noodlz2

Really wish this class wasn't already 15+ deep in signed recruits by the time I got here. With that being said next season's class is going to be crucial on my part. Also completely forgot about the first week of JUCO croot'n, spring break got the best of me

Assuming and hoping more coaches join the site, will we be seeing conferences develop from the eastern conference? Since the Big Sky will exist, it'll be cool to see more teams added to build the CAA, ivy League, OVC, etc.

Helluva game for sure, the ground attack was real! Comgrats in what you did with Stanford this season, TMac deserves heisman with what he was able to do with such a young group of receivers.

Takeaways from this last game: - After going From Spread Option to Option to Pistol, I think I should have been running this since I got to Cal. - Nick Ellison bouncing back hard by accounting for 2 TDs through the air and 2 on the ground, this is after being benched last week due to subpar production all season. - Zachary McFadden was 59 yards short of breaking 1,000 rushing yards. - My gameplan of pressing Stanford’s inexperienced WRs paid off, and I played the pass heavy basically telling TMac to beat us on the ground, which he inevitably did. TLDR; I should’ve been running Pistol once I got to Cal. TMAC + NEWBY = GOOD.

At least someone’s on here to rep Cal!

Well I guess maybe we do need you Nick Ellison.. Proud of McFadden's efforts going 22 touches, 125 yards despite the loss. Didn't think he had it in him for a 20+ carry game against Mississippi State last week, but he stepped up after being moved to the #2 back last week. Hoping for an even better performance against Stanford next week. Time to start next week's gameplan..

Wake oh my

Nothing like Pac-12 at night! I'll be checking my phone repeatedly for the results of this one for sure.

Arizona State vs. California Week 15 Matchup Preview Arizona State (4-6) (2-4 Pac-12) California (4-6) (2-5 Pac-12) Entering Week 15 neither Arizona State or California are playing for a chance to play in the Pac-12 Championship Game, but both teams are at a fork in the road which will decide their bowl fate Saturday Night. According to BOFA's Bowl Limbo Report Arizona State is favored 52.5% over Cal this week, with a 24.5% chance of making a bowl game. Cal on the other hand is projected at 0.8% chance of making a bowl game this postseason. Arizona State has relied on it's run game to boost their offensive success, while Cal's defense has been tough all season. These are two very evenly matched teams on paper, which makes this week's matchup even more exciting considering that the loser's chances of making a bowl game after a loss will be non-existent. Statistical Comparison Offense California - Arizona State Points per game: 17.8 - 22.8 Passing yards per game: 196.1 - 179.8 Rushing yards per game: 93.8 - 136.7 Defense California - Arizona State Points Allowed: 24 - 24.1 Passing yards per game: 215.4 - 228 Rushing yards per game: 90.3 - 85.4 Turnover margin: 0 - 0 Arizona State Players to Watch RB Israel Carlson 5-7 229 (So) Navajo Prep (Farmington NM) 5.0 of 5.0 [Power] Season Stats: 185 Carries - 946 yards - 12 TDs - 5.62 YPC - 105.11 YPG The major key to this Arizona State offense is Israel Carlson. Rushing for 156 yards on 24 attempts and accounting for 6 of the Sun Devil's points last Saturday against Oregon State, the 5'7 229 pound running back is a bowling ball. When there is lack of production in the pass game, Carlson is a reliable solution to offensive production. Based on Carlson's average yards per game it'll be expected that he breaks 1,000 yards rushing on the season. So far this young man has proven himself to be one of the conference's better running back's. FS Jacob Donald 6-0 216 (Fr) Edison (Stockton CA) 2.0 of 4.0 [Zone Coverage] Season Stats: 30 Tackles - 5 INTs - 2 PDs Going against a Cal team with an offensive system that is built around speed, this redshirt freshman is not only going to have to be a factor in the pass game, but also the run. Jacob Donald has proven himself to fly around the defensive backfield like a rocket. At 216 pounds Donald fills the alley punishing offensive ball carriers, and it shows in his numbers with 30 on the season.thus far. Not only is he second on the team in tackles, but he leads this defense in turnovers as well. It is very possible that Jacob Donald can have a huge night against a Cal offense with very inconsistent production at the Quarterback position. California Players to Watch WR Spencer Sharpe 6-2 196 Jr Atlanta Metropolitan College (Atlanta GA) 4.5 of 5.0 [Speed] Season Stats: 47 Catches - 602 Yards - 6 TDs - 12.81 YPC - 60 It's pretty obvious that Cal's pass game has struggled this season, but Spencer Sharpe has been the most reliable target out of this receiver group. With the depth this offense has at wide receiver, Sharpe can either play the #1 or #2 receiver. When at the #2 spot he's usually against teams weaker corner resulting in a mismatch in favor of California. In such a pivotal point of the season production from the pass game is essential. With that being said keep an eye out for Sharpe and breakthrough game to end the Golden Bears two game losing streak. ILB D'Andre Phillips 6-4 252 (So) Mission San Jose (Fremont CA) 3.0 of 4.5 [Mike] Season Stats: 22 Tackles - 3 TFL - 1 Sack D'Andre Phillips is the of this Cal front seven and he's going to play a key part in stopping Israel Carlson from having a field day Saturday night. Phillips has been a huge contributor to this Cal defense that is on the field frequently because of an offense that hasn't been able to get the ball going all season. With the size he has as well, Carlson is going to be met in the interior gaps with some force. Hopefully D'Andre Phillips can find himself at home in Arizona State's offensive backfield tomorrow night. Arizona State's Keys To Victory - Feed Israel Carlson the ball. - Don't allow Cal to setup their pass game. - Don't turn the ball over. California's Keys To Victory - Take advantage of Arizona State's secondary. - Stop Israel Carlson. - Keep the defense off the field. Despite records, this is going to be an extremely exciting cross division matchup. It'll be up to whatever team plays the most sound football on both sides of the ball. With two teams very evenly matched and a lot on the line it only takes one mistake to lose. One of these Pac-12 teams will continue to chase a bowl bid, while the other finds themselves looking back at what they did wrong and preparing for the upcoming season much sooner than they had hoped. Will Arizona State march into Berkeley, California and get the job done? Or can California tighten things up and pull one off in their final home game of the season?

Wonder if we can defy the odds starting with this week.

I won't be aiming for anyone from De La Salle at all

Worth the try, we’re at home against Arizona State so I’d rather make the switch before we play Stanford

Contemplating pulling Ellison for the rest of the season, his performance is subpar every week no matter what. At least I have a bye week to figure things out, it’s gonna be an interesting last 2 games of the season without a doubt.

Was really rooting for Houston this week, glad they pulled it off! Rickie Shaffer really has the ability put up numbers like that every week. Next year’s QB with an offensive line that’ll be put together, along with a good group of young WRs will definitely go bowling.

Mississippi State-California Week 13 Matchup Mississippi State (5-4) (2-3) at California (4-5) (2-5 Pac-12) After a game that was much closer than a lot of people expected, Cal aims to steal a win at home against a Mississippi State team that's much better than it's record shows. At this point in the season every game is a must win game for the Golden Bears as they seek a bowl bid to end their regular season. California's offense was completely shutdown against a well coached Washington defense. The explosive Zachary McFadden was held to just 4 yards per carry, and lost the football resulting in a turnover. It seemed as if too much of the workload was placed on to his shoulders by the coaching staff against a well sized and fast moving defense. Some major adjustments are going to be need to be made in order to compete with Mississippi State's offense which has thrown for over 300 yards in each of their last three games this season. Since Cal's head coach change this defense has been on point holding teams to 17.8 points per game, allowing only 175 yards passing per game, and 104 yards on the ground. It's going to be up to Nick Ellison and this California offense to step up this week if they want to keep their bowl hopes alive. Statistical Comparison Offense Mississippi State - California Points per game: 35.3 - 18.7 Passing yards per game: 344.4- 200.6 Rushing yards per game: 87.7 - 96.1 Defense Mississippi State - California Passing yards per game: 224.3 - 200.8 Rushing yards per game: 72.3 - 80.8 Turnover margin: -8 - -2 Mississippi State Offensive Player to Watch QB Storm Whittaker 6-0 191 (Fr) Eupora (Eupora MS) 4.0 of 4.0 [Hybrid] Season Stats: 226/338 Att/Comp, 66.86 Comp%, 3100 Yards, 30 Touchdowns, 5 Interceptions, 16 Carries, 59 Yards, 2 Touchdowns Storm Whitaker has a great name is having a phenomenal year, he's thrown for 308, 365, 400 yards in his last three games. If those numbers don't seem impressive to you, they were against Alabama, Auburn, and LSU. It's a great thing Cal doesn't have to play Whitaker every year considering he has 4 more seasons of eligibility left. The Golden Bears secondary held their own against Washington last Saturday,but Storm Whitaker has weapons. His two most targeted receivers Nick Rawls and Ryan Child each need less than 100 yards this week to break 1000 yards this season. Mississippi State's Defensive Player to Watch ATH Devin Ruff 6-1 233 (Sr) Paxon (Jacksonville, FL) 5.0 of 5.0 [Mike] Season Stats: 27 Tackles, 1 TFL, 2 Interceptions, 3 Pass Deflections Not only is Devin Ruff the best linebacker on this Mississippi State depth chart, but he's one of the SEC's top inside linebackers as well. Ruff manages to find himself making plays all over the field. There are few inside linebackers capable of playing pass coverage as well as Ruff, with 2 interceptions and 3 pass deflections on the season already he has proven he can shutdown passing lanes in the middle of the field. California's Offensive Player to Watch RB Zachary McFadden 5-10 190 (Jr) Mammoth (Lakes, CA) 4.0 of 4.5 [Speed] Season Stats: 140 carries, 716 yards, 6 Touchdowns, 45 Long, 5.11 YPC, 7 Rec, 47 Yards, 1 Touchdown Despite losing a fumble in last week's loss against Washington, Zachary McFadden accounted for 99 of the 239 yards of total offense while gaining 89 yards in the kick return game. He found himself a target for Nick Ellison in the pass game as well totaling 10 yards receiving on 2 receptions. With the lack of consistency by this California offense it seems as though McFadden is always someone this offense can rely on. It'll be interesting to see what role he plays in this week's match up considering the versatility this running back has. California Defensive Player to Watch CB Blaine Lewis-Thompson 5-11 193 Sr Monterey (Monterey, CA) 5.0 of 5.0 [Man Coverage] Season Stats: 3 tackles, 3 Interceptions, 2 Pass Deflections Blaine Lewis-Thompson was California's defensive player to watch last week and he's this weeks defensive player to watch again. Lewis-Thompson held it down for the Golden Bears secondary making 2 tackles, 2 interceptions, and a pass deflection. He's going to be matched up against 2 receivers that are arguably some of the best receivers in the country this week and is going to need to bring the same energy for this week's game against a deadly Mississippi State offense. Mississippi State's Keys to Victory - Let Storm Whitaker air it out - Avoid turnovers - Don't let California get their offense going California's Keys to Victory - Get points on the board - Defense needs to keep it close - Control the clock, or it'll be a long day. Out of conference games towards the end of the season are even better when they're great match up likes this one. Mississippi State is going to making a long flight out to Berkeley, California where they will be facing off against a hard nosed defense. If California's offense can't get the ball rolling this Saturday it's going to be a long night for the Golden Bears. SEC and Pac-12 fans alike will have an entertaining game on their hands for sure Saturday night!