Cal Football Defensive Film Review: Run Fits in Short Yardage

What did Cal do to shut down Auburn in short yardage?

Short yardage running plays aren’t necessarily glamourous but they are often swing plays that can decide games - sustaining a drive vs. punting or handing the ball over on 4th down.

And defenses tend to approach them differently since you’re expecting a very specific type of play against you. As a result, I was particularly curious to see what kind of personnel groupings and formations Cal would deploy in these types of situations, against a team comfortable trying to run it up the gut against you.

As it turned out, Cal held up very well. Let’s look at why.