.0 points over its first two games and then went scoreless in the first half against the Rams in its third, Cris Collinsworth openly wondered if Sean Payton might have to step in.
“He was a series or two from having Sean Payton take over,” said Collinsworth.
The Broncos answered with 23 second-half points, won 30-26, and the conversation moved on. Collinsworth later described Webb’s rough start as “the growing pains of a first-time play-caller.”
That kind of example doesn’t clear Somerville, and it certainly doesn’t promise Cal’s offense will suddenly fix itself. It just shows how quickly judgment can swing when a new play-caller stumbles out of the gate.
If the Bears are 10 games into the year and sitting at 3-7 with a lifeless offense and Sagapolutele still struggling against Stanford, then the conclusions become much more legitimate. Even then, though, that still wouldn’t be enough to hand down a final ruling on Lupoi as a head coach.
Cal history offers both sides of that argument. Bruce Snyder opened 1987 at 3-6-2 before steadily building the program into a 10-2 team that finished eighth in the nation in 1991.
Jeff Tedford also needed time, going 7-5 and 7-6 in his first two regular seasons before turning Cal into a national force. But Joe Kapp’s first year in 1982 looked encouraging at 7-4, only for the program to slide badly after that and finish with a 5-22 conference mark over his last three seasons.
The Bears’ own season history makes the same point. The last time Cal won a conference title, sharing it with USC in 2006, it opened with a 35-18 loss to Tennessee and trailed 35-0 in the third quarter.
In 1958, Cal lost its first two games and still reached the Rose Bowl. On the flip side, the Bears started 5-0 and climbed to No. 2 in 2007 before dropping six of their final seven regular-season games.
Seven years ago, they opened 4-0, reached No. 15, and still finished 4-5 in Pac-10 play.
That’s why one of college football’s most familiar lines still rings true: “September lies.”
So no, Cal’s rough start is not nothing. But it’s also not a finished story, and it’s not a season-ending diagnosis for Lupoi, Somerville or Sagapolutele either.
In Other News...
Former Cal Star Suddenly Back In The Middle Of A Playoff Decision
Andrew Vaughns season took an unexpected turn just as the Brewers reached October, but the former Cal star is back in the picture after recovering from a stomach illness. The Milwaukee first baseman has been cleared to play and is expected to be available for the NLDS against the San Diego Padres, giving the Brewers another option as they shape their postseason roster.
Vaughn has mostly filled a platoon role this season, but his status now carries more weight with the series about to begin. Milwaukee is still sorting through how it wants to line up against Padres lefty Robbie Ray in Game 1, and Vaughn has emerged as a possible starter in that matchup, turning a quiet recovery into a potentially meaningful playoff decision. [Read more 🡒]
Cal Women's Basketball Just Landed A Commitment Fans Should Notice
Cal womens basketball added a notable long-range piece to its future when Amelia Sow committed to the program, giving the Bears an early head start with one of the more sought-after guards in the country. Sow comes out of Quebec and has already built a national profile, most recently being named the Womens National Preparatory Basketball Association player of the year while drawing attention from a wide range of programs.
For a Cal team getting ready for the upcoming season with returning starters and new transfers, the commitment is another sign the program is still selling itself as a place where high-level talent can develop and fit into a broader roster build. Sows choice will only raise the profile of the Bears recruiting work, even if the full impact of her pledge is still something fans will have to wait to see on the floor. [Read more 🡒]