Cal Football Blog

vs.

Cal takes on Washington today, opening Pac-12 play on the road in Seattle.  Cal completed their non-conference slate with a 3-0 record, including an expected blowout win over Presbyterian last week by a score of 63-12.  The Bears by no means played a perfect game last week – check out the highlights here.  Once again, there were too many penalties, plus a pick-6 and blocked punt for TD that resulted in Presby’s only points.  Today’s game against the Huskies gives the Bears a great opportunity to prove that those mistakes have been fixed.  It also gives the Bears a chance for “get back” against the team that prevented them from bowl eligibility last year:  Cal lost 16-13 on Chris Polk’s TD dive on 4th & Goal – the very last play of the 2010 season.

Here are Cal’s keys to the game:

1. Maynard Needs to Have a Big Day

As noted in our preview, Zach Maynard is facing one of the Pac-12′s most dynamic QBs, Keith Price.  Price is currently tied for the national lead in TD passes with 11, but he is also nursing two sprained knees.  The Huskies’ sophomore QB has several playmakers around him:  RB Chris Polk & WRs Jermaine Kearse, James Johnson, and Devin Aguilar.  Maynard counters with 9 TD passess of his own, and like Price, has an array of weapons on offense – including Keenan Allen & Marvin Jones.  For the Bears to be successful today, Maynard doesn’t necessarily have to outplay Price, but he needs to have a big day of his own against the Huskies’ much-maligned pass defense.  A performance similar to the Colorado game – multiple TDs and key 3rd down conversions, in a hostile stadium – should result in enough points to put Cal in position for a victory.

2. Cal Defense Must Show Up

Cal’s defense is currently ranked 21st in the nation – but this is somewhat padded by last week’s complete domination of Presby’s offense, which they shut down to the tune of 48 yards.  Despite Price’s injuries, the Huskies arguably have the most explosive offense the Bears have seen so far this season.  The Bears’ D needs to bring their “A-game” today – the secondary, in particular, cannot repeat their poor showing in the Colorado game.  Coach P will likely focus on stopping the run first, but he’ll also be mixing up blitzes and coverages to pressure Price into mistakes.

3. Minimize Penalties and Special Teams Miscues

Cal currently is among the worst nationally in penalties and penalty yards.  Special teams have been a problem as well: 3 blocked PATs and a blocked punt returned for a TD.  The Bears need to stay focused and cut down on mental mistakes today, especially considering that Husky Stadium is one of the Pac-12′s loudest and toughest road venues.  If the Bears are able to minimize their mistakes, it should go a long way in helping break their 2-game losing streak in Seattle – Cal hasn’t won there since 2005.

Cal takes on FCS opponent Presbyterian Blue Hose at AT&T today, in what is likely to be a lopsided victory by the Bears.  Some may question the level of competition, but it is important to note that this game was scheduled as a last-minute fill-in for the home opener.  No other FBS (or FCS) opponents were available for this Saturday’s date, due to circumstances beyond the Cal AD’s control, including:  the renovation of Memorial Stadium, the need to avoid scheduling conflicts with the SF Giants, and the quirks of the new Pac-12 schedule.  As the outcome of the game will be fairly certain, the 3 goals for the Bears this game are:

1.  Respect the Opponent

The Bears need to play hard all game, despite the opponent.  The coaches have been on the whole team during practice all week, reminding the players to focus and pay attention to detail.  While this game may be more of a “tune-up” considering the level of competition, the team will have a chance to run real plays and work on fixing the mistakes made in the first 2 games.  The coaches want the the team to be hitting on all cylinders today, before Cal opens Pac-12 play on the road vs. Washington next Saturday.

2.  Build Depth in the 2nd & 3rd Units

Backup QB Allan Bridgford should get plenty of live reps in this game, as Cal will probably take a comfortable lead early in the game.  This will be his first real game action since high school – a span of over 2 years.  Freshman RB Brendan Bigelow will also be seeing his first snaps as a Golden Bear, initially on special teams and then later on offense.  Similar to Bridgford, it will be his first real game in almost 2 years (he missed his senior year in HS due to injury).  In general, this game should be a good opportunity for the 2nd & 3rd team guys to get playing time.  This includes freshmen and other younger players who haven’t played much yet this season, such as:  Hinder, King, Forbes, Harris, Rodgers, Scarlett, Jackson, Sebastian.

3.  Stay Healthy

Cal will have several players back at full speed for this game, including starting FB Will Kapp.  Keeping the team healthy – avoiding injuries, particularly at thin positions such as OT & CB – will be a key priority today.

Cal won 36-33 in OT, on the road, against Colorado this past Saturday.  After Colorado had scored a field goal in the first OT possession, Zach Maynard connected with his brother Keenan Allen on a fade route for the winning TD.  While the Bears’ performance left many question marks, especially on defense, the team showed plenty of character and determination in pulling out the victory.  This was a game that past teams may not have won, but the 2011 Golden Bears proved that they can fight for a tough, albeit ugly, victory.  Our friends at CGB have a solid game report here, plus postgame thoughts & an analysis of the Bears’ defensive scheme vs. the Buffs.  PRD74 has once again uploaded several great highlight videos:

Part 1 – Part 2 – Part 3 – Part 4 – Part 5 – Part 6

Now for our quick thoughts on the game:

Offense:  Both the Pass & Run Game are Still Works in Progress

Cal was outgained by over 200 yards: 582 to 370 (more on the defense below).  However, much like the FSU game, Cal was able to convert on critical 3rd downs against Colorado – the Bears were 7 for 13 (54%) on 3rd down conversions vs. only 6 of 17 (35%) for the Buffs.  More importantly, Cal was 6 of 6 in the red zone (5 TDs & 1 FG) vs. 3 of 4 for Colorado (all 3 FGs).  Zach Maynard was only 18 of 35 for 243 (6.9 YPA), but threw 4 TDs to 1 INT.  Maynard’s completion percentage would have been higher, but his receivers dropped as many as 6 catchable balls.  Coach Tedford noted in a postgame interview that 6 of Maynard’s passes were dropped – if these 6 were included into Maynard’s totals, he would have had a solid 62% completion percentage.

Zach connected with his brother Keenan on several big plays, including a long pass on 1st & 30 in overtime, and of course the game-winning TD.  Maynard even caught a pass of his own, on a throwback from Allen in the 1st quarter, which set up Cal’s first TD.  Anthony Miller (2 TDs, both highlight-reel worthy, despite 2 drops of catchable passes) and Michael Calvin (3 catches for 42 yards, including a big 3rd down catch) also had nice games.  3rd string FB Nico Dumont even got into the action, catching a pass in the flat off play-action, resulting in Cal’s 2nd TD of the game.  In general, while converting big plays on critical 3rd down situations is a positive, the passing game needs to be more consistent.  Zach is doing a good job in hitting the intermediate routes, but needs to improve on the shorter timing throws.  He needs more help from his receivers though – mainly, no more drops.  The receivers have been getting better separation on their routes, which is great for the offense, but Coach Kiesau should also focus on preventing future bouts of the “drops” from his WRs.

The running game continued to struggle though – only 100 yards on 31 total carries, for a subpar 3.2 YPC average.  While this number included sacks, it also accounted for Maynard’s negative rushes on QB keepers.  Sofele had 20 carries for 84 yards, for a decent 4.2 YPC, but Maynard had a negative yardage total for the game.  Perhaps it was due to the gameplan, but JT did not call as many designed runs or zone read plays against Colorado, which was curious considering how vulnerable the Buffs were during their opener vs. Hawaii.

C.J. Anderson showed flashes of his vision, balance, and overall running ability, scoring a 19-yard TD and also converting a critical 3rd down in OT.  Anderson, now that he is becoming more comfortable with the playbook and blocking assignments, proved that he deserves more carries in upcoming games.  Combined with reports that highly-touted freshman RB Brendan Bigelow will be taking off his redshirt this Saturday (vs. Presbyterian), Cal’s running game has the potential to be more dynamic as the season goes on.  JT noted after the game that Sofele has been banged up, so Coach Gould will need to find ways to get the other RBs more involved.  The other key question, as it has been since spring ball, is whether the OL can improve and do a better job opening holes up front.  Coach M continues to have his work cut out for him in that regard.

Defense:  Was the Pass D Exposed or Did Hansen & Richardson Just Have Unreal Days?

The final stat lines for Colorado seem to say it all:  582 total yards, 474 passing & 108 rushing.  Buffs QB Tyler Hansen (28 of 49 for 474 and 3 TDs) and WR Paul Richardson (11 catches for 284 yards and 2 TDs – both on long YAC plays) both had career days, setting school records in the process.  At first glance, the Bears got completely out-schemed and out-executed.  However, on closer analysis, it’s not all on the coaches (i.e. Coach P’s gameplan/playcalls) nor all on the players (lack of pass rush up front, plus coverage breakdowns in the secondary).  CGB’s Kodiak does a great job analyzing the defensive schemes and execution.

As for the answers to the 2 questions above – yes to both.  Hansen & Richardson clearly were playing out of their minds on Saturday.  They were no doubt pumped up for the game, especially senior QB Hansen, who likely wanted to atone for a poor performance in last year’s 52-7 beatdown at Memorial.  Sophomore WR Richardson, who was a teammate of USC’s super-soph WR Robert Woods in high school, showed why he is one of the Pac-12′s rising stars.  He repeatedly cut through zones, also beat man coverage, and burned the Cal secondary for long gains.  Both Hansen and Richardson were helped by the lack of an effective pass rush from the Bears.  Cal had no sacks, with Hansen escaping rushers several times, and were repeatedly victimized on screens (especially in the 1st half) and quick 3-step drop throws.

While Cal’s defensive gameplan was mostly vanilla (lots of 4 man rushes, with Cover 1/man coverage), Coach P did make adjustments in the 2nd half.  He mixed up both the coverages and blitz schemes, including sometimes rolling a safety over the top and also putting DB Steve Williams on Richardson.  In fact, Williams made 2 key pass breakups – one near the end of regulation, and one in OT – to prevent Colorado from scoring TDs.  Fellow corner Marc Anthony had a rough day, as he was mostly matched up against Richardson when they playcall was for man coverage.  Coach P reportedly was very disappointed in his secondary after the game, but remains confident that their performance in Boulder was a one-game aberration.

It wasn’t just the secondary’s fault though, as the pass rush was often a step late in getting to Hansen – Colorado’s much-maligned OL (coached by Steve Marshall and down at least 1 starter) won most of their 1-on-1 battles and held their blocks long enough for Hansen to make a play.  Interestingly, Cal did not rotate their DL as often as predicted, which perhaps caused the big guys up front to wear down more quickly, especially considering the altitude.  As a group, the OLBs were nearly invisible during the game – freshmen Chris McCain & Cecil Whiteside got relatively less playing time, compared to the more experienced Ryan Davis & Dan Camporeale.  While Campo & Davis are better in knowing their assignments, they are arguably less dynamic as pass rushers.  Coach P knows that his DL and OLBs must provide a better pass rush in future games, versus Pac-12 competition, particularly against experienced QBs such as Andrew Luck, Matt Barkley, and Nick Foles.

Special Teams:  Protection Problems Must Be Fixed

Tavecchio had another PAT blocked – on the 1st TD of the game.  This one wasn’t really his fault, as it looked like the right side of the line collapsed, particularly the right guard.  Nevertheless, 3 blocked PATs in 2 games is inexcusable, and a continuing cause for concern in upcoming games.  Coach Genyk needs to make sure that the blockers up front are keeping leverage and maintaining their assignments.  Fortunately, the missed PAT did not cost the Bears too much, as they were able to win the game in OT (despite the miss ultimately giving Colorado the opportunity to tie up the score in regulation).

Also, Bryan Anger nearly had a punt blocked, as Colorado’s rushers got through.  Anger went down awkwardly on that play, but luckily was not hurt, while the Buffs were flagged for roughing the kicker.  If protection problems continue in the punting game, perhaps Coach Genyk should consider returning to the traditional punt formation, instead of the “shield of death” (a 3 man wall in front of the punter, while the rest of the punt team runs downfield) that is currently being used.

One last note, Marvin Jones was flagged for a ticky-tack illegal substitution penalty following a punt return, for taking off his #47 “vest” on the field instead of on the sideline.  He normally wears #1, but puts on the vest over his jersey, because #1 Steve Williams is also on the PR team.  The staff will take note of this, and should make sure that Marv’s Clark Kent/Superman routine after punt returns happens on the sideline, before he returns to the field on offense.

The 2011 California Golden Bears won their season opener vs. Fresno State this past Saturday, by a score of 36-21.  While the Bears’ performance was by no means perfect – many mistakes, including 2 turnovers & 11 penalties, but all correctable – they responded well to an early 1st quarter deficit and closed out with a win against a respectable FSU team.  Before we get into our game notes, our good friends at California Golden Blogs have several great post-game review/detailed analysis posts here:

http://www.californiagoldenblogs.com/2011/9/3/2403724/palms-of-victory-cal-beats-fresno-state-36-21-in-the-season-opener

http://www.californiagoldenblogs.com/2011/9/5/2404307/2011-cal-vs-fresno-state-post-game-thoughts

http://www.californiagoldenblogs.com/2011/9/6/2404761/cal-football-a-golden-spotlight-look-at-tedfords-new-offense

Also, check out PRD74′s awesome highlight videos:

Part 1 – Part 2 – Part 3 – Part 4 – Part 5 – Part 6

Now to our observations:

1. Maynard might be a work in progress, but he has the potential to be the best Cal QB since Rodgers

Zach Maynard had his ups and downs in his first start as a Golden Bear, but he led his team to an encouraging opening day victory.  He shook off an ill-timed 1st-series interception, as well as overall first-game jitters, to lead his team on 3 first-quarter touchdown drives, as well as another TD score in the 3rd quarter.  His final stat line was 16/35 for 266 yards with 2 TDs & 1 INT.  Although Maynard’s completion percentage was fairly low (46%), he had a very respectable 7.6 YPA.  More importantly, he led the offense to convert on several critical 3rd downs, including on key scoring drives: Cal’s 3rd down conversion stat for the game was a decent 7 for 16 (44%).

What was most impressive about Maynard was his poise and ability to lead the team back from the early 7-point deficit resulting from his pick.  Many Cal observers have noted since the game that Zach seems to have the “it” factor.  He did not panic after the first series, remained cool and confident in the huddle, and started throwing the ball with authority once he settled into the game.  He hit several long passes to both Marvin Jones and his brother Keenan Allen.  He also showed good awareness when rolling out of the pocket – either looking downfield to make a play, or throwing it out of bounds when flushed.  Also, his mobility was as good as advertised – he was very good in executing zone read plays (except for a couple flubbed meshes/exchanges with Sofele) knowing when to pull the ball out and run, especially in critical 3rd down situations.  He also escaped the rush several times from an aggressive FSU defense (was only sacked twice), and he finished with 53 yards rushing on 5 carries.

Maynard does need to work on his accuracy, however, and also in refining his reads/progressions.  Although the windy conditions at Candlestick were a noticeable factor (especially in the 2nd half, when gusts of 20-30mph seemed to pull/hang passes in mid-flight), Zach displayed happy feet on some throws, which affected his mechanics and led to him being off-target on passes.  Even some of his completed passes were slightly behind his receiver, or on the wrong shoulder, which may be due to him “pulling the string” (aiming the ball/not stepping through) or rushing throws.  Also, when pressured, he sometimes locked onto his primary receiver (usually Jones or Allen), instead of hitting his hot read or going thru his progressions.

What is encouraging though, is that most (if not all) of these mistakes are correctable and coachable.  Zach should improve with his reads and accuracy, especially as he becomes more comfortable in JT’s “updated” offense (more details below).  While we should be careful to avoid hyperbole, Maynard definitely has a lot of potential, especially considering that this is his first year in JT’s system.  Not only that, Zach showed maturity and poise in his post-game comments, noting that he graded himself “4.5 out of 10″ – with room for improvement – and also promising Coach Tedford that he can and will play better.  Thus, with continued improvement in accuracy, combined with his mobility & leadership and play-making qualities, he could develop into the best Cal QB since Aaron Rodgers.  Remember, even the defending Super Bowl MVP didn’t light the world on fire right away as a new Golden Bear in 2003.

2. The running game also needs work, but the passing game has improved since late last year

Starting tailback Isi Sofele had a career high in carries, yards, and TDs – 24 for 83 (3.5 YPC) & 2 scores.  However, he was often tackled in the backfield (particularly in the 2nd half), and several times was slow to hit the hole.  His low YPC average was not only the result of inconsistent run blocking, but also due in part to Fresno State’s aggressive schemes – Pat Hill often had his DL & LBs shooting gaps and clogging lanes on run blitzes.  On the bright side, this meant that Cal’s WRs were often left wide open downfield.  Case in point: both Marvin Jones (5-118 / 2 TDs) and Keenan Allen (8-112) had 100+ yard receiving games, which was the first time a Cal WR tandem both topped the century mark since Desean Jackson and Lavelle Hawkins did in 2006.

While the problems in the running game are troubling – missed blocks and low YPC from Sofele, as well as Anderson (2 carries) & Deboskie (1 carry) – Maynard’s mobility and his ability to execute read option plays should help keep defenses honest in upcoming games.  Hopefully Coach M will be able to correct the mistakes up front, not only in blocking, but also fixing the inconsistent shotgun snaps and cutting down on untimely penalties – such as the ugly sequence of drive-killing flags at the end of the 2nd quarter.  Also, Coach Gould no doubt understands the need to develop a reliable 2nd (and possibly 3rd) back – a total of 3 carries from the backup TBs is not enough production.

Another bright spot was that FBs Will Kapp and John Tyndall were mostly effective in their blocking assignments.  And as noted above, the passing game showed signs of rejuvenation compared to the struggles of late 2010.  Jones and Allen were dominant, while Miller and Calvin also caught a few nice passes.  Marv in particular, is noticeably stronger, shiftier, and faster than before – his 2 sweet spin-moves are an indication – while Keenan proved that he has an uncanny chemistry with his older brother.  As Zach gains more and more experience with the offense, he should be able to get more receivers involved and spread the ball around.  As a result, the passing game should continue to get better and more explosive.

3. The defense is close to mid-season form, and features several playmakers at all 3 levels

The reigning #1 defense in the Pac-12 picked up where it left off in 2010.  Cal held FSU to only 210 total yards: 68 rushing (2.7 YPC) and 142 passing (4.3 YPA).  And while the D gave up 2 TDs, the first arguably was not their fault, and the second was basically a garbage-time score given up in the 4th quarter, while many 2nd & 3rd team guys were on the field.  As seen in the photo above, the D also scored a touchdown of its own: LB Cecil Whiteside stripped FSU QB David Carr of the ball, and DE Trevor Guyton picked it up and returned it to the house, with Sean Cattouse trailing right behind him.

Cal’s swarming defense – now in its 2nd year under Coach P’s tutelage – stuffed Fresno State’s running game for the most part, and it often pressured Carr into quick/short throws and an interception.  Cal also collected 4 sacks and multiple TFLs – including 2.5 from Mychal Kendricks and 2 from Josh Hill, who both had very solid, if not spectacular performances.  D.J. Holt made several great plays alongside his battery-mate Kendricks, while the 3 young OLBs (Wilkerson, McCain, Whiteside) all flashed ability off the edge, despite over-pursuing some plays early in the game.

Coach Tosh got efficient production out of his D-line, including valuable minutes from true freshmen Moose Jalil, Vei Moala, and Brennan Scarlett (Scarlett came in as a rush end/LB, mainly in the 2nd half).  FS Sean Cattouse was steady, directing traffic in the secondary, while CB Steve Williams proved to be a playmaker by picking off a pass.  CB Marc Anthony was solid in coverage and run support as well.  Lastly, SS D.J. Campbell perhaps made the play of the game on defense, running down FSU WR Devon Wylie (who supposedly runs a 4.25) and catching him from behind, preventing a score.  All in all, the Cal D showed promising signs that it could be even better than last year.

4. JT has [re-]installed creativity, plus new wrinkles, to his now updated offense

CGB’s Kodiak (3rd post linked above) did a very nice job describing many of the new wrinkles that Coach Tedford has incorporated into this year’s offensive playbook.  Without rehashing too much of what he and another Cal observers have noted, what was most noticeable is that the creativity and multiple looks of the early Tedford years is back.  The “creative” elements in the offense we saw on Saturday weren’t limited to just the zone read plays (both out of the pistol and offset shotgun), new formations (e.g. shotgun 2-back set, with either a 2nd TB or an H-back on the wing, plus the TE or TB flexed out wide), or quick Oklahoma-style check-downs at the line.

The most welcoming sight was the return of dynamic play-calling, a hallmark of the classic JT offense.  More often than not, Coach Tedford (along with Coach M and Coach Kiesau – who was up in the box, as the “eyes” and “voice” of the 3-headed play-calling monster) would call certain plays early on in the game out of specific formations, only to set up the defense for a counter or play-action later on in the game.  One noticeable example, as Kodiak aptly described in his post, is the just-missed wheel route to CDJ in the 4th quarter.

5. Special Teams needs improvement, but gets a pass considering the rough conditions at the ‘Stick

The score above probably should have read 38-21, at the very least.  Senior K Giorgio Tavecchio inexplicably had his first 2 PATs blocked – the first arguably due to a protection breakdown, and the second because of a low trajectory.  In addition, fellow senior P Bryan Anger had an uncharacteristically low 35.5 yard average on 6 punts – most of them rugby style.  As noted above, the windy conditions at the ‘Stick contributed to the woes in the kicking game.  Perhaps the swirling gusts affected Tavecchio mentally as well as physically, but to his credit, he made his one FG attempt.  And although his kickoffs were short of the goal line, 4 out of 6 of them were into the wind.  As for Anger, Coach Tedford noted in post-game interviews that he was instructed to roll out and punt rugby style, in order to neutralize Fresno State’s aggressive punt rushes.

On the other hand, coverage units were generally solid.  FSU averaged less than 20 yards (18.4) per KR, and only 4.7 per PR – both very respectable numbers.  Unfortunately, this didn’t cancel out the poor relative field position that Cal often started off with due to short punts, and also FSU’s good field position resulting from short kickoffs.  Coach Genyk will definitely have his hands full this week in not only fixing the blocking miscues in the kicking game, but also making sure that both of our kickers are more consistent overall this Saturday in Colorado.

vs.

The 2011 season begins today for the California Golden Bears, with the team facing Fresno State at Candlestick Park.  Here are a few links to game previews, courtesy of our friends at California Golden Blogs:

FSU Offense

FSU Defense

Q&A with Bulldog Bounce

Cal’s 3 quick keys for success:

1. Win the Trenches

Fresno State has 4 new starters on the offensive line, and the Bulldogs’ defensive line is quick but lacks size.  Cal’s solid defensive line depth is a plus, which should allow the Bears to rotate fresh DL throughout the game.  Cal’s size advantage on the OL versus FSU’s DL should be a factor as well.  If Cal can win the battle in the trenches – starting with establishing the run on offense, and shutting it down on defense – it could mean a long day for Fresno.

2. Pressure Derek Carr

Fresno State QB Derek Carr, the heralded younger brother of former #1 NFL draft pick David Carr, is making his first career start.  Coach Pendergast no doubt will have special packages in place to confuse and put pressure on the young signal-caller.  The goal will be to apply solid pressure – both up front and from blitzes – and make FSU one-dimensional.

3. Be Solid on Special Teams

Former Cal special teams coach Pete Alamar is the current ST coach at FSU.  Coach Genyk and his special teams units should be on the lookout for trick plays, considering Alamar’s history and knowledge of Cal’s players and schemes.   Cal’s coverage units need to be disciplined and stay in their lanes, and win the field position battle.