Defensive Film Review: Getting Pressure on Williams

After struggling badly rushing the passer to start Pac-12 play, how did Cal dial up pressure on USC?

After giving up 50 points against USC, something the defense did successfully may not have been your predicted topic of investigation. But when I write these posts, I usually start with a something from the game that surprised me, that I want to try to understand.

And against USC, it was getting successful pressure against Caleb Williams. And I do want to emphasize ‘successful.’ I’ve seen teams get pressure on Williams, and leave themselves vulnerable downfield, or vulnerable to a scramble. Cal managed to actually force bad plays that resulted in punts. Let’s look at two plays with different examples of the kind of thing Cal will need to do more often: