California general manager Ron Rivera offered a blunt assessment of head coach Tosh Lupoi's first season during a Thursday appearance on KNBR, stating that the first-time head coach "has bumped his head a lot" as the Golden Bears sit at 3-6 overall following a third consecutive loss.
Rivera noted that Lupoi brought in inexperienced coordinators and that the offense has not functioned as needed. While Rivera said he has offered advice, he acknowledged that Lupoi has been receptive to some but not all of it.
Expectations were high entering the season with quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele returning after a freshman campaign in which he completed 63.6% of his passes for 3,117 yards, 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions, ranking third in the ACC in passing yards and earning ACC Rookie of the Week honors four times.
However, Cal opened with a 45-24 blowout loss to UCLA, and the season unraveled after a 2-1 start. A 24-10 loss to Clemson was followed by a 39-31 defeat to UNLV, during which Lupoi stripped offensive coordinator Jordan Somerville of play-calling duties at halftime. The team rebounded to beat Virginia Tech with a different signal caller, but Lupoi later benched Sagapolutele ahead of a 41-7 loss to Wake Forest.
The Golden Bears have dropped five of their last six games and likely need to win out against Virginia, Stanford and Pitt to reach the postseason. Sagapolutele has regained the starting role for the past two games but has not thrown multiple touchdown passes in a game since September 19.
Rivera emphasized the need to demonstrate growth and development among players and a strengthening culture moving forward.
