Maryland Preview - Interview with Terrapins Examiner

(Photo: Nick Wass/Associated Press)

Following up on my earlier interview with the Testudo Times, Ben Shlesinger from the Maryland Terrapins Examiner was nice enough to answer some similar questions. Although his knowledge of Cal football is limited, he does shine light on some players to look out for. Thanks Ben!

You can check out his blog here.

1) The Vegas lines are already favoring Cal by 21 for the opener. Thoughts? Too high? Not nearly high enough?

This is a difficult question to answer. From a Vegas point of view I guess it seems about right if you completely detach yourself from the situation and have no vested interest or real knowledge about the teams. Of course, lines are established to elicit betting and are not a real estimation of outcomes. Now, considering I'm a Maryland blogger and an alum, I don't think Cal is 21 points better than Maryland. Yes, the Terps lost a lot of talent from last year but you can never know with this team. During Ralph Freidgen's tenure, the Terps have found a way to beat teams they were supposed to lose to and lost to teams they were supposed to beat. Last season was a perfect example of how up and down the team can be. Early season matchups prove this especially. Beating Cal was a little surprising to some. Losing to Northern Illinois in 2003 and Middle Tennessee State last year prove you never know which team will show up. Ultimately I think Cal wins but not by 21.

2) On offense, Maryland has lost its biggest playmaker in 1st round draft pick Darius Heyward-Bey (eternally doomed to the hell that is the Raiders franchise), a number of veteran offensive linemen, but do return a senior QB in Chris Turner and RB Da’Rel Scott. Honestly, what do you hope to put up against Cal, which features one of the better defenses in the country?

Without really getting a feel for this year's team yet, I can see them putting up 14 or 21 points. I'm basing this of off last year's 35 points against Cal. Given that Turner and Scott are back, and there is some depth at receiver, Maryland could put up 35 again and I wouldn't be surprised. With Friedgen at the helm Maryland has made a habit of beating teams no one expected it to.


3) Who is the top player on offense and defense the Bears should be concerned with come the season opener?

Heyward-Bey is gone so Cal just key in on him so that would leave Turner as the one player Cal should be most concerned with. There will be some uncertainty as to where the ball will be going on each play because of the depth at wide receiver so the defense should be prepared for the run or the pass on every snap. Also, don't overlook Torrey Smith as a returner. On defense, Alex Wujciak is the latest standout linebacker to play in College Park and he is definitely the best defender this year.

4) Who is one player on offense and defense from Cal that you could choose to suit up for the Terrapins for the opener?

The only Cal player I am really familiar with is Javid Best and he is pretty much all I need to know. Kevin Barnes is with the Redskins this year so Best doesn't have to worry about throwing up on the field again. I'm confident in Da'Rel Scott as the starting tailback but having him and Best in the same backfield would be great to watch.

5) What is one aspect of the team or a specific player that you think is flying uner Cal’s radar? That is, is there one thing or person that we should be a bit more worried about?

I go back to Torrey Smith as being the most under the radar player. The sophomore set the ACC record for return yards in a season with 1,089 and is fifth in school history with that mark now. He is speedy and will be dangerous as a receiver and on special teams. Of course it is not like no one has heard of Smith but I imagine Cal would be more worried with Turner and Scott.

6) Your predictions on the score?

My prediction is 28-14 with Cal coming out on top. I don't see any field goals coming here. Of course, Maryland could win 31-28 and I wouldn't be surprised. Only one touchdown went to Heyward-Bey last year so I believe Maryland could still get good production from its team this year. For a win to happen, Scott will probably have to carry the load.

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Kevin Riley Named Starter

Numerous sources are indicating that Kevin Riley has been named the starting QB.

More details are sure to be announced later, but the announcement isn't very surprising considering Riley has taken about 70% of the snaps in camp thus far as the most veteran quarterback. The announcement comes two days ahead of when the depth chart will be announced on Wednesday, but as I stated last week, I expected the QB decision to be announced a few days earlier.


The team will begin preparations for the Maryland game on Wednesday.
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Maryland Preview - Interview with Testudo Times

We are just under two weeks away from the season opener against Maryland. Although most are still in fall camp mode, I thought it's never a bad idea to take a strong look at our season opener, and what better way than to talk to a Maryland football Blogger?

Testudo Times was awesome enough to answer some questions. Read the questions below and definitely go and check out their site. They've got some solid recaps of Maryland's scrimmages. You can check out their site here.


The Bears are coming into the game hungry for redemption at the hands of last year’s 35-27 loss, but also in hopes that the season opener will be the beginning of a special season. Cal will begin the season with arguably one of the most talented teams during Tedford’s tenure, and an undefeated home opener record to boot.

Maryland on the other hand, is predicted by many pundits to finish in the bottom tier of the ACC, yet a number of Terrapin faithful believe that the team has enough key players at units to pull off an upset and establish Maryland as a contender this season.

1) The Vegas lines are already favoring Cal by 21 for the opener. Thoughts? Too high? Not nearly high enough?

Not a doubt in my mind that that's too high. Maryland might not win, but three touchdowns is is definitely too big of a margin; this team is of the same quality, if not better than, last year's Terps.

2) Maryland loses a number of players on defense, but might benefit from the hiring of former Mass. HC Don Brown as its new defensive coordinator, who is bringing a more aggressive blitzing and press defense. What have you seen or heard about the new defense this year, and do you anticipate it being a change for the better?

I'd be very surprised if Brown's defense isn't better. It's torn through our offense so far, which is a good sign (or a terrible one for our offense). He has numerous blitz packages, many of which are rarely found in FBS football (for whatever reason). Our fifth-year senior center, Phil Costa, has said that he's never seen most of them. There's also no FBS tape of Brown's defense, so there could be some trouble preparing for it early in the season.

Also, even though Maryland lost some guys, most of the replacements are of equal quality or are upgrades. I expect the defense to be much better than it was last year.


3) On offense, Maryland has lost its biggest playmaker in 1st round draft pick Darius Heyward-Bey (eternally doomed to the hell that is the Raiders franchise), a number of veteran offensive linemen, but do return a senior QB in Chris Turner and RB Da’Rel Scott. Honestly, what do you hope to put up against Cal, which features one of the better defenses in the country?

It's tough to predict. Even without Hey-Bey, who was a great talent but didn't produce as much as we'd like, the WRs will probably be at least as good (we have some depth now). The RBs are stacked - in addition to Scott we have Davin Meggett and Morgan Green, who tore through opponents late in the season. And Turner returns, and is by all accounts improved over the offseason. All that would be moot if the offensive line doesn't come together. That's the big question: if the young guys on the line can be at least average, this has the potential to be an explosive offense. Unfortunately, there's a very low floor for this OL, and I can't say I'm expecting a lot of scoring early on.

4) Who is the top player on offense and defense the Bears should be concerned with come the season opener?

On offense, I think it has to be Da'Rel Scott. He's a better back than he was last year, and he was 1st team All-ACC last year, so that's saying something. On defense, watch out for Kenny Tate. He played sparingly last year, but was a top recruit when he came in and is very, very talented. He's an absurd mix of size (6-4, 225) and top-flight speed. He's averaging about an interception a day in practice so far, and has laid down a few monster hits. He'll move around all over the place; Brown has discussed putting him at corner, linebacker, or even a hybrid DE.

5) Who is one player on offense and defense from Cal that you could choose to suit up for the Terrapins for the opener?

Offensively, a lot of teams would probably say Jahvid Best. But Da'Rel Scott is already so great a strength, I don't think it would be all that big of a boost for Maryland. Instead, a guy like Mitchell Schwartz would be huge for this team. There's currently no experience at three of the OL positions, and RT especially is embrawled in a three man position battle with no end in site. Give us a guy with 13 starts and was 2nd team AA, and that's a completely different squad. For defense, a lot of people would say Syd'Quan Thompson, and rightfully so. But Nolan Carroll is a legit top-flight #1 corner; that can't be said for anyone on the DL right now. I'd welcome a guy like Tyson Alualu on the team more than Syd'Quan.

6) What is one aspect of the team or a specific player that you think is flying uner Cal’s radar? That is, is there one thing or person that we should be a bit more worried about?

Not only Cal is guilty of this, but it's probably the defense. Everybody has been saying how bad Maryland's defense will be, and I just don't see it. Their LB corps is just as good as last year; the secondary is miles better. The defensive line may not have the experience it did last year, but they started two walkons and a converted FB. This year's group definitely has more natural talent. Plus, they have a defensive coordinator who will make use of the athleticism on the team, as well as keep offenses off-balance. That's a far cry from Chris Cosh's constant prevent defense. This defense could be a force to be reckoned with.

Oh, and remember the name Adrian Cannon. You may hear it called a lot. He's a junior WR, and he exploded this spring and fall. He worked his way from probably being around the 6th WR on the team to challenging for #1.

7) What will Maryland need to do to pull out a win on September 5th?

A few things: most obviously, contain Jahvid Best. The blitzes - there will be plenty - need to be effective, both in passing and rushing situations. There will be a few big plays given up - it's only natural with an aggressive defense. They need to limit the big plays to as few as possible, and preferably keep them from being TDs. The offensive line needs to learn very fast, and a TE or FB must help protect the right side of the line (the weaker side). Most importantly, Chris Turner has to take control of the team, be efficient, and lead like he normally does in big games. If all that happens, they have a shot.

8) Your predictions on the score?

Really, I don't think it gets out of a touchdown. Cal is the better team, but there are some things pointing Maryland's way. My guess is 24-17 Cal, but don't rule out an upset.

Thanks again to the Testudo Times!

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Cal Ranked #12 in AP Poll

The AP Polls were released today, and the Cal Golden Bears came in at #12.

Seems fair, about generally in line with most preseason polls.

Other Pac-10 teams include USC at #4, and Oregon at #16. Oregon State just missed the cut with 122 votes and UCLA with 7.

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Fall Camp News and Notes (8.19)

A couple of quick hits on some of the most recent happenings from fall camp this week:

Injury Updates
-TE Tad Smith is out for the season after tearing his ACL in his right knee. The RS senior might be done for his career at Cal, as Smith will petition the NCAA for sixth year of eligibility. Tough, tough break for Smith, who missed most of spring ball after fracturing his collar bone, and was expected to strongly challenge for the starting TE spot this season. I wish Smith a speedy recovery and am crossing my fingers that he’ll have a chance to compete again next year.

-WR Michael Calvin will also miss a few weeks after having surgery on his right knee to clear out some of fluid that was causing some swelling. This is the same knee that caused him to miss most of last season after tearing his ACL. You’ve got to really feel for Calvin whose skills have praised time and time again, but has been set back by a myriad of injuries. Calvin could be able to begin practicing again next week, but will hopefully be back in full action by the second or third game of the season.


-Center Chris Guarnero had a minor surgery to repair a ligament in his left thumb, but should be back in a few days. How much time he’s out should depend on how soon the pain goes away. He should still be safe to play in the opener, where he’s project to start.

Depth Chart and Position Changes
-Jonathan Okanes reported an interesting bit about DE Cameron Jordan looking at a possible demotion, after sophomore Trevor Guyton took snaps with the first team. Defensive Coordinator Bob Gregory has cited Jordan’s lack of intensity in practice, and wants to see Jordan take practice a bit more seriously, while citing Guyton’s continued improvement.

Honestly, while I’m not doubting that Guyton will be ready to contribute more this season, I’m thinking this is more of a situation where Jordan is being called out and pushed like a number of notable defensive players have been in the past (Hill, Hagan, etc). That’s not to say Jordan should dismiss the demotion—far from that. But I think if Jordan breaks his complacency, he’s got a good chance to be something special for the Bears.


-LB Mike Mohamed was reportedly taking snaps at weakside OLB, with Mychal Kendricks, DJ Holt, and Devin Bishop taking first team snaps on the inside. I’m not sure what to make of this. Mohamed is Cal’s most versatile LB, and I don’t doubt he could succeed at the position. In fact, I think it could potentially be better for him. But this also might say how well Holt and Bishop have been playing on the inside, as well as the reality that it will take JC transfers Ryan Davis and Jarred Price some time before they’re ready to start at the OLB position.

Honestly, I’m guessing it actually is what it is: a chance for the coaching staff to evaluate which four best linebackers will start for the Bears. When you consider it that way, it’s actually quite simple.

-Not too much of a surprise: Tedford has admitted that the QB battle is realistically between Kevin Riley and Brock Mansion. While praising Beau Sweeney’s abilities, he articulated what had been pretty clear at this point—Riley and Mansion’s experience give them an obvious leg up in the battle. I am still encouraged to hear about how far along Sweeney is in his progress as a RS frosh, and look to see what he can do in a few spots this year.

While the starters should be announced a week before the opener, I’ve got a feeling that the starting QB could be named any day now. I would guess by the end of this week or early next. That’s just a complete guess at this point.

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Issues to Resolve in Fall Camp - True Frosh

(Ready right away?)

Who Will Play Right Away?

With the exception of JC transfer WR Markish Jones (who will not be attending Cal), fall camp has allowed both coaches, players, and the media to finally see many of Cal’s highly touted recruits up close. It’s been an opportunity for the these young players to both get adjusted to playing with the “big boys” as well as the coaches to begin to evaluate whether these players might redshirt, and who might be capable of playing right away, and to what extent.

At this point, neither Tedford nor any of the coaches have verbally disclosed their thoughts on who will play right away, as it is still relatively early in fall camp process. However, when evaluating the depth chart, a specific recruit’s talent and background, as well as some tidbits on who has been getting first team reps, one might be able to make some reasonable guesses as to who might not have to wait for a redshirt season to step on the field.


The first name that comes to mind in terms of instant impact players is Isi Sofele. I wrote the following about Sofele back when Cal’s recruiting class was finalized in the spring:

“The diminutive Sofele, stands just 5’7, 170 pounds, but Sofele shows the type of game breaking talent that might make it too tempting not to have him on the field in some capacity. Sofele was an all-purpose back at Cottonwood, rushing for 1,916 yards and 30 TDs also added 19 receptions for 300 yards and four TDs, while also excelling in the return game.

In other words, the kid is a human highlight reel waiting to happen.”

Given his small size, I had some concern that Isi might not be able to hang with the team early on in his career, especially with Cal’s prized and hard-hitting defense. Fortunately, that hasn’t been the case at all, as Sofele has quickly grabbed the attention of both teammates and coaches as he has nearly replicated what he has done on the high school level on the practice field.

Coach Tedford has noted Sofele’s obvious game-breaking talents:

"You see a lot of explosion, a lot of quickness. He's very talented, can catch the ball, can run with it, can do a lot of things. He plays at a different speed."

Even Sofele has been surprised as to how many reps he has gotten with the first team. Used primarily as a receiver in specific offensive packages as well as a role in the return game, Sofele has had the opportunity to slice and dice with the best of them, in reverses, screens, a few trick plays—essentially anything to get the ball in his hands in space.

While Sofele has noted one of his biggest challenges being adapting to the mental aspect of playing collegiate football, both in terms of the rigor of attending numerous meetings and learning nearly 200 offensive plays, he might be too much of a weapon not to take the field in some form this season.

Sofele may not develop into an everydown back, but he is too compelling of an athlete to not become a big part of this offense in the next coming years. At this point, I would be very surprised if it didn’t start this season. Look for Sofele to get a few touches a game, perhaps a punt return here, a screen pass there, a reverse handoff, etc. I for one am pumped.

Another player that I’ve been hearing some murmur on is highly regarded RB Dasarte Yarnway.

Again, back in February, I wrote about Yarnway:
“The Bears finally have the big back the team has been lacking since Marshawn Lynch left early for the NFL at the end of the 2006 season. Yarnway will easily be the Bears’ biggest runningback next fall, standing at 6’0, 215 pounds. Dasarte isn’t a slouch in the speed department either, running a 4.5 forty, which he looks to improve in coming years. And his name is badass.

Yarnway was a productive back for Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep, carving up more 2,180 yards on the ground for 22 TDs, and led his team to the first playoff appearance in 40 years. Even more impressive than his numbers though, is Yarnway’s character and the way the young man has carried himself as a leader both on and off the field after losing his father at a young age.”

I wrote then that I would be shocked in Yarnway did not redshirt this year. This belief was shaken a little bit when I read about how many first team snaps Yarnway has taken in fall camp thus far. Tedford has noted:

“We want to get him a couple more reps with the first team. Sometimes with the third team, there are more blown blocking assignments so he doesn’t get a chance a lot of times. We put him with the 1s and 2s a little bit just to give him some holes, and he’s done a nice job. He’s got a bright future.”

It’s clear the coaching staff is very high on the Yarnway, and want to see early on what he is capable of. He brings a great deal of size and strength, as well as a surprising amount of maturity and understanding for the game at his young age.

Still, after taking a step back, I still believe that Yarnway is too valuable not to redshirt this year. I chalk up many of his first team reps to the fact that Best and Deboskie’s few absences due to injury, and wanting to see how he might perform with the first team in actual running plays and hitting the hole. I can’t imagine him jumping past Shane Vereen for the backup spot, nor can I imagine the coaching staff using a year of his eligibility so that he might be third or fourth on the depth chart. Even if he were used in specific packages (ie. Goalline), it simply doesn’t make sense in my mind. Langston Jackson might make more sense there at the current time.

No, though it might be tempting, look for Yarnway to redshirt and seriously battle Deboskie-Johnson for the backup spot next year (assuming Best declares early for the draft).

I’ve already made mention regarding linebackers Jerome Meadows, Ryan Davis, and Jarred Price. They should step onto the field at some point this year, if not possibly challenge for a starting spot.

The only other possibility is Vince D’Amato, who along with walkon David Seawright and encumbent starter Giorgio Tavecchio, is entrenched in a battle for the starting kicking spot. This should be a battle to pay attention to in the coming weeks, but if Tavecchio continues to kick well, and D’Amato doesn’t do much to clearly separate himself, D’Amato might be better served refining his skills for next year.

Locks to ‘Shirt
Pretty much everyone else...

DB Steve Williams might be the most talented recruit Cal has had at the position in some time, and has already impressed in camp, earning the nickname “Speedy Williams,” from Syd’Quan Thompson. Quite the compliment. But it would be nearly outrageous for me to think about Williams not redshirting this year, with all four starters in the secondary along with Nnabuife, Conte, Hill, Anthony, Amadi all providing solid depth at corner spots if needed.

The same goes with all of Cal’s prized recruits at both the defensive and offensive lines, barring any major injuries.

Finally, Allan Bridgford will likely follow the path of all previous Elite 11 Cal QBs and put on the shirt this year.

At this point, Cal can afford to be judicious with their shirts. While our 2009 class was very solid, the fact few of them appear ready to play right away along with the fact that this is might be the deepest talent group that Cal has had in Tedford's tenure nearly assures that most will sit this year out. With the exception of Sofele, and the JC transfers at the linebacking spots, this might be a watch and wait group.
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Issues to Resolve in Fall Camp - Fullback

Who will pave the way for Best and Crew?

Other than resolutions at quarterback, the biggest question on the offensive side of the ball is at the most arguably underappreciated position--fullback. While Cal’s strength at the offensive line and runningback have received many accolades during the Tedford era, the strength of the fullbacks who have paved the way for some of Cal’s historic backs hasn’t been recognized nearly enough.

That changed a bit last year though when Will Ta’ufo’ou, one of the team’s more popular players, turned heads and put defenders on their backs on route to helping to pave the way for 2,421 team rushing yards, the most since the 2005 season.

With Cal’s offense losing just 3 starters, Ta’ufo’ou’s absence (that’s a lot of apostrophes by the way) has been magnified upon looking at the depth chart. Even Coach Tedford has admitted that the position battle at fullback will be one of the most critical to the team’s offensive success this year.


The most likely candidate to replace Ta’ufo’ou is redshirt senior Brian Holley. While much of his experience is on special teams, Holley has seen his share of playing time and will bring a veteran understanding to the game, having played 24 games over his past three seasons. The biggest question will be how quickly he will adjust to stepping up to taking first team snaps at the FB position. Despite being giving up twenty pounds and an inch to Ta’ufo’ou, Holley should have most of the physical tools to start.

Holley will be pushed hard by RS soph Will Kapp though. The son of Cal football legend Joe Kapp, Will has received his fair share of praise by Tedford, and is a serious contender for the starting spot. The biggest knock on Kapp is that he is a bit undersized for the position, weighing in at just 216 pounds. For some context, that’s just about fifteen pounds heavier than what Jahvid Best is reportedly weighing in now. However, Kapp lacks in size, he makes up for in a non-stop motor and surprisingly good instincts at the fullback spot.

To a lesser extent, RS soph John Tyndall and RS frosh Eric Stevens (brother of former Cal TE Craig Stevens), and RS junior Matt Russi should also battle for some playing time. While none have stepped up as much as Kapp or Holley have, do expect them to log in a number of snaps with the third and fourth team units during camp.

While Holley is the safest bet to start coming opening day due to his experience, Kapp is sure to make the competition interesting if he continues to turn heads in practice.

Regardless of who wins the job, there’s an enormous amount of pressure on the FB spot given its importance in the Tedford offense. With the increasing amount of Heisman hype on Best, strength at fullback will be absolutely critical for a successful rushing attack this year.

Let’s face it: I expect to see some drop off in play. Though this may not be the year of highlight fullback blocks, the eternal optimist in me does think the blocking game will be adequate enough to match or even exceed last year’s team rushing numbers.

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Issues to Resolve in Fall Camp – Quarterback

Without question, most of Cal’s fall camps in recent years have been highlighted by varying QB battles since the Aaron Rodgers era.

In 2005, QB Nate Longshore battled highly touted JC transfer Joe Ayoob before suffering a season-ending injury in the first game of the season.

In 2006, Longshore again won the starting job over Ayoob and incumbent starter Steve Levy and went on to have one of the more successful QB seasons in school history.

With Longshore firmly established as the starter in 2007, the battle fell to RS frosh Kevin Riley and RS soph Kyle Reed for the backup QB position. Riley went on to win the job, and Reed would soon transfer San Jose State.

After the debacle that was the second half of the 2007 season, senior Nate Longshore battled the fan-favorite QB Kevin Riley who came off a spectacular bowl game performance for the starting job. In one of the more publicized QB battles in the conference, Riley earned the starting nod, only to take a ride on a QB carousel for the rest of the season due to inconsistent play by both QBs.

Coming off the weakest passing production season since 2005, Cal again finds itself with a QB competition of sorts, as the now-veteran Riley must fend off challenges from RS soph Brock Mansion and RS frosh Beau Sweeney.


Most signs point to this being Riley’s job to lose. Tedford has admitted that Riley’s experience gives him a bit of a heads up over his competition. The RS junior has also tinkered with his mechanics during the offseason with new OC Andy Ludwig in an effort to shorten his release and improve his accuracy. Teammates have recognized Riley as one of the team leaders, and Riley himself has continued to provide a more visible leadership presence, even leading the opening fall practice team chant. While Riley hasn’t wowed anyone yet in practice, he has continued to exhibit confidence and leadership both on and off the field.

Brock Mansion doesn’t appear to be going down without a fight however. The athletic 6’5 Texas native came on very strong towards the spring practice after initially struggling with his accuracy. Mansion has continued his strong play in the first few days of camp and will likely continue to get a fair number of first team snaps. Mansion provides too much athleticism, intelligence and skills to be not be seriously considered as the starter.

Beau Sweeney isn’t a likely candidate to win the starting job, but this is one of the few rare occasions that the third string candidate has received as many snaps as Sweeney has (roughly 20 percent). Tedford obviously thinks very highly of Sweeney, and despite not being the bettor’s choice for the starting job, it can only help to have the likely 3rd string QB notch a fair amount of practice headed into the season.

And despite receiving a few snaps with the 3rd and 4th team units, true frosh Allan Bridgford is simply getting his feet wet at Memorial Stadium before putting on a blueshirt (RS) for the year.

At this venture, Riley would have to seriously falter, or either Mansion or Sweeney would have to have a dominating performance in camp to overtake Riley for the rights to lead the offense on opening day.

It’s highly doubtful in my mind that Riley doesn’t take the field as the starter against Maryland. Also, don’t be surprised if Tedford makes the announcement a lot sooner than he has in the past. My guess is that the starter is announced no later than a week before the opener.

And to answer the post’s opening question, it may not even be necessary for the team to have the second coming of Aaron Rodgers at the QB helm. The team may just need an offensive leader to step up and show a fair amount of consistency, accuracy, and mental toughness for the Bears to be Rose Bowl bound this season.

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First Day of Fall Camp Recaps

Can you feel it? Oh baby, it's the beginning of fall camp. Although the practices are closed off to the general public, there's a plethora of solid recaps around the web posting highlights from yesterday's first day of practice.

Rivals has perhaps the most in-depth free article recapping yesterday's practice that I've seen. You really can't get any more detailed than they have, even breaking down offensive series, play by play. They've even thrown in some audio interviews with new JC transfer Ryan Davis, and Brock Mansion and Coach Tedford to boot.

In place of a writeup, Scout has a nice video highlighting yesterday's action. With practices closed, this is about as close as we are going to get to seeing some of our players in action until Fan Appreciation Day.

The BearInsider has a subscription article up, but if their free articles are an indication of their premium stuff, you know it's going to be a good read.

The always solid Jonathan Okanes has a good concise report up at Bear Talk.

Finally, the Daily Cal continues with some nice reporting after having some of the best reports from Fall Camp last year.


Overall, the team already seems to be moving much more crisp and efficiently than they were this time last year. It undoubtedly helps that this is a much deeper and more veteran team than the one that broke for fall camp last year. This Bear Blogger is excited to see what happens in the coming weeks. Stay tuned for the remaining posts in my series on which issues need to be resolved in Fall Camp.
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Issues to Resolve in Fall Camp: Starting Linebackers

(Getty Images)

Fall Camp kicks off today as the Bears formally begin their journey to live up to high preseason expectations and earn the elusive bid for the Rose Bowl. Some have even slotted the Bears as darkhorse candidates for a national championship, but there is no doubt that the team’s focus headed into the season is to win the Pac-10 conference outright. While the Bears are led by a veteran defense and Heisman candidate Jahvid Best, there are a number of questions that will need to be resolve during fall camp with all units in order for the Bears to step up and realize a truly magical season. I’ll be breaking them down in the coming days, and start by looking at who might be slotted as the starting linebackers coming opening day.

Linebackers – Who will be the starting four?

The biggest question mark on the defensive side of the ball centers around which linebackers will step up to replace the void left by three senior linebackers in Worrell Williams, Anthony Felder, and Zack Follett. With Cal returning its entire starting secondary and defensive line, it’s no wonder that many pundits find themselves looking at the critical linebacker spots as the biggest potential weak spots for what is expected to be one of the best defenses in the nation.

I for one am quietly optimistic however. Cal’s most versatile linebacker Mike Mohamed returns after a solid sophomore season after recording 3 interceptions (1 returned for a TD), 2 pass breakups, 3 sacks, 3 QB hurries, 1 forced fumble and fumble recovery, 6 tackles for a loss, and 81 total tackles (51 solo). Mohamed’s sophomore numbers are better than any of the sophomore campaigns of the aforementioned departed linebackers with the exception of the number of TFLs that Follett had his sophomore year. Still, one can easily see that Mohamed should challenge for serious all-conference honors this year as the veteran leader of the linebacking corps.

(Getty Images)

One big storyline to pay attention to is the continued development of sophomore linebacker Mychal Kendricks. The uber talented LB has the chance to be one of the best the school has seen, as evidenced by the fact that he played as a 17 year old true freshman. That says a great deal when one considers the senior linebackers he played next to. Many speculate that Kendricks might be the most talented linebacker of the bunch. While Kendricks had a quiet year with just 15 tackles and 1 sack, a full season of experience under his belt can spell great things for a Bears defense.

With Mohamed and Kendricks firmly entrenched in the middle linebacker spots, the bigger questions fall to the outside linebacker positions.


Eddie Young returns as the only “true” starting linebacker on the outside. Young hasn’t displayed the instinctiveness or athleticism that would jump out to you, but played his assignments well and had a quiet but solid 08 season posting 40 tackles, 1 int, 1.5 TFL, 1 sack, and 1 forced fumble. I expect bigger and better things from Young in his second year as a starter, and final one with the Bears.

The other question mark lies with Devin Bishop who is tentatively slotted as the other starting linebacker opposite of Young. The younger brother of former Cal LB great Desmond Bishop, Devin enters his senior season with the Bears with just one year of FBS level experience and 13 total tackles. In limited time last year, Bishop did well enough to be used in certain goal line situations.

The biggest questions though, are whether both Young and Bishop will show enough improvement to keep their starting spots, or whether one of the incoming JC transfers in Jarred Price or Ryan Davis might overtake them on the depth chart. While both seem serviceable in their roles, the coaching staff is undoubtedly looking for an outside linebacker who might come close to being as much of a playmaker on the outside as Follett was.

Davis or Price might fit the bill.

As a four star recruit, Jarred Price brings wide receiver 4.5 forty speed and a series of accolades. The Blinn College prospect was named the Southwest Junior College Football Conference Defensive Player of the Year and rated the 22nd best JC player by Rivals. Price has also showed a penchant for making plays in the backfield, recording 24 sacks in his senior season at Madison.

Ryan Davis is another intriguing prospect. The three star prospect measures in at a whopping 6’4, 250 pounds, and has shown the potential to be huge playmaker for the Bears. In his sophomore season at Cerritos City College, Davis recorded 32 tackles, including 11 for a loss, 5 sacks, and three fumble recoveries.

Another darkhorse candidate is Chris Little who made an impact during the final spring practice with a number of sacks and tackles for loss, including a devastating hit on QB Beau Sweeney which forced a pick six. A converted DB who originally played linebacker in high school, Little has a chance to be a playmaker for Cal depending on his continued progress in fall camp.

It will be interesting to follow the position battles throughout camp. Will Mychal Kendricks fully blossom as a full time starter and tap into his highly touted potential? How will Mohamed respond as he settles into one linebacker role? Will either Davis or Price replace Young or Bishop in one or both of the OLB spots? How will Chris Little figure into the mix?

My money is on a starting linebacking unit consisting of Mohamed, Kendricks, Young and Bishop to begin the season, with either Davis or Price moving into the starting mix (likely taking Bishop’s spot) after a few games. I suspect that it will take both Davis and Price some time to get fully comfortable playing the 3-4 at Cal, but I think both are too athletic to keep off the field for long. Don’t be surprised to see Price lining up as a DE in some situational downs as well. Expect Little to get in some time in a reserve role, but making an occasional play in his limited time.

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Mailbag 8.03.09 - Worst case scenarios and special teams

Normally, I respond to more than a few questions at a time, but it’s been a quiet offseason, and Ryan from Texas has some pretty loaded questions, so I’ll address them in today’s mailbag.

"I just wanted to ask you two questions about this year's upcoming Cal team:

1) It seems everyone is pretty confident about the Bears' defense and offense, besides the position of quarterback. So the first question I have is basically, what do you think will happen if the quarterback situation plays out to the same effect as it did last year? I'm a pessimist, and since the quarterback situation is kinda iffy, I wonder what could be the "worst case scenario". I'd be surprised if we get less than a simple mediocre air attack, but would that spell disaster for the season overall? Yes, this year, there doesn't seem to be as much quarterback competition (maybe I'm wrong?), but still, what would happen if Cal ended up with low yards and TDs off passes?

2) Okay, now secondly, what about special teams? I haven't heard of anything regarding how good or bad Cal's special teams will be. Maybe that's because that's only determined during the season, but I'm curious to see if you know anything about it.

-Ryan, Texas"

Hey Ryan,

In response to your first question, if our aerial attack were to play out the same as last year, I think you could pretty much expect the same type of season as last year. While I think we’re stronger and deeper at certain units this year, it’s hard for me to imagine really challenging for a conference championship this year unless we pose any real passing threat. The Pac-10 will feature some highly improved run defenses this year, and without any offensive balance, I would expect another 8 or 9 win type of season. Of course, if you want to think about worst case scenarios, you could drop that number down to 5 or 6, but I highly doubt that would be the case with our defensive and strength in the trenches.

On to question number two…


…I anticipate that special teams will continue to be a mixed bag under Coach Alamar. Bryan Anger should really be in the mix for All-American honors, and our kickoffs should be slightly improved with Tavecchio showing a bit of a stronger leg during spring practices, and new recruit Vince D’Amato possibly challenging for field goal duties.

In our return game, Syd’Quan will continue to be one of the better punt returners in the conference, and Jahvid Best will continue to be a threat to take it the distance, depending on how many shots he’s given. Jeremy Ross showed a lot of improvement in this area towards the end of last season as well. Again, keep an eye out on Isi Sofele, if he proves to be ready to play as a true frosh in return duties.

On the flipside, I don’t see any immediate indications that our kickoff coverage will be drastically improved though. While we were solid for the most part last year, one could still expect the occasional big return. Who knows, perhaps that aspect of our special returns unit will be shored up, but I haven’t seen anything that would indicate otherwise.
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