Season 1 of the Bill Belichick era has been a train wreck. The Tar Heels have beaten just one FBS opponent - a 1-5 Charlotte team that is ranked 129th nationally in ESPN's SP+ ratings - and have given up 120 points in their three defeat. ... Carolina has been outscored 55-6 in the first half of its past two games, vs. UCF and Clemson.
BERKELEY - It was all working for Cal on Saturday night against Duke at Memorial Stadium. Freshman quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele led the Bears on lengthy drives for touchdowns on their first three possessions, producing a 21-7 lead barely two minutes into the second quarter. But the Blue Devils, making their first visit to Berkeley since 1963 when Craig Morton was a junior quarterback for the Bears, scored the final 24 points of the second quarter on the way to a 45-21 victory.
The Bears stoked optimism with offseason moves that included landing top quarterback prospect Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, an infusion of offensive brainpower on the coaching staff and bringing former All-American Ron Rivera on board as general manager. After winning its first three games, all by double-digit margins, Cal tanked last Saturday on the road against 14-point underdog San Diego State, losing 34-0. Coach Justin Wilcox was unhappy postgame and on Tuesday labeled the tone of practice this week as urgent and having an edge.
The Black Hole, a longtime fan group of the Las Vegas Raiders, is back in the Bay Area -- approximately 11 miles north of its former home in Oakland. On Wednesday, the California Golden Bears announced that a section in the south end zone of California Memorial Stadium would be designated as "The Black Bear" going forward, seating fans who purchase a ticket via the group's link on Cal's website.