The 2017 California Golden Bears football team represented the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

in the

2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season The 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season was the highest level of college football competition in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in 2017. The regular season began on August 26, 2017, and end ...

. The Bears were led by first-year head coach Justin Wilcox and played their home games at

California Memorial Stadium California Memorial Stadium also known simply and commonly as Memorial Stadium is an outdoor college football stadium on the west coast of the United States, located on the campus of the University of California in Berkeley, California. It ...

. The Bears went 5–7, including non-conference wins over

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

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 Washington (), officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. Named for George Washington—the first U.S. president—the state was formed from the western part of the Washington ...

, which marked the first time Cal had beaten a top ten opponent since its defeat of No. 3 USC in 2003.

Previous season

Fourth-year head coach

Sonny Dykes Daniel "Sonny" Dykes (born November 9, 1969) is an American football coach, and a former college baseball player. He is currently the head football coach at Texas Christian University (TCU), and previously served in the same role at Southern Meth ...

led the Golden Bears to a record of 5–7 (3–6 Pac-12) in 2016 to finish in a tie for fourth place in the North Division. On January 8, 2017, Dykes was fired. He finished at Cal with a four-year record of 19–30. On January 14, 2017, Justin Wilcox was hired as the new head coach for the Golden Bears, following the dismissal of Dykes.

Recruiting

Position key

Recruits

The Golden Bears signed a total of 14 recruits.

Personnel

Coaching staff

Roster

Schedule

Source:

Game summaries

at North Carolina

Weber State

Ole Miss

USC

at Oregon

at Washington

Washington State

* 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 The University of California, Davis (UC Davis, UCD, or Davis) is a public land-grant research university near Davis, California. Named a Public Ivy, it is the northernmost of the ten campuses of the University of California system. The institut ...

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

at Colorado

Oregon State

* 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 Douglas Robert Zachariah Brien (born November 24, 1970) is a former American football placekicker and American businessman. He played twelve seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for seven teams: San Francisco, New Orleans, Indianapolis ...

since

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peacefu ...

. Anderson would finish the season with an all-time record of 316 points. *

Patrick Laird Patrick Michael Laird (born August 17, 1995) is an American football running back for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at California. Early years Laird attended Mission College Preparat ...

's 214 yards rushing ranks tenth in program history for rushing yards in a single game.

at Stanford

at UCLA

* 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 Timothy James DeRuyter ( ; born January 3, 1963) is an American football coach and former player who is currently the defensive coordinator at Texas Tech University. He previously served in the same capacity at the University of Oregon in 2021 an ...

(Defensive Coordinator) ::

Athlon Sports Parade Media (previously known as AMG/Parade and Athlon Media Group) is a publisher founded in 1967 that is based in Nashville, Tennessee. Nashville's Spencer Hays was its majority stockholder. It was purchased by The Arena Group in 2022 and now ...

' National Defensive Coordinator of the Week, vs. Washington State

Offense

* Ross Bowers (QB) ::Manning Award Stars of the Week, vs. North Carolina *

(RB) :: Burlsworth Trophy semifinalist ::First-team Pac-12 All-Academic ::All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention ::

CoSIDA College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) is an organization that focuses on professional development and support for sports information directors at all levels. It offers awards, scholarships, and grants in support of SIDs and pro ...

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 The Fred Biletnikoff Award is presented annually to the most outstanding receiver in American college football by the Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation, Inc. (TQCF), an independent not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. The award was creat ...

watchlist *

Jake Curhan Jake Curhan (born February 9, 1998) is an American football offensive tackle for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at California Golden Bears football, California, and was a two-time Pac-12 hono ...

(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 James Thomas Looney (born May 15, 1995) is a former American football tight end. He played college football at California. College career Looney initially started his collegiate career as a defensive end at Wake Forest in 2013, appearing in s ...

(DL) ::All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention *

Devante Downs Devante Downs (born October 18, 1995) is a former American football linebacker. He played college football at California. Professional career Minnesota Vikings Downs was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the seventh round (225th overall) of t ...

(LB) ::

Chuck Bednarik Award The Chuck Bednarik Award is presented annually to the defensive player in college football as judged by the Maxwell Football Club to be the best in the United States. The award is named for Chuck Bednarik, a former college and professional Ameri ...

watchlist ::

Lott IMPACT Trophy The Lott IMPACT Trophy is presented annually to the college football defensive IMPACT player of the year. IMPACT is an acronym for: Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community, and Tenacity. The award purports to equally recognize the ...

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 The Lou Groza Award is presented annually to the top college football placekicker in the United States by the Palm Beach County Sports Commission. The award is named after former Ohio State Buckeyes and Cleveland Browns player Lou Groza. It has be ...

pre-season watchlist ::

Senior CLASS Award The Senior CLASS Award is awarded to the most outstanding senior student-athlete in 10 NCAA Division I sports. An acronym for "Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School," the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete ...

candidate ::Second-team Pac-12 All-Academic ::

Academic All-District Team

References

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California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

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