According to the Oxford English Dictionary, momentum is “A driving force, an impetus; continuing vigour resulting from an initial effort or expenditure of energy.” In life, there is positive momentum, and there is negative momentum. How we choose to respond in the face of both determines winners and losers.
In sports psychology, there is positive psychological momentum during which players typically enter a more positive psychological state (e.g., increases in confidence, motivation, optimism), exert more efforts and move more efficiently. Successful actions such as aces, dunks, completions, blocks, touchdowns, forced turnovers and interceptions are catalysts for positive momentum because they are driving forces that increase levels of confidence and determination and cultivate the winner effect in which success breeds success.
The opposite occurs during negative psychological momentum. Actions such as unforced errors, penalties, injuries, lack of sportsmanship, scoring runs by opponents, negative coaching decisions, lack of team cohesion, challenges, video replays, and unfavorable officiating calls are catalysts for negative momentum. They are forces that cause players to get tight and cold, zap energy, and disrupt rhythm, confidence, and performance.
Last Saturday, Cal lost to Utah 34-14 putting them at 3-4 overall and 10th ranked in the Pac-12. As I watched the game from the press box, I observed the shifts in momentum that Cal coaches and players had to navigate beginning with the negative momentum of their first possession in which a delay of game penalty on their own 3 yard line resulted in a punt. From there, they held Utah defensively and overcame a holding penalty by scoring their first touchdown during their second possession. Cal continued building positive momentum by holding Utah to a field goal attempt which Utah missed ending the 1st quarter with Cal up 7-0.
To start the second quarter, Mendoza was sacked and then intercepted leading to Utah’s first touchdown. In their next possession, Cal’s pass attempts failed forcing them to punt the ball and overcome growing negative momentum. Utah controlled the rest of the 2nd quarter marching down the field and scoring after Cal incurred a personal foul that placed Utah on the Cal 1 yard line. This ended the 1st half with Utah up 14-7 and Cal looking for ways to restore positive momentum.
Utah started the 3rd quarter with a field goal then sacked Mendoza on Cal’s 13 yard line forcing a fumble that resulted in another Utah touchdown. During Cal’s next possession, Mendoza’s pass attempt fell short, and he was sacked again. The momentum tides began to shift when Cal forced Utah to punt on their next possession then marched down field through the air and on the ground to score their 2nd touchdown of the game. Positive momentum built as Cal’s defense held Utah and Cal’s offense made positive gains, but the Golden Bears fell short with a missed field goal halfway through the 4th quarter. Utah regained control with a 72 yard run for another score while Cal faltered with incomplete passes, a run for loss, a false start penalty and a sack. Utah’s positive momentum resulted in another field goal while Cal’s negative momentum resulted in a turnover on downs to end the game with Utah defeating Cal 34-14.
In total, Cal had 7 penalties for 44 yards, 2 turnovers, and 16 incomplete passes (48% pass completion rate) while Utah had 3 penalties for 38 yards, 0 turnovers, and 7 incomplete passes (68% pass completion rate). This amounts to 25 driving forces creating negative momentum for Cal to overcome vs. 10 driving forces creating negative momentum for Utah to overcome.
Negative momentum and positive momentum killers are a huge factor in football. As a former Cal Bear, I remember games like the one we played against the #3 ranked Miami Hurricanes in which catalysts such as poor officiating killed our momentum causing Bruce Snyder and Troy Taylor to protest. Another momentum killer I recall is the lengthy replay review showing Auburn’s QB fumbling the ball in bounds into the Cal defender’s arms. When I asked head coach, Justin Wilcox, about his assessment of officiating in recent games, he said, “the refs are doing the best job they can.”
In my opinion, a team like Cal who is striving for excellence, needs to find a way to overcome negative momentum and momentum killers – driving forces which seem to have stymied their progress in the past few games. Cal has the caliber of athletes needed to win! The team needs to find ways to control the powerful force of momentum to boost their confidence, perform better, and win games. They need to find the “hot hands” that will create the winner effect through which success will breed success. If they can do this, then I believe they will play with greater energy, motivation, and effectiveness making them harder to stop by their opponents.
Keys to Winning:
To deliver winning performances, Cal needs to build a more determined winning mindset by constantly creating their own positive momentum and doubling down on strategies to transform negative momentum and momentum killers into powerful forces that create positive momentum.
Play the entire tape/movie all the way through, Cal, from arriving on the bus to taping ankles to lifting Coach Wilcox onto the shoulders of your strongest offensive linemen and carry him to the middle of the field for his winning interviews with ESPN, the Pac12 Network, etc.
Cal’s athletes and coaches can compete and win. I am confident they would beat Auburn, Washington, Oregon State, and Utah in a rematch. “Success breeds success” mindset. Master ways to transform negative momentum into positive performance.
Convey victory through ALL that you do and let the Wins follow.
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