Cal will make its maiden 2026 cross-country voyage to open ACC play this Saturday against Syracuse. At the top of the priority list will be finding offensive consistency that doesn’t involve a JKS hero ball. Standing in their way is Vince Kehres and the Orange Defense.
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: VINCE KEHRES
Kehres spent most of his career coaching and playing for D-III Mount Union, where he led them to an absurd 95-6 record and two national titles. Most recently, he had a stint at Toledo as Defensive Coordinator and Linebackers Coach. He led a solid Rockets Defense last year that ranked highly across a number of dimensions. Past players describe him as a confident, calm, and collected leader with an impressive penchant for winning.
SYRACUSE DEFENSE: OVERVIEW
The Orange entered the season with a 65th-ranked Defensive SP+ grade. They run a 4-2-5 scheme that will attempt to make a dramatic jump in performance through upside additions in the portal and veteran secondary play.
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
Cal coaches and fans alike are much the wiser if they take note of these Syracuse playmakers who have the potential to cause trouble come Saturday afternoon:
Chris Peal: The Georgia transfer cornerback is a Phil Steele Preseason All-American who returns for Syracuse after playing in every game last year. However, he was ejected for targeting in last week’s win over New Hampshire. It will be interesting to see if he and other Orange players who combined for over 100 yards in penalties continue to trap themselves with undisciplined play.
Antoine Deslauriers: The linebacker was a Freshman All-American last season who could create havoc for a Cal offensive line that struggled last week.
Rashard Perry: The Defensive Lineman came to Berkeley several seasons ago, where he made his first start. He sported a 98 PFF grade and an interception last week.
Keyshawn Johnson: The UT Martin transfer has the potential to be a nightmare in the pass rush, particularly if Cal is unable to retool its pass protection this week. He made the PFF College Football Team of the Week for his play against New Hampshire.
Chris D’Appolonia: The linebacker came over from Toledo with Kehres and made the Bruce Feldman “College Football Freaks List”.
LAST WEEK: DOMINATING WIN OVER FCS NEW HAMPSHIRE
Syracuse demolished New Hampshire 66-3 in no small part thanks to a stifling defensive performance. Kehr’s group earned an 89.3 PFF defensive grade alongside an interception, 4 forced fumbles, 5 sacks, and just 155 yards of offense allowed. While it is foolish to extrapolate much from this game given the lopsided edge in talent, there are a few key takeaways.
Foremost, this secondary should be a very strong test for Cal’s receivers. In addition to Peal, Demetrius Samuel is a returning Sophomore at cornerback with the talent to cover Cal’s wideouts and dangerously return kicks. This could be a game where the Golden Bears offense will have to rely on JKS throwing receivers open again.
Though they played well last week, Syracuse is not particularly deep in the trenches and lacks a corps of proven talent. Given that this is their first game against a P4 opponent, there is reason to believe that Syracuse coaches will still be figuring out the rotation.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
After a rough performance on the defensive side of the ball last season, Syracuse has almost entirely turned over its defensive personnel. They have proven answers in the secondary and solid starters at linebacker, edge, and one tackle spot. However, there are a lot of remaining questions about the rotation and what they look like against peer competition. Because of the nature of their blowout last week, Syracuse used a lot of their depth in a manner that may not accurately reflect snap counts for this upcoming week.
It is safe to assume that the Orange will try to leverage their cornerback talent and load up the box against Cal. However, with so many of their starters lacking P4 experience, I wouldn't be surprised if the run defense in particular shows some cracks in the armor come Saturday.
Regardless, if Cal wants to perform a resurrection on their aspirations for 2026, throttling Vince Kehres’ group is of the utmost importance.
Bounce-back Bears on the hunt! Beat ‘Cuse, crush the Orange! Go Cal!
Hope JKS can play. But perhaps being an underdog on the road will work for us- way less pressure than the 1st game with new coaches, high expectations at packed Memorial Stadium. GO BEARS!