Cal Football: 6 Realistic Goals to Finish the Season

The California Golden Bears are currently 4-4 after losing 31-14 to UCLA at the Rose Bowl Saturday. Unfortunately for the Bears, all four losses have come in Pac-12 play, giving them a 1-4 record within the conference.

Against the Bruins, quarterback Zach Maynard's four interceptions really held back any drives the Bears were able to put together.

UCLA quarterback Kevin Prince led all rushers on the day with 163 yards out of a pistol offense that completely fooled the tired Cal defense.

The Bears are in no way fighting for a Pac-12 Championship or even a Pac-12 North Championship, but there are some goals they can meet by the end of the season.

Here's what they are.

It's clear that quarterback Zach Maynard is having issues.

As the pocket collapses, he frequently rushes passes and over-throws his receivers. He also has a tendency to throw good passes directly into tough coverage, leading to incompletions.

Head coach Jeff Tedford is supposed to be great at grooming quarterbacks.

Well, here's his toughest challenge yet.

Maynard needs to work on his footwork, accuracy and decision making. Essentially, the game has yet to slow down for him. If it finally does, he has the physical ability to have a very high ceiling.

However, Maynard may have seen his last meaningful snap for awhile. Tedford will evaluate Maynard and his backup, Allan Bridgford, before naming a starter for next week.

Cal stands at 4-4 and needs two wins to become bowl eligible. 

After losing to UCLA 31-14 Saturday, those two wins need to come within the next two weeks when Cal faces Washington State and Oregon State.

After those games, the Bears head on the road to play Arizona State and Stanford. The Sun Devils and Cardinal are by far the two toughest remaining games on the schedule for Cal and winning in Tempe or Palo Alto would be very wishful thinking.

If Cal can return to a bowl game, it will be a step in the right direction. If they execute against the Cougars and Beavers, the Bears could be playing at AT&T Park yet again, in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl.

After starting the season with many question marks surrounding him, running back Isi Sofele has been a workhorse for Cal.

While he isn't the type of prolific back Cal is used to—like Jahvid Best—Sofele has played well. When he is able to break to the outside, Sofele has the quickness to get by and juke most defenders. He averages 4.9 yards per carry and has 701 yards through eight games.

Sofele only a junior and can finish the season strong, having been one of the offense's most consistent components to date.

Two of Cal's most exciting players are its top wide receivers, Marvin Jones and Keenan Allen.

Jones is a senior and most likely on his way to playing on Sundays next year, and Allen is only a sophomore but is already being talked about in terms of the 2013 NFL Draft.

They both are very athletic with great vision and quickness and have a combined 1,599 yards this year. Jones and Allen should easily be able to surpass the 2,000 combined yards mark at the rate they've been catching the ball this year. 

Freshman linebacker Chris McCain and cornerback Stefan McClure have played huge parts in the Cal defense this season. 

McCain, a member of the 2010 class who grayshirted, now has 22 tackles on the year, tied for seventh on the team. McCain is showing improvement every week and as a result is getting more action.

McClure started two weeks in a row for the injured Marc Anthony and played well. While it has been clear the game is still fast for him, he is making good adjustments and can be a star in the Cal secondary.

Grooming these two players will pay huge dividends down the line, specifically next year when star linebacker Mychal Kendricks and safety Sean Cattouse are both in the NFL.

Zach Maynard and Keenan Allen have a very obvious connection: They're brothers.

However, beyond those two, the offense seems very defunct. Not even Marvin Jones seems fully integrated—he had one catch for 11 yards against the Bruins.

On multiple passes during the UCLA game, tight end Anthony Miller didn't even look for the ball that was being thrown to him. This led to one of Maynard's four interceptions. On top of that, Isi Sofele is almost never involved in the passing game.

The offense needs to gel to form a multifaceted unit. When that happens, opposing defenses will have to respect both the passing and running game. That can lead to long scoring drives for the Bears and can keep the Cal defense rested and off the field.

Had that happened on Saturday, Cal would have won. If it happens the rest of the season, the Bears will have a fighting chance.