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
Position key
Offseason departures
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
College recruiting information
Name
|
Hometown
|
School
|
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
|
Recruit ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
|
Jeremiah Hunter WR
|
Fresno, CA
|
Central East High School
|
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
|
178 lb (81 kg)
|
May 11, 2019
|
Recruit ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
|
Muelu Iosefa OLB
|
Mililani, HI
|
Mililani High School
|
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
|
215 lb (98 kg)
|
Jun 11, 2019
|
Recruit ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
|
Collin Gamble CB
|
Argyle, TX
|
Liberty Christian High School
|
5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
|
185 lb (84 kg)
|
Sep 22, 2019
|
Recruit ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
|
Overall recruit ranking: 247Sports: 39
|
- Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, 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:
|
Preseason
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.
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
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)
|
Game summaries
At UCLA
Game information
|
- First Quarter
- CAL – Dario Longhetto 31-yard field goal, 11:12. California 3–0. Drive: 6 plays, 3 yards, 2:38.
- UCLA – Dorian Thompson-Robinson 2-yard run (Nicholas Barr-Mira kick), 0:58. UCLA 7–3. Drive: 15 plays, 88 yards, 6:20.
- Second Quarter
- UCLA – Charles Njoku 27-yard pass from Dorian Thompson-Robinson (Nicholas Barr-Mira kick), 11:45. UCLA 14–3. Drive: 9 plays, 71 yards, 3:04.
- CAL – Chase Garbers 8-yard run (Dario Longhetto kick), 7:10. UCLA 14–10. Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 4:35.
- UCLA – Chase Cota 6-yard pass from Dorian Thompson-Robinson (kick failed), 5:49. UCLA 20–10. Drive: 5 plays, 67 yards, 1:14.
- UCLA – Kyle Philips 5-yard pass from Dorian Thompson-Robinson (Nicholas Barr-Mira kick), 1:17. UCLA 27–10. Drive: 3 plays, 13 yards, 1:22.
- Third Quarter
- Fourth Quarter
- UCLA – Brittain Brown 31-yard run (Nicholas Barr-Mira kick), 10:12. UCLA 34–10. Drive: 8 plays, 78 yards, 4:15.
|
- Top passers
- Top rushers
- Top receivers
- CAL – Collin Moore – 2 receptions, 28 yards
- UCLA – Greg Dulcich – 3 receptions, 80 yards
|
|
At Oregon State
California Golden Bears vs. Oregon State Beavers – Game summary
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 announcers (FS1): Eric Collins (play-by-play) and Ben Leber (analyst)
- Reference
Game information
|
- First Quarter
- OSU – Jermar Jefferson 75-yard run (Everett Hayes kick), 14:42. Oregon State 7–0. Drive: 1 play, 75 yards, 0:18.
- CAL – Makai Polk 7-yard pass from Chase Garbers (Dario Longhetto kick), 10:30. Tied 7–7. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 4:12.
- OSU – Teagan Quitoriano 35-yard pass from Tristan Gebbia (Everett Hayes kick), 5:47. Oregon State 14–7. Drive: 1 play, 35 yards, 0:09.
- Second Quarter
- CAL – Dario Longhetto 26-yard field goal, 14:49. Oregon State 14–10. Drive: 12 plays, 66 yards, 5:58.
- CAL – Kekoa Crawford 21-yard pass from Chase Garbers (Dario Longhetto kick), 2:31. California 17–14. Drive: 4 plays, 64 yards, 2:05.
- CAL – Dario Longhetto 52-yard field goal, 0:00. California 20–14. Drive: 11 plays, 30 yards, 1:24.
- Third Quarter
- OSU – Everett Hayes 35-yard field goal, 6:20. California 20–17. Drive: 13 plays, 53 yards, 5:45.
- Fourth Quarter
- OSU – Tristan Gebbia 8-yard pass from Tyjon Lindsey (Everett Hayes kick), 13:35. Oregon State 24–20. Drive: 6 plays, 39 yards, 2:57.
- CAL – Jake Tonges 2-yard pass from Chase Garbers (Dario Longhetto kick), 8:04. California 27–24. Drive: 6 plays, 32 yards, 2:21.
- OSU – Tristan Gebbia 1-yard run (Everett Hayes kick), 4:30. Oregon State 31–27. Drive: 3 plays, 14 yards, 0:56.
|
- Top passers
- CAL – Chase Garbers – 28/42, 315 yards, 3 TD, 2 int
- OSU – Tristan Gebbia – 12/20, 147 yards, TD, 2 int
- Top rushers
- CAL – Marcel Dancy – 17 rushes, 76 yards
- OSU – Jermar Jefferson – 18 rushes, 196 yards, TD
- Top receivers
- CAL – Kekoa Crawford – 10 receptions, 141 yards, TD
- OSU – Teagan Quitoriano – 4 receptions, 65 yards, TD
|
|
Stanford
Game information
|
- First quarter
- CAL – Kekoa Crawford 7-yard pass from Chase Garbers (Dario Longhetto kick), 10:32. California 7–0. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 4:28.
- Second quarter
- STAN – Jet Toner 27-yard field goal, 14:55. California 7–3. Drive: 8 plays, 48 yards, 4:29.
- CAL – Dario Longhetto 24-yard field goal, 10:15. California 10–3. Drive: 9 plays, 68 yards, 4:40.
- STAN – Michael Wilson 11-yard pass from Davis Mills (Jet Toner kick), 3:09. Tied 10–10. Drive: 3 plays, 16 yards, 0:57.
- Third quarter
- STAN – Austin Jones 2-yard run (Jet Toner kick), 10:57. Stanford 17–10. Drive: 3 plays, 41 yards, 1:00.
- CAL – Nikko Remigio 3-yard pass from Chase Garbers (Dario Longhetto kick), 9:13. Tied 17–17. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 1:44.
- STAN – Austin Jones 8-yard run (Jet Toner kick), 1:51. Stanford 24–17. Drive: 8 plays, 71 yards, 4:28.
- Fourth quarter
- CAL – Christopher Brown 3-yard run (kick blocked), 0:58. Stanford 24–23. Drive: 14 plays, 90 yards, 3:30.
|
- Top passers
- STAN – Davis Mills – 24/32, 205 yards, TD
- CAL – Chase Garbers – 19/29, 151 yards, 2 TD
- Top rushers
- STAN – Austin Jones – 21 rushes, 85 yards, 2 TD
- CAL – Damien Moore – 10 rushes, 121 yards
- Top receivers
- STAN – Michael Wilson – 7 receptions, 88 yards, TD
- CAL – Kekoa Crawford – 5 receptions, 52 yards, TD
|
|
Oregon
Oregon Ducks vs. California Golden Bears – Game summary
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
|
- First Quarter
- ORE – Henry Katleman 21-yard field goal, 8:06. Oregon 3–0. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 3:19.
- CAL – Chase Garbers 1-yard run (Dario Longhetto kick), 2:23. California 7–3. Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 5:43.
- Second Quarter
- CAL – Bradrick Shaw 1-yard run (Dario Longhetto kick), 5:31. California 14–3. Drive: 19 plays, 80 yards, 9:51.
- ORE – Johnny Johnson III 39-yard pass from Tyler Shough (Henry Katleman kick), 2:08. California 14–10. Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 3:23.
- ORE – Cyrus Habibi-Likio 1-yard run (Henry Katleman kick), 0:23. Oregon 17–14. Drive: 3 plays, 75 yards, 0:23.
- Third Quarter
- CAL – Nikko Remigio 28-yard pass from Chase Garbers (Dario Longhetto kick), 5:14. California 21–17. Drive: 5 plays, 64 yards, 2:21.
- Fourth Quarter
|
- Top passers
- ORE – Tyler Shough – 14/26, 231 yards, TD
- CAL – Chase Garbers – 20/32, 183 yards, TD
- Top rushers
- ORE – Travis Dye – 12 rushes, 71 yards
- CAL – Marcel Dancy – 5 rushes, 34 yards
- Top receivers
- ORE – Travis Dye – 2 receptions, 85 yards
- CAL – Nikko Remigio – 6 receptions, 81 yards, TD
|
|
Players drafted into the NFL
References
- ^ "Pac-12 announces resumption of football, basketball & winter sports seasons". Pac-12 Conference. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
- ^ Curtis, Jake (January 3, 2020). "Cal Football: Bill Musgrave Officially Named Bears' Offensive Coordinator". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
- ^ a b "Pac-12 Conference postpones all sport competitions through end of calendar year". pac-12.com. August 11, 2020. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
- ^ "Pac-12 announces 2020 football schedule". October 3, 2020. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ Mellor, Cam (May 18, 2020). "Cal Football graduates nine student-athletes". California Golden Blogs. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
- ^ "Cal hires former UCLA coach Angus McClure to coach the offensive line". California Golden Blogs. January 10, 2020.
- ^ "Bears hire Aristotle Thompson as new Running Backs Coach". California Golden Blogs. January 14, 2020.
- ^ "Miami Dolphins Hire Gerald Alexander as Defensive-Back Coach". California Golden Blogs. January 24, 2020.
- ^ "Cal Hires Former Arizona DC Marcel Yates as DB Coach". California Golden Blogs. January 25, 2020.
- ^ "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.
- ^ Chen, Rick (January 16, 2020). "What to Know About the New Cal Football 2020 Schedule". California Golden Blogs. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
- ^ Bromberg, Nick. "Pac-12 follows Big Ten's lead and won't play non-conference games in 2020". Yahoo News. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Pac-12 announces 2020 football schedule". pac-12.com. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Pac-12 statement on Cal at UCLA football game". pac-12.com. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
- ^ "UCLA-Cal set for Sunday following Arizona State, Utah cancellations". ESPN.com. November 13, 2020. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
- ^ "Pac-12 Statement regarding Washington at California Football Game". Retrieved November 5, 2020.
- ^ "Cal At Washington State Football Game Cancelled". calbears.com. December 12, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
- ^ "California-Arizona Football Game Cancelled". calbears.com. December 13, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
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Venues | |
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Bowls & rivalries | |
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Culture & lore | |
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People | |
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Seasons | |
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National championship seasons in bold |