It was mid-September and Cal was coming off a road victory over Syracuse in its ACC opener, its first win of the young season.

But coach Tosh Lupoi wasn’t satisfied the Bears were getting everything they could from wide receiver Ian Strong.

A senior from Rutgers — one of the top transfers Cal signed in the offseason — Strong had three catches for 64 yards in the 21-18 victory over the Orange. Those numbers didn’t tell the whole story. Strong was targeted seven times and his coach wanted to see better blocking from him on the perimeter.

So Lupoi challenged him. 

On the practice field. 

In front of everyone.

“I think Ian Strong is the epitome of answering the challenges,” Lupoi said. “I challenged Ian in front of everybody — that’s what I believe in. As long as I’m not demeaning or disrespecting anybody, but to get the best out of them.

“I know the greatness that lives in Ian. The competitive nature Ian offers, this guy is a beast. His confidence is rolling.”

Strong took the input without feeling threatened or insulted.

“He just felt like I could be a more productive player and leader for the team. He called me out in front of the team and just asked me to put my head down and work hard,” Strong said. “Anything he says I just want to accomplish.”

“I’ve been playing football for a lot of years. I feel like every great coach I had held their players to a high standard. He’s been doing that with all the players since we got here.”

Added Lupoi: “That’s my job, to try to get the best out to them.”

Strong responded from what Lupoi deemed an under-achieving performance against UCLA by making six catches for 48 yards on eight passes directed his way. It was more than that.

His Pro Football Focus overall grade for the game was 71.7 — still his highest of the season — and his run-blocking score of 89.6 was a leap from 48.8 and 42.9 in the Bears’ two previous games.

“I just told him I’ve been a part of four NFL drafts and catching the ball is a criteria,” Lupoi said. “There’s a couple other things, and he just answered immediately. He blocked the living hell out of the perimeter and he’s done it at a high level. Love that guy. Love his competitive nature.”

Strong fully grasped Lupoi’s intentions and says it made a difference.

“I think it had a huge effect on me, just hitting a refresh to go out there and play the game I love,” he said. “He’s seen a lot of great players in his time coaching. For him to see me that way is just huge.”

Strong has 33 receptions for 467 yards (14.1 per catch) and a touchdown in seven games, having sat out the Wake Forest . Including his three seasons at Rutgers, he has career totals of 144 receptions for 2,135 yards (14.8) and 13 touchdowns.

In the Bears’ 59-20 loss at SMU last Saturday, Strong had five catches for 72 yards, all in the first half when the Bears played perhaps their best 30 minutes of the season. 

He also received his lowest run-blocking score of the season, which overshadowed a flashy play where he leaped over a defender on his way to completing a 36-yard play that led to the Bears’ first touchdown.

“Just felt good to try to bring energy to the team,” Strong said of hurdling the defensive back. “At the end, it wasn’t the outcome that we wanted so it doesn’t matter how many great plays you have. We’re here to win.”

Follow Jeff Faraudo on Twitter, Facebook and Bluesky