Read that here
I did one with him as well, I'll put that up below:
1 - In what one or two ways did Cal grow the most since the end of last season now that Justin Wilcox is in his second year and installing a full program?
It boils down to two areas, the understanding that what the expectations are for them as a program and the general understanding of what they’re doing and how to do it better.
On the first point, a number of players have expressed the sentiment in the offseason, that what they were doing solely as part of the program wasn’t enough to make them a great team. There’s a lifestyle, with accountability and responsibility that goes into it, to make a successful team. That’s why when you used to see maybe a half dozen or so guys working through things after practice, it’s closer to half the team now. These guys lost three games by a total of seven points last year, so they’re more aware about the margins between an eight and five win team.
The second thing we’ve heard a ton is that last year they were just learning what to do, offensively and defensively, now they’re learning why they do it. To them, last year was the base, with lots of work on tackling fundamentals and other stuff of that nature. This year is building off that base.
2 - Cal hit on a couple of big TDs a year ago for 67 and 54 yards, that were obviously vital in the Bears winning. What kind of big strike ability do the Bears have going into this season?
Well, both the guys who scored those touchdowns are back, in Vic Wharton and Patrick Laird respectively, and to a certain extent I believe those were a byproduct of playing man coverage by UNC.
I think there’s some big play ability, but it’s not going to come from pure speed, it’s more based on setting things up. One thing Cal has now that it didn’t have a year ago are tight ends. Sixth year senior Ray Hudson broke his foot in fall camp last year (hence the sixth year) and the Bears got a grad transfer from Michigan in the 6’7” Ian Bunting. Both can be threats over the middle, drawing coverage their way, which could open up bigger plays.
3 - Who are two game-changing players on each side of the ball UNC fans need to be aware of?
On offense, it’s Kanawai Noa and Laird. Noa had a knack for converting on 3rd down a year ago and he’s been praised repeatedly by the staff for being one of their toughest, most reliable players. With Laird, it’s a similar thing, as he came out of nowhere, at least from the outsider’s perspective, to be a 1000 yard rusher a year ago. He’s a patient runner who can catch the ball out of the backfield.
Defensively, it’s the two Cams, Bynum and Goode. Bynum is one of those guys who stays for a half hour after practice everyday, quietly working on his footwork and he’s probably grown the most out of anyone on the defensive side of the ball. He does everything well from the corner spot. Goode, an outside linebacker, finally put on enough size to be effective at his position, and he’s been the most consistent front seven player for the Bears. He’s probably the best tackler on the defense, and is developing into a solid pass rusher.
4 - What kind of atmosphere should Carolina expect Saturday?
Admittedly, I’m not too sure. There’s cautious optimism from fans, with many alienated by Sonny Dykes making their way back. Cal has a new athletic director in former Air Force AD Jim Knowlton, who is making it a goal to pump up the game day experience for Cal fans, among other things. How quickly it brings people back remains to be seen.
That said, there’ll be a ton of kids there, thanks to Laird. The Cal running back hosted a summer reading challenge for 1st-6th graders in the area, having them read a certain number of books in order to earn free tickets for the UNC game. Around 3700 kids signed up, so we’ll see how many tickets get distributed on gameday. Cal women’s basketball does a similar event with inviting kids for a midday game, and if the kids are as loud for the football game as they are for basketball, it should be as loud as we’ve heard Memorial Stadium in a long time.
5 - What is your prediction for the game?
My predictions never come true, so I’m going with Vegas on this one. 35-28 Cal. The Cal defense is predicated on stopping explosive plays, so I think they’ll manage to hold up.
I did one with him as well, I'll put that up below:
1 - In what one or two ways did Cal grow the most since the end of last season now that Justin Wilcox is in his second year and installing a full program?
It boils down to two areas, the understanding that what the expectations are for them as a program and the general understanding of what they’re doing and how to do it better.
On the first point, a number of players have expressed the sentiment in the offseason, that what they were doing solely as part of the program wasn’t enough to make them a great team. There’s a lifestyle, with accountability and responsibility that goes into it, to make a successful team. That’s why when you used to see maybe a half dozen or so guys working through things after practice, it’s closer to half the team now. These guys lost three games by a total of seven points last year, so they’re more aware about the margins between an eight and five win team.
The second thing we’ve heard a ton is that last year they were just learning what to do, offensively and defensively, now they’re learning why they do it. To them, last year was the base, with lots of work on tackling fundamentals and other stuff of that nature. This year is building off that base.
2 - Cal hit on a couple of big TDs a year ago for 67 and 54 yards, that were obviously vital in the Bears winning. What kind of big strike ability do the Bears have going into this season?
Well, both the guys who scored those touchdowns are back, in Vic Wharton and Patrick Laird respectively, and to a certain extent I believe those were a byproduct of playing man coverage by UNC.
I think there’s some big play ability, but it’s not going to come from pure speed, it’s more based on setting things up. One thing Cal has now that it didn’t have a year ago are tight ends. Sixth year senior Ray Hudson broke his foot in fall camp last year (hence the sixth year) and the Bears got a grad transfer from Michigan in the 6’7” Ian Bunting. Both can be threats over the middle, drawing coverage their way, which could open up bigger plays.
3 - Who are two game-changing players on each side of the ball UNC fans need to be aware of?
On offense, it’s Kanawai Noa and Laird. Noa had a knack for converting on 3rd down a year ago and he’s been praised repeatedly by the staff for being one of their toughest, most reliable players. With Laird, it’s a similar thing, as he came out of nowhere, at least from the outsider’s perspective, to be a 1000 yard rusher a year ago. He’s a patient runner who can catch the ball out of the backfield.
Defensively, it’s the two Cams, Bynum and Goode. Bynum is one of those guys who stays for a half hour after practice everyday, quietly working on his footwork and he’s probably grown the most out of anyone on the defensive side of the ball. He does everything well from the corner spot. Goode, an outside linebacker, finally put on enough size to be effective at his position, and he’s been the most consistent front seven player for the Bears. He’s probably the best tackler on the defense, and is developing into a solid pass rusher.
4 - What kind of atmosphere should Carolina expect Saturday?
Admittedly, I’m not too sure. There’s cautious optimism from fans, with many alienated by Sonny Dykes making their way back. Cal has a new athletic director in former Air Force AD Jim Knowlton, who is making it a goal to pump up the game day experience for Cal fans, among other things. How quickly it brings people back remains to be seen.
That said, there’ll be a ton of kids there, thanks to Laird. The Cal running back hosted a summer reading challenge for 1st-6th graders in the area, having them read a certain number of books in order to earn free tickets for the UNC game. Around 3700 kids signed up, so we’ll see how many tickets get distributed on gameday. Cal women’s basketball does a similar event with inviting kids for a midday game, and if the kids are as loud for the football game as they are for basketball, it should be as loud as we’ve heard Memorial Stadium in a long time.
5 - What is your prediction for the game?
My predictions never come true, so I’m going with Vegas on this one. 35-28 Cal. The Cal defense is predicated on stopping explosive plays, so I think they’ll manage to hold up.
