For all the offensive numbers Cal put up, it was the defense that provided some of the most emphatic lines on the stat sheet. Goff said he is quite comfortable with the increased role given to him by offensive coordinator Tony Franklin after doing it all spring and summer and his teammates like what they have seen. “It got a little sloppy at times and there are a lot of things we need to improve on to become a good football team but I certainly thought it was a good starting point”.
Cal’s upcoming opponent, San Diego State, figures to necessitate as much.
The Bears allowed the second-most points in the nation the past two years under coach Sonny Dykes but showed signs of improvement against the lower-division Tigers by recording four interceptions and three sacks in the first half and not allowing points until the fourth quarter.
Although it could be considered a “garbage win” Cal will take anything they can get. A three-and-out on Grambling’s opening drive gave the Bears the ball on the Tigers’ 41 and it took Cal just three plays to find the south end zone.
Williams threw as many interceptions as accomplished passes within the first quarter. Three of the eight passes Goff did not complete – including his one interception – were dropped or deflected by his own receivers. Goff didn’t play in the final half, but still finished with 24 completions on 32 attempts, 309 yards, and three touchdowns. His 16-yard touchdown reception with 3:11 left in the first half made it 42-0 Bears and tied him with Keenan Allen for seventh on Cal’s all-time TD reception list with 17. This is the first time in a while that the Bears are getting national attention.
Cal accomplished passes to 13 receivers and received landing runs from Enwere, Daniel Lasco, Tre Watson and Jeffrey Coprich.
The 2015 Cal team features players who accounted for over 80 percent of its offense in the following categories in 2014 – passing (99.7%), total offense (99.3%), rushing (98.4%), all-purpose (89.7%), total touchdowns (88.5%) and receiving (84.6%).
Still, the Bears did shut out the Tigers for the first half and they held onto it until about halfway into the fourth quarter. Grambling State had no chance against a smothering Bears offense. Regardless of the opposition, considering what Cal’s defense has been through during the past couple of years, this was a pretty big accomplishment.
It looks like The Mad Scientist is hatching something else.
But coach Sonny Dykes believes Goff can do even more. Whether it’s having the quarterback wear the same uniform number as the punter or using a true freshman as a situational quarterback in the first game of the season; there’s always something.
Goff connected with Kenny Lawler three times for scores as the Golden Bears broke out to a 52-0 halftime lead with the highest-scoring half in modern school history. The fact that there was a late arriving crowd wasn’t all that unusual. With the outcome not in jeopardy, sometimes people want to beat the traffic, or they have dinner plans, plus they know that in most cases they’ll be back here next week. The awesome Grambling band, which blew down the house at halftime, showed more creative formations and talent than the football team. “Our guys are running to the football, they’re creating turnovers”.
For their part, the Cal band followed up with an extremely solid mid-70s tribute with “Hooked on a Feeling”, “Come and Get Your Love” and “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” highlighting a set which feature Oski and Stanford’s mascot discussing their differences. “They brought in some junior college players and transfers that are really going to help”.