One of my tried-and-true college football truisms is that this is mostly a game of minimizing mistakes.
This was a pretty big problem for Cal in their three game losing streak, when turnovers killed any chance of victory. That experience led to the Cal offense digging 1,000 miles of conservative, defensive trenches made of Patrick Laird swing passes, power hand offs, and 5 yard tight end patterns. Never again would the Bears allow themselves to beat themselves.
But would Cal’s opponents happily throw themselves into Justin Wilcox’s version of the Hindenburg line, wasting thousands of lives on a doomed frontal assault of an impregnable position?