Saturday’s matchup with Wagner didn’t tell us much about Cal football, and that’s not really a surprise. The gap between FBS and FCS has widened, Cal played this one as its third game of the year instead of an early-season evaluation piece, and Wagner entered ranked 338th in Bill Connelly’s all-of-college-football analytical rankings - 17th worst at the FCS level. Put that together and you get something that felt closer to a scrimmage than a real test.
Cal mostly treated it that way, too. The Bears leaned on bubble screens and swing passes for easy scores, the kind of plays that looked good in this game but didn’t do much to answer questions about what this offense will be against stronger opponents.
Adam Mohammed remains an encouraging development at running back, but even his 65-yard touchdown came against a Wagner defense that was badly overmatched. That’s the problem with trying to draw big conclusions from this one: there just wasn’t much useful data to pull from it.
Still, a few things stood out.
Dorian Thomas was back on the field in a meaningful way. Thomas, who was hurt in fall camp and missed the UCLA game before getting only two snaps against Syracuse, has a case as Cal’s best portal addition.
With him unavailable, the Bears gave true freshman Taimane Purcell 58 snaps, and he finished with five targets, two catches, and 14 yards. That’s not nothing, especially for a first-year player, but Cal badly needs Thomas healthy and producing like he did at New Mexico.
Against Wagner, he caught one pass, so it may still take time before he’s fully back up to speed. Even so, Cal needs more playmakers on the field, and Thomas looks like one of them.
There was also a development along the offensive line. When Cal moved Lewis out for Klisiewicz partway through the Syracuse game, it looked like Lewis might be dealing with an injury.
So Klisiewicz starting against Wagner made sense if the staff was protecting a hurt player. Instead, Lewis came back in with the second unit and finished the game, which points to Klisiewicz simply winning the job.
He’s in his second year at Cal and came in as an under-the-radar Bay Area recruit, ranked as the 100th best tackle in the 247 composite with only three other FBS offers, none from the power conference level. How he handles ACC competition is still an open question, but if Cal has found a playable tackle through internal development, that would be a big deal.
The special teams numbers are much harder to ignore. Cal is 119th in the country in yards allowed per kickoff return, and six of the 12 teams below them have already given up a kickoff return touchdown.
The Bears are also 124th in touchback percentage. On field goals, they’re 109th in the country in accuracy.
Punt returns have been ugly too: Cal is 128th nationally at 7 total yards on four returns, and two of those seven yards came on a muff that moved the ball forward two yards. Quaron Adams got a chance to return punts, apparently in search of a spark, and he muffed both of his catch attempts.
Angus Davies has been excellent as a punter and has helped cover up a lot with his Aussie-rules-tackle-avoidance skills, but outside of that, this phase has been rough.
That leaves the bigger picture, which is mostly a matter of perspective. Optimists can point to Cal’s starting offense scoring on every drive except one, with that lone empty possession ending on a fumble by the backup running back.
Pessimists can point to the special teams problems and the bland play-calling. The game didn’t really settle much.
If Kyion Grayes turning a WR screen into an 80-yard touchdown made you check out, you probably weren’t alone. If it made you smile and move on with your day, that was probably the healthiest reaction. The Bears got the win, but Wagner didn’t offer much beyond a few flashes and a reminder that this one was never going to answer many questions.
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Clemson enters favored by a slim margin, which says plenty about how closely matched this one looks on paper. The Tigers are expected to roll out freshman quarterback Tait Reynolds, and after Cal handled its conference opener, this gives the Bears a chance to see where they really stand against a team with the same record and plenty of talent, in what could easily turn into the kind of game that comes down to a few plays late. [Read more 🡒]
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The matchup also puts some of the burden on Clemsons offense to hold up under pressure, because the Bears should have a clear plan for testing the middle of the field while keeping the Tigers honest on defense. If Cal can stay patient and cash in on those openings, it could turn a name-brand opponent into a very workable ACC opportunity instead of just another tough roadblock. [Read more 🡒]
Cals Offense Faces A Brutal Test In A Tight Clemson Showdown
Clemson is back in the ACC spotlight after its 28-20 win over North Carolina in Week 3, and California now gets the next swing at a Tigers team that has been winning with defense more than offensive flair. The matchup sets up as a grind from the start, with both sides having struggled to generate much consistent production and neither offense showing much room for easy separation.
That profile is exactly why this game feels like it could stay tight deep into the second half, with field position and pass rush mattering as much as anything else. Clemsons front has been the more reliable part of the operation so far, while California has had to search for steadier rhythm on its own side of the ball, making this one of those ACC games where every drive may feel like it matters a little more than usual. [Read more 🡒]