Cal’s veteran football team has one goal in mind for 2021: ‘Finish the job’

LOS ANGELES — The video game Madden serves a dual purpose for Cal football players. As it is for so many people, the game is a pastime, a break from the field and weight room. As much as it is a welcome distraction, the game is also a valuable teaching tool within the program.

According to Cal senior quarterback Chase Garbers and “super senior” linebacker Kuony Deng, playing Madden is a vessel for the Bears’ new mantra installed over the summer by Cal head coach Justin Wilcox.

“Our theme for the offseason is ‘Finish the job,’” Deng said at Pac-12 media day in Los Angeles on Tuesday. “That’s academically, that’s socially, it’s finishing the things that you started with some intensity. [Wilcox] even says, ‘When you’re playing Madden in the dorms together, finish.’ That’s the fabric of who we are.”

Garbers said the team’s mantra is of particular importance this offseason as it’s something that the team can deeply relate to. The Golden Bears brought in the 28th-best recruiting class in the nation, according to the 247 Sports Composite, the third overall class in the Pac-12. They also return 19 players who have been in college for at least five years. Defensive lineman Luc Bequette is in his seventh season of college football.

According to Deng, Wilcox’s roster has struck a perfect balance. Its eldest players are the instructors, the youngest seem ready to learn. He said it has put their lofty goals of a Pac-12 championship well within their sights.

Garbers said it will come down to execution.

“It’s the most talented team we’ve had in terms of all-around talent and depth,” Garbers said. “We have a very competitive roster. I’m very excited because we got guys who can play, young guys and older guys showing they can play at this level.”

While there is plenty of returning talent on the Cal roster, the offseason didn’t go by without significant departures. Defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter left for North rival Oregon after four years, including a 2019 season when he guided the Golden Bears to the top 25 percent of all FBS programs in points. Peter Sirmon, Cal’s co-defensive coordinator last season, took full possession of the role.

Additionally, offensive lineman Michael Saffell, who was named to the preseason All-Pac-12 second team on Tuesday, recently announced his decision to medically retire from football.

Despite their losses, Cal’s coaching staff hasn’t lowered its expectations for the upcoming season. Deng, one of the Pac-12’s top outside linebackers, is back in the fold and Garbers leads all returning Pac-12 quarterbacks in wins (14). Deng is one of several Bears using the NCAA’s coronavirus exemption to return for a sixth year of eligibility.

“Having nine ‘super seniors’, there’s a lot of guys who play a lot of reps for us,” Wilcox said. “As I mentioned before, it’s the most competitive roster we’ve had at the individual position groups and offensively and defensively. That competition will bring out the best in each and every one of those guys.”

Garbers made it clear that the culture in Berkeley isn’t new.

“We’re a gritty group. You can see it in the game we play. It’s a street fight out there,” Garbers said. “We’re a tough team that nobody wants to play because we’re going to be there all four quarters to the last second. It’s great to be a part of.”

Wilcox’s aggressive expectations have been a critical part of Cal’s offseason, according to his players. They said it’s allowed them to rebound from an abbreviated 2020 season in which they were heavily limited by COVID-19-related issues.

In the spring, Cal practice schedule was cut markedly short. In the fall practices were carried out sporadically, almost all of them taking place with a handful of players in quarantine.

It led to a statistically poor season in which the Golden Bears averaged just 20.3 points per game, the fewest by a Cal team since at least 2014, and allowed 26.5 points per game, the most since 2017. They won just one of their four games.

The challenging season a year ago has contributed to the anticipation for what is expected to be a full one.

“We’re pretty eager for fall camp,” Garbers said. “We’re excited for it to be as normal football as it can be.”

The Golden Bears are expected to begin fall camp on Aug. 5, Wilcox said Tuesday, and they already have their eyes on finishing strong, just like their coach instructed.

“Our expectation is to win the Pac-12,” Garbers said. “Then it’s to win whatever bowl game we’re put in after that. That’s always been our expectation. The past couple years we’ve been some plays away and some games away. This year we just have to finish the job.”