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Great article Nick, ty.
AZ’s defense is 4th in the PAC12 for yards allowed per game, they have the ability to play defense and that side of the ball was mostly intact. Their pass defense is #2 in the conference. Their rush defense is #9 in the conference. They give up a lot of points and that is likely due to the fact that they lead the …
Great article Nick, ty.
AZ’s defense is 4th in the PAC12 for yards allowed per game, they have the ability to play defense and that side of the ball was mostly intact. Their pass defense is #2 in the conference. Their rush defense is #9 in the conference. They give up a lot of points and that is likely due to the fact that they lead the conference in turnovers lost (20) and points gained on those turnovers (short field). Cal gained 3 turnovers and got zero points to show for it.
Cal as well as most teams, save the elite teams, can not make up for the loss of 3 OL with one of them being a true freshman getting his first playing time at center. Just ain’t gunna happen. The nuances of Musgrave’s offense and the reps needed to produce just isn’t there for those 3 OL, yet. Not sure why Cal fans would expect a better performance. That said, we’ve been reviewing the tape (only through the 1st half) and Swinney had a decent game. So, Cal may have found a gem on OL during this game. EJ struggled and with the obligatory stupid penalties from Mettauer and Daltoso, Cal had + drives wiped out. It sure didn’t help that the receivers hardly helped Glover. Glover missing basic throws we’ve seen throughout Wilcox’s tenure and CG’s has had plenty of them, status quo.
I’ve been pounding the table on this defense and its potential; this game was one of the best during Wilcox’s era. Three turnovers, no depth chart, on the field for 35 minutes and in 90 degree heat. They laid it all down on the line and the future is bright for Cal’s defense. Avi will need to wear shades!!
Very proud of how the lads played given the hand they were dealt.
Go Bears!!
It's worth noting that Arizona's defensive numbers took a massive jump up the conference standings specifically because they shut down Cal, and that their numbers were more like 9th/10th best in the conference going in
Surely Cal should have been able to score more than 3 points and gained 120 total yards of offense against Arizona, especially when we generated 3 turnovers.
Even NAU who beat Arizona scored 21 points and had 240 yards of offense.