Behind Enemy Lines: 5 Questions With Cal Expert

With the Oregon State football team (5-2, 3-1 Pac-12) set to face the Cal Bears (2-5, 1-3) at Memorial Stadium on Saturday afternoon, BeaversEdge.com caught up with GoldenBearReport Publisher Trace Travers to learn more about the Bears.

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1. Cal has been in a lot of close games this season, what's been the reason why they've been losses?

Trace Travers: "It hasn’t been one thing with this Cal team all year. In a couple of games, snap-exchange issues on PATs and field goals were the culprits. In the Nevada game, Cal couldn’t get a consistent drive going, having gone away from the run game after the first quarter.

Against TCU, Cal allowed a late first-half touchdown and struggled to score after that. Cal has struggled in the third quarter of a lot of their games, scoring 24 points total in that frame through seven games.

There have been penalty issues and a lack of consistency that has kept Cal from winning games, though the fact that they’ve been close does mean they aren’t as far away as the 2-5 record makes them seem."

2. What does QB Chase Garbers do well and how do you see him faring against the Oregon State defense?

TT: "If you told me when Garbers signed in February of 2017 that he’d end up being perceived as a dual-threat QB, I’d have laughed. Garbers is at his best when he’s able to extend plays with his feet, as he doesn’t get caught too frequently on scrambles. He steps up into the pocket well and has made some solid throws despite edge pressure.

Garbers has had some solid performances against Oregon State in the past, with one of his 300+ yard performances against the Beavers a year ago. Obviously, he threw a final tipped interception which led to Oregon State icing the game a year ago, but it will depend on what kind of pressure Oregon State can put on him. Two years ago when these teams played, Oregon State collapsed the pocket from the inside, and if the Beavers can do that again, they’ll slow down the Cal offense.

One point though, the last two times Cal and Oregon State have played, Cal has been down multiple offensive linemen, with three starters missing the game last year for Covid contact tracing. That isn’t the case in 2021.

3. In terms of Cal's defense, is this years' group on par with previous Wilcox defenses?

TT: "Cal’s defense started out the year rough, struggling with tackling and making uncharacteristic mistakes with defensive coordinator Peter Sirmon at the helm. Since halftime of the Washington game, Cal has improved in both aspects, though there have still been some defensive penalties that have given up first downs.

The group has turned to younger players, especially at the inside linebacker position as the year has gone on. The inside linebacker group of Mo Iosefa, Trey Paster, Femi Oladejo, and Nate Rutchena are either first or second-year players. Both Lu-Magia Hearns and Collin Gamble are first-year starters at cornerback.

There are still a number of seniors on defense, with Cam Goode, Luc Bequette, Elijah Hicks, and Josh Drayden being mainstays of the Cal defense, but Texas transfer Marqez Bimage has excelled recently, and safety Daniel Scott leads the Bears in interceptions. It’s a group that played very well against Colorado last week, but Oregon State presents a much bigger challenge.