# 2017 California Golden Bears football team

The 2017 California Golden Bears football team represented the University of California, Berkeley in the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Bears were led by first-year head coach Justin Wilcox and played their home games at California Memorial Stadium. The Bears went 5–7, including non-conference wins over North Carolina and Ole Miss, and three losses by three points or fewer. The season highlight was the Bears' 37–3 defeat of then-No. 8 Washington State, which marked the first time Cal had beaten a top ten opponent since its defeat of No. 3 USC in 2003.

## Recruiting
### Position key

| Back | B | Center | C | Cornerback | CB | Defensive back | DB |
| Defensive end | DE | Defensive lineman | DL | Defensive tackle | DT | End | E |
| Fullback | FB | Guard | G | Halfback | HB | Kicker | K |
| Kickoff returner | KR | Offensive tackle | OT | Offensive lineman | OL | Linebacker | LB |
| Long snapper | LS | Punter | P | Punt returner | PR | Quarterback | QB |
| Running back | RB | Safety | S | Tight end | TE | Wide receiver | WR |

### Recruits

The Golden Bears signed a total of 14 recruits.
College recruiting information (2017) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Gabriel Cherry DE | Bakersfield, California | Centennial HS | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 265 lb (120 kg) | Feb 13, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Taariq Johnson WR | Buena Park, California | Buena Park HS | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 213 lb (97 kg) | Apr 3, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Jeremiah Hawkins WR | Buena Park, California | Buena Park HS | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | May 6, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Chase Garbers QB | Newport Beach, California | Corona del Mar HS | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | Jun 26, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Alex Funches DE | Denton, Texas | Trinity Valley Community College | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) | Jul 6, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Biaggo Ali Walsh RB | Las Vegas, Nevada | Bishop Gorman HS | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 186 lb (84 kg) | Aug 14, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Michael Saffell C | Huntington Beach, California | Edison HS | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 293 lb (133 kg) | Oct 5, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Elijah Hicks CB | La Mirada, California | La Mirada HS | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Jan 10, 2017 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Poutasi Poutasi OG | Las Vegas, Nevada | Desert Pines HS | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 280 lb (130 kg) | Jan 28, 2017 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Daniel Scott S | La Cañada Flintridge, California | St. Francis HS | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | Jan 29, 2017 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: N/A |||||||
| Kyle Harmon LB | Oakley, California | Freedom HS | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 218 lb (99 kg) | Jan 29, 2017 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A |||||||
| Gavin Reinwald WR | Elk Grove, California | Elk Grove HS | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) | Jan 29, 2017 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A |||||||
| Branden Smith CB | Lancaster, California | Paraclete HS | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Feb 1, 2017 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Ben Moos TE | Pullman, Washington | Pullman HS | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 240 lb (110 kg) | Feb 1, 2017 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: |||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "California Football Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved March 12, 2017. "2017 California Football Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved March 12, 2017. "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 12, 2017. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved March 12, 2017. "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved March 12, 2017. |||||||

## Personnel
### Coaching staff

| Name | Position | Seasons at Cal | Before Cal |
| Justin Wilcox | Head coach | 1st as head coach (LB coach, 2003–2005) | Wisconsin – Defensive coordinator (2016) |
| Beau Baldwin | Assistant head coach / offensive coordinator / running backs coach | 1st year | Eastern Washington – Head coach (2008–16) |
| Tim DeRuyter | Defensive coordinator / inside linebackers coach | 1st year | Fresno State – Head coach (2012–16) |
| Gerald Alexander | Defensive backs coach | 1st year | Montana State – Defensive backs coach (2016) |
| Jerry Azzinaro | Defensive line coach | 1st year | San Francisco 49ers – Defensive line coach (2016) |
| Steve Greatwood | Offensive line coach | 1st year | Oregon – Offensive line / defensive line coach (2000–16) |
| Marques Tuiasosopo | Quarterbacks coach / Passing Game Coordinator / recruiting coordinator | 1st year | UCLA – Quarterbacks coach / passing game coordinator (2016) |
| Nicholas Edwards | Wide receivers coach | 1st year | Eastern Washington – Wide receivers coach (2014–16) |
| Charlie Ragle | Special teams coordinator / tight ends coach | 1st year | Arizona – Special teams coordinator (2013–17) |
| Tony Tuioti | Outside linebackers coach | 1st year | Cleveland Browns – Quality Control, Defense (2014–15) |
| Desmond Bishop | Quality Control, Defense | 1st as asst. coach (LB, 2005–2006) | Washington Redskins – Linebacker (2016) |
| Erik Meyer | Quality Control, Offensive | 1st year | La Mirada HS (CA) – Quarterbacks coach (2008–16) |
| Reference: ||||

### Roster
## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 2 | 9:20 a.m. | at North Carolina* | Kenan Memorial StadiumChapel Hill, NC | ACCN | W 35–30 | 49,500 |
| September 9 | 2:00 p.m. | No. 25 (FCS) Weber State* | California Memorial StadiumBerkeley, CA | P12N | W 33–20 | 36,209 |
| September 16 | 7:30 p.m. | Ole Miss* | California Memorial StadiumBerkeley, CA | ESPN | W 27–16 | 37,125 |
| September 23 | 12:30 p.m. | No. 5 USC | California Memorial StadiumBerkeley, CA (Joe Roth Memorial Game) | ABC | L 20–30 | 46,747 |
| September 30 | 7:30 p.m. | at Oregon | Autzen StadiumEugene, OR | FS1 | L 24–45 | 55,707 |
| October 7 | 7:45 p.m. | at No. 6 Washington | Husky StadiumSeattle, WA | ESPN | L 7–38 | 67,429 |
| October 13 | 7:30 p.m. | No. 8 Washington State | California Memorial StadiumBerkeley, CA | ESPN | W 37–3 | 26,244 |
| October 21 | 4:00 p.m. | Arizona | California Memorial StadiumBerkeley, CA | P12N | L 44–45 $^{2OT}$ | 37,525 |
| October 28 | 11:00 a.m. | at Colorado | Folsom FieldBoulder, CO | P12N | L 28–44 | 47,216 |
| November 4 | 2:00 p.m. | Oregon State | California Memorial StadiumBerkeley, CA | P12N | W 37–23 | 35,440 |
| November 18 | 5:00 p.m. | at No. 20 Stanford | Stanford StadiumStanford, CA (Big Game) | FOX | L 14–17 | 51,424 |
| November 24 | 7:30 p.m. | at UCLA | Rose BowlPasadena, CA (rivalry) | FS1 | L 27–30 | 50,287 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Pacific time |||||||

## Game summaries
### at North Carolina

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Golden Bears | 7 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 35 |
| Tar Heels | 7 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 30 |

### Weber State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 25 (FCS) Wildcats | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| Golden Bears | 7 | 10 | 0 | 16 | 33 |

### Ole Miss

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Rebels | 10 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| Golden Bears | 7 | 0 | 10 | 10 | 27 |

### USC

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 5 Trojans | 3 | 10 | 0 | 17 | 30 |
| Golden Bears | 3 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 20 |

### at Oregon

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Golden Bears | 0 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 24 |
| Ducks | 17 | 0 | 7 | 21 | 45 |

### at Washington

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Golden Bears | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| No. 6 Huskies | 7 | 17 | 7 | 7 | 38 |

### Washington State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 8 Cougars | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Golden Bears | 10 | 7 | 3 | 17 | 37 |
* The game marked Cal's first win against a top ten opponent since 2003.
* The three points allowed by the Bears defense are the fewest since holding UC Davis to three points in 2010.
* In the fourth quarter, quarterback Ross Bowers executed a flip into the end zone to put the Bears up 27-3.

### Arizona

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | 2OT | Total |
| Wildcats | 14 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 45 |
| Golden Bears | 7 | 0 | 14 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 44 |

### at Colorado

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Golden Bears | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 28 |
| Buffaloes | 14 | 13 | 0 | 17 | 44 |

### Oregon State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Beavers | 7 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 23 |
| Golden Bears | 14 | 6 | 10 | 7 | 37 |
* The game was the sixth time in program history that Cal had zero punts in a game. It was the first time that Cal had zero punts in a game since playing USC in 2004.
* Matt Anderson broke the Cal record for career scoring, reaching 297 points after kicking three field goals and four extra points in the game. He broke the previous record of 288 points held by Doug Brien since 1993. Anderson would finish the season with an all-time record of 316 points.
* Patrick Laird's 214 yards rushing ranks tenth in program history for rushing yards in a single game.

### at Stanford

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Golden Bears | 3 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 14 |
| No. 22 Cardinal | 3 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 17 |

### at UCLA

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Golden Bears | 3 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 27 |
| Bruins | 7 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 30 |
* Matt Anderson broke the Cal record for career field goals, reaching 60 after kicking four field goals in the game. He broke the previous record of 56 field goals held by Doug Brien since 1993.
* Ross Bowers reached 3,000 passing yards for the season and became the seventh player in Cal history to reach the milestone.
* Patrick Laird reached 1,000 rushing yards for the season and became the sixteenth player in Cal history to reach the milestone.

## Awards and honors
### Coaches

* Tim DeRuyter (Defensive Coordinator)
       Athlon Sports' National Defensive Coordinator of the Week, vs. Washington State

### Offense

* Ross Bowers (QB)
       Manning Award Stars of the Week, vs. North Carolina
* Patrick Laird (RB)
       Burlsworth Trophy semifinalist
       First-team Pac-12 All-Academic
       All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention
       CoSIDA Academic All-District Team
* Malik McMorris (FB)
       SB Nation Piesman Trophy finalist
* Kanawai Noa (WR)
       Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award watchlist
* Vic Wharton III (WR)
       Biletnikoff Award watchlist
* Jake Curhan (OL)
       Second-team Pac-12 All-Academic
* Patrick Mekari (OL)
       All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention
* Tony Mekari (G)
       Second-team Pac-12 All-Academic

### Defense

* James Looney (DL)
       All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention
* Devante Downs (LB)
       Chuck Bednarik Award watchlist
       Lott IMPACT Trophy watchlist
       All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention
       Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week, at North Carolina
       Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week(2), vs. Ole Miss
       College Sports Madness National Defensive Player of the Week, vs. Ole Miss
       College Sports Madness Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week, vs. Ole Miss
* Jordan Kunaszyk (LB)
       Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week, vs. Washington State
       Rose Bowl: Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week, vs. Washington State
       Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week, vs. Washington State
       College Sports Madness Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week, vs. Washington State
* Luke Rubenzer (S)
       First-team Pac-12 All-Academic

### Special teams

* Matt Anderson (PK)
       Pac-12 Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year
       Campbell Trophy semifinalist
       Lou Groza Award pre-season watchlist
       Senior CLASS Award candidate
       Second-team Pac-12 All-Academic
       CoSIDA Academic All-District Team