Tough loss, but the litmus test was passed

[Cougsocal]

Seriously, I went in to this game wondering whether we were a team in serious decline. Charmin has described this team over the last decade. Not today, yes we lost, but it wasn't because we were soft and didn't want it, we lost because of dumb plays, and their QB was better. Being dumb can be fixed, but you can't put heart in kids' chests.

Hercules Mata'afa is an animal. This is from a guy who, if you know me, has derided this team for a decade for lack of talent. Had he started, imho, it would have been a different game. I thought what he did against Wyo was because they were tired. This kid is the best DT prospect we have had since Keith Millard.

When was the last time we had a freshmen who could dominate the line of scrimmage like that? Imagine what he will do when he puts 20 pounds of muscle on that frame?

 

[jarvis1981]

Yes the test was passed because it was a winnable game on many fronts.
Botched fake punt turns into TD for CAL
Missing the ball on the onside kick turns into TD for Cal
Dom Williams open but ball was a little high (would have been a TD) but instead Falk gets sacked on the next play and the FG is missed. (zero points instead of 7)

I would have liked to see the Cougs get to Goff a bit more. Cal did get a lot more pressure on Falk.
I'll watch some of the Oregon game against Colorado and Oregon doesn't blow them out then I think the Cougs have a real shot.
Pac-12 is crazy.
Not one easy team and that includes OSU.
ASU beating up on UCLA at home in the 3rd right now.

So it's a tough loss today but things are looking up since the first week.

 

[dgibbons]

Herc is a change of pace. He can't start (not inside anyway) because he'd get worn out over the course of the game.

I was surprised he wasn't in more at the end of the game.

 

[Flatlandcoug]

Seriously, I went in to this game wondering whether we were a team in serious decline. Charmin has described this team over the last decade. Not today, yes we lost, but it wasn't because we were soft and didn't want it, we lost because of dumb plays, and their QB was better. Being dumb can be fixed, but you can't put heart in kids' chests.

Hercules Mata'afa is an animal. This is from a guy who, if you know me, has derided this team for a decade for lack of talent. Had he started, imho, it would have been a different game. I thought what he did against Wyo was because they were tired. This kid is the best DT prospect we have had since Keith Millard.

When was the last time we had a freshmen who could dominate the line of scrimmage like that? Imagine what he will do when he puts 20 pounds of muscle on that frame?

The problem that I have with moral victories is that they don't prove anything in the long run. Way back in 2011, WSU almost beat UCLA on the road. Many would argue that we had won the game if not for the intervention of the officials. We gave up 161 points in the next four games....all losses. In 2013, we took Cal behind the woodshed and beat them soundly. We choked the following week against OSU and gave up 169 points in a three game span. Until this team starts winning games consistently, all these baby steps don't mean squat. It's starting to look like we'll be the greatest 3-9 team in the history of college football this year. You know what the rest of the world sees? A 3-9 football team.

When people complain about our negativity, they need to remember that days like yesterday are the results that we've had for a dozen years. Just another L in the long line of them.