Five Things We Liked in an Imperfect Cal Win over Texas Southern

Yep, Cal has work to do before next Saturday night when it takes on Minnesota at Memorial Stadium.

The Golden Gophers of the Big Ten are 2-0 and the Bears’ first two opponents — Oregon State and Texas Southern — both are 0-2.

Coach Justin Wilcox easily conceded there are areas that need improvement following a slow-to-start 35-3 win over Texas Southern.

But there also was good news that has surfaced from the Bears’ back-to-back double-digit victories.

Here are five positive takeaways:

Run defense remains stout

Cal fielded one of the toughest run defenses in the ACC last season and through two games the Bears have maintained that stinginess. They are surrendering just 58.5 yards per game on the ground on 2.4 yards per attempt.

Minnesota will be a better gauge. The Golden Gophers ran the ball 46 times for 258 yards with five touchdowns in their 66-0 win over Northwestern State. Freshman Grant Washington had 126 yards.

Star running back Darius Taylor left the game holding his right leg but Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck didn’t seem concerned. "It doesn't seem too bad, which is really good. We got a really good positive diagnosis on that, so we'll see how the week goes as he goes through it," Fleck said. "We weren't going to put him back in that game, that's for sure.”

Taylor has 1,946 career rushing yards.

Kendrick Raphael emerges at running back

Cal entered the season with three transfer running backs hoping to rise to the top of the depth chart. NC State transfer Kendrick Raphael stated his case vs. Texas Southern.

He topped 100 rushing yards for the first time in his career, totaling 131 yards on 7.3 per carry, with one touchdown. It was his first start at either school and his first time cracking the century barrier.

Raphael ran decisively and aggressively, giving the Bears the north-south threat they want. Wilcox talks about his performance in the video at the top of this story.

He became the first Cal back to rush for 100 yards since Jaivian Thomas went for 169 yards vs. San Diego State last Sept. 14.

De Jesus provides many happy returns

UNLV transfer Jacob De Jesus has given Cal its most dangerous return specialist in years. He was at it again Saturday when he had four point returns for 44 yards and two kickoff returns for 52 yards.

Through two games, he’s produced 16.7 yards on seven punt returns and 26.0 on on five kickoff returns. In 29 career college games he has 1,768 yards fielding punts and kickoffs along with 105 receptions for 1,205 yards.

Bears haven’t missed a field goal

Cal missed 12 field goals last season, including two in a 14-9 loss at Florida State, a 40-yarder in the fourth quarter of a 17-15 loss at Pitt and a 28-yarder in the fourth quarter of a 24-23 defeat to NC State. Failures there changed the entire complexion of the season.

Through two games, they are 4 for 4, two makes each by Abram Murray and Chase Meyer. They have connected three times from 40 yards or beyond.

He actually wasn’t all that bad

Freshman quarterback Jason-Keawe Sagapolutele wasn’t as spot-on against the Tigers as he was in his debut at Oregon State, when he completed his first nine passes and wound up with three touchdowns and no turnovers.

In the home opener, he missed his first four throws and helped the offense generate just three points through six possessions. He was intercepted for the first time and sacked for the first time.

But in three scoring drives that spanned the second and third quarters, extending the Bears’ lead to 25-0, Sagapolutele rediscovered his flow. He looked confident and loose while completing 12 straight passes for 142 yards.

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