2015 California Golden Bears football team

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2015 California Golden Bears football
California Golden Bears logo.svg
Armed Forces Bowl champion
ConferencePac-12 Conference
DivisionNorth Division
2015 record8–5 (4–5 Pac-12)
Head coach
  • Sonny Dykes (3rd season)
Offensive coordinatorTony Franklin (3rd season)
Offensive schemeBear Raid
Defensive coordinatorArt Kaufman (2nd season)
Base defense4–3
Home stadiumCalifornia Memorial Stadium
(Capacity: 62,467)
Seasons
← 2014
2016 →
2015 Pac-12 Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
North Division
No. 3 Stanford x$   8 1     12 2  
No. 19 Oregon   7 2     9 4  
Washington State   6 3     9 4  
California   4 5     8 5  
Washington   4 5     7 6  
Oregon State   0 9     2 10  
South Division
USC xy   6 3     8 6  
No. 17 Utah x   6 3     10 3  
UCLA   5 4     8 5  
Arizona State   4 5     6 7  
Arizona   3 6     7 6  
Colorado   1 8     4 9  
Championship: Stanford 41, USC 22
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2015 California Golden Bears football team represented the University of California, Berkeley in the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Bears were led by third-year head coach Sonny Dykes and played their home games at Memorial Stadium.

At the beginning of the season, Cal jumped out to a 5–0 start, their best since 2007.[1] In Week 3, the Bears defeated Texas 45–44 in Austin, marking the program's first-ever victory over the Longhorns.[2] The following week, Cal beat Washington 30–24, earning their first victory in Seattle since 2005 and snapping a six-game losing streak to the Huskies.[3] Cal then went on to lose five of its next six games, including losses to rivals UCLA, USC, and Oregon, and a 13-point loss to arch-rival Stanford for their sixth consecutive Big Game defeat.[4] The Golden Bears rebounded with a 54–24 win over last-place Oregon State, in which Cal gained a school-record 760 yards while becoming bowl-eligible for the first time since 2011.[5] With a 48–46 win over Arizona State on Senior Day, Cal finished the regular season with a 7–5 record, clinching their first winning season since 2011.[6] They finished the year 8–5 including a 55–36 victory over Air Force in the Armed Forces Bowl.[7] Nevertheless, at 4–5 Cal finished with a losing Pac-12 the record for the third consecutive season.

The 2015 season was the last at Cal for three-year starting quarterback Jared Goff, who entered the program at the same time as Dykes and set 26 team records during his time in Berkeley. Following the Armed Forces Bowl, Goff declared for the 2016 NFL Draft.[8] He was selected first overall by the Los Angeles Rams, and went on to lead the Rams to Super Bowl LIII.

Following the season, Sonny Dykes' contract was extended until 2019, owing to the team's athletic and academic improvements during his tenure.[9]

Schedule[]

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendance
September 52:00 p.m.Grambling State*
  • California Memorial Stadium
  • Berkeley, CA
P12NW 73–1460,606
September 122:00 p.m.San Diego State*
  • California Memorial Stadium
  • Berkeley, CA
P12NW 35–750,830
September 197:30 p.m.at Texas*FOXW 45–4491,568
September 262:00 p.m.at Washington
  • Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium
  • Seattle, WA
P12NW 30–2461,066
October 31:00 p.m.Washington StatedaggerNo. 24
  • California Memorial Stadium
  • Berkeley, CA
P12NW 34–2842,042
October 107:00 p.m.at No. 5 UtahNo. 23
  • Rice-Eccles Stadium
  • Salt Lake City, UT (College GameDay)
ESPNL 24–3047,798
October 226:00 p.m.at UCLANo. 20
ESPNL 24–4057,046
October 3112:00 p.m.USC
  • California Memorial Stadium
  • Berkeley, CA
FOXL 21–2752,060
November 77:30 p.m.at Oregon
  • Autzen Stadium
  • Eugene, OR
ESPN2L 28–4456,604
November 147:30 p.m.Oregon State
  • California Memorial Stadium
  • Berkeley, CA
P12NW 54–2441,874
November 217:30 p.m.at No. 15 Stanford
ESPNL 22–3551,424
November 287:00 p.m.Arizona State
  • California Memorial Stadium
  • Berkeley, CA
FS1W 48–4645,385
December 2911:00 a.m.vs. Air Force*ESPNW 55–3638,915
  • *Non-conference game
  • daggerHomecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
  • All times are in Pacific time

Personnel[]

Coaching staff[]

Name Position Before Cal
Sonny Dykes Head Coach Louisiana Tech - Head Coach 2010-2012
Tony Franklin Offensive Coordinator/QB/RB Louisiana Tech - Offensive Coordinator/QB 2010-2012
Art Kaufman Defensive Coordinator Cincinnati - Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers 2013
Greg Burns Linebackers Umass - Defensive Backs 2013
Brandon Jones Run Game Coordinator/Offensive line East Carolina - Offensive Line 2010-2014
John Lovett Defensive Backs Philadelphia Eagles - Defensive Backs 2013-2014
Jacob Peeler Wide Receivers Cal - Graduate Assistant, Offense/Wide Receivers 2013-2014
Fred Tate Defensive Line Cincinnati - Defensive Tackles (2013)
Mark Tommerdahl Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Louisiana Tech - Special Teams Coordinator/Inside Receivers 2009 - 2012
Damon Harrington Head Strength and Conditioning Louisiana Tech - Head Strength and Conditioning 2006-2012
Dr. Casey Batten Team Physician University of California San Francisco, Assistant Clinical Professor of Orthopedics - Prior to 2006

Source: California Golden Bears Football 2015 Coaching Staff

Roster[]

Offense

Quarterbacks

  • 7 Ross Bowers - FR - Bothell, CA
  • 15 David Maaghul - FR - San Francisco, CA
  • 11 Andrew Black - Redshirt FR - Spokane, WA
  • 14 Chase Forrest - Redshirt FR - Santa Ana, CA
  • 16 Jared Goff - JR - Novato, CA
  • 18 Cole Webb - SR - San Pedro, CA

Wide Receivers

  • 17 Austin Aaron - FR - Napa, CA
  • 81 Kanawai Noa - FR - Honolulu, HI
  • 19 Brandon Singleton - FR - Boutte, LA
  • 6 Carlos Strickland - FR - Dallas, TX
  • 13 Erik Brown - Redshirt FR - Fontana, CA
  • 84 Justin Dunn - Redshirt FR - Lafayette, CA
  • 87 Kyle Wells - Redshirt FR - Loomis, CA
  • 32 Nick White - Redshirt FR - Irvine, CA
  • 21 Jack Austin - SO - Chino Hills, CA
  • 6 Chad Hansen - SO - Fillmore, CA
  • 11 Raymond Hudson - SO - Pleasanton, CA
  • 28 Patrick Laird - SO - San Luis Obispo, CA
  • 24 Matt Rockett - SO - Santa Ana, CA
  • 7 Vic Wharton III - SO - Spring Hill, TN
  • 4 Kenny Lawler - JR - Pomona, CA
  • 88 Patrick Worstell - JR - Danville, CA
  • 9 Trevor Davis - SR - Martinez, CA
  • 3 Maurice Harris - SR - Greensboro, NC
  • 10 Darius Powe - SR - Lakewood, CA
  • 1 Bryce Treggs - SR - Inglewood, CA

Tight Ends

  • 82 Frank Kapp - FR - Los Altos, CA
  • 85 Nick Palleschi - FR - Kailua-Kona, Hawai'i
  • 80 Jake Ashton - Redshirt FR - Indio, CA
  • 89 Stephen Anderson - SR - San Jose, CA

Running Backs

  • 38 Alex Netherda - FR - Santa Rosa, CA
  • 22 Lonny Powell - FR - Sacramento, CA
  • 23 Vic Enwere - SO - Austin, TX
  • 33 Fabiano Hale - SO - Santa Cruz, CA
  • 5 Tre Watson - SO - Corona, CA
  • 20 Jeffrey Coprich - JR - Watts, CA
  • 29 Khalfani Muhammad - JR - Sherman Oaks, CA
  • 36 Vincent"Bug" Rivera - JR - San Diego, CA
  • 2 Daniel Lasco - SR - The Woodlands, TX

H-backs

  • 99 Malik McMorris - FR - Santa Ana, CA
  • 86 Justin Norbeck - FB - Irvine, CA

Offensive Line

  • 76 Henry Bazakas - FR - Berkeley, CA
  • 74 Ryan Gibson - FR - Bay St. Louis, MS
  • 79 Patrick Mekari - FR - Westlake Village, CA
 
  • 58 Semisi Uluave - FR - Honolulu, HI
  • 50 Zach Artman - Redshirt FR - San Jose, CA
  • 72 Kamryn Bennett - RedshirtFR - Peoria, AZ
  • 54 Deion Oliver - RedshirtFR - Warminster, PS
  • 57 Addison Ooms - Redshirt FR - Laguna Niguel, CA
  • 56 Michael Trani - Redshirt FR - La Mirada, CA
  • 75 Aaron Cochran - SO - Atwater, CA
  • 77 J.D. Hinnant - SO - Fountain Valley, CA
  • 78 Vincent Johnson - SO - El Dorado Hills, CA
  • 66 Chris Borrayo - JR - Paramount, CA
  • 55 Dominic Granado - JR - Huntington Beach, CA
  • 64 Steven Moore - JR - Elk Grove, CA
  • 70 Benji Palu - JR - Burlingame, CA
  • 59 Brian Farley - SR - San Diego, CA
  • 73 Jordan Rigsbee - SR - Chico, CA

Defense

Defensive Ends

  • 94 Trevor Howard - FR - Thousand Oaks, CA
  • 44 Zeandae Johnson - FR - Fresno, CA
  • 51 Cameron Saffle - FR - Sammamish, WA
  • 89 Nick Allard - Redshirt FR - Carlsbad, CA
  • 45 Kennedy Emesibe - Redshirt FR - Hesperia, CA
  • 33 Noah Westerfield - SO - Frisco, TX
  • 98 Cody Bickham - JR - Half Moon Bay, CA
  • 95 DeVante Wilson - JR - Corona, CA
  • 41 Todd Barr - SR - Lakewood, CA
  • 11 Jonathan Johnson - SR - Pittsburgh, PA
  • 13 Kyle Kragen - SR - Danville, CA
  • 75 Puka Lopa - SR - Sacramento, CA

Defensive Tackles

  • 50 Hunter Abel - FR - Piedmont, CA
  • 93 Luc Bequette - FR - Little Rock, AR
  • 53 Russell Ude - FR - Atlanta, GA
  • 96 Chris Palmer - Redshirt FR - Lawrenceville, GA
  • 9 James Looney - SO - Lake Worth, FL
  • 97 Tony Mekari - SO - Westlake Village, CA
  • 92 Marcus Manley - JR - Los Angeles, CA
  • 52 David Davis - SR - Palos Verdes, Est., CA
  • 90 Mustafa Jalil - SR - San Diego, CA
  • 91 Trevor Kelly - SR - South SF, CA

Linebackers

  • 43 Harrison Mayo - FR - Amador Valley, CA
  • 46 Drew Bryant - Redshirt FR - Sparks, NV
  • 56 Joe Castignani - Redshirt FR - San Jose, CA
  • 40 David Ortega Jr. - Redshirt FR - Moraga, CA
  • 25 Hamilton Anoa'i - SO - San Mateo, CA
  • 10 Caleb Coleman - SO - Berkeley, CA
  • 31 Raymond Davison - SO - Encino, CA
  • 1 Devante Downs - SO - Mountlake Terrace, WA
 
  • 55 Aisea Tongilava - SO - Garden Grove, CA
  • 8 Michael Barton - JR - Richmond, CA
  • 19 Maximo Espitia - JR - Salem, OR
  • 30 Jake Kearney - JR - Livermore, CA
  • 47 Hardy Nickerson Jr. - JR - Oakland, CA
  • 22 Nathan Broussard - SR - Plano, TX
  • 7 Jalen Jefferson - SR - Oxnard, CA

Safeties

  • 24 Billy McCrary III - FR - Austin, TX
  • 32 Evan Rambo - FR - Los Angeles, CA
  • 19 Trey Turner - FR - Mobile, AL
  • 36 Jonathan McDonald- Redshirt FR - Orinda, CA
  • 16 Chibuzo Nwokocha - Redshirt FR - Elk Grove, CA
  • 28 Quentin Tartabull - Redshirt FR - Mission Hills, CA
  • 4 Derron Brown - SO - Oakland, CA
  • 42 David Garner - SO - Fort Lauderdale, FL
  • 14 A.J. Greathouse - SO - Chandler, AZ
  • 17 Luke Rubenzer - SO - Scottsdale, AZ
  • 36 Kaodi Dike - JR - Mountain House, CA
  • 27 Damariay Drew - JR - Livermore, CA
  • 26 Griffin Piatt - JR - Moraga, CA
  • 39 Khari Vanderbilt - JR - San Jose, CA
  • 21 Stefan McClure - SR - Vista, CA
  • G

Cornerbacks

  • 27 Ashtyn Davis - FR - Santa Cruz, CA
  • 20 Jaylinn Hawkins - FR Buena Park, CA
  • 23 Malik Psalms - FR - Chino Hills, CA
  • 2 Darius Allensworth - SO - Menifee, CA
  • 34 Grace De'zhon - SO - Oakland, CA
  • 15 Antoine Albert - JR - Oakland, CA
  • 37 Cedric Dozier - JR - Roanoke, AL
  • 6 Darius White - SR - Grenada, MS
  • 18 Joel Willis - SR - Garden Grove, CA

Nicklebacks

  • 48 Jacob Anderson - JR - Tustin, CA
  • 23 Cameron Walker - JR - Los Angeles, CA

Special Teams

Place Kickers

  • 9 Matt Anderson - SO - Danville, CA
  • 41 Robbie McInerny - SO - Laguna Beach, CA
  • 13 Noah Beito - JR - Scotts Valley, CA
  • 39 Franklyn Cervenka - JR - La Cañada Flintridge, CA

Punters

  • 43 Dylan Klumph - SO - Malibu, CA
  • 16 Cole Leininger - SR - Fruit Cove, FL

Both P and PK

  • 37 Ethan Erickson - FR - Pacific Palisades, CA
  • 38 Harry Adolphus - SO - Guilford, UK

Long Snappers

  • 45 Grant Gluhaich - FR - Morgan Hill, CA
  • 48 Bradley E. Northnagel - JR - San Carlos, CA

Source: California Golden Bears Football 2015 Roster

Recruiting[]

Incoming class 2015[]

SCOUT RIVALS, ESPN, as well as the official roster are the primary sources. The incoming class was ranked #25 by Rivals, #36 by Scout, and #53 by ESPN.

Commitments for 2016[]

SCOUT RIVALS and ESPN are the primary sources. As of 10/9/2015 the 2016 class is ranked #25 by Rivals# and #38 by Scout.

Rankings[]

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. т = Tied with team above or below. ( ) = First place votes.
Week
Poll Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Final 
AP RV RV RV RV 24 23 23 20 RV RV NR NR NR NR NR NR 
Coaches NR RV RV RV 24 22 23 19 RV NR NR NR NR NR NR NR 
CFP Not released NR NR NR NR NR NR Not released

Game summaries[]

Grambling State[]

1 2 3 4 Total
Tigers 0 0 0 14 14
Golden Bears 35 17 14 7 73

San Diego State[]

1 2 3 4 Total
Aztecs 7 0 0 0 7
Golden Bears 0 14 14 7 35

Texas[]

1 2 3 4 Total
Golden Bears 7 17 21 0 45
Longhorns 7 17 0 20 44

Washington[]

1 2 3 4 Total
Golden Bears 3 17 7 3 30
Huskies 7 0 14 3 24

Washington State[]

1 2 3 4 Total
Cougars 7 14 7 0 28
#24 Golden Bears 7 6 21 0 34

Utah[]

1 2 3 4 Total
#23 Golden Bears 7 10 7 0 24
#5 Utes 10 14 3 3 30

UCLA[]

1 2 3 4 Total
#20 Golden Bears 3 7 6 8 24
Bruins 10 16 14 0 40

USC[]

1 2 3 4 Total
Trojans 0 10 17 0 27
Golden Bears 7 0 7 7 21

Oregon[]

1 2 3 4 Total
Golden Bears 10 0 11 7 28
Ducks 3 28 3 10 44

Oregon State[]

1 2 3 4 Total
Beavers 0 10 14 0 24
Golden Bears 7 17 20 10 54

Stanford[]

1 2 3 4 Total
Golden Bears 3 3 10 6 22
Cardinal 7 14 0 14 35

Arizona State[]

1 2 3 4 Total
Sun Devils 10 17 6 13 46
Golden Bears 3 7 21 17 48

Air Force[]

1 2 3 4 Total
Golden Bears 14 21 17 3 55
Falcons 7 14 8 7 36

References[]

  1. ^ Kroichick, Ron (October 3, 2015). "Cal delivers perfect comeback against Washington State". San Francisco Chronicle.
  2. ^ Letourneau, Connor (September 19, 2015). "Cal holds on for wild win at Texas". San Francisco Chronicle.
  3. ^ Letourneau, Connor (September 26, 2015). "Cal holds on for 30–24 win at Washington". San Francisco Chronicle.
  4. ^ "California vs. Stanford – Game Summary – November 21, 2015 – ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  5. ^ Letourneau, Connor (November 15, 2015). "Cal bowl eligible after breaking out in win over Oregon State". San Francisco Chronicle.
  6. ^ Letourneau, Connor (November 29, 2015). "Cal tops Arizona State with field goal on final play". San Francisco Chronicle.
  7. ^ "Football". The Daily Californian. Archived from the original on November 1, 2015. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
  8. ^ Letourneau, Connor (December 31, 2015). "Cal's Jared Goff to declare for NFL draft". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on December 2, 2021. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
  9. ^ Matier, Phil; Ross, Andy (October 16, 2017). "Here's the real reason Cal fired Sonny Dykes". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on October 16, 2017. Retrieved October 16, 2017.
Retrieved from ""