Oregon State Recap 2010

I said it before, and I’ll say it again. Bad things happen when the Bears face off against the Beavers. And Saturday’s game was about as close to a nightmare as you can have of a game.

The temptation for the biggest story on the day will be the devastating injury to Kevin Riley. After completing a clutch pass to Marvin Jones on an all too common third and long, Riley was tackled low which left him on the endzone writhing in pain. An absolutely nasty injury, and you had to feel for the kid. It seemed like everyone knew Riley’s game was over, and it was even more sickening knowing his career at Cal was likely done as well.

The injury aside though, the bigger issue was again the biweekly faceplant by the Bears on the road. It became obvious early on that the Bears were again going to struggle mightily. Very few other aspects of the game, if any, went well for the Bears. OSU’s defense toyed with the Bears’ defense, and the Bears’ offense shot itself in the foot continually with a mind-blowing number of penalties and mental mistakes in their helpless attempts at scoring. Other than the Riley injury, it seemed like déjà vu with the ways the Bears gave up field position, and looked rattled on both offense and defense.

Another game, and another gloomy road loss.


Things Change with Mansion
The offensive gameplan changed greatly with Mansion in the game. Not only do you throw out a number of plays, but you play right into the defense’s hands knowing you’re going to focus on running the ball early on. Later, the defense doesn’t have to send nearly as many players on passing downs given how slowly Mansion was going through his progressions.

At the end of the day, I didn’t think Mansion did too poorly, but he took far too long in deciding where to go with the ball, and the results were stalled drives and numerous sacks. This was fairly evident in the second to last drive in the first half. With OSU’s missed field goal, the Bears had a chance to try and drive down the field in what would have been an obvious two minute drill, but instead the Bears took their time with Mansion needing valuable seconds to call out plays and attempt to read defenses before snapping the ball. The Bears would earn just 15 yards on five plays and again punt the ball.

Mansion did finish the game well though on a last minute hurry-up drive, checking down before hitting Anthony Miller for a 45 yard gain and avoiding the first offensive shutout by the Bears since 1999.

Penalties Kill the Bears
The most frustrating aspect of the afternoon on offense though were the penalties. The Bears had been one of the least penalized teams in the conference coming into the game, but imploded against OSU.

It seemed like every single drive was marred by backbreaking penalties. On the first drive of the game, a hold by Donovan Edwards negated a first down run from Shane Vereen and instead put the Bears at 1st and 20 at their own 20 yard line. The Bears were sacked on third down after Edwards missed his man, and had to punt out of their own endzone, giving the Beavers a first down at their own 43 yard line.

On the ensuing return, an Illegal block had the Bears start on their 10 yard line.

Cue the Bears’ third drive. Mansion throws for negative yardage, takes a coverage sack, and then another false start for the Bears ends the first quarter.

But the Bears would pick up right where they left off, starting the second quarter with another false start, with a 3rd and 25.

Later in the game, Vereen runs for a nice gain, but then an unsportsmanlike conduct flag? An Illegal crackback block on Spencer Ladner. A holding call on Galas? WTF?!?

Brock Mansion’s best pass of the day to Michael Calvin that would have put the Bears in the red zone for the first time was negated by a holding call.

[Edit: The final count was 12 penalties for 103 yards. Until the Bears' final drive, that was nearly the number of total yards the Bears had gained on offense.]

Simply incredible.

With all of the aforementioned said, some of the calls were simply terrible. The refs seemingly had it out for the Bears, refusing to call some obvious penalties on the Beavers, and being hypersensitive to each and every play by the Bears. It was enough to earn the Bears an unsportsmanlike penalty after Tedford “excessively” argued a no call on the Beavers. Go figure.

Nightmarish Day on Offense
With all the things working against the Bears on offense—losing your starting QB, excessive penalties, you have to try and overcompensate by extreme focus in execution. There was none of that to be found, with the Bears killing themselves in other ways.

Seemingly every single drive on offense was a nightmare. In the second quarter, Mansion completed a screen pass to Allen who showed terrific moves to pick up the first down, only to carry the ball like a loaf of bread and get it knocked out for a fumble.

I understand the offense changes considerably when you lose your starting quarterback in the early moments of the game. But there’s no excuse for the Bears to be as stagnant on offense as they were. The Bears have far too many athletes for them not to gain more than just 100 some yards against OSU. That’s just a combination of terrible execution and focus.

Offensive Line Struggles Again
It seems with each loss, the Bears’ physical deficiencies at the offensive line become more apparent. We knew the Beavers' defensive front had some studs, but for the Bears to be tossed aside and side stepped in the trenches that often was difficult to watch. And this is coming from someone who thought the offensive line had progressed a bit this year. If the coaches had been considering some personnel changes, now's the time.

Defense Fails to Contain
The Beavers just had their way with the Bears on offense. It seemed like every single play they dialed up went exactly the way they chalked it up.

However, what aided in the Beavers’ offensive efforts however was the Bears’ inability to contain the edges on the ground. The Bears were unable to shed blocks, lost containment off the edge, and allowing Rodgers to bounce outside for some big gains.

Then you start looking at the wide receivers on the outside. The lack of containment allowed the receivers to make big gains with plenty of open space.

The effort and focus on sealing off the edges were much better in the second half, but some of it is also attributed to the Beavers being more content with running it up the middle.

Few Bright Spots
Let’s look at the bright spots:
- For the first time in nearly three years the Bears are going to have a jump start on their quarterback evaluation. I thought Mansion showed some good things, but the coaches will be forced into giving each candidate an honest look. I’d be highly surprised if the current competition came down to anyone other than Mansion and Sweeney, but at this point, why the hell not take a look at Bridgford or Hinder? At least they might see some third team reps.

- I though Steve Williams continued to demonstrate some fantastic coverage. On each unsuccessful deep throw attempt, Williams was running stride for stride with his defender in good position. He’s still a bit too skinny to be a complete corner, as he's not quite as physical in his tackles, but I like what I’m seeing coverage wise for now.

- Anthony Miller has regressed in terms of his blocking, but the guy is still a load to bring down. That ball got into the endzone on sheer effort.

- Again, that last drive was critical for giving Brock Mansion some confidence headed into this week of practice. One thing: He’s got to be faster. Much faster. Get the ball out faster and call out the blitzes a faster. The name of the game will be speed.

- Cameron Jordan continues to have a nice season. His defensive line struggled to get much pressure much of the day, but Jordan was impressive in getting in the backfield.

Thank You Kevin
I hate that I have to write at this point in the season, but I want to give a special shoutout to Kevin Riley. It’s an absolute shame that your career at Cal had to end the way it did. You faced about as much as a collegiate quarterback could, yet you hung in there, worked your ass off and represented the university well. You were a leader to this team, and I for one, won’t forget your commitment and dedication to this team. Thanks and best of luck with your future. Go Bears.

Outlook
The Bears will again have to regroup, under simultaneously similar and different conditions. They will again have to regroup after their second blowout in two weeks, but will have to do so without their starting quarterback.

It will be interesting to see whether they use this game a launching point in terms of trying to reinvent themselves a bit for this season (highly unlikely in my opinion). Will we see anything new? Perhaps the Bears use more shotgun and QB keepers with Mansion? I did think he did far better with his throws when the Bears were spread out wide.

It’s more likely though that the Bears try to truck through this season with what they have. The question as always though: what do the Bears have?
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Keys to the Game: Oregon State 2010

Ahh, the annual OSU showdown. Other than USC, there are few other teams I loathe playing against as much as the Beavers. And it’s not because I hate them. In fact, I think somewhere underneath my nausea with their black and orange color scheme is a begrudging respect for their style and performance in the conference the past decade.

But let’s face it. The Beavers have taken part in some of the worst and most heartbreaking losses under Tedford. From the 2007 Kevin Riley run to Jahvid’s terrifying fall last year, you just get the sense each year that something bad is going to happen. The Bears have lost 9 of the last 11 to OSU, and have yet to beat them since 2006.


Regardless, the Bears face a critical game. Despite dominating teams at home, including last weekend’s 50-17 beatdown of ASU, the Bears have yet to win on the road this year, typically losing in either a heartbreaking or spectacularly bad fashion. Oregon State on the other hand, appeared to be picking up their annual “rip apart conference opponents starting in October” mojo, until losing in double overtime to Washington before last week’s bye.

They appear to be reeling, especially defensively, where they currently rank 119th in total defense (out of 120). What more, they lost arguably their biggest playmaker James Rodgers for the season. Ouch.

But if we’ve learned anything this season, it’s that statistics and injury issues mean nothing for this Cal team. It boils down to whether the Bears show up motivated and ready to execute in all phases of the game.

A few things...


Can Tedford Surprise Riley?
The biggest determinant in the annual Bears and Beavers matchup always comes down to OSU’s defense versus our offense. And we’re typically on the losing end. Why? Because, it seems like OSU’s Mike Riley has pretty much figured out Tedford defensively. OSU is content to stack the box, play man defense, and force the Bears to making big plays through the air which they’ve failed to do consistently.

This year appears to be no different, but I wonder how the Bears will plan on mixing things up this year given some of the questions the Beavers have had on defense, and some of weapons the Bears have found this year.

Normally, I’d spout reasons for attacking the Beavers through the air. OSU ranks dead last in the conference in passing defense, giving up 281 yards per game. That’s bad. Like, nearly 2009 Cal defense bad.

Yet the Bears have failed to be a consistent threat this year in passing the ball, with Riley and company managing just passing 199 yards per game. While I don’t expect much of a difference in terms of balancing both a healthy dose of run and pass, I’d hope the Bears get a bit more creative in how they try and get those yards.

Instead of attacking the middle of OSU’s front seven, I’d hope they try and utilize the Bears’ speed at receiver with some reverses and sweeps of their own to try and attack the edge. Continually get Keenan Allen the ball on some of those split screens like they did against ASU last week has to be a priority. You have to think the Bears begin handing the ball off on some wildcat formations to keep the Beavers honest.

And again, perhaps throw in a few no huddle drives, just to get Riley into a rhythm?

Control ‘Quizz, Control Beav Offense
As much as I try to wrap my head around various modes of attack, and different ways the Bears should gameplan for the Beavers defensively, I keep going back to Jacquizz Rodgers. Although it doesn’t seem like too much of a rocket scientist statement, it’s still a bit of a head scratcher given how the Bears bottled up ‘Quizz to just 67 yards on 25 carries the year prior, but still managed to lose 31-14. The major differences offensively with this year’s OSU squad however, is that they lack QB Sean Canfield who torched the Bears for 342 yards last year, and currently feature an offensive line plagued with injuries.

Don’t get me wrong. I think QB Ryan Katz is a solid talent. I was impressed with his athleticism even from his limited playing time last year, and the guy has handled his first year as a starting QB in the Pac-10 better than most had projected.

Yet, there’s a noticeable dropoff in OSU’s gameplan when Rodgers is unable to make big gains on the ground. Katz is forced into being a bit more aggressive than I’m sure the coaches would like him to, and subsequently rushes through his progressions and is more likely to force a ball. In the loss to Washington, Katz was 17 for 31 for 201 yards and three interceptions. As was the case with losses against TCU and Boise State, Katz has shown that he can be rattled when pressured, leaving his completion percentage to plummet and the offense to stall.

So it all comes down to controlling the run game. No easy task. Even when defenses make Rodgers the top priority, he does an amazing job of squirting through for positive yardage. He’s incredibly tough to bring down for his size, and has about as good of vision and elusiveness at the line of scrimmage as I’ve seen in a back the past few years. The key is not necessarily trying to stop Rodgers, it’s to control the line of scrimmage enough with solid gap assignments and good tackling to try and control the offense and force them in third and long situations. If the Bears get to a point where they’re giving up 4-5 yards a carry, they’ll become impatient and lose control of gap assignments. And then Katz begins to flex those arm muscles for big gains on play action. Or the fly sweeps go for 15 yards instead of just 3. And all hell breaks loose.

Win the Field Position Battle
The Bears have made a lot of nice gains in terms of special teams. They’ve cut back their average opponent starting field position by about 10 yards (from 34 to 24), and have shown a bit more productivity in the punt return game this year.

Yet, in their losses the Bears have struggled with field position, forcing them to be much more conservative on both offense and defense to start the game.

Despite losing James Rodgers, the Beavers have still managed to maintain their position as 9th and 7th in nation with punt and kickoff returns respectively. The Bears absolutely have to be disciplined on return coverage to avoid knocking themselves out a fighter’s chance at the field position battle. This is all the more important in games as expected to be as close as this one might be.

Outlook
I’m predicting a Cal loss. And don’t call me out for not having faith in the team. I believe this team can absolutely win in Corvallis (gosh, did I just write that?). It’s just hard for me to see it happening. It’s almost similar to our struggles in Tucson and the Coliseum, but the aura just surrounds OSU as a whole. As I said before, bad things happen when OSU and the Bears face off. Color me scarred.

It should be a close one though. While the Bears lead in most statistical categories over the Beavers, again we know that such logic has meant little in terms of predicting results this season. The Beavers are a smart and disciplined team, with a defensive mindset that appears all but set to try and lock down the Bears’ offense.

If the Bears can get their playmakers into space however, and control OSU’s offensive tempo by contained ‘Quizz, we’ve got a great chance at reversing the Bears’ fortunes against the Beavs.

Go Bears!

Prediction
Cal: 24
OSU: 34

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ASU Recap 2010

(AP)

After Cal’s 50-17 manhandling of Arizona State, the biggest story will likely be the disparity between the Bears’ performance at home and on the road. The Bears are a perfect 4-0 at Memorial Stadium, having outscored opponents 184-34. Conversely, the Bears are winless on the road this year, losing by a margin of 110-54 over those three losses.

The Bears have been bit dismissive of the strangely advantageous aura of Memorial Stadium, and have been a bit more adamant about attributing the win to a proverbial gutcheck, and the response to some of the “negativity from the outside” and the Cal alumni who had been questioning the teams’ heart.

While this blogger never questioned the team’s heart or effort, I was one of the many who scratched their head trying to get a sense of a team that could look so dangerous in one game, and look clueless in the next. If anything, the game highlighted the team’s resilience in being able to bounce back from a tough loss. Even after the Nevada loss, the Bears showed great fire and drive in competing against a pretty good Arizona squad. The more pressing question of course, is how the Bears maintain this hunger and try to string some wins together, especially on the road.

In focusing squarely on the ASU game, while far from perfect, the Bears showed one of their more complete performances of the season. Arizona State did itself no favors, committing nine penalties for 72 yards as has been typical with Erickson’s squad for the past few years. But make no mistake about it, the Bears dominated the Sun Devil squad in nearly every regard.

After having averaged nearly 33 points per game coming into Memorial Stadium, the Bears didn’t allow a single touchdown defensively, with ASU only getting into the endzone on a punt block return and a fumble recovery. Most impressive was the way the Bears shut down the Sun Devils passing attack which had been second in the conference with 299 passing yards per game. The Sun Devils managed just 177 yards through the air on 33 pass attempts, failing to get into endzone, and committing three interceptions in the process.

ASU’s run game was also nowhere to be found, scraping up just 57 yards against the Bears’ smothering defense. The Bears also rolled against ASU’s scrappy defense, rolling up just 371 total yards, but taking advantage of all six trips to the endzone. The Bears also rolled up 50 points, going over the half century mark for the third time this season.

Looking at a couple of details from the game…


Riley Shines
I thought Kevin Riley had his best performance of the season, going 19 for 28 on the day for 240 yards and 2 touchdowns with no interceptions. While there were a few bad moments and iffy passes (which all quarterbacks will have), I thought Riley was about as sharp as he’s been for a while. There were two passes in particular that really stuck out to me. His four yard strike to Keenan Allen in the endzone was the definition of threading the needle, and one that could have been disastrous had Allen not showed the perfect zip and accuracy on that pass. Also, his 32 yard toss to Jeremy Ross on his rollout was about as perfectly placed as you can get when throwing on the run. Just a beautiful toss.

With that said, I do think Riley is hesitating a bit still on some of his passes, particularly his deep throws, which is leading to him underthrowing his receivers a tad. Also, I’m still confused as to why Riley has completely eliminated his ability to tuck the ball and run. There was a moment in the game where Riley had open field in front of him for him to pick up 10 to 15 yards he were to take off and run, but he continued to scan the field before throwing the ball away. I appreciate his greater focus on going through his reads, but I do think one of his strengths is his ability to gain some yards on the ground.

It’s still quite amazing to see how different Riley looks at home versus on the road. He’s failed to throw a pick at home!

Also, final note on Riley. I still continue to think he’s at his best in a no huddle, hurry-up offense. He’s just really shined in a lot of moments he’s been forced to lead two minute drills. Perhaps it’s because it’s less about running through his reads and more about getting the ball quickly to defenders who are in space because the defense is on their heels a bit more, but I’d like to see the Bears try and implement an occasional no-huddle offense once or twice a game—even when the situation doesn’t call for it.

Shane Vereen Continues to Impress
Vereen looks so much different from his not-quite-healthy self from the beginning of the season. He’s been impressive since the Nevada game, and is continuing to make a statement for all-conference honors next to LaMichael James.

Vereen piled up 91 yards on 19 yards with two scores. While these aren’t amazing numbers, it’s impressive considering the Sun Devils had been giving up just 3.59 yards. Also consider that the Bears were inconsistent in their run blocking on the day. Depending on the linemen personnel on the field, the Bears had mixed results in their blocking for runs up the middle and runs to the outside.

People who enjoy runningback play have to appreciate all the small things Vereen demonstrates. His vision, patience, and ability to shake defenders is really a joy to watch. You have to think Jahvid Best was fist pumping on the sidelines watching his boy do some damage.

Offensive Line Play Still Inconsistent
O-line play continues to be a trail mix of performances. There were really nice moments, including some nasty pancakes and good pockets of time for Riley. Then there were whiffed blocks, and moments in which the line looked overpowered by ASU’s defensive front.

The Bears allowed two sacks, giving them 12 on the season. They look to be improved in pass protection this year, after having allowed 31 last year. But gone are the days when the Bears would allow just 11 on the season.

We simply don’t have the personnel right now to be consistently dominating in the trenches, but I do think the Bears are continuing to play around with the big fellas a bit to try and fight the right combination. There appeared to be an increased intensity with MSG and Galas in the game, but a few more blown assignments, particularly one in which Summers-Gavin got beat on the outside for a sack. I’d like to see MSG show a bit more consistency before entrenching himself full time at the RT position, but Edwards has shown some nice athleticism on the lateral running plays.

Better WR Showing
I liked how Ludwig showed a greater emphasis on getting Keenan Allen involved more early on. Allen didn’t have a monster game, with just 40 yards on six catches and a touchdown, but getting Allen involved does so much more in terms of keeping the defense honest when they have to key in on a player. Allen needs to get the ball 8 to 10 times a game, if not just for production, but for his confidence and instilling some fear in the secondary’s mind.

Don’t think for a second that it doesn’t have an effect on opening up some lanes for Marvin Jones, who was able to reap the benefits with 110 yards on 4 catches. Jones also had a score, but it really should have been two (that fade route, dah!). Jones has 508 receiving yards this season, and is looking to have one of the best WR seasons since 2006. It’s also good to see Jones bounce back after having some uncharacteristic crops the past few games.

Also, Ross had a nice grab, and Michael Calvin had his first catch this season that made me say, “Atta kid.”

Defensive Lockdown
It’s hard not to be impressed with the defense’s showing on Saturday. ASU scoring 17 points is a bit misleading, as the Sun Devils failed to score an offensive touchdown. I was actually a little peeved with the two touchdowns given up on offense and special teams, as it broke the Bears’ streak of keeping opponents under double digit scoring this season. More on this later.

In addition to the statistical dominance mentioned above, the Bears showed nice variety in some of their looks, though I thought the decision to play a lot of nickel was the right call against ASU’s spread formations.

Despite some hair-wringing over ASU’s opening drive, I actually thought to myself, “No way ASU stays this lucky over the game. Threet is going to get picked off two or three times today if he continues to fling those ducks off his back foot.” Sure enough, the Bears hassled Threet all day, forcing him into throwing two picks and batting down a number of other passes.

Defensive Backfield Redefined
I honestly think Conte has been the Bears’ best defensive player for the past few weeks. He’s had some very strong showing, and continues to be all over the field in pass defense and coming in for support. Just when you think a big play is about to break lose, you see Conte blazing in to make some type of play.

It’s a bit of a shame that Conte wasn’t moved over to the safety position earlier, which I do think has been his more natural position all along. I would take Conte’s play over any of our safety play from the past year or so, save for some of Sean Cattouse’s big days.

Speaking of which…

…It was good to see Cattouse have a signature game this season. I think Cattouse has been a bit sporadic, but when he’s on, I think he’s about as athletic and as nasty of safety as you can get in this conference. I’d like to see him continue that level of viciousness in the defensive backfield.

Outlook
Sure ASU isn’t far from the best team in the conference, but I think they’re a bit more quality than their end of season record will indicate, and a 50-17 win is impressive in most regards.

Again, the question will be how the Bears respond and whether they will continue their momentum as they again hop back on the road against dreaded Mike Riley’s Beavers. That last statement sounds terrible if you interpret it in certain ways.

As of now, a potential 6-6 or 7-5 team will have to scratch and claw for every win. Enjoy the ones that come with a 33 point victory.

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Keys to the Game: Arizona State 2010

Moving on to Arizona State.

The Bears return to the comforts of Memorial Stadium where they have yet to lose to a team not named USC or Oregon State since 2006. It’s a good thing too, because the Bears face a must win situation. With Oregon State on the road looming, and with a home stretch of Oregon, Stanford and Washington, the Bears need to topple the Dennis Erickson’s Sun Devils if they want to keep their bowl hopes on track.

Here’s What You Need to Know
Like Cal, Arizona State has also share 3-3 record and a 1-2 record in conference, with losses to Oregon and Oregon State and a win over Washington headed into last week’s bye. The Sun Devils were close in nearly all their losses, and gave Oregon their biggest scare this season, leading 24-14 midway through the second quarter.

You just get the feeling that the Sun Devils have the chance to turn things around and contend for a spot in the upper half of the conference. The biggest difference from last year’s squad is the new spread offense brought in under new offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone. ASU’s air raid offensive attack is led by Steven Threet, a Michigan transfer who has put up a conference leading 286 yards per game, and is helping ASU to put up points consistently, something they haven’t been able to do since their 2007 season.

ASU’s defense has been notoriously scrappy, and this year is no exception with the Sun Devils ranked 4th in the conference in both total and scoring defense. Their solid front seven is highlighted by DT Lawrence Guy and Vontaze Burfict, one of the most athletically and borederline crazy linebackers in the nation. Seriously, this kid is scary as a true freshman.

Yet, ASU has been its own undoing. The Sun Devils nearly upset Wisconsin, but missed on an extra point. As much as Threet has jolted the Sun Devils previously stagnant offense, he has also been turnover prone, tossing 11 picks for most in the conference. ASU is also one of the most penalized teams in the nation (108th) and has also given up 17 sacks. The aforementioned scrappy defense has also struggled to get turnovers, notching only seven on the season.

So as talented and potent as the Sun Devils have been on both sides of the ball, they have also earned a habit of shooting themselves in the foot.

Here are some quick keys to the game.


Rattle Threet
Steven Threet is a solid passer, and is about as poised as they come having played in a number of hostile environments in hi s young career.

But Threet can also be rattled in throwing ducks and or taking a number of coverage sacks as he often waits a bit too long for his receivers to settle into a zone or get open. He’s fairly accurate in his short to medium routes, but I haven’t been overly impressed with all of his deep balls.

I’d wager that the Bears are going to be switching up zone and man coverage on Threet to keep him off balance with a number of different looks. I’d lean a bit more on Cal doing the former in hopes of forcing Threet to try and dink and dunk a bit in hope of messing up somewhere. When the Bears do play man, except a lot more pressure in hopes of getting Threet to throw before he’s ready and into zones that the safeties might have read before his receivers arrive.

What the Bears can’t afford to do is sit back and let Threet pick apart a Bears’ zone defense apart. Expect to see a similar gameplan as what the Bears brought against Arizona, with a slightly more aggressive look at ASU’s inside running game.

Riley and Company Are Going to Have to Get it Done
For the past few years, the gameplan against the Sun Devils has been fairly similar. Pound the ball and make plays through the air when necessary. The Bears know this and will likely follow suit. The Bears likely won’t see too much success in the run game, and expect the Sun Devils to stack the box against Vereen.

The Bears will try and keep it balanced, but the offensive production will be dependent on their ability to move the ball through the air. Now some may groan and ask, “You mean it’s on Riley?!” Well, partially. The Bears are going to need to come with an intense level of focus in execution. We can’t afford missed assignments on blitz pickups, dropped balls, or whiffed blocks this week. We simply can’t. The passing attack this week will be less about new schemes and more on discipline and focus, something sorely missing last week.

With that said, I expect the tight ends to be a bit more involved, and for the Bears to try and spread the Sun Devils out a bit more themselves. If the Bears can trust their offensive linemen to properly read and pick up blitzes, the Bears will have a darned good chance at moving the chains through the air by thinning out Arizona State’s linebackers in coverage.

Help Sun Devils with Mental Mistakes
The Bears are hopefully riled up and ready to atone for last week’s debacle. They’ll be roaring to go and will hopefully have the focus and discipline to boot. Their chance at winning will be contingent on their ability to perform, and theirs alone.

However, this Sun Devil team is prone to shooting themselves in the foot. While it shouldn’t be a point of emphasis, I’d think the Bears have given thought to getting in the Sun Devils’ heads a bit. See if they take the bait and run in late for a tackle to keep a Cal drive alive, or if different feints on defense might get Threet or an ASU offensive linemen to think twice about their assignments.

ASU’s issues weigh more on their shoulders, but it doesn’t mean the Bears can’t do anything to help propagate that.

Prediction
I’m getting tired of these predictions, because I feel this year’s and last year’s teams have been the most head scratching ones and hardest to figure out. I’m guessing it will be a close one, but again it’s only a guess.

We don’t know which team will show up for this one, but I’m hoping being back at Memorial Stadium will help produce the good Bears. We shall see.

Cal: 31
Arizona State: 27

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USC Recap 2010

I know this is a bit late, and people are probably a bit sick of reading about the Bears and their loss at USC, but I might as well get a few last thoughts out before we move on to looking at Arizona State.

Cal’s loss at USC was nothing short of embarrassing. I’ve had my share of games in which I’ve walked away frustrated, angry, heartbroken, beaten up, the list goes on. However, last Saturday’s game was one of the first in which I was just embarrassed. Look, there’s no shame in losing to USC, especially at USC. Despite all their shortcomings this year, and the fact that they’re nowhere near some of the USC teams from past years, they’re still USC and still feature the top talent in the league. Especially given Tedford’s struggles at the Coliseum, there would have been little else to do after a USC loss except to chalk it up as another loss and move on.

However, this wasn’t just another loss. It was one of the worst performances I’ve seen from a Tedford coached team, and one of the worst halves of football I’ve seen the Bears play—period. The Bears simply shot themselves in the foot in all three phases of the game early on, and were unable to display the mental fortitude to weather the storm and bounce back from the early deficit, going on to lose 48-14.

Now, I’m far from thinking the Bears are an elite squad in the conference, but they really shouldn’t ever lose a game the way they did last Saturday. “It happens,” you might say, but the growing frequency of these losses are concerning.

Such a loss forces one to wonder what to attribute the loss to. Was it poor coaching? Lack of talent? Lack of execution? An absence of mental focus? I think the answer lies in shades of things, with some having more to do with the outcome than others.


It’s Not (All) on Riley
Usually you can’t pin a blowout loss on a single player. A poor performance from an individual player or a major gaffe usually leads to fairly close losses. Something like last Saturday’s game is a systematic meltdown on a number of different levels.

So fans who have been bashing Riley and calling for a backup need to make sure their emotions are based on an honest assessment of what they’ve seen from Riley over the years, and what they know about the backups rather than pinning it on this loss.

I thought Riley’s day was horrible, as his numbers were hurt by some drops and quite frankly, his numbers could have been a lot, I repeat, A LOT worse given the pressure he was seeing on Saturday. With that said, his two interceptions were back breakers. The pass to Ladner was just short, and the screen pass that got picked off, well, yeah I don’t know what the hell was happening there.

Offensive Line Takes Two Steps Back
This one is particularly frustrating to talk about, because for all my gripes on this offensive line, I thought they had been slowly progressing this past season. But the Bears o-line was manhandled both in pass protection as well as in the run game. The Bears were getting killed on the inside especially, with the guards on both sides getting simply manhandled USC’s tackles and standout DT Jurrell Casey.

The fact remains that the Bears simply don’t have the talent across the board right now to really compete for the top of the conference. I do think there are bits and pieces that might allow the Bears to catch lightning in a bottle, but I don’t see anything right now that leads me to believe we’ll be able to that on a consistent basis this season.

At this point, I’d like to see Dominic Galas and Matt Summers-Gavin get more playing time. While I’m not sure yet that they’re the best offensive linemen at the guard or tackle positions respectively, I think they do bring a bit more nastiness to the table, something that might instill a bit more tenacity on this line.

Also, let’s not dismiss the level of coaching and its effect on how the offensive linemen have performed the last few seasons. Just throwing it out there.

Drops
Dear Cal wide receivers and tight ends. Please don’t drop passes thrown in your direction. Thank you, and Go Bears. That is all.

Defensive Mishaps
I wasn’t too concerned with the defensive performance early on. USC was firing on all cylinders, was working with shorter field position, and to be honest, Robert Woods’ touchdown was an amazing catch despite some pretty good coverage by Marc Anthony.

Then, things just fell apart. With the offense unable to generate any drives, the Bears’ defense allowed USC to impose their will. Barkley was connecting with his receivers at will, and the Trojans run game was averaging over six yards a carry.

In my Keys to the Game, I wrote about the Bears needing to keep Barkley in the pocket, but sure enough, most of Barkley’s biggest throws came on bootlegs and designed rollouts. To make matters worse, the Bears appeared to play a lot of man defense on Saturday, which allowed the wide receivers enough time to improvise when the initial looks weren’t there.

Another downside of the man coverage was the way our secondary bit on the pump fake on a number of occasions. Some of the wheel routes just killed the Bears as their overaggression allowed some big yardage through the air.

Some Other Sweet and Sour on Defense
On the bad side, I thought the normally outstanding Mike Mohamed had a rough day. Despite recording ten tackles, he was often out of position on a number of USC’s misdirection runs, and struggled to shed some blocks leaving him out of the picture from making some defensive stops.

On the other hand, I thought Chris Conte has been very good thus far this season, and was every on the field, notching 16 tackles on the day. Conte has really excelled since making the switch to safety. Unfortunately, it’s not always a good thing when your free safety leads your team in tackles.

I also though Steve Williams played pretty well, and I’m liking the promise from the redshirt freshman. I’d be shocked if he wasn’t manning one side of the field next season at the DB position. In fact, don’t be surprised to see him their some time this season.

Special Teams…Steady?
Whoa there, special teams. You’re on the verge of giving up a score on special teams this season. Steady now.

Outlook
Moving forward, despite the disturbing nature of the loss, it still counts for just one loss in terms of the Bears’ conference and overall record. Yes, it’s a painful loss, but there’s no use in dwelling on it, and we might only do our best in turning our attention to the games ahead.

As it stands now, the Bears are 3-3 on the season, with a 1-2 record having played both Arizona and USC at home. They finish the season with four home games, and the remaining road games include a visit to Pullman.

The Bears are unlikely to see much success in any major overhauls in either scheme or personnel at this point. There’s little benefit in making any type of major change at this point in terms of evaluating whether to keep certain coaches or switching offensive or defensive approaches. They can let the season play out, but with an increased urgency and critical eye to all components of the game.

The Bears can use this Saturday’s game against Arizona State as a fresh start of the season, hoping to not let the effects of three crushing losses affect their ability to perform for the rest of the season. For all those wanting to jump off what they perceive as a burning bridge because of the first half of the season, let’s see how the Bears perform down the stretch.

After all, if we’ve learned anything about this team, it’s that we never know what we’re going to get.

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Cal vs. USC Halftime Thoughts

HAHAHAHAHA.

Alright, seriously. Ahem.



HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

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Keys to the Game: USC 2010

Sorry for the delay in getting this out this week. My computer has been acting up this week, so I'm actually typing this out on my blackberry. More apologies for the brevity and impending spelling errors.

The Bears and the Trojans meet in the Coliseum this Saturday for what is typically the annual heartbreak and hair-pulling loss to USC. Jeff Tedford is 1-7 against the Trojans, and 0-4 at the Coliseum.

Yet this year feels different. Heck, it is different.

For the first time in Tedford's tenure as head coach, he won't be across the fist-pumping, gum chewing persona that was Pete Carroll. Instead, he'll be up against a protege in Lane Kiffin, the heir to the throne of the former USC dynasty.

Kiffin's USC team looks profoundly different from teams of USC's past, in that they hardly look like the dominant teams that struck fear into opposing teams' heart. But make no mistake about it, this team is still as athletically rich (and probably monetarily as well, zing!) as any team in the conference.

The biggest questions will be how Cal's improved and at times, dominant looking defense will matchup against USC's improved and at times, dominant looking offense.

Conversely, how will Cal's talented but at times mediocre defense perform against USC's uber-talented, but at times sub-mediocre defense?


Flood the Zones
The USC defense has been burned this season, and it’s been a bit confounding to try and figure out why exactly, given the athletes on defense. Even more confounding is the fact that their defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin is considered one of the preeminent defensive coordinators in all of football, and one of the inventors of the Tampa 2 (cover 2) defense. The scheme that had so much success and inspired the way defense was played, has been exposed and ripped up in his first season coaching his son’s Trojan team.

The Cover 2 typically allows for the cornerbacks to play press coverage for the first five to ten yards which allows for the two safeties (the cover 2 so to speak) enough time to cover the back halves of their field. Meanwhile, the outside linebackers cover the flats while the middle linebackers are responsible for the middle zones.

The Cover 2 can be beaten when vertical routes are run to stretch the coverage, causing indecision among the safeties. Similarly, zones can be “flooded” when multiple routes are run in hopes of pressuring the backers, typically the middle linebackers.

The latter is where and how the Bears will have to attack the Trojan defense. USC, as athletically talented as they are, has yet to yield a corps of linebackers this season that have been consistent in defending the pass. They have appeared hesitant and undisciplined, and one can only hope this stays the course for at least another game.

The Bears are going to need to bring a steady dose of the running game so that they can begin baiting the middle linebackers into creeping up to the line of scrimmage before releasing some receivers and tight ends over the top. If the Trojans give enough credit to Cal’s rushing attack, the middle linebackers will be late in getting back to their zones, and the Bears will hopefully find success in moving the ball in 15 yard chunks through the air.

Keep Barkley in the Pocket
The Trojans have typically done a very solid job of running the ball and this year isn't much different with the Trojans averaging over 200 yards on the ground with their zone and power rushing attack.

The Bears have done well against the run this season however. While I don't expect the Bears to completely shut down the Trojan run game like they did to UCLA last week, I do think the Bears can hold USC to some moderate rushing gains.

So the more pressing issue is how the Bears will handle USC's passing attack which seems revitalized this season with playmakers Ronald Johnson and frosh Robert Woods on the outside, and a maturing Matt Barkley under center.

While the Bears secondary has performed well against the pass, much of it has been due to the pressure the front seven has created on opposing quarterbacks. The Bears may not have that luxury this game however, as Barkley is athletic enough to roll out of the pocket when sensing pressure and has excellent accuracy on the run. Knowing this, USC does a nice job of dialing up designed bootlegs (a staple of their offensive scheme for years) to get Barkley into some open space to make plays. Also, the longer Barkley is able to keep the play alive, the more difficult it becomes for the Bears' secondary to keep the USC receivers in check while they're left to improvise.

It would make sense then, that the Bears defense should be concerned about pursuit and contain, as opposed to simply trying to get into the backfield. They may not find anyone there.

I don't believe the Bears will need to commit a spy on Barkley, they should however be incorporating a few more contain packages and some delayed blitzes to create pressure after Barkley has made his decision about getting out in space. The Bears need to keep Barkley contained and left to make decisions inside the pocket.

Meanwhile, the Bears secondary will have their biggest test in front of them in defending one of the league's best receiving duo. Playing man coverage is one thing. Playing man coverage for an additional 3-4 seconds is another.

Special Teams Need to Get Back On Track
This is the first time this season that I've included a special teams note in my weekly Keys to the Game feature, mainly because I really haven't worried about these units as much. The Special Teams has been one of the most improved parts of the team this seson.

"But, but, Giorgio Tavecchio has missed 3 straight field goals, 2 of which cost us the game against Arizona!" you say. Jeremy Ross fumbled the ball twice on punt returns last week! Tavecchio only has 2 touchbacks all year! ALAMAAAAAAAAARRRR!!!

But c'mon now, be it a case of low expectations, but these are much better concerns than what we were asking ourselves last year.

With that said, the trojans are coming off back to back games in which they've lost by a field goals in the waning seconds of the game.

Should the Bears put themselves in position to set up the game-winning score, it'll come down to our beloved specials teams.

A scary thought for most of you, I know.

Special Teams has in my mind, has always been about passion and discipline. While I'm sure most special teams coaches have more to say about the matter, strong discipline and focus can usually trump scheme and athleticism on special teams.

It will really just come down to that.

Outlook
The Trojans look vulnerable, but they also looked vulnerable before our matchup last year, before they spanked the Bears 30-3 at Memorial Stadium.

I think the Bears defense will do enough to slow down (although not quite stop) the Trojans into giving the Bears a good shot at pulling the upset.

It's hard to say it, but I do think the game will fall on the offense, and specifically the passing game. If the Bears can get USC's linebackers and safeties to respect the passing game enough for the offensive line to open up some holes for Vereen and Sofele, the Bears will be able to eventually wear down the Trojans depleted defense late in the stretch.

But it will take a steady and consistent passing attack early on. Something the Bears have failed to show in its first five games.

Prediction: Cal 24 USC 21
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UCLA Recap 2010

(Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

In an absolutely critical game for both teams, Cal and UCLA battled it out on Saturday in Memorial Stadium. Well if you call a 35-7 romp, a “battle” that is.

The Bears looked fired up and ready to make things right after a few early season gut-wrenching losses. Cal absolutely owned the Bruins in the trenches, imposing their will en route to holding UCLA to just 143 total yards of offense.

While there were some areas of concern, Cal fans should be absolutely thrilled with some of the things we witnessed.

Battle Won in the Trenches
Me? I’m ecstatic that we have a game we can really point to this season as one in which the Bears dominated in the trenches—on both sides of the ball. The Bears have had their share of blowouts, and a lot of them have been because a number of big plays that usually make highlight reels, but don’t really do a lot in terms of building confidence in either line.

Saturday’s game however was a different story altogether. The Bruins knew our passing game had been the weakness of our offense, but the Bears still managed to open up some giant running lanes for the backs as Cal totaled 297 rushing yards. UCLA had only been giving up 158 yards per game on the ground. The Bears eclipsed that number partway through the second quarter.

There was some fantastic blocking all around, particularly from the fullbacks who had previously struggled in some blocking assignments. In sum, the offensive line really imposed their will in the running game today.

Most fans however, are probably more amped about the defense’s performance in defending the vaunted UCLA pistol attack that had seemingly found its rhythm headed into the game. UCLA had come into the game averaging 262 yards per game on the ground and scoring 25.8 points a game. Yet the Bears squelched the UCLA rushing attack, holding the Bruins to just 25 net yards on the ground. Most of those came from a 31 yard scamper from UCLA RB Jonathan Franklin (which came after some shoddy tackling).

If there’s anything I like more than a blowout, it’s a blowout when both lines are dominating.


Nastiness on Defense
The defense was nasty today, on so many levels. The Bears brought a multitude of looks, shutting down the Bruin rushing attack and pressuring Prince all day.

I stated in My Keys to the Game that the Bears would want to force Prince into throwing positions. And other than one drive in which Prince looked sharp, the Bears did a fantastic job of committing to taking away the run and putting the Bruins into some third and long situations. It was exactly what they were looking for.

Kevin Prince was held to just 99 yards, completing just 13 of 39 passes on the day, with a TD and an interception. The Bears also notched 5 sacks on the day and 10 tackles for loss.

I liked the calls for the corner back blitz, allowing Hagan to making some really nice looking sacks.

The defensive performance could best be exemplified by Mychal Kendricks’ filthy tackle on Derrick Coleman. It was ala Bret Hart style right before setting up the sharpshooter.

All in all, other than some shoddy tackling on a 31 yard scamper by Jonathan Franklin, the Bears played like their hair was on fire, gang tackling and rallying to the ball.

Fantastic effort and focus defensively.

Something to Consider
After today, the Bears defense have given up just 15.8 points per game on average, good for second in the conference. They have also just given up just 254.2 yards per game, tops in the category.

Now, take out the debacle that was the Nevada game? The Bears would have given up just 193 yards and 6.5 points per game, which would have put them tops in the nation in both categories. I know it’s still early on in the season, and you can’t strategically factor out certain losses, but it truly speaks volumes as to how well this defense has played when focused and prepared. Impressive.

One-Sided Offense
How you feel about Cal’s offense probably is very telling of what type of Cal fan you are. If you can ignore Cal’s deficiencies in its passing game (just 9 of 16 for 83 yards), you’re probably a “Sunshine Pumper.” Conversely, dismissive of Cal’s 297 yards of rushing and are calling for Allan Bridgford to start taking first team snaps, you’re probably a “Negative Nancy.”

I pride myself in being fairly level-headed, while others might say I’m dithering. On one hand, the rushing attack was absolutely phenomenal. Just a thing of beauty. The Bears were running at will and our backs looked fantastic. Given Cal’s ability to run the ball, I’m quite alright with the Bears having decided to stick with the running game more.

However, I’m enough of a realist to know that today’s passing performance simply isn’t going to cut it on a consistent basis in this conference. It’s not so much that the Bears chose not to pass as much, it’s how they looked when they did. There was too much hesitation, and I’m not quite sure whether that was Bears’ receivers’ inability to get open or Riley’s inability to locate the soft spots in the zone coverage. Heck, Cal’s offensive line had a poor day in pass protection, so I’m not ruling that out altogether. What I do know though, is that the few chances the Bears had at running looked out of sorts and tentative.

Variety in Offensive Looks
I loved the different looks the Bears showed on offense today. We saw Cal’s first attempts at the Wildcat this season, the zone read (although I think some were designed QB runs), an option at the goal line, end arounds, reverses, fly sweeps, and so on and so forth.

While I’m a bit surprised that Cal chose to reveal so much in terms of its different looks, I think it speaks to the urgency the Bears had coming into the game, as well as their insistence on trying to stretch the UCLA defenders to the edges to open up the inside running lanes for Cal’s backs.

Shane Vereen…So Hot Right Now
For the third straight game, Shane Vereen rushed for over 100 yards on the ground, and continued his annual gashing of the Bruin defense. Vereen had 151 yards on the ground and two scores. He also added three receptions for 51 yards.

Vereen has had some impressive games, but he looked phenomenal today. On Vereen’s second touchdown, he bounced it to the outside, stiff-armed a Bruin defender, and dove for the pylon for the score.

On a floater of a screen pass from Riley, Vereen launched himself into the air, spun out of a tackle, and carried a defender for a first down.

Just brilliant stuff. After today, you’ve got to think Vereen has to be in the discussion for all-conference honors.

Ridiculous Penalties
Penalties really hurt the Bears on their third scoring drive, and could have been a game breaker had it not been for the Bears’ ability to move the ball. Two penalties in particular were absolutely awful calls.

I have to watch the highlights again, but the holding call on Dominic Galas on Jeremy Ross’ would be TD run was laughable, with Galas having only gotten one hand on the defender.

The Conte call that was called for roughing the kicker was laughably bad though. Conte threw himself into the air, landed, had the punter land on him, and was called for roughing the kicker. Pfff. Get out of here.

Special Teams Struggles
It was a down day for the special teams unit, which is a bit concerning and disappointing. It was particularly disappointing to see Cal’s kickoff coverage team give up so many yards to UCLA after seemingly having made such progress in this regard. Josh Smith is the most talented return man the Bears have faced thus far, but we should not have seen those lanes open up as quickly as they did.

Anger, was fantastic again punting the ball on the few occasions he did. However, it was a bit concerning to see how close UCLA got to Anger on punts. One of those will get blocked this year at that rate.

And Tavecchio has somehow called upon the ghosts of Holmoe past, with his ability to hit the cross bar in back to back games. He’s definitely shown plenty of leg this season, but you’ve got to scratch your head a bit at the rate at which he’s hit iron.

Finally, it was a tough day for Ross fielding punts and kickoffs. He botched a number of kicks, and his last one led to Cal’s only turnover on the day, and could have helped UCLA make the score look a bit more respectable had Cal’s defense not clamped down at the goal line.

Moving Forward
The Bears came out fired up, and answered some questions as to how they might fare against UCLA and their *gasp* pistol offense. At the end of the day, it might be more of an exposure of UCLA and the teams they beat, as well as an affirmation of the fact that the Bears rarely lose to mediocre teams at home.

Regardless, the Bears dominated in a win they desperately needed, and now face a USC team that seems to be clicking, but simultaneously getting kicked in the nuts in the waning moments of games.

Next Saturday’s game will be one of the tougher tests of the season, and I’m both encouraged by the Bears’ defense while my concerns with Cal’s offense seem to be fairly validated at this point.

As for today, who can ever complain about crushing the Bruins on beautiful Saturday afternoon? I sure can’t.

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Keys to the Game: UCLA 2010

(Stephen Dunn/Getty Images North America)

At the beginning of the season, I had little doubt the Bears would struggle against UCLA. The Bears have typically had little trouble against the Bruins at home, and the Bruins looked like they have were looking for any kind of clue after starting 0-2 on the season.

Since then, the Bears have dropped back to back games to ranked foes, while UCLA has won three in a row including wins over ranked opponents including Houston, and a seemingly shocking upset over Texas.

Needless to say, it became a little tougher to predict this one.

I still think the Bears should handle UCLA, but I do think the margin for error has slimmed down a bit.

Moreover, both Cal and UCLA enter the matchup in an absolutely critical matchup for conference standing implications. The winner has a solid shot of contending for the top half of the conference, with the loser likely joining the bottom tier, as preseason prognostications had projected.

In short, the Bears can't afford to drop this home game to the Bruins and go 0-2 in conference play.

Here's What You Need to Know
The big story on offense for UCLA it its switch to pistol offense which seemed like an outright failure with an unhealthy Kevin Prince struggling to get things going early on. Since then, the Bruins have seemingly found answers while rolling up big numbers on the ground.

The defensive unit has had its share of ups and downs, but still can be categorized a stingy unit featuring possibly the best players at their respective positions in the nation, S Rahim Moore and LB Akeem Ayers.


Better Discipline on Defensive Assignments
The question of how to defend the option, specifically a zone read option like the pistol offense always sparks a lot of interesting debate. Typically, one side usually argues for being over aggressive in hopes disrupting the backfield and rattling the signal caller. This makes him second guess whether or not to keep the ball, eventually eliminating that option altogether. The other side emphasizes a bit more discipline on assignments to avoid giving up the big play.

In looking back at the Nevada game, it sure looked like Cal took the former approach. We all know that turned out.

It seems though it wasn't so much the aggressive approach, but an incorrect gameplan as how to attack, and when to do so.

In my Nevada Keys to the Game, I wrote:

"The key to defending “gimmicky” or option offenses, is really to play assignment football. As tricky as the offenses may appear, these offenses are predicated upon trying to get you to look in a direction away from your assignment and get you out of position. The Bears can help themselves if they play disciplined ball on defense."

It seems this time Tedford and Pendergast seem to be a bit keyed in on their mistakes from the last attempt at the pistol, and I'm actually fairly confident we'll be a bit more successful this time around. Tedford hinted at leaning more towards discipline with assignments, as opposed to simply trying to disrupt the backfield.

Says Tedford:

"The lesson you learn is you need to be disciplined in this and take away all phases, you can't get caught trying to do something, make a play that's not your assignment, because sure enough, after that, there goes the guy that was your assignment. So, very important that we play disciplined and that we're aggressive but not overly aggressive to the ball and get guys out of position."

In reading into the quote, it appears we're not going to see an abandonment of being aggressive, but you certainly get the sense that the Bears are going to rein it in a bit to make sure UCLA's rushing duo of Jonathan Franklin and Derrick Coleman don't absolutely find an easy lane for a quick score.

I think it's a bit interesting too, given that Prince isn't nearly the running threat that Nevada's Colin Kaepernick is. If anything, we can afford to spy a little less on Prince, although he is still a threat to take it to the house if he's given some open field. We'll see how that works out.

Make Kevin Prince Pass
I think Prince's inability to pass has been a bit overblown. Prince can pass if given time. It's not like he's an inept quarterback back there. But make no mistake about, UCLA's bread and butter is grinding down opposing defenses on the ground. See 1312 rushing yards (2nd in the conference) versus just 455 passing yards (10th in the conference yards).

The Bears should be absolutely tuned into the rushing attack, willing and ready to stack the Bruins in hopes of limiting big gains on the ground and forcing the Bruins into third and long situations. The Bruins are converting just 36.67 percent on third downs this season. Much of that is due to the struggles in the passing game.

While UCLA's receivers are athletically gifted, they haven't shown a consistent ability to hurt defenses in the receiving game, dropping some key passes on the few chances they get.

Prince meanwhile, is completing just 46 percent off his passes for just 57 yards per game and a measly 4.5 yards per attempt.

Key in on the run. I'm almost tempted to say we consistently creep up both safeties closer to the line and force Prince beat us in man coverage. I'm alright with giving up a long pass or two if we can limit UCLA's rushing attack to under 200 yards.

In fact, if UCLA beats Cal because Prince lights up the Bears for 300+ yards and 3 TDs, as a coach, you pat him on the shoulder at the end of the game, and congratulate him on the game of his life. However, if Prince rushes for 100+ yards on the ground, you have to think that you goofed in your game plan.

Stretch the Field Vertically
Offensively, I know there might be fans who are really down on the Bears. It's hard to blame them after the Bears failed to hit paydirt against Arizona, having to settle for just nine points on three field goals, and six points that could have been on two missed field goals.

However, I do think the Bears have shown a few things on offense that people should find solace in. I do think the offensive line has slowly made progress with each game, and specifically in the Arizona game, I thought Cal exhibited the ability to wear down a very solid defensive front in Arizona with their rushing attack. Although the passing game has been inconsistent, there's certainly some potential, and the pass protection has been fairly solid in the early going.

I know some might look at the way WSU lit up UCLA for 311 yards, and start salivating at the idea of starting an air raid on the Baby Bears. However, as opposed to simply trying to air it out every down, I believe the key will be to maintain balance offensively. While that's likely a no brainer of a statement, especially given Tedford's insistence on offensive balance, if the Bears can establish a more effective passing attack this week, it will open up some running lanes down the stretch for the offensive line and Vereen.

Specifically, I'm more intrigued to see what type of plays the Bears run in the passing attack. UCLA typically runs a zone defense, so Riley will have to look quickly to find the soft zones to get the ball to the receiving corps. However, I'm hoping they take a few shots down the field for more modest 15-20 yard gains. Doing so will force UCLA's linebackers to back up a bit to again, take some pressure off Vereen for the home stretch.

Outlook
The Bears could certainly drop this one, and lose it quickly if UCLA is able to get the running game going early on. You also don't know which team we're going to get, as UCLA seems to be about as Jekyll and Hyde as a team can get in the Pac-10.

I do think however, that the Bears are going to motivated and hungry for this one. They appear to be well rested, healthier, and better prepared to defend the Bruins. I also think they will be one of the better defenses UCLA has seen thus far, and have a chance to blindside a team that is still finding itself.

Also, don't forget the homefield advantage.

So yes, I'm a bit apprehensive, but my gut says the Bears win it down the stretch.

Prediction: Cal 27 UCLA 17

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ESPN Interview with Clancy Pendergast

The always solid Pac-10 Blogger Ted Miller has a nice interview with Clancy Pendergast.

While Pendergast doesn't reveal too much, he seems to maintain that this issues were more on lapses in discipline and missed assignments by players. I don't interpret so much as a "throw your kids under the bus" kind of thing, and more of a confidence in the gameplan type of of deal.

You guys have had three strong weeks of defense, and one bad one: Was it a case for you of having a short week of practice to prepare for an offense you never game-planned for in the NFL?

Clancy Pendergast: We are not making any excuses. We didn't play well that night. We didn't play with a good gap integrity. We didn't get off blocks. And we didn't tackle well. So those were most of the shortcomings, things we had wrong that night against Nevada.

For what it's worth, I do think that Clancy Pendergast has struck me as a bit of a curmudgeon. And for some reason, I like that about defensive coordinator.
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A Live Chat with Cameron Jordan

The Daily Cal has featured a live chat with senior defensive end Cameron Jordan. It appears they're trying to make this a regular thing, having already had Marvin Jones up a few weeks prior.

While nothing is really game breaking, there are some more fun notes. Read up on where Jordan loves to eat the most, his bench press high, and how the coaches addressed his more "comical" attitude.

Check out the chat here.
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