Cal Football Notebook: A Look at How Bears Eat on Thanksgiving Day

Justin Wilcox encourages napping; Jake Spavital relishes a honey ham sandwich a couple hours after dinner.

Thanksgiving Day was scheduled to start with football practice for coach Justin Wilcox and his Cal Golden Bears.

“We’re thankful to have practice,” Wilcox said. “We’ll get them out fairly early so everyone can enjoy a Thanksgiving feast.”

Everyone’s ideal Thanksgiving feast is a little bit different, so we surveyed Wilcox, his two chief assistants and quarterback Fernando Mendoza, asking what their traditions include:

— JUSTIN WILCOX: The Bears’ head coach didn’t so much provide us with a menu as he did with a game plan for the way he believes the day should unfold.

“Maybe get an afternoon nap and watch some football,” he suggested.

So he’ll take a nap later today?

“I’d like to say so, but I have a hard time napping.”

“I think (Thanksgiving is) a great excuse . . . I would encourage everybody out there to get a nap on Thanksgiving,” he said. “Kind of in that 3 to 4 o’clock range as the football’s going on. I struggle with naps. Maybe this year will be the year.”

— DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR PETER SIRMON: “I’m a traditionalist. I’m going to go turkey, gravy, stuffing, some homemade mashed potatoes from Miss Lola at home, my wife,” he said.

“We’re going to do some of the generic cranberry — I want the cranberry out of the can where you can still see the lines on the side when you pop it open and you shake it and you hear it actually leave and there’s a plunk on the plate. And a Mandarin orange salad my wife makes with some small marshmallows and some walnuts.”

— OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR JAKE SPAVITAL: “You’ve got to have a turkey but I’m more of a honey-baked ham guy. I just love it,” he said. “I’m big into the dinner rolls. You have to try everything that’s on the table, all the casseroles and the stuffings and mashed potatoes.

“It’s all about the honey-baked ham and having the sandwiches with the dinner rolls later in the night, after you’ve had the meal. That’s the key to a successful Thanksgiving.”

— QUARTERBACK FERNANDO MENDOZA: Mendoza grew up in Miami, but the meal his family eats sound pretty familiar. “It’s the turkey, sweet potatoes with marshmallows on top. Mac and cheese. Pumpkin pie . . . I love pumpkin pie.”

Mendoza was invited to share Thanksgiving dinner with the family of tight end and roommate Jack Endries.

OTT GOES INTO CHURCH MODE: The Bears’ final possession of the Big Game began at their own 35-yard line with 6:27 to play. Leading 27-15, they didn’t need another score, just wanted to milk the clock.

Still, it was a mild surprise when Jaydn Ott, on the 10th play of the possession, broke loose for a 19-yard gain and was on his way into the end zone when he took a knee at the 5.

Wilcox said that was the instruction from the sideline. They call it shifting into Church Mode, and after taking a knee twice more the game was over.

But wasn’t it over anyway?

“Statistically, it would be very, very unlikely to give up three scores,” Wilcox explained. “But I don’t know that we need to test that and want to find out that way.”

He noted Ott’s unselfishness on the play, adding, “We’re going to do our best to pay him back and get him that touchdown.”

“It was kind of a surreal moment,” Mendoza said. “Once he took a knee I knew we won the game and I was extremely happy. In my eyes, Jaydn’s an All-American and I know those extra yards could have helped his case.

“But that showed he’s the ultimate team player.”

BEARS WON’T SEEK BROTHERLY INSIGHTS: Cal expects to see Ethan Garbers at quarterback for UCLA on Saturday at the Rose Bowl, but Wilcox said he had no plans to ask Garbers’ older brother, former Cal QB Chase Garbers, for a scouting report.

“We won’t put Chase in that position,” Wilcox said. “I remember meeting Ethan long ago when I first met Chase, when we were recruiting him in January of 2017. He was a youngster then.

“Chase did such a great job here. I wouldn’t put him in that spot, though.”

Cover photo of a Thanksgiving turkey by Jennifer Corbett, The News Journal

Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo