Dykes Needs Time As Cal Football Resets
BERKELEY (CBS Sports) -- It's true that Sonny Dykes' Cal Golden Bears are in a tough position in the Pac-12 North. But the good news is that expectations are in check in Berkeley for his first season.
Dykes, 43, comes to California after three seasons as the head coach at Louisiana Tech, where he was named the WAC coach of the year following a 9-3 campaign in 2012. His last team also led the nation in scoring and total offense.
Bears fans seem to have taken a liking to Dykes, who has has done his best to embrace the rather eclectic Cal community and has been a bit more active and personable than the often-dour Jeff Tedford.
Tedford, the all-time winningest Cal coach was fired in December after his worst season at Berkeley.
One thing that Tedford did was bring Cal football into the modern era. He left the program much better off than when he arrived, with major facility upgrades that will pay dividends in the seasons to come and a roster filled with decent talent. Dykes steps into a good situation.
The understanding is that Dykes will need some time to get his system in place. If he can work his magic to restore an offense that has floundered in recent seasons, the Bears could be back in a bowl pretty quick.
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