Five (Other) Things We Learned About Cal Football in Week 1

Let’s explore five things we learned (besides the obvious) in Cal’s 34-15 victory at Oregon State on Saturday.

Yes, freshman quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele was terrific, throwing three touchdown passes and playing turnover-free football on the road in his first college game.

But there were other significant takeaways from the game at Reser Stadium, and most of them (but not all of them) were good.

Here goes:

Jacob De Jesus invigorates return game

A graduate transfer from UNLV, Jacob De Jesus came with a reputation as an elite return specialist. He wasted no time confirming that.

The 5-foot-7, 170-pounder returned three punts for 73 yards (24.3-yard average) and three kickoffs for 78 yards (26.0-yard average). It’s just one game, but a year ago the Bears averaged 5.7 yards per punt return and 21.9 on kick returns.

“He is a difference maker as a returner. We knew that in spring that he can be a weapon,” coach Justin Wilcox says in the video at the top of this story. “I just have never seen a great return unit without a great returner. It all starts there. You have to have someone back there who is dynamic, who is fearless and makes people miss. He is all of those things.”

O-line allows zero sacks

A major offseason emphasis was improving offensive line play, especially with regard to pass protection. The Bears allowed 49 sacks a year ago, one of the worst totals in the country.

With two new transfer starters up front, first-year O-line coach Famika Anae's unit did not allow a sack against OSU. “The O-line made my job easier,” Sagapolutele said. “They were holding (up the pass rush) for 4-5 seconds and I was sitting back there clean.”

Field goal unit a success

The Bears’ field goal game was a disaster last season with 12 misses, including a couple that led directly to defeats.

Cal plans to use two placekicker this season — Abram Murray on long field goals and Chase Meyer on shorter attempts and PATs. Murray, a redshirt freshman transfer from Miami, drilled a 49-yarder to close the first half. Meyer, a redshirt junior who made previous stops at Tulsa and Penn State, made all four of his PATs and converted a field goal from 23 yards to close the scoring.

Defense was (mostly) good

Cal did a great job defending the run, allowing the Beavers to gain just 2.7 yards per play on the ground and limiting 1,000-yard running back Anthony Hankerson to 42 yards on 15 attempts.

“We knew Oregon State liked to run the ball,” said Cal linebacker Cade Uluave, who had 10 tackles, including 2 1/2 for losses. “If you see a running back get less than three yards a carry, that’s awesome.”

The Bears weren’t as successful against the pass, generating just one sack and struggling to contain wide receiver Trent Walker, who had nine catches for 136 yards. Cornerback Hezekiah Masses, a transfer from Florida International, was a standout with two interceptions (including a 100-plus yard pick-6 that was wiped by a pass interference penalty against him).

Run game was ho-hum

The Bears brought in three running back transfers after the defection of virtually every player they had at the position, including Jaydn Ott and Jaivian Thomas.

The threesome of Brandon High Jr., Kendrick Raphael and LJ Johnson Jr., combined to rush for exactly 100 yards on 27 attempts for an unspectacular 3.7 average.

“Overall, we need to be better in the run game, and that’s everybody,” Wilcox said.

That lack of a consistent ground game contributed to the Bears converting just 2 of 13 third downs, including 0 for 10 after their first two possessions of the night.

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