Preview 2019: Previewing and looking ahead to the Cal Golden Bears season with what you need to know.
– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak
– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Recruiting Class Analysis | Schedule Analysis
– Cal Previews 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015
2018 Record: 7-6 overall, 4-5 in Pac-12
Head Coach: Justin Wilcox, 3rd year, 12-13
5. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE CAL OFFENSE
– Can the offense do anything? Offensive coordinator and former Eastern Washington head coach Beau Baldwin knows what he’s doing, but the O just can’t get going. It finished dead last in the Pac-12 in yards and scoring, averaging 344 yards and 21.5 points per game. There were too many interceptions – 20, the second-most in the country – the passing attack was the worst in the conference, and the ground game couldn’t pick up the slack.
– It’s a strange situation. The quarterback play has to be better, but the lack of top talent overall still means sophomore QB Chase Garbers might just be the team’s top player offensive player. He’s being pushed by UCLA transfer Devon Modster and a few young parts, and former South Carolina transfer Brandon McIlwain – who’ll work at running back and receiver – could fill in if there’s an emergency.
– The receivers need to show up, too. The top three wideouts are gone and five of the top six pass catchers are done. The gamebreakers need to emerge from the underclassmen, and Jordan Duncan – the lone senior in the corps – has to become a reliable No. 1 target. At the moment, seven of the top nine receivers are underclassmen.
– The running game wasn’t bad, partly because the quarterbacks combines to contribute for well over 800 yards. That should happen again, but workhorse runner Patrick Laird is gone.
It’ll be a rotation including JUCO transfer DeShawn Collins and returning backs Christopher Brown and Marcel Dancy, but a workhorse has to emerge. They’ll work behind an okay line that returns four starters, but has to be better in pass protection.
