2019 California Golden Bears football team

The 2019 California Golden Bears football team represented the University of California, Berkeley in the 2019 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They competed as members of the North Division of the Pac-12 Conference. In their third year under head coach Justin Wilcox, the Bears improved to an 8–5 record for only the second time since 2009, finishing 2nd in the Pac-12 North.

2019 California Golden Bears football
Redbox Bowl champion
Redbox Bowl, W 35–20 vs. Illinois
Conference	Pac-12 Conference
	North Division
2019 record	8–5 (4–5 Pac-12)
Head coach	Justin Wilcox (3rd season)
Offensive coordinator	Beau Baldwin (3rd season)
Offensive scheme	Multiple
Defensive coordinator	Tim DeRuyter (3rd season)
Base defense	3–4
Captains	Camryn Bynum Jake Curhan Evan Weaver
Home stadium	California Memorial Stadium (Capacity: 62,467)

2019 Pac-12 Conference football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
North Division
No. 5 Oregon x$		8	–	1					12	–	2
California		4	–	5					8	–	5
Washington		4	–	5					8	–	5
Oregon State		4	–	5					5	–	7
Washington State		3	–	6					6	–	7
Stanford		3	–	6					4	–	8
South Division
No. 16 Utah x		8	–	1					11	–	3
USC		7	–	2					8	–	5
Arizona State		4	–	5					8	–	5
UCLA		4	–	5					4	–	8
Colorado		3	–	6					5	–	7
Arizona		2	–	7					4	–	8
Championship: Oregon 37, Utah 15
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

The Bears started off the season strong, achieving a No. 15 AP ranking (their highest since 2009) after a 4–0 start, including a 20–19 upset win against No. 14 ranked Washington.[1] However, after injury to quarterback Chase Garbers during the Arizona State game, the Bears proceeded to lose the next four games.[2]

With the return of Garbers, Cal notably defeated Stanford in the Big Game for the first time since 2009. This win clinched bowl eligibility for the Bears while making the Cardinal ineligible for the post-season for the first time in ten years.[3][4] The Bears went to the Redbox Bowl, where they defeated the Illinois Fighting Illini 35–20,[5] their first bowl win since 2015.

Senior linebacker Evan Weaver was the standout player of the season after leading the nation with a school-record and Pac-12 record 182 tackles, earning him the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and becoming the first consensus All-American from Cal since 2006.[6][7]

Previous season

In 2018, the Bears went 7–6 under second-year head coach Justin Wilcox. After the Bears upset #15 Washington 12–10[8] and defeated USC 15–14 at the Coliseum in Los Angeles to snap a 14-year losing streak to the Trojans,[9] the Bears lost 10–7 in overtime to TCU in the 2018 Cheez-It Bowl. The Bears’ offensive efficiency ranked as the second worst among all Power Five teams.[10]

Preseason

Coaching changes

On February 26, 2019, defensive line coach Tony Tuioti left the Golden Bears to become the new defensive line coach for the Nebraska Cornhuskers under Scott Frost.[11] Andrew Browning was named the Bears' new defensive line coach on February 27, 2019.[12] Browning is the third defensive line coach in three years under Justin Wilcox after Jerry Azzinaro's departure in 2017.[13]

Pac-12 media poll

In the 2019 Pac-12 preseason media poll, California was voted to finish in fifth place in the North Division.[14]

Media poll (North Division)
Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
1	Oregon	190 (17)
2	Washington	189 (17)
3	Stanford	129
4	Washington State	108 (1)
5	California	81
6	Oregon State	38

Schedule

Three of California first four games were non-conference games, starting on August 31 against UC Davis of the Big Sky Conference. The Golden Bears then played their conference opener against Washington. Rounding out the non-conference slate was a home game against North Texas of Conference USA and a road game against Ole Miss of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). In Pac-12 Conference play, Cal played the other members of the North Division and faced Arizona State, UCLA, USC, and Utah from the South Division. They did not play Arizona and Colorado.

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 31	3:30 p.m.	No. 5 (FCS) UC Davis*		California Memorial Stadium Berkeley, CA	P12N	W 27–13	44,168
September 7	7:30 p.m.	at No. 14 Washington		Husky Stadium Seattle, WA	FS1	W 20–19	66,327
September 14	1:15 p.m.	North Texas*		California Memorial Stadium Berkeley, CA	P12N	W 23–17	35,268
September 21	9:00 a.m.	at Ole Miss*	No. 23	Vaught–Hemingway Stadium Oxford, MS	ESPNU	W 28–20	46,850
September 27	7:30 p.m.	Arizona State	No. 15	California Memorial Stadium Berkeley, CA	ESPN	L 17–24	47,532
October 5	5:00 p.m.	at No. 13 Oregon		Autzen Stadium Eugene, OR	FOX	L 7–17	54,766
October 19	11:30 a.m.	Oregon State		California Memorial Stadium Berkeley, CA	P12N	L 17–21	42,064
October 26	7:00 p.m.	at No. 12 Utah		Rice–Eccles Stadium Salt Lake City, UT	FS1	L 0–35	46,626
November 9	4:00 p.m.	Washington State		California Memorial Stadium Berkeley, CA	P12N	W 33–20	39,168
November 16	8:00 p.m.	USC		California Memorial Stadium Berkeley, CA	FS1	L 17–41	46,397
November 23	1:00 p.m.	at Stanford		Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA (Big Game)	P12N	W 24–20	48,904
November 30	7:30 p.m.	at UCLA		Rose Bowl Pasadena, CA (rivalry)	FS1	W 28–18	38,102
December 30	1:00 p.m.	vs. Illinois*		Levi's Stadium Santa Clara, CA (Redbox Bowl)	FOX	W 35–20	34,177
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings after November 5 released prior to game All times are in Pacific time

Source:[15]

Game summaries

* Home games are in dark blue

UC Davis

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 5 (FCS) Aggies	10	0	3	0	13
Golden Bears	0	13	7	7	27

at Washington

	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Bears	0	3	14	3	20
No. 14 Huskies	0	10	3	6	19

The game started at 7:30 pm, but was paused at the end of first quarter due to a lightning storm; the pause lasted for approximately two and a half hours. By the time of the restart - 10 pm, there was only approximately 16,000 of the original approximately 60,000 fans left at the venue.[16] Relying on rushing of running backs Christopher Brown Jr. (80 yards), and Marcel Dancy (72 yards, 2 touchdowns) and quarterback Chase Garbers (42 yards), Cal won on a last minute field goal by Greg Thomas.[17] This was the Golden Bears second straight win against the Huskies. In the 2018 home game Cal upset No. 15 Washington 12 to 10.

North Texas

	1	2	3	4	Total
Mean Green	0	3	7	7	17
Golden Bears	20	0	3	0	23

at Ole Miss

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 23 Golden Bears	7	7	14	0	28
Rebels	7	6	0	7	20

Arizona State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Sun Devils	7	0	7	10	24
No. 15 Golden Bears	7	0	7	3	17

In the final drive of the first half, quarterback Chase Garbers was injured, breaking his right collarbone. Gabrers would not be cleared to play again until he started against USC.

at Oregon

	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Bears	7	0	0	0	7
No. 13 Ducks	0	0	10	7	17

Oregon State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Beavers	7	7	0	7	21
Golden Bears	0	3	14	0	17

at Utah

	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Bears	0	0	0	0	0
No. 12 Utes	7	21	7	0	35

This defeat was the first shutout of a California team since a 1999 defeat to No. 5 Nebraska. Starting quarterback Chase Garbers and backup Devon Modster were injured for the game.

Washington State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cougars	5	6	3	6	20
Golden Bears	6	7	7	13	33

USC

	1	2	3	4	Total
Trojans	10	7	17	7	41
Golden Bears	7	3	0	7	17

at Stanford

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
44–59–10	2018	L, 13–23

California Golden Bears vs. Stanford Cardinal – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Bears	7	3	0	14	24
Cardinal	7	3	7	3	20

at Stanford Stadium • Stanford, California

• Date: November 23, 2019
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. PST
• Game attendance: 48,904
• Referee: Chris Coyte
• TV: P12N
• Reference

Game information

First Quarter STAN – Donald Stewart 40-yard pass from Davis Mills (Ryan Sanborn kick), 13:00. Stanford 7–0. Drive: 4 plays, 60 yards, 2:00. CAL – Christopher Brown Jr. 7-yard run (Greg Thomas kick), 0:45. Tied 7–7. Drive: 13 plays, 90 yards, 6:02. Second Quarter STAN – Ryan Sanborn 48-yard field goal, 11:45. Stanford 10–7. Drive: 8 plays, 52 yards, 3:59. CAL – Greg Thomas 49-yard field goal, 7:37. Tied 10–10. Drive: 9 plays, 43 yards, 4:08. Third Quarter STAN – Cameron Scarlett 1-yard run (Ryan Sanborn kick), 2:09. Stanford 17–10. Drive: 6 plays, 30 yards, 2:59. Fourth Quarter CAL – Nikko Remigio 18-yard pass from Chase Garbers (Greg Thomas kick), 7:44. Tied 17–17. Drive: 5 plays, 84 yards, 2:15. STAN – Ryan Sanborn 44-yard field goal, 2:23. Stanford 20–17. Drive: 10 plays, 39 yards, 5:17. CAL – Chase Garbers 16-yard run (Greg Thomas kick), 1:19. California 24–20. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 1:04. Top Passers CAL – Chase Garbers – 20/30, 285 yards, TD STAN – Davis Mills – 26/35, 290 yards, TD, 2 INT Top Rushers CAL – Chase Garbers – 13 rushes, 72 yards, TD STAN – Cameron Scarlett – 12 rushes, 31 yards, TD Top Receivers CAL – Nikko Remigio – 9 receptions, 157 yards, TD STAN – Michael Wilson – 6 receptions, 63 yards

With this victory, Cal ended Stanford's nine-year win streak in the Big Game. The win also ensured the Bears' qualification to a bowl game for the second consecutive year, the first time this has happened in ten years. Likewise, the loss put Stanford at 4–7 for the season, ending its hopes of making its tenth consecutive bowl game.

at UCLA

	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Bears	7	7	7	7	28
Bruins	7	3	8	0	18

vs. Illinois (Redbox Bowl)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Bears	7	14	7	7	35
Fighting Illini	10	3	0	7	20

Personnel

Coaching staff

Name	Position	Seasons at Cal	Before Cal
Justin Wilcox	Head Coach	3rd as Head Coach (LB Coach, 2003–2005)	Wisconsin — Defensive Coordinator (2016)
Beau Baldwin	Offensive Coordinator / Quarterbacks Coach	3rd year	Eastern Washington — Head Coach (2008–16)
Tim DeRuyter	Defensive Coordinator / Outside Linebackers Coach	3rd year	Fresno State — Head Coach (2012–16)
Gerald Alexander	Defensive Backs Coach	3rd year	Montana State — Defensive Backs Coach (2016)
Andrew Browning	Defensive Line Coach	2nd year	UTEP – Defensive Line Coach (2013–17)
Nicholas Edwards	Wide Receivers Coach	3rd year	Eastern Washington — Wide Receivers Coach (2014–16)
Steve Greatwood	Offensive Line Coach	3rd year	Oregon — Offensive Line / Defensive Line Coach (2000–16)
Charlie Ragle	Special Teams Coordinator	3rd year	Arizona — Special Teams Coordinator (2013–17)
Peter Sirmon	Co-Defensive Coordinator / Associate Head Coach / Inside Linebackers	2nd year	Louisville – Defensive Coordinator / Outside Linebackers Coach (2017)
Burl Toler III	Wide Receivers Coach	2nd as Asst. Coach (WR, 2001–2004)	UC Davis – Wide Receivers Coach (2016)
Marques Tuiasosopo	Tight Ends Coach	3rd year	UCLA — Quarterbacks Coach / Passing Game Coordinator (2016)
Reference: [18]

Roster

2019 California Golden Bears Football
Quarterback  6 Devon Modster - Junior (6'2, 210)  7 Chase Garbers - Sophomore (6'2, 205) 13 Spencer Brasch - Freshman (6'4, 180) 15 Robbie Rowell - Freshman (6'2, 220) Running Back  9 Alex Netherda - Senior (6'0, 215) 23 Marcel Dancy - Junior (5'10, 195) 25 DeCarlos Brooks - Freshman (5'9, 190) 26 DeShawn Collins - Junior (5'10, 195) 34 Christopher Brown Jr. - Sophomore (6'1, 230) Wide Receiver  2 Jordan Duncan - Senior (6'1, 205)  4 Nikko Remigio - Sophomore (5'10, 185) 10 Jeremiah Hawkins - Junior (5'8, 180) 11 Kekoa Crawford - Junior (6'1, 190) 14 Monroe Young - Freshman (6'0, 200) 17 Makai Polk - Freshman (6'3, 185) 21 Ricky Walker III - Sophomore (5'11, 190) 39 Evan King - Sophomore (6'3, 205) 41 Ben Skinner - Freshman (6'2, 185) 80 Trevon Clark - Junior (6'4, 180) 83 Chris Rogers - Freshman (6'3, 175) 86 Jared Staub - Freshman (6'0, 180) 87 Lucas Allen - Freshman (6'2, 205) 88 Ryan Regan - Freshman (6'0, 185) Tight End 16 Collin Moore - Sophomore (6'4, 250) 49 Nick Alftin - Freshman (6'5, 235) 81 Elijah Mojarro - Freshman (6'4, 245) 84 Gavin Reinwald - Sophomore (6'3, 235) 85 Jake Tonges - Sophomore (6'5, 230) Placekicker 36 Nick Lopez - Freshman (6'1, 190) 39 Greg Thomas - Senior (5'9, 165) Punter 30 Dario Longhetto - Freshman (6'0, 170) 37 Steven Coutts - Senior (6'4, 215)		Offensive Lineman 53 Michael Saffell - Junior (6'2, 300) 56 Jack Beeman - Sophomore (6'4, 290) 60 Brian Driscoll - Freshman (6'4, 295) 61 Valentino Daltoso - Junior (6'4, 300) 62 Ben Coleman - Freshman (6'4, 315) 63 Brayden Rohme - Freshman (6'6, 260) 64 Gentle Williams - Junior (6'3, 290) 66 Cal Frank - Freshman (6'7, 270) 68 Erick Nisich - Freshman (6'4, 290) 70 Poutasi Poutasi - Sophomore (6'4, 340) 71 Jake Curhan - Junior (6'6, 335) 72 McKade Mettauer - Freshman (6'4, 285) 73 Matthew Cindric - Freshman (6'4, 295) 74 Will Craig - Sophomore (6'5, 290) 76 Henry Bazakas - Senior (6'6, 315) 78 Brandon Mello - Freshman (6'6, 295) Defensive End 44 Zeandae Johnson - Senior (6'4, 290) 47 JH Tevis - Freshman (6'4, 275) 55 Lone Toailoa - Senior (6'2, 290) 92 Gabriel Cherry - Sophomore (6'5, 280) Nose Guard 90 Brett Johnson - Freshman (6'5, 285) 94 Gunnar Rask - Freshman (6'2, 275) 95 Miles Owens - Freshman (6'6, 350) 97 Aaron Maldonado - Sophomore (6'3, 285) 99 Siulagisipai Fuimaono - Sophomore (6'4, 320) Outside Linebacker 15 Ben Moos - Sophomore (6'4, 230) 19 Cameron Goode - Junior (6'3, 235) 33 Myles Jernigan - Freshman (6'3, 220) 38 Matt Horwitz - Sophomore (6'4, 235) 40 Parker Bosche - Freshman (6'4, 225) 41 Curley Young Jr. - Freshman (6'1, 220) 48 Orin Patu - Freshman (6'4, 220) 52 Braxten Croteau - Freshman (6'5, 240) 91 Chinedu Udeogu - Junior (6'4, 270) 96 Tevin Paul - Junior (6'4, 260) 98 Ben Hawk Schrider - Senior (6'3, 240)		Inside Linebacker  8 Kuony Deng - Junior (6'6, 220) 42 Colt Doughty - Senior (6'1, 230) 50 Kyle Smith - Freshman (6'3, 215) 51 Blake Antzoulatos - Freshman (6'2, 220) 53 Tommy Vanis - Freshman (6'1, 215) 54 Evan Tattersall - Freshman (6'2, 235) 56 Sam Walker - Freshman (6'3, 225) 57 Nick Henderson - Freshman (6'2, 210) 58 Zach Angelillo - Freshman (6'2, 220) 59 Ryan Puskas - Freshman (6'3, 210) 60 Alex Murray - Freshman (6'2, 205) 89 Evan Weaver - Senior (6'3, 235) Cornerback  3 Elijah Hicks - Junior (5'11, 195)  7 Chigozie Anusiem - Freshman (6'1, 190) 18 Branden Smith - Sophomore (5'10, 170) 20 Josh Drayden - Senior (5'10, 180) 24 Camryn Bynum - Junior (6'0, 195) 25 Erik Harutyunyan - Freshman (6'2, 205) 28 Miles Williams - Freshman (6'0, 180) 30 Jaylen Martin - Freshman (6'2, 165) 34 Tarik Glenn Jr. - Freshman (5'10, 175) 36 D'Shawn Hopkins - Junior (5'11, 205) Defensive Line 93 Luc Bequette - Junior (6'0, 195) Safety  2 Isaiah Humphries - Freshman (5'11, 190)  5 Trey Turner III - Senior (6'1, 185)  6 Jaylinn Hawkins - Senior (6'2, 210) 26 Craig Woodson - Freshman (6'0, 190) 27 Ashtyn Davis - Senior (6'1, 200) 31 Steve Mcintosh - Freshman (5'11, 185) 32 Daniel Scott - Sophomore (6'2, 195) Long Snapper 32 JJ Lindsay - Freshman (6'1, 185) 45 Slater Zellers - Freshman (6'1, 235) 48 Daniel Etter - Sophomore (5'10, 225) Nickelback 22 Traveon Beck - Senior (5'9, 165)
Source and player details:[19]

Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. т = Tied with team above or below. ( ) = First place votes.

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	Final
AP	NR	NR	RV	23	15	RV	RV	RV	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	RV	RV	RV
Coaches	NR	NR	RV	23	16	RV	RV	RV	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	RV	RV
CFP	Not released									NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	Not released

Media affiliates

Radio

• KGO 810 AM - Joe Starkey, Mike Pawlawski, Todd McKim, Hal Ramey
• KALX 90.7 FM

TV

• Pac-12 Network
• FSN/ESPN

Players drafted into the NFL

Round	Pick	Player	Position	NFL Club
3	68	Ashtyn Davis	S	New York Jets
4	134	Jaylinn Hawkins	S	Atlanta Falcons
6	202	Evan Weaver	LB	Arizona Cardinals

References

1. Curtis, Jake (2019-09-23). "Cal: No. 15 ranking 'just noise' as it chases 5-0 start to season". SF Chronicle. Retrieved 2020-01-11.
2. Curtis, Jake (2019-11-11). "Cal Football: Chase Garbers Cleared to Play, Might Start Vs. USC". CalMaven. Retrieved 2020-01-11.
3. Ohman, Emily (2019-11-25). "The Axe is back: Cal beats Stanford for 1st time in decade". The Daily Californian. Retrieved 2019-11-28.
4. "California vs. Stanford - Game Summary - November 23, 2019 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2019-11-28.
5. Rusty Simmons (30 December 2019). "Cal beats Illinois in Redbox Bowl, first bowl win since 2015". SF Chronicle. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
6. "Pac-12 Football All-Conference honors announced". pac-12.com. Pac-12. December 10, 2019. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
7. "Bears Overwhelm Illinois To Win Redbox Bowl". calbears.com. Cal Athletics. December 30, 2019. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
8. Simmons, Rusty (October 28, 2018). "Cal stuns No. 15 Washington with a 12-10 upset". San Francisco Chronicle.
9. "Defensive Cal snaps 14-game skid vs USC with 15-14 victory". Associated Press. ESPN.com. November 10, 2018.
10. Wild, Andrew (5 December 2018). "Is a coaching change the answer for Cal's offense?". DailyCal.org. The Daily Californian.
11. "Cal's Tony Tuioti hired as Nebraska's defensive line coach". espn.com. Associated Press. 26 February 2019. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
12. "Andrew Browning Named Defensive Line Coach". calbears.com. Cal Athletics. 27 February 2019. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
13. "DL Coach Azzinaro to become UCLA's DC". California Golden Blogs. 5 December 2017.
14. "Utah picked as Pac-12 favorite in preseason media poll". pac-12.com. July 24, 2019.
15. "2019 California Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
16. Calkins, Matt (2019-09-08). "Lightning strikes twice as Huskies suffer stunning loss to Cal … again". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on 2019-09-08. Retrieved 2019-09-08.
17. "California vs. Washington - Box Score - September 7, 2019 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on 2019-09-08. Retrieved 2019-09-08.
18. "Football Coaching Staff". CalBears.com.
19. "Football Roster". CalBears.com.