Cal has landed at the top of an ugly national category: penalty yards. The Bears have been flagged for 57 penalties and 538 yards, the most in the country, though that total is just 11 yards more than Texas-San Antonio’s.
On paper, that looks like a glaring problem. In practice, it doesn’t tell you much about how a team is actually playing or winning. The numbers across the FBS make that pretty clear.
Notre Dame, which is No. 2 in the rankings, and No. 5 Indiana both sit among the five least-penalized teams in the country.
Rutgers is the least penalized team in the nation, and the Scarlet Knights are 1-4. Louisiana-Monroe, Temple and Navy also show up among the 10 least penalized teams despite losing records or only modest success.
The opposite side of the list is just as messy. Old Dominion and Kennesaw State are among the 10 most penalized teams, but so are Texas-San Antonio, Liberty and 21st-ranked Wake Forest, which comes to Berkeley on Saturday night at 5-1 to face Cal, now 3-3.
That’s why the usual talk about penalties as a pure discipline issue doesn’t really hold up. Top-ranked Georgia is only 56th in fewest penalties, third-ranked Miami is 43rd and No.
4 Ohio State is 61st out of 138 FBS teams. They’re not near the bottom, but they’re nowhere near the worst either.
“Implementing course of action,” Cal coach Tosh Lupoi said this week in response to the Bears’ many penalties.
“It’s very frustrating,” he said. “We’re participating in the highest penalized conference in America.”
Lupoi said he is attacking the problem one penalty at a time rather than treating it like one giant issue.
“I’m doing everything I can to coach it better,” Lupoi said, “as far as, you take every single penalty for a life of its own. There’s no general speaking.
There’s no, ‘That’s 10 penalties; that’s a lack of discipline.’ We’re going to attack every single one of them.
So you break down.”
He pointed to the defensive offside penalty that hurt Cal earlier this season as something the staff has already addressed. He also said film study is helping him isolate different penalty types.
If he doesn’t see a penalty on film, “Then I have nothing to coach.” He said.
“That’s not a complaint; I just have nothing to coach.”
The Bears drew plenty of attention for their 16 penalties for 152 yards in the loss to UNLV, but far less was said about the 10 penalties for 99 yards they had in their best win of the season, a 25-20 victory over Virginia Tech last week.
And Cal’s penalty totals have been nearly even in wins and losses: 260 yards in three victories, 272 in three defeats.
That’s the bigger point here. Penalties can absolutely swing a game when they wipe out a key play at the wrong moment, especially late. But the overall yardage total is not a reliable measure of how good a team is.
In Other News...
Cals QB Outlook Just Shifted At A Crucial Time
Cal got a significant boost under center heading into Saturdays home game against No. 21 Wake Forest, with Jaron-Keawe Sagapolotele upgraded from questionable to probable. The quarterbacks status suggests he is likely to return after missing last week with a concussion, a timely shift for a Bears offense that needed clarity at the position as it prepares for a ranked opponent.
The rest of the availability report brought a mixed bag for Cal. Running back Adam Mohammed was downgraded to doubtful, while safety Kingston Lopa moved up to probable, giving the Bears a better look on defense even as the backfield remains unsettled. Wake Forest also got encouraging news of its own, with wide receiver Carlos Hernandez and defensive end Langston Hardy upgraded to probable. [Read more 🡒]
Cal May Have Found A Clutch Scorer As Offense Still Looks Shaky
Cals preseason tune-up against Loyola Marymount did little to hide the bigger offensive questions, but it did offer a glimpse of a player who might thrive when the game tightens late. Nojus Indruaitis delivered the decisive bucket in the closing moments of a 60-59 win, giving the Bears a needed bright spot in a game that was ugly in stretches but still ended with a confidence-building finish.
Mark Madsen pointed to Indruaitis and others who helped Cal hang around despite the rough shooting night, which is the part that matters most this early in November. The Bears still have another exhibition left before the regular season begins, and for a team searching for more reliable scoring, the final seconds provided at least one encouraging answer while the broader offensive picture remains unsettled. [Read more 🡒]
Wake Forest Brings A Major Depth Question Into Berkeley
Wake Forest is heading into Berkeley with its injury report carrying plenty of weight, and California has reason to keep an eye on it. The Demon Deacons have six players listed as out, leaving their depth thinner than usual in spots that matter most, especially up front where line rotations can shape both protection and the run game. For a Cal defense that will be watching how the visitors handle pressure, the availability of the players listed as probable could end up being part of the early-game story.
Among the names to watch are wide receiver Carlos Hernandez and defensive lineman Langston Hardy, both listed as probable heading into the matchup. Wake Forest will need to sort through personnel issues on both sides of the ball, and that makes the health of those key contributors even more important as the week unfolds. If the Deacons can patch together their offensive and defensive fronts, theyll give themselves a chance to keep the game manageable, but the margin for error is already looking slim. [Read more 🡒]