Leading 21-0 midway through the second quarter at the Hawaii Bowl, Cal was positioned to generate valuable momentum heading into the start of the Tosh Lupoi coaching era. Instead, the Bears' 35-31 loss to Hawaii on Wednesday night was more evidence that the program needs a leadership change that can toss aside a tired and familiar narrative. The Bears teased their fans with a dynamite dash out of the starting blocks in front of a capacity crowd of 15,194 at cozy Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex.
BERKELEY - The Cal football team, which doesn't seem to know what kind of season it's going to have, gets its highest-profile chance yet to make an impression when No. 15 Virginia visits Memorial Stadium for the first time on Saturday afternoon. If the inclination is to wonder if this is when the Bears (5-3, 2-2 ACC) head south for good with a third loss in four games, there is another side to the story.
Season 1 of the Bill Belichick era has been a train wreck. The Tar Heels have beaten just one FBS opponent - a 1-5 Charlotte team that is ranked 129th nationally in ESPN's SP+ ratings - and have given up 120 points in their three defeat. ... Carolina has been outscored 55-6 in the first half of its past two games, vs. UCF and Clemson.
BERKELEY - It was all working for Cal on Saturday night against Duke at Memorial Stadium. Freshman quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele led the Bears on lengthy drives for touchdowns on their first three possessions, producing a 21-7 lead barely two minutes into the second quarter. But the Blue Devils, making their first visit to Berkeley since 1963 when Craig Morton was a junior quarterback for the Bears, scored the final 24 points of the second quarter on the way to a 45-21 victory.
The Bears stoked optimism with offseason moves that included landing top quarterback prospect Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, an infusion of offensive brainpower on the coaching staff and bringing former All-American Ron Rivera on board as general manager. After winning its first three games, all by double-digit margins, Cal tanked last Saturday on the road against 14-point underdog San Diego State, losing 34-0. Coach Justin Wilcox was unhappy postgame and on Tuesday labeled the tone of practice this week as urgent and having an edge.
The Black Hole, a longtime fan group of the Las Vegas Raiders, is back in the Bay Area -- approximately 11 miles north of its former home in Oakland. On Wednesday, the California Golden Bears announced that a section in the south end zone of California Memorial Stadium would be designated as "The Black Bear" going forward, seating fans who purchase a ticket via the group's link on Cal's website.
