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2020 California Golden Bears football team

2020 California Golden Bears football
ConferencePac-12 Conference
DivisionNorth Division
Record1–3 (1–3 Pac-12)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorBill Musgrave (1st season)
Offensive schemeSpread option
Defensive coordinatorPeter Sirmon (1st season)
Co-defensive coordinatorTim DeRuyter (1st season)
Base defense3–4
Home stadiumCalifornia Memorial Stadium
Seasons
← 2019
2021 →
2020 Pac-12 Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
North Division
Washington x   3 – 1     3 – 1  
Oregon y$   4 – 2     4 – 3  
Stanford   4 – 2     4 – 2  
California   1 – 3     1 – 3  
Washington State   1 – 3     1 – 3  
Oregon State   2 – 5     2 – 5  
South Division
No. 21 USC xy   5 – 0     5 – 1  
Colorado   3 – 1     4 – 2  
Utah   3 – 2     3 – 2  
Arizona State   2 – 2     2 – 2  
UCLA   3 – 4     3 – 4  
Arizona   0 – 5     0 – 5  
Championship: Oregon 31, USC 24
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
  • Note: Due to COVID-19, the Pac-12 suspended the season on August 11, but later decided to begin play on November 6. In addition to the title game on December 18, the conference seeded all remaining teams for a game during that weekend.[1]
Rankings from AP Poll.

The 2020 California Golden Bears football team represented the University of California, Berkeley during the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was led by head coach Justin Wilcox, in his fourth year as head coach. The team's offense was led by Bill Musgrave, who replaced Beau Baldwin; Baldwin left to become the head coach at Cal Poly.[2]

On August 11, 2020, the Pac-12 Conference canceled all Fall 2020 sports competitions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[3] On September 24, it was announced that a seven-game season would be played in 2020, and the schedule was officially announced on October 3.[4] Due to additional COVID-related game cancellations, the Bears ultimately only played four games and finished with a 1–3 record for the season, with the sole win coming against No. 23 ranked Oregon.

Offseason

[edit]

Position key

[edit]
Back B Center C Cornerback CB Defensive back DB
Defensive end DE Defensive lineman DL Defensive tackle DT End E
Fullback FB Guard G Halfback HB Kicker K
Kickoff returner KR Offensive tackle OT Offensive lineman OL Linebacker LB
Long snapper LS Punter P Punt returner PR Quarterback QB
Running back RB Safety S Tight end TE Wide receiver WR

Offseason departures

[edit]

Nine Golden Bears graduated in 2020,[5] and three were selected in the 2020 NFL draft.

2020 California offseason departures
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Ashtyn Davis 27 S 6'1 202 Senior Santa Cruz, CA Declared for NFL draft, drafted in the third round by New York Jets.
Jaylinn Hawkins 6 S 6'2 210 RS senior Buena Park, CA Declared for NFL draft, drafted in the fourth round by Atlanta Falcons.
Evan Weaver 89 LB 6'3 235 Senior Spokane, WA Declared for NFL draft, drafted in the sixth round by Arizona Cardinals.
Ricky Walker III 21 WR 5'11 190 Senior Graduated
Colt Doughty 42 LB 6'1 230 Senior Graduated
Trey Turner III 5 S 6'1 185 Senior Graduated
Lone Toailoa 55 DE 6'2 290 Senior Graduated
Chinedu Udeogu 91 TE 6'4 275 Senior Graduate transfer to Illinois.
Gabe Siemieniec 46 PK 6'1 210 Senior Graduate transfer to Louisiana Tech.
Greg Thomas 39 PK 5'9 165 Senior Graduated

Recruiting

[edit]
College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Jaden Casey
QB 		Calabasas, CA Calabasas High School 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Oct 14, 2019 
Star ratings: Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Jeremiah Hunter
WR 		Fresno, CA Central East High School 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 178 lb (81 kg) May 11, 2019 
Star ratings: Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Muelu Iosefa
OLB 		Millilani, HI Millilani High School 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Jun 11, 2019 
Star ratings: Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Collin Gamble
CB 		Argyle, TX Liberty Christian High School 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sep 22, 2019 
Star ratings: Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Overall recruiting rankings:   247Sports: 39
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Rivals commits". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
  • "ESPN commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
  • "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
  • "247Sports commits". 247sports.com. Retrieved October 19, 2020.

Preseason

[edit]

On January 3, 2020, Cal announced that it would hire former Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave as its next offensive coordinator, replacing Beau Baldwin. Musgrave, an Oregon alumnus like Wilcox, began his coaching career as quarterbacks coach for the Oakland Raiders in 1997. He last coached at the collegiate level as an offensive coordinator for Virginia in 2001–2002.

On January 10, Angus McClure was announced as the next offensive line coach.[6] McClure spent 11 years at UCLA. Four days later, Aristotle Thompson was hired as the running backs coach.[7] Thompson was the running backs coach at Cal Poly prior to being hired at Cal.

Cal's defensive line coach, Gerald Alexander, was hired to the same position by the Miami Dolphins on January 24.[8] Cal announced it would hire former Arizona defensive coordinator Marcel Yates to replace him the following day.[9]

On March 4, it was announced that Peter Sirmon would be made co-defensive coordinator alongside Tim DeRuyter.

Pac-12 media poll

[edit]

In the 2020 Pac-12 preseason media poll, California was voted to finish in second place in the North Division.[10]

Media poll (North Division)
Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place)
1 Oregon 222 (35)
2 California 176 (3)
3 Washington 161
4 Stanford 105
5 Oregon State 76
6 Washington State 58

Schedule

[edit]

Cal's 2020 regular season was announced on January 16.[11] The Golden Bears had 3 games scheduled against UNLV, TCU, and Cal Poly, but canceled these games on July 10 due to the Pac-12 Conference's decision to play a conference-only schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[12]

On August 11, the Pac-12 Conference canceled all Fall 2020 sports competitions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[3] However, following an agreement that boosted testing capacity for players and personnel,[13] the conference announced it would play a seven-game football schedule beginning in November.[14] The schedule would see Cal play all five division opponents, Arizona State from the Pac-12 South division, and a season-closing game against the equally-ranked team in the opposite division (the division winners will play each other in the conference championship, while the team that finishes second in the North division plays the team that finishes second in the South division).

On November 13, Cal's scheduled game at Arizona State for November 14 was canceled after a COVID-19 outbreak within the Arizona State program.[15] The Pac-12 then announced that Cal would instead play at UCLA on the morning of November 15;[16] the Bruins' scheduled game against Utah had also been canceled after Utah had a COVID-19 outbreak.[17]

Original 2020 California Golden Bears schedule
Date Opponent Site
August 29 at UNLV* Allegiant Stadium • Paradise, NV
September 5 TCU* California Memorial Stadium • Berkeley, CA
September 12 Cal Poly* California Memorial Stadium • Berkeley, CA
September 26 Utah California Memorial Stadium • Berkeley, CA
October 3 at Washington State Martin Stadium • Pullman, WA
October 10 at USC Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA
October 17 Oregon California Memorial Stadium • Berkeley, CA
October 24 at Oregon State Reser Stadium • Corvallis, OR
October 31 Washington California Memorial Stadium • Berkeley, CA
November 7 at Arizona State Sun Devil Stadium • Tempe, AZ
November 21 Stanford California Memorial Stadium • Berkeley, CA (Big Game)
November 27 UCLA California Memorial Stadium • Berkeley, CA (rivalry)
DateTimeOpponentSiteTVResultAttendance
November 77:30 p.m.Washington[18]
ESPNNo Contest
November 159:00 a.m.at UCLA
FS1L 10–34—
November 2112:30 p.m.at Oregon State
FS1L 27–31—
November 271:30 p.m.Stanford
  • California Memorial Stadium
  • Berkeley, CA (Big Game)
FOXL 23–24—
December 54:00 p.m.No. 23 Oregon
  • California Memorial Stadium
  • Berkeley, CA
ESPNW 21–17—
December 121:00 p.m.at Washington State[19]
FS1No Contest
December 19Arizona[20]
  • California Memorial Stadium
  • Berkeley, CA
No Contest

Game summaries

[edit]

At UCLA

[edit]
See also: 2020 UCLA Bruins football team and California–UCLA football rivalry
California Golden Bears vs. UCLA Bruins – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Golden Bears 3 7 0010
Bruins 7 20 0734

at Rose Bowl • Pasadena, California

  • Date: November 15, 2020
  • Game time: 9:00 a.m.
  • Game weather: Clear, sunny, 65 °F (18 °C)
  • Game attendance: 0
  • Referee: Steven Strimling
  • TV: FS1
  • Reference
Game information

At Oregon State

[edit]
See also: 2020 Oregon State Beavers football team
California Golden Bears vs. Oregon State Beavers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Golden Bears 7 13 0727
Beavers 14 0 31431

at Reser Stadium • Corvallis, Oregon

  • Date: November 21, 2020
  • Game time: 12:30 p.m.
  • Game weather: Partly cloudy, 41 °F (5 °C)
  • Game attendance: 0
  • Referee: Chris Coyle
  • TV: FS1
  • Reference
Game information

Stanford

[edit]
See also: 2020 Stanford Cardinal football team and Big Game (American football)
Stanford Cardinal vs. California Golden Bears – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cardinal 0 10 14024
Golden Bears 7 3 7623

at California Memorial Stadium • Berkeley, California

  • Date: November 27, 2020
  • Game time: 1:30 p.m.
  • Game weather: Clear, 64 °F (18 °C)
  • Game attendance: 0
  • Referee: Matt Richards
  • TV announcers (FOX): Alex Faust and Petros Papadakis
  • Reference
Game information

Oregon

[edit]
See also: 2020 Oregon Ducks football team
Oregon Ducks vs. California Golden Bears – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
No. 23 Ducks 3 14 0017
Golden Bears 7 7 7021

at California Memorial Stadium • Berkeley, California

  • Date: December 5, 2020
  • Game time: 4:05 p.m.
  • Game weather: Partly cloudy, 60 °F (16 °C)
  • Game attendance: 0
  • Referee: Francisco Villar
  • TV announcers (ESPN): Dave Flemming, Rod Gilmore, Taylor McGregor
  • Reference
Game information

Players drafted into the NFL

[edit]
See also: 2021 NFL draft
Round Pick Player Position NFL club
4 125 Camryn Bynum CB Minnesota Vikings

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Pac-12 announces resumption of football, basketball & winter sports seasons". Pac-12 Conference. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  2. ^ Curtis, Jake (January 3, 2020). "Cal Football: Bill Musgrave Officially Named Bears' Offensive Coordinator". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Pac-12 Conference postpones all sport competitions through end of calendar year". pac-12.com. August 11, 2020. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  4. ^ "Pac-12 announces 2020 football schedule". October 3, 2020. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  5. ^ Mellor, Cam (May 18, 2020). "Cal Football graduates nine student-athletes". California Golden Blogs. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
  6. ^ "Cal hires former UCLA coach Angus McClure to coach the offensive line". California Golden Blogs. January 10, 2020.
  7. ^ "Bears hire Aristotle Thompson as new Running Backs Coach". California Golden Blogs. January 14, 2020.
  8. ^ "Miami Dolphins Hire Gerald Alexander as Defensive-Back Coach". California Golden Blogs. January 24, 2020.
  9. ^ "Cal Hires Former Arizona DC Marcel Yates as DB Coach". California Golden Blogs. January 25, 2020.
  10. ^ "Oregon edges USC as 2020 Pac-12 Football preseason media favorite". pac-12.com. October 7, 2020. Archived from the original on October 10, 2020.
  11. ^ Chen, Rick (January 16, 2020). "What to Know About the New Cal Football 2020 Schedule". California Golden Blogs. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  12. ^ Bromberg, Nick. "Pac-12 follows Big Ten's lead and won't play non-conference games in 2020". Yahoo News. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
  13. ^ "Pac-12 Conference announces groundbreaking testing research initiative with Quidel; Rapid-results test could speed the return of sport competitions". pac-12.com. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
  14. ^ "Pac-12 announces 2020 football schedule". pac-12.com. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
  15. ^ "Pac-12 statement on Cal at Arizona State football game". pac-12.com. Archived from the original on November 18, 2020. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  16. ^ "Pac-12 statement on Cal at UCLA football game". pac-12.com. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  17. ^ "UCLA-Cal set for Sunday following Arizona State, Utah cancellations". ESPN.com. November 13, 2020. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  18. ^ "Pac-12 Statement regarding Washington at California Football Game". Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  19. ^ "Cal At Washington State Football Game Cancelled". calbears.com. December 12, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  20. ^ "California-Arizona Football Game Cancelled". calbears.com. December 13, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2020.