UC Davis Football Defensive Preview

It's time to see what the revamped Cal offense can do.

I mentioned this in yesterday’s offensive preview, but I am basically guessing at the depth chart based on last season. There will be replacements along the defensive line and in the secondary (for instance, one of UC Davis’s cornerbacks, Jordan Perryman, transferred to Washington), but without spring practice reports or reliable backup play, it’s very difficult to say who will step into those roles. No depth charts, no beat writers, and not much help from televised games with production quality like this:

This picture is actually to scale: the production team just wanted to show that RB Ulonzo Gilliam is taller than Lan Larison (by negative 3 inches), but that their bodies are dwarfed in size by the huge heads of Rodrigues and Harrell.

UC Davis’s defensive coordinator Matt Coombs worked under Oregon’s former defensive coordinator (and current Boise State head coach) Andy Avalos. At Oregon, Avalos was primarily known for his 3-3-5 defensive scheme. UC Davis primarily ran a 4-2-5 defense, but they also integrated some 3-3-5, particularly late in the season. Typically, however, the defensive results with the 3-3-5 weren’t exactly pretty, and they would switch back to their more comfortable 4-2-5. I am not sure if this is part of some transition (that they will have mastered after this offseason), an attempt to fluster a conference opponent by springing a new defensive look at them, or something else. Maybe they are just trying to fit the scheme to the personal they have?

Let’s take a closer look at the positional breakdowns.

Defensive Line

After an entire season of UC Davis games, there was one particular player who jumped out on tape: sophomore defensive end Michael Ambagtsheer. He was a 3-star tight end coming out of high school, with offers from FBS programs like Utah and Boston College, but opted to play defense at UC Davis instead. Ambagtsheer has both the speed and power to beat blocks:

DE Michael Ambagtsheer gets a sack using his speed

And here Ambagtsheer wins with the bull rush:

DE Michael Ambagtsheer sack on the bull rush

UC Davis typically used an outside linebacker as an edge rusher to generate pressure, but it was Ambagtsheer who most often made an impact at the line. For example, here he is snatching the airborne running back out of the air for the 4th down run stop:

DE Michael Ambagtsheer beats a block for the 4th down run stuff

And here he again uses his speed to blow past the offensive lineman to pressure former Cal QB Spencer Brasch for a near interception:

DE Michael Ambagtsheer (DT) QB pressure forces near INT by LB Teddye Buchanan

UC Davis also has a 350 lb. space-eating sophomore nose tackle, Chubba Maae. They lost last year’s star on the defensive line to graduation, defensive tackle Bryce Rodgers, so they have a very big hole to fill here as well, and no obvious replacement. My best guess is that Cade Peacock wins the starting job, but Bryce Rodgers played a majority of snaps and was a disruptive presence along the defensive line, so that loss has to hurt.

Linebackers

Another young, promising player (like Ambagtsheer, also entering his sophomore season after starting as a freshman) that stood out was linebacker Teddye Buchanan. Buchanan was the middle linebacker who always found his way to the ball—the pass or the run—and the surest tackler on the defense.

Here he breaks into the backfield for a tackle for loss on the running back:

LB Teddye Buchanan into the backfield for the TFL

And here he correctly reads the play for the interception:

LB Teddye Buchanan stays home on the RPO for the INT

As a freshman, Buchanan was the team’s leading tackler, 3rd in TFLs, 4th in sacks, and 2nd in interceptions. He really was all over the place.

The other impact linebacker is an outside linebacker/edge rusher (who I could have potentially listed in the defensive line section) Cam Trimble. Trimble was the team leader in sacks and TFLs last year, mainly through the use of his speed and maneuverability.

Here he is (top of the screen) making short work of the right tackle:

LB Cam Trimble swim move for the sack on QB Spencer Brasch

And here he is not giving up on the play to prevent the quarterback from escaping the pocket:

LB Cam Trimble prevents QB from escaping the pocket for a sack

The linebacker opposite of Buchanan is Jackson Cloyd. Cloyd plays with a level of aggressiveness that can get him in trouble (later hits or unsportsmanlike conduct penalties), but he is a solid linebacker:

LB Jackson Cloyd with the TFL on 4th and 1

LB Jackson Cloyd OLB not fooled on zone read

Also in the linebacker rotation are Nick Eaton and Calvin Mouisset. Eaton is okay, but Mouisset has taken poor angles and missed tackles.

There is one linebacker I haven’t mentioned that I have to imagine will crack the starting lineup that I haven’t yet covered: Cal transfer Evan Tattersall. Ironically, the only team I don’t take clips of, but hopefully Cal fans still remember him. I don’t know if or when he’s won the starting job, but he’s probably the most likely linebacker to start next to Teddye Buchanan.

Secondary

The standout on the secondary is the safety Chris Venable. The secondary is probably the weakest part of the defense, but at least Venable is the most consistent.

He has good coverage skills:

S Chris Venable nice INT on the contested catch

And he’s a solid tackler, the second leading tackler behind LB Teddye Buchanan:

S Chris Venable helmet on the ball for the game-clinching forced fumble against Tulsa

Last year’s best corner was Jordan Perryman, who transferred to Washington. Their top returning cornerback is Jaylin White, who is at least decent in coverage:

CB Jaylin White INT when WR gives up on the route but White doesn’t and tries to run out clock

White most often played nickel last year, but I expect he’ll move up to the starting corner role this year. White led the team in interceptions last year:

NB Jaylin White INT off the deflection

The other corner, Devon King, was a bit boom-or-bust. Either jump the route for an interception, or give up leverage for a big play:

CB Devon King jumps route for game-ending INT

Here he is preventing the mobile Spencer Brasch from breaking off a run:

CB Devon King reads the play and stops QB Spencer Brasch for a loss

I think just showing the secondary highlights would be a disservice to demonstrate their abilities. They are still a young group prone to mistakes. Here the safety Chris Venable gets beat deep:

S Chris Venable burned for a big catch

Here Jaylin White bites on a double move to give up a touchdown:

NB Jaylin White beat for the TD

Devon King is similarly juked:

CB Devon King beat on the double move

A true freshman starter last year, Jehiel Budgett, showed promise, but he too was picked on:

CB Jehiel Budgett bites on the pump fake to give up the TD

So although the secondary has its moments, this is a secondary that the Cal wide receivers should be able to out-talent.

Conclusion

I think the UC Davis defense is the perfect first game of the season to evaluate Cal’s baseline performance. They’re above-average FCS level in all departments, without any obvious strengths or obvious weaknesses, and so how Cal does will serve as a bellwether for the rest of the season. If UC Davis’s defensive line generates a lot of pressure on Jack Plummer, then that’s not a good sign for the Cal offense. If the secondary locks up Cal’s receivers, that’s not a good sign for the receivers, and so on. If Cal can avoid costly turnovers (UC Davis is a momentum team), what I hope to see is Cal handling business in all facets of the game.

Looking forward to the start of the season. Go Bears!

You can find my full clips here.