What Cal must fix vs. Idaho in final game before Pac-12 play
BERKELEY — Cal, whose fortunes swung wildly over the first two weeks of the football season, closes its non-conference schedule Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium against an Idaho team hoping to knock off a second straight FBS opponent.
The Bears, 1-1 after a 14-10 loss to Auburn, are one week away from opening their final Pac-12 season on the road against No. 8 Washington. Cal’s conference slate includes six games against teams currently ranked in the Top 25.
“We have a gauntlet of a schedule,” quarterback Sam Jackson V said. “Everything is week by week because we won’t play any run-over teams at all.”
That includes Idaho, an FCS-level team that has beaten its first two opponents— including Nevada last week — by a combined margin of 75-23.
“They are a confident team.” Cal coach Justin Wilcox said. “They know what they’re doing. They have our full attention, no doubt about that.”
The Bears opened two weeks ago with a rousing 58-21 win at North Texas, showing off new offensive coordinator Jake Spavital’s versatile attack. Things weren’t nearly as smooth last week, and there were many reasons beyond the opponent.
Here is a checklist of areas where the Bears hope to show improvement Saturday (1 p.m., Pac-12 Networks) against a Vandals team making its first trip to Berkeley since 1934:
Show offensive efficiency
The Bears were inside the Auburn 40-yard line eight times and scored just 10 points. A week earlier, they cashed in six of eight chances inside the opponent’s 20.
The starting unit should be intact. Running back Jaydn Ott, who took a hard tumble against Auburn, is expected back. And Jackson, who injured his left (non-throwing) shoulder at North Texas and did not start last week, said he feels like himself again.
More important, he got the starter’s usual share of practice reps this week, compared to the days before Auburn, when Ben Finley had more snaps to prep for a starting assignment.
“I watched plenty of film but I’m pretty much a rep guy,” Jackson said. “Once I got into the game all of the adrenaline was just rushing.”
Jackson led the team to a touchdown on his first series but Spavital said the Bears didn’t play with enough tempo the rest of the night.
“We’re not even close to the potential of who we are,” Spavital said. “We’re still a young team in certain areas. We need to have a better performance Saturday.”
Resume developing O-line depth
Cal used 12 offensive linemen at North Texas, partly to stay fresh on a hot day where the offense ran 95 plays. In a closer game against Auburn — and without sixth-year center Matthew Cindric, who is out for the season — the Bears played just six O-linemen.
“I’m 100 percent confident in the O-line,” said Spavital, adding he expects sixth man Brayden Rohme will be joined in the rotation by Bastian Swinney and Deshaun Harris.
Fix the field goal game
Sophomore Michael Luckhurst is 2 for 7 on field goals. Those five misses are two more than the total of every other Pac-12 team combined.
“Personnel is discussed. Scheme is discussed,” Wilcox said. “All those things are discussed when you’re not performing.”
Wilcox has expressed confidence in Luckhurst, the son of Cal Hall of Famer and former NFL kicker Mick Luckhurst. The Bears’ alternatives are a pair of freshmen who have never appeared in a game.
One more play on defense
The Bears have allowed fewer passing yards and total yards than any team in the Pac-12, are first among FBS teams with seven takeaways and have allowed their opponents to convert just 25 percent of their third- and fourth-down tries.
But they surrendered a 69-yard fourth-quarter drive in which Auburn converted a third-and-17 play on the way to scoring the winning touchdown.
“We had a chance to win that game on the 10-play drive,” Cal defensive coordinator Peter Sirmon said. “Our defense has the capacity to do that.”