Cal Football: 10 Encouraging Signs from the USC Game

Last Thursday, the California Golden Bears (3-3) lost their homecoming game to the USC Trojans (5-1) by a score of 30-9.

Quarterback Zach Maynard played his worst game at Cal, but despite the loss, the defense played one of their best.

Yes, it was a demoralizing loss for a Cal team that truly felt they could upset the Trojans, but there's always a bright side.

Here's what Cal can smile about following the loss.

Cal Played Better Than 2010

Last year, Cal lost 48-14 to the Trojans. 

This year, it was 30-9.

While it still isn't a victory, Cal played better than they did a year ago, specifically on defense.  

On top of that, if Zach Maynard didn't have his worst game of the season, Cal would have had a shot to win.

Secondary Improvement

The secondary greatly improved, letting Matt Barkley throw for only 195 yards, while Robert Woods only caught five passes for 36 yards.

Sean Cattouse (left) and DJ Campbell led the way with eight tackles. Freshman Stefan McClure played well despite giving up a touchdown and a pass interference call—he could be a key player down the stretch.

This game was by far the best showing from the entire Cal secondary. If they can build off of this, the defense can finally be complete.

Keenan Allen's Unquestioned Ability

Cal's best player, Keenan Allen, had yet another great game.

On Thursday, he caught 13 passes for 160 yards and was one of the few bright spots on the Cal offense.

No matter how the rest of the season goes for the Bears, Keenan Allen will have at least one big play each game and will always give Cal fans a reason to smile.

Mychal Kendricks' Dominance

Linebacker Mychal Kendricks has consistently been the best player on the Cal defense and he shows no signs of slowing down.

Against the potent Trojan offense, he led the Bears with 10 tackles.

He's been a big part of why Cal has been able to stop runs up the middle and is seemingly involved in every play. Kendricks should finish strong in the second half of the season.

Maynard Can Only Improve

Zach Maynard finished 25-of-43 for 294 yards, three interceptions, and no passing touchdowns.

Not exactly what you want to see out of your starting quarterback.

But after playing so badly against USC, he can only play better as the season goes on. Maynard has the tools to play better—he's shown flashes throughout the season.

One of the few bright spots for Cal was on 3rd-and-12 in the third quarter when Maynard scrambled and broke out of a potential sack on a completely broken play, yet somehow found tailback CJ Anderson for a first down.

If he can utilize that mobility more often, it will only help him improve.

Tedford Stayed Calm

Again, no questions asked: Zach Maynard had his worst game for Cal.

Yet despite that, Jeff Tedford never went off on a yelling spree in Maynard's face. While he's not known for that, much like UCLA's Rick Neuheisel is, he did tend to get into Kevin Riley's face the past few seasons.

Coach Tedford recognizes that he and the rest of the team have to allow Maynard time to grow and adjust.

Expecting Maynard to be perfect every game, especially against big opponents, is highly unrealistic and will only hurt him as a player.  

It's a good move by a veteran coach, a move that should be respected.

Maynard's Problems Are Fixable

Jeff Tedford is known for being a "quarterback's coach," and because of that, he should be able to help Maynard with his bad decision making.

Simple problems like staring down receivers and pushing for the big play are fixable and just take mental adjustments rather than physical ones.

He needs to learn to utilize Keenan Allen rather than rely on him. With experience, that will come.

Tedford just needs to spend time working with Maynard to prepare him for the future, specifically 2012, which could be a big year for the Bears.

Injury-Free

Unlike USC, Cal walked away from the game without any injuries.

While the Trojans' receiver Marqise Lee (left) and running back Marc Tyler are both expected to be ready to play next weekend, they both injured their shoulders and couldn't return to the game.  

On top of that, Trojans cornerback Anthony Brown broke his ankle and could be out for a considerable amount of time.

For Cal, to walk away from any game without suffering any injuries is always a plus.

Utah Is Up Next

Utah (3-3) hasn't won a single Pac-12 game in their inaugural year in the conference.

Yes, Cal hasn't won a Pac-12 game this season either, but the Bears are a better team than their record reflects, unlike the Utes.

I can't think of any other team, besides Presbyterian, who Cal would want to see on the schedule this weekend after going 0-2 the past two weeks on national TV.

Winnable Schedule

Up until November 19th, Cal has a relatively easy schedule.

As stated in the previous slide, Cal has Utah next week at home. After that, the next three opponents are UCLA, at the Rose Bowl, and then Washington State and Oregon State at home.

All those games should be wins for the Bears. The bigger challenges will be the final two weeks when Cal takes on Stanford and ASU, both on the road.

If Cal can win the four games in between, even if they lose the final two games, they can end the season 7-5 and be bowl eligible.