Colorado 2010 Recap

Nearly everyone had predicted that Cal would beat soon-to-be-Pac-11/12? Colorado on Saturday, though many (including myself) acknowledged the Buffaloes were much improved and might be the Bears’ first actual test of the season.

Well if that was a test, the Bears soared with flying colors, stomping the Buffaloes 52-7, but not without revealing a number of areas of concern that the Bears will have to shore up before starting conference play.

Under Pressure
As much as last week’s big story was Keenan Allen, the story this week has to be the larger taste we had of the new Bears defense under new defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast.

I must say, there were some parts that were flat out delicious.

The Bears’ defensive line was quoted during the summer in professing their love for Pendergasts’ new defensive system, and today you could tell why. Cal got great pressure on Colorado on passing downs, sacking Colorado QB Tyler Hansen three times in just the first quarter, before piling up six sacks on the days. Even when they didn’t actually get to Hansen, there was also enough visible pressure that Hansen was rushed into throwing three interceptions, including one that was returned for a touchdown by the Prophet right before the end of the first half.

In addition to the pressure, one of the other positives was the quality of coverage I saw from the secondary. Hansen had to hold onto the ball a bit longer than he wanted to, a number of times because his receivers were blanketed pretty well by the secondary. When Hansen did uncork the ball, the pass was broken up beautifully by Darian Hagan, and a brilliant interception from redshirt freshman Steve Williams.

Hansen finished his day completing just 18 of 34 passes for 166 yards, and three interceptions. Colorado shouldn’t have been a threat to dominate the Bears with their passing game, but you have to be happy that the Bears didn’t elevate Hansen to Big-12 weekly honors like they might have done last season.

After having a quieter day on defense last week, the Bears left Memorial today with six sacks, two forced fumbles (one returned for a TD), and 3 interceptions (one returned for a TD). They also allowed just 239 yards of total offense, including just 73 yards on the ground.



Linebackers Step Up
Even though I thought the secondary played very well today, I actually was quite impressed with the linebacker play today. Mike Mohamed was his typical spectacular self, notching up 14 tackles, a pick six, and sharing a tackle for a loss.

But I thought Mychal Kendricks had a great day, really honing in on the ball with 11 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, a sack, and a fumble recovery.

DJ Holt was also all over the place, ratching up 7 tackles, a tackle for a loss, and I was actually also pretty impressed with his coverage, as he closed in on a pass fairly quickly for a near interception. We’ll see if he can do that when he matches up against some better tight ends, but it was still good to see that he wasn’t just a statue out there.

Let’s not forget “the midget” though, Jarred Price (who cannot be 5’11, probably closer to 5’9) who made life a living hell for Colorado LT Nate Solder, a likely first-round draft prospect. Great decision to match up Price against Solder, as his speed off the edge made Solder look absolutely plodding, and sacked Hansen twice.

Speaking of the linebackers, I’m not convinced Keith Browner will stay as the starter at the OLB spot by the end of the season. We didn’t see much from him today, whether that was by design, or a result of his play, but I do think that he may eventually be beaten out by either Price, Ryan Davis, or even true frosh Dave Wilkerson. I think his play will likely peak at simply “adequate,” and I’m not sure he’ll ever be a consistent playmaker for the Bears. Who knows? It’s only week 2.

Gripe with Defense
If there was one grip I had on defense, it was the Bears’ inability to stop the Buffaloes in third and short situations. First, inherent to this issue is the fact that the Buffaloes put themselves in position for very manageable third downs. But it became virtually assured that the Buffaloes would convert on third-and-one, with a tiny runningback no less. I know the Bears faced one of the larger offensive lines they will see all season, and giving up a yard often can’t be helped, but I would have liked to have seen the Bears win a few more of those battles in the trenches.

First Things First with Offense
I can understand why one might be excited by 52 points. There were plenty of nice plays, and some good production from the receivers, which I’ll talk about in a minute. Whee! But first, let’s talk about my biggest concern: the offensive line.

The Bears’ offensive line is slowly become an irking point of concern particularly in terms of the rushing attack. I saw the o-line getting very little push, and they were simply moved back far too often.

Many might look at Shane Vereen’s mere 61 yards on 16 carries (3.7 ypc) and wonder whether he is at 100% (which he isn’t, in my opinion), but the issue is the lack of running lanes for Vereen and the fact that he was getting touched in the backfield far too often.

In terms of pass protection, the play was slightly better, but still not quite where the Bears will need to be if the Bears want to challenge for the top tier of the conference. You could see a noticeable difference in passing production when they could effectively pick up Colorado pressure, and when they didn’t. Colorado was really stacking the box to put some pressure on Riley and force him to make high quality throws under pressure. There were a couple of open men on a number of plays that Riley either missed or didn’t have a chance to get to because of the pressure.

This offensive line is going to be the key for this offense, plain and simple. And while many might be giddy with back to back performances of 52 points, it’s the small battles in the trenches that might be more revealing. Fortunately, the Bears still have a bit more time to continue to work through this, but it needs to be addressed ASAP.

Now onto some other offensive notes.

Riley’s Grade
Riley had an OK day. He continued to hurry a number of his passes, and missed a few throws including two passes in the flat to Vereen, and nearly overthrew Jones on a screen pass. And if we really want to nitpick, Jones had to slow down a tiny bit on that great 61 yard grab.

But he also had some really nice throws when he had time. Riley looked confident, checked down, and got the ball nicely into his receivers hands over the middle. You also had to like his gutsiness and athleticism when he decided to take off and run.

In all, Riley took care of the football, managed the game much better than he did last week, and executed well in the red zone. He finished the day 15-24 for 197 yards, and 4 TDs. Thus far on the season, Riley is completing 66 percent of his passes, and has 7 touchdowns with no interceptions. You would like to see him complete a few more of those routine passes, and again, you can’t take too much away from these games, but you can’t be that unhappy with what you have seen so far.

Wide Receiving Corps is Alive
Despite fewer “Oh My %^$#!” plays this week, I really think we’re seeing the beginning of a very good receiving corps. Marvin Jones and Keenan Allen are a great one-two punch with Allen recording 6 catches for 66 yards and touchdown, and Marvin Jones reeling in 3 catches for 77 yards and a score as well.

Again, props to Jones for making an amazing grab and showing shades of dare-I-say Geoff MacArthur as he fought through and carried defenders to near the goal line.

Jeremy Ross also reeled in a nice 27 yard catch, and showed much better mitts than last season. With Ross in your third spot, I think you’ve got a real nice starting rotation at wide receiver.

Other Notes on Offense
There were a Bears’ share of mistakes that are still getting worked out as we move along. Matt Summers Gavin made his long awaited return and promptly got flagged for a false start. FB Eric Stevens missed a block on the corner which led to Isi Sofele taking a tackle for a loss.

Also, for a second week in a row, the first passing TD has gone to Vereen on an amazing back shoulder fade. That’s a tough ball to throw, and a difficult one to catch and Vereen did a great job reeling that in. Vereen shows why Tedford specifically said Vereen had an edge over Best in running routes.

Finally, I will say I was pretty happy with the play calling. Ludwig continues to draw up the QB draw every so often, and threw in a faking of the fly sweep on the Jones TD catch. Oh, and you also got to like a few deep shots in the third quarter instead of simply running the ball and playing to super conservative with a 31-7 lead.

Overall, I would have liked to have seen more sustained drives, not only to show the offense can move the ball, but to also give the defense some much needed rest. And yes, that offensive line play needs to get better.

Special Teams
The Special Teams continue to be a refreshing bright spot for the team. I thought the kickoff coverage got a little spotty as the game wore on, with the Bears giving up a 39 yard return to CU Brian Lockridge. And despite the level of talent they played against, you had had to be happy with the effort on special teams with all things considered.

Bryan Anger continued to show why he’s one of the best punters in the nation, averaging 48.3 yards per punt, including some a monstrous 66 yarder. Just ridiculous stuff.

Giorgio Tavecchio continued to show great consistency on his kickoffs, including a few impressive boots that even got deep inside the endzone. More than just the distance on kickoffs though, which is a 64.8 yard average by the way, is the consistency we’re seeing from the Italian Stallion. There’s just such a visible change in the level of confidence in his kickoffs. We’ll see how that confidence plays out with field goals, as he hasn’t really been tested in this regard.

A quick note, I had hoped that a few other kickers such as Vincenzo D’Amato or David Seawright might get a chance on some kickoffs last week, but after seeing D’Amato boot one out of bounds on his lone try, I’m content with Tavecchio handling the vast majority of these duties.

Finally, I have to praise Jeremy Ross for his continued excellent work on special teams. Ross keeps making good decisions in fielding the ball, as well as some nice moves on punt returns. The guy will take one all the way before it’s all said and done, but I’m more than content with him ripping off some solid 20 yard gains.

Colorado Self-Destruction
I said in my preview that Colorado was a disciplined team. What I meant was that they play scrappy on defense and cover their gaps well. I probably should have been more specific, because it’s rare that I’ve seen a team shoot themselves in the foot as often as Colorado did with penalties.

Let’s be honest here. Even if Colorado had played a near flawless game, they were unlikely to walk out of Memorial Stadium with the win. They were that outmatched both in terms of coaching and talent.

However, the Buffaloes were in full out LiLo self-destructoid mode, committing four penalties in the first eight minutes of the game, and finishing with 9 penalties for 75 yards. Yes, I know the Bears were far from perfect in this category, as they committed 6 of their own. But those types of penalties, are a reflection of the level of coaching and team discipline, which Colorado apparently lacks.

I do think the Buffaloes can end up rebounding on their way to a bowl eligible season, but they’re going to have to get a lot of things in check, and play for themselves, because it doesn’t look like they’re going to get a whole bunch of that from their coaches.

Looking Forward
I’ve said for some time that we really won’t know what the true identity of this team until at least the Arizona game. Again, we’re slowly learning more and more, and there are a number of good things, with a fair share of concerns.

The early prognosis?

Special Teams are likely better. Defense is more aggressive, but can they be consistent and do they have the personnel? Offensive Line play is still a concern, but some playmakers are emerging on the outside. Kevin Riley is playing well, but we won’t jump up and down until we see him play in truly testy conditions.

For now, enjoy the win over a BCS conference (albeit bad) opponent, and get ready for a tricky test against Nevada.

Go Bears! Sleep well tonight.