# 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.
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. However, after injury to quarterback Chase Garbers during the Arizona State game, the Bears proceeded to lose the next four games.
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. The Bears went to the Redbox Bowl, where they defeated the Illinois Fighting Illini 35–20, 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.

## 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. Andrew Browning was named the Bears' new defensive line coach on February 27, 2019. Browning is the third defensive line coach in three years under Justin Wilcox after Jerry Azzinaro's departure in 2017.

### Pac-12 media days
#### Pac-12 media poll

In the 2019 Pac-12 preseason media poll, California was voted to finish in fifth place in the North Division.
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 conference, Cal did not play Arizona or Colorado.
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| August 31 | 3:30 p.m. | No. 5 (FCS) UC Davis* | | California Memorial StadiumBerkeley, CA | P12N | W 27–13 | 44,168 |
| September 7 | 7:30 p.m. | at No. 14 Washington | | Husky StadiumSeattle, WA | FS1 | W 20–19 | 66,327 |
| September 14 | 1:15 p.m. | North Texas* | | California Memorial StadiumBerkeley, CA | P12N | W 23–17 | 35,268 |
| September 21 | 9:00 a.m. | at Ole Miss* | No. 23 | Vaught–Hemingway StadiumOxford, MS | ESPNU | W 28–20 | 46,850 |
| September 27 | 7:30 p.m. | Arizona State | No. 15 | California Memorial StadiumBerkeley, CA | ESPN | L 17–24 | 47,532 |
| October 5 | 5:00 p.m. | at No. 13 Oregon | | Autzen StadiumEugene, OR | FOX | L 7–17 | 54,766 |
| October 19 | 11:30 a.m. | Oregon State | | California Memorial StadiumBerkeley, CA | P12N | L 17–21 | 42,064 |
| October 26 | 7:00 p.m. | at No. 12 Utah | | Rice–Eccles StadiumSalt Lake City, UT | FS1 | L 0–35 | 46,626 |
| November 9 | 4:00 p.m. | Washington State | | California Memorial StadiumBerkeley, CA | P12N | W 33–20 | 39,168 |
| November 16 | 8:00 p.m. | USC | | California Memorial StadiumBerkeley, CA (Joe Roth Memorial Game) | FS1 | L 17–41 | 46,397 |
| November 23 | 1:00 p.m. | at Stanford | | Stanford StadiumStanford, CA (Big Game) | P12N | W 24–20 | 48,904 |
| November 30 | 7:30 p.m. | at UCLA | | Rose BowlPasadena, CA (rivalry) | FS1 | W 28–18 | 38,102 |
| December 30 | 1:00 p.m. | vs. Illinois* | | Levi's StadiumSanta Clara, CA (Redbox Bowl) | FOX | W 35–20 | 34,177 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings after November 5 released prior to gameAll times are in Pacific time ||||||||

## 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

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Golden Bears | 0 | 3 | 14 | 3 | 20 |
| No. 14 Huskies | 0 | 10 | 3 | 6 | 19 |
at Husky Stadium • Seattle, WA
* Date: September 7, 2019
* Game time: 7:30 p.m. PDT
* Game weather: 68 °F (20 °C) • Cloudy (Lightning) • Wind @ 0 mph (0 km/h)
* Game attendance: 66,327
* Referee: Michael Mothershed
* TV: FS1
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. Relying on rushing of running backs Christopher Brown (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. 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

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Trojans | 10 | 7 | 17 | 7 | 41 |
| Golden Bears | 7 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
at California Memorial Stadium, Berkeley, California
* Date: November 16, 2019
* Game time: 8:00 p.m
* Game attendance: 46,397
* TV: FS1
Game information :
First quarter
CAL (12:05) – #26 DeShawn Collins 5 yard run TD (#39 Greg Thomas kick) – CAL 7–0
USC (8:11) – #9 Kedon Slovis to #8 Amon-Ra St. Brown 18 yard pass TD (#40 Chase McGrath kick) – USC 7–7
USC (0:07) – #40 Chase McGrath 41 yard Field Goal – USC 10–7
Second quarter
CAL (9:22) – #39 Greg Thomas 37 yard Field Goal – USC 10–10
USC (0:43) – #9 Kedon Slovis to #6 Michael Pittman Jr. 33 yard pass TD (#40 Chase McGrath kick) – USC 17–10
Third quarter
USC (12:11) – #9 Kedon Slovis to #15 Drake London 8 yard pass TD (#40 Chase McGrath kick) – USC 24–10
USC (7:20) – #40 Chase McGrath 32 yard Field Goal – USC 27–10
USC (2:29) – #7 Stephen Carr 2 yard run TD (#40 Chase McGrath kick) – USC 34–10
Fourth quarter
USC (10:12) – #9 Kedon Slovis to #83 Josh Falo 5 yard pass TD (#40 Chase McGrath kick) – USC 41–10
CAL (8:24) – #26 DeShawn Collins 34 yard run TD (#39 Greg Thomas kick) – USC 41–17
Passing
USC – #9 Kedon Slovis – 29/35 406 Yds – 4 TD
CAL – #6 Devon Modster – 11/22 95 Yds – 2 int
Rushing
USC – #23 Kenan Christon – 9 Runs 44 Yds
CAL – #26 DeShawn Collins – 15 Runs 103 Yds – 2 TD
Receiving
USC – #6 Michael Pittman Jr. – 11 Rec 180 Yds – 1 TD
CAL – #2 Jordan Duncan – 5 Rec 53 Yds :

### At Stanford

| Quarter | 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 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) |
| Erik Meyer | Quality Control, Offensive | 3rd year | La Mirada HS (CA) – Quarterbacks coach (2008–16) |
| 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: ||||

### Roster
## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | Final |
| AP | — | — | RV | 23 | 15 | RV | RV | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | RV | RV | RV |
| Coaches | — | — | RV | 23 | 16 | RV | RV | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | RV | RV |
| CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 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 |