When the Cal football team welcomed the Aztecs to Berkeley last year, the Bears blew out their opponents, 35-7, behind three touchdowns and 321 yards from then-quarterback and now-Case Keenum backup Jared Goff. This time around, with Cal expected to regress after last season’s 8-5 campaign and with Davis Webb under center, San Diego State was favored by seven. Even with the low expectations surrounding the 2016 Bears, any hopes of bowl eligibility rested firmly on a win over the Aztecs, especially with Cal’s brutal second-half schedule.
One reason for Cal’s poor performance was Webb’s ineffectiveness throughout. So far, Cal head coach Sonny Dykes seems to be asking more of Webb than he looks ready to handle — even his grasp of checkdowns and screens appeared tenuous against the Aztecs.