Arizona Recap

Dear Coach Gregory,

I still haunt your dreams,
but you can sleep soundly for a while.

Fondly,
Mike Leach

DEFENSE

Bob Gregory. Bob Gregory endured the coaching equivalent of passing a kidney stone last week, culminating in that final searing but cathartic release when his defense stopped Sonny Dykes' (read: Mike Leach's) offense on its last chance fourth down play. And they did it with a sack, something that offense is specifically designed to, and did all season, avoid like the plague (little known fact: for 10 years, until this season, Mike Leach had never had a starting QB miss a game due to injury, credited to his offensive system that virtually eliminates a QB being sacked).

That offense has been a Rubik's cube for Gregory for years (ignoring 2007 when Dykes was running it with an ill-suited QB and Stoops' fingerprints were still all over the offense). It is safe to say for at least one night, he solved it. Good for you coach. Good for you.

Particularly noteworthy were the defensive players' quotes after the game. Mohamed said they felt "unstoppable" against that offense. Cattouse said the offense had tendencies they thought they could take advantage of, and that they felt like they had a game plan that could take things away from Arizona. That is the talk of a well-prepared defense. Dare I say Bob Gregory outcoached Sonny Dykes last week?

Attitude. The defense finally came out and played like they expected to be in control. They didn't play scared. They didn't sit back and let Foles pick them apart. They didn't concede the short stuff. It almost burned them more than a few times, but in the end, the pressure and aggressiveness, combined with the well-executed run defense, paid off. I hope the players remember how that felt the next two weeks as they practice, because they'll need to bring that intense preparation all week if they want to play with that kind of confidence against the next two opponents.

I still think this group has some holes talent- and experience-wise, and those holes have held them back some. But this game was Exhibit A for the principle that even on defense, where talent is so critical, a solid game plan combined with a motivated, focused group of players can overcome some talent deficiencies.

Mohamed. I am very impressed at how he has grown from more of a speed guy to an ILB who can peel off defensive linemen, read run, and come up and fill gaps. A lot of guys with Mohamed's physical makeup end up running right past inside plays or guessing (and guessing wrong) because they are used to playing on the edge where they can see better. But the kid obviously has some instincts, which are more important for inside linebacker than just about any other position on the defense.

Combined with his coverage skills and lateral range, he is growing into the total package. The rest of the LBs still have big holes in their games, which is a concern the rest of the season and next season. But Mohamed is finally starting to look like the steady presence people hoped he'd be.

Thompson and Alualu. Expect a dropoff next year when these two are gone, because without their playmaking, I question whether Cal wins this game. They were everywhere, and they make critical plays (as they have all season).

Still having trouble covering the TE. Even without Gronkowski, Arizona managed to burn Cal with passes to the TE, joining Oregon, USC, UCLA, and OSU, all of whom made a living off of that concept against this defense. Had Mohamed not made an athletic recovery to break up an early deep ball to the TE (on what was probably a blown assignment by him to begin with), that would have made two TD catches by TEs for easily over 100 yards. And had Gronkowski been in this game, I think Cal might have been in trouble.

Given Cal's vulnerabilities in LB pass coverage, I will be surprised if Stanford doesn't try to hammer Cal with TE and FB passes out of play action all day long Saturday. Stanford has athletic TEs and FBs, they execute the play action very well. The Cal defense needs to prepare for this.

OFFENSE

Offensive line. This group looked a lot more active. In run blocking, guys were getting off the ball more quickly and hitting people until the whistle blew. You could just see a difference from the week before in terms of their composure and attitude. In pass protection, they had some lapses, but they also picked up the stunts and blitzes decently well much of the game.

I am not ready to anoint Summers-Gavin as the savior of this unit and the difference between the run game production vs. OSU and vs. UofA, because the whole unit just seemed more lively and played better. But one thing I really like about this guy's game is how quickly he gets out of his stance when he pulls. It means Vereen can slow down just that much less as he waits for the hole to open, which keeps the run from developing too slowly, something that has been a problem from time to time with this offense.

RB pass blocking continues to be suspect. The lapses continue in this regard. Vereen got smoked on a blitz pickup right up the middle at least once that I recall, and generally, this group (including the FB) is not great in this area.

Vereen. As I have said many times, Vereen is a much more prototypical Gould tailback, in the Arrington and Forsett mold. With players like Lynch and Best, a coach has to be careful not to take away what makes them great, so you live with them doing things a bit differently than you might want as a coach, which both Best and Lynch do/did.

But with Vereen Saturday, you could see more of Gould's handiwork: the almost invisible extra 2 yards of crab walking and crawling after contact, the patience waiting for holes to open and then darting into them, and the avoidance of punishing direct hits. Even without the 60-yard run, Vereen was having a quiet, methodical 100-yard game.

I felt before the season that Vereen is the kind of tailback who could put up big rushing yards over a full season if he could stay healthy, simply because his abilities and coachability mesh so well with Gould's system.

The quick downfield pass. I had hoped before this game that Ludwig would use more quick, non-lateral passes to keep the defense honest, and I was glad to see more of this Saturday. These passes have turned into a good weapon for this offense, by taking the pressure off the running game and slowing the safeties and linebackers. While Riley struggles with lateral balls where he can't step into the throw, he seems to excel when he throws downfield. And it is now clear that Cal has the WRs who can catch these balls and take a hit.

Riley. Riley continued his enigmatic play. On the one hand, he again found a way to lead the team down the field for the go ahead score, as he has managed to do multiple times this season. You cannot ignore that he keeps finding a way to do that. As I've said, Cal really hasn't had that kind of player at QB since Rodgers. When you combine that with a defense that can find a way to get stops, it gives a team a lot of confidence in close games.

On the other hand, he still makes contrastingly remarkable mistakes. His two INTs were back breakers, and he was close to having a third. If he just avoids those two INTs, Cal probably gets at least one, maybe 2 FGs out of those drives.

SPECIAL TEAMS

1. Starting field position for Arizona after kickoffs: 35, 30, 33, 23, 38, 35 (45-10 penalty yards). Sad.
2. But for the kicker's leg whip tackle, Arizona likely scores on that kick return and we are talking about a totally different game. Notably, Tavecchio was actually credited with the tackle on the last two kickoffs. With a game that close, that is a stunning indicator of the ineptitude of the kickoff team.
3. Botched substitutions on at least one FG that almost ran down the play clock.
4. Missed extra point that would have sealed the game.

Bottom line, special teams almost gave this game away. Again.

EXPECTATIONS

A closing thought, to store away for next fall. Now is a good time for fans to take stock of how good they think this team really is, register that thought, file it away, and then revisit it when setting expectations for next season. Don't wait until after the bowl game, or after reading glowing reports about spring ball, or reading about fall camp, or reading the preseason rankings and prognostications, or watching the highlight vids during the slow summer months.

All that can be factored in as well, but now is a good time to take stock because some of the more unsavory things are still fresh in the mind as well: the 3 and outs, the poor run blocking and pass protection, the pliable pass defense (flanker screen, anyone?), and maddening special teams play. And think about the impact of losing guys like Alualu and Thompson and ask yourself how the team will play without them on the field. All of that, the good and bad, should go into the analysis.

Right about now, most fans now have about as honest and unaffected a sense of this team as they are going to have. Last week, a lot of folks were down, and for good reason. The week prior to that, folks were way up, but the sample size probably wasn't big enough. Now, the team won over a pretty good team, but it was ugly and left no one with delusions of grandeur.

Yes, there are still two more games, so the analysis can continue over that time period. But once the season ends, many fans lose perspective almost immediately. So start now. In fact, look at next season's schedule now and try to pick the games (link here). Then review your picks on Monday before the first game of the year, and see if you feel differently.

All in all, another gutty win. Now let's wipe that smile off Harbaugh's face and pee in Stanford's cheerios this week (a loss could knock them down to as low as 6th place if Cal wins out and AZ goes 2-1).

Arizona Highlights

The latest from Danzig. Much appreciated, as always.

Arizona at Cal Highlights from anonymous on Vimeo.

OSU Film Study - Offense

Who's ready to jump to some conclusions?

Some losses are attributable to being less talented at any number of positions. Some are attributable to being outcoached, both in game plan and game management (two very different things by the way). And some are attributable to players failing to execute and play at or near their peak level (which barring injuries, is almost always mental at its core - I'll get back to this).

And then there are those train wrecks where all three things happen. If a well played game is a Matisse, these games are Pollock with a bucket of paint after an all night bender. But beyond being ugly, they are unsettling, for the simple reason that they cannot easily be dismissed as aberrant, or as just a bad day, because so many things get exposed across the board. Saturday was one of those days.

You can bet there won't be much family time this week for the coaching staff. The air mattresses and rewind buttons in the film room are going to get a lot of mileage. And I'd venture to say there are going to be some uncomfortable coaches' meetings. Butts are going to get chewed this week, plain and simple.

And that is how it should be. This team looked poor in all phases, and they looked that way for most of the game. Oregon State either looked a step ahead of Cal, or they played fast enough to recover and control them on plays where they weren't a step ahead. At home. And Oregon State hasn't exactly been lighting teams on fire this season. When a mid/upper-mid level conference team, on whom there is plenty of film, does that to you on your own field, that is about as bad as it gets.

So what happened? And don't say, "We can't run the ball. Our pass defense is 117th nationally. We can't get any pressure." The results are obvious. It's the causes - scheme, execution by particular players, talent disparities at particular positions - and what those things say about the team and the coaches, that present the more interesting, and frankly productive, questions.

I'll start with the offense.

1. Lack of intensity on the offensive line. There is a lot to say about the offensive line. I'll start with the most disturbing thing first: this unit lacks fire. To begin with, they are getting off the line way too slow. There is a difference between unathletic slowness and lack of urgency. This group is showing the latter far too often, and that is unacceptable for the unit is supposed to be the guts of the team. You cannot set the tone for the offense, which is the offensive line's job, if you are not intending to drive your man into the turf until he quits, play after play after play.

Good offensive lines almost leap out of their cleats when they fire off the ball, man for man, like a walking wall, and stun the defenders. And if they head up field looking for a linebacker, or pull around the edge on a sweep or screen, they are headhunting. And never, under any circumstances, do they go the whole play without hitting someone.

The thing is, I see this stuff lacking from this group play after play, game after game. It is hard to pin down a single cause. A lot of this is innate intensity. Some guys are just never going to have that mentality no matter how much you try to instill it - like the old saying goes, "If they don't bite as a pup..." I don't know these guys personally, so I have no idea if they lack the right chromosomes. But they certainly don't look like they're playing with that mentality.

Some of this is youth too, and I definitely think that is a problem with the interior three. Younger players are more worried about making mistakes, especially if they are not 100% comfortable with the offense. This causes them to ratchet down the intensity at times. You could see this vs. OSU. They were constantly trying to anticipate OSU's slants and stunts, and it took the edge off their surge.

And some of it is coaching. While a coach cannot necessarily make a kid into a filthy mauler, he can build some of the hallmarks of relentless play into the techniques. I am not ready to assume Marshall is not trying to do this, since I am not at practice. But I am ready to conclude that he is not succeeding in this effort. There is a listless lumbering to the way this group plays that good coaching can shore up.

Too often, I see guys release to the second level to put a hat on a LB or DB, and they kind of trot up to him, lunge at him ham-handedly, whiff, and then kind of turn around and watch the RB get tackled. It's not the whiff that's the problem. It's the approach, and the finish. They should be going after guys with resolve, like they want to take their head off. And they should be finishing every play by trying to find someone to knock on their tail, even if they miss their initial block. A coach can instill this by making it part of the assignment. The frequency with which this is not happening suggests the coach is not pressing it hard enough.

2. Lack of power on the interior offensive line. Before the season started, I wrote that one of my chief concerns about this team was its ability (lack thereof) to run for short yardage and establish a powerful between the tackles run game, due to the loss of Mack and to a lesser degree Malele. While my concerns were valid, it is worse than I thought. The interior three (including Boskovich and Fisher) are just getting physically dominated.

Time after time Saturday, all three interior guys got stood up and pushed straight backwards, on both run and pass plays. This kills the play before it even starts. It stops the RB long enough to allow the safeties and LBs to arrive. And on pass plays, it flushes the QB out immediately, before he can even read his first receiver.

Watching it over and over, you can tell the chief cause of this is often simple lack of heft and strength. These guys look like they are getting out-muscled. This can happen with younger players, especially OL who are still burning off some of their baby fat from high school. Strength and conditioning programs can help this tremendously, especially for kids with bigger frames.

But some guys also just aren't powerful players at the point of attack, no matter now many years they've been in the program or how much weight they can throw around in the weight room. The ability to channel strength and apply it quickly and nimbly at your opponent's weak spot, while maintaining balance and leverage, is a feat of athleticism, not brute strength. That is what made Mack such a rare talent. He could create a ton of leverage by channeling his power to the defender's weakest point and then put his foot on the pedal and mow him down. And that is why you can throw out the recruiting star ratings when it comes to offensive linemen, because most recruiting services can't gauge this kind of ability from a 17-year old kid, hence Mack's lower rating out of HS.

I make this point for two reasons. First, I don't think this line is as ultra-talented as they were touted, or expected to be. Because it is such a matchup oriented position, with dozens of man-to-man repetitions each game, you really can't know this about offensive linemen until you watch them play for a season. Second, this group's youth and lack of experience means there is some upside in terms of building the strength and technique needed to generate power and leverage at the point of attack. But as of now, this deficiency is definitely a hindrance to the offense.

3. Not sticking with blocks. Another disturbing trend is the failure to block to the whistle. Guys are repeatedly holding their blocks for the initial punch and then letting their man go. And sometimes that defender ends up assisting on the tackle. I saw it with OL, TEs, and WRs. This killed a number of runs and screens during the game Saturday.

Again, this is a mentality. Finishing blocks is about want-to and desire. And whatever the coaches are doing to instill this mindset, it isn't strong enough, because this team is not finishing well at all.

4. Riley's inconsistency. I rewatched the game, and the more I watched, the more Riley's misses and decision making stood out. I have rarely seen a guy make such great throws downfield like the strikes he threw to Tucker, Jones, and Sparks, and then just botch a simple swing pass or screen time and again, or throw the same downfield ball totally away, in the same game. For his few great throws, his numerous misses were really damaging to the offense's momentum. And his INT was Longshore-esque, just heaving it into coverage without a prayer of it being caught. It's not all on him, but he killed some drives largely by himself, on plays that a decent QB should make.

I am not saying it is time to bench Riley, for a variety of reasons. But in terms of what we can expect until he graduates, it is hard to imagine him ever putting together a full season like the ones Luck, Canfield, Foles, or Barkley are having. Now in the winter of his 4th year in the system, having been the unchallenged starter for 9 games, and part time starter last season, it can no longer be said that he's young and getting comfortable. He is what he is - an inconsistent QB capable of great plays and startling inaccuracy on any given play. If Cal wants to win the conference, that ain't going to get it done.

I doubt Tedford will give Sweeney any reps this season unless the games are out of hand. But I think he needs to open up a legitimate competition in the offseason.

5. RB pass blocking. This unit has been awful in this regard, and it continued on Saturday. This rarely gets talked about, but it an important part of protection, and right now, it's a weak link.

6. Cal needs a power back. As much as the OL has struggled, there were plenty of times Saturday, and elsewhere this season, where a stronger back would have been the difference between 1st and 10 and 3rd and 2, or 2d and 1 and 2d and 6. Best and Vereen are supremely talented. But both guys pretty routinely only require one tackler once the tackler has his hands on them. Until the offensive line play elevates to the next level, this type of runner is going to be necessary if Cal wants to reestablish the run game.

7. More non-lateral quick passes. The quick slant, quick strike to the slot receiver or TE over the middle, and the quick out have proven to be successful (when Riley doesn't miss). They nullify the OL's inability to block pressure, and they slow down LBs and safeties who are cheating up on the run. This is what Dykes is doing at AZ, and some of what Ludwig did at Utah. When Ludwig called these on Saturday, they worked. But he didn't go to the well often enough.

The lack of plays like this, and the lack of success when Cal did try it, played right in to OSU's defensive game plan.

Thoughts on the defense to come later.

Live Internet Game Stream

Thanks PRD and Adubble. Hit refresh or play if it's not working. And if it still doesn't work, see links at the right for backup streams. (And don't forget to click the white box in the bottom right corner to watch in full screen, in case it cuts off).

Also, see below for link to Starkey on KGO.

Watch live video from Cal Sports on Justin.tv



Starkey radio broadcast

ASU and OSU Thoughts

All growns up.

Last Saturday's game was Exhibit A for why QB play is the pivotal difference maker in college football. Cal couldn't run it. They couldn't protect Riley. They were getting nowhere with their screen game in the second half. Nothing was really working on offense. But on the last drive, Riley bought time with his feet, and threw clutch pass after clutch pass. There was nothing special about those play calls. It was just Riley finding guys and being accurate.

On the flip side, while the Oregon and USC losses were certainly not all on Riley's shoulders, there is no question that Cal left at least 20 points on the field in each game due in large part to him not playing up to his potential.

Cal hasn't had a first or second team all Pac 10 quarterback since 2004, and only one honorable mention (Longshore 2006), and yet fans keep expecting each year is going to be Cal's year to win the conference. The best non-USC teams since USC's reign began: Cal 04, Ore 07, Ore 09. What do all three have in common? A QB having an elite season. Rodgers, Dixon and Masoli were all talked about for the Heisman. They all ran their offenses to near perfection. And they were all (when healthy) consensus all conference QBs.

The point is, when Riley is on and playing up to his potential, this offense can run with anyone and can carry the team. When he struggles, the team struggles. That is the reassuring part about last Saturday's game. For the first time in a long time, Cal needed to lean on its QB for the win and he delivered.

OTHER ASU GAME OBSERVATIONS

Rather than talk about the plays in game, I am going to talk about some of the players that stood out to me on Saturday.

Mike Mohamed looked instinctive again. Mohamed looked like the natural football player he showed signs of being last season. The last time I saw a Cal inside LB sniff out inside runs, shed and fill gaps, and flow to the ball like that was Bishop in '06. Mohamed isn't quite in Bishop's class in several respects, but like Bishop, he looked like a natural inside linebacker Saturday, rather than an outside linebacker trying to play inside. I hope Gregory leaves him where he is and lets him get comfortable at the position. Then we just need 2 or 3 others like him.

I like Fisher at LG. I like what I saw from him, especially in run blocking. He's quick twitched and has a nice intensity about him. At times this season, I have felt like the OL has been getting off the ball a bit slow, sort of lumbering. Fisher seemed to pop out of this stance a bit more, which is what you want from your interior three. ASU had some really good DTs, including all-conference caliber DT Guy, and Fisher handled himself decently well. OSU has Paea, another load. With Fisher likely to play again, it will be interesting to see how he does.

Payne and Tipoti are wrecking balls. Payne has been battling injuries, but even for the few plays he was in there, you can see his potential. More than anything else, he shows some legitimate quickness. On two tackles I saw, he kind of came out of nowhere to tackle the ball carrier at full speed.

And Tipoti isn't quite as fast as Payne, but he's a bulldozer. The guy consistently pushes the center straight back. Hill's talent and experience are definitely going to be missed this week, but these two guys rotating all game long should provide plenty of problems for OSU front line.

Josh Hill can play the run. He makes me nervous in pass coverage, but the kid can flat out tackle. You can teach that technique all you want, but the timing and the nose for how a guy is going to break, is somewhat innate. And Hill seems to have it.

Corners who can shed blocks and make big stops on the perimeter are not only rare, they are difference makers. How many times has Syd been the only guy between a TFL and a 15 yard gain? Hill's tackle on that 3rd down to force the last ASU punt was textbook. Now if he could just tighten up those cover skills.

Cattouse is the first ballhawking safety I can remember under Tedford. Tedford's safeties have always been big hitters, and sometimes good at reading the pass. But none have really been guys who could make plays on the ball, or arrive just when the ball was getting there and blast a guy: Giordano, Gutierrez, McClesky, DeCoud, Hicks, Johnson, the list goes on - all fast and physical, but not ball hawks. And that has long been a complaint of mine.

But watching him make that ridiculous swat at the ball without touching the WR, and knocking a receiver out of a catch on another play, it seems like Cal has found that guy in Cattouse. Between all his picks and breakups last season, his filthy hit on Decker this season, and the plays he made in his first start Saturday, I think the future is bright for him. And he's only a sophomore.

I am starting to feel sorry for Best. The coaches are trying everything to get this kid the ball, but the blocking is just terrible. It is pathetic how the press keeps talking about his low rushing numbers against USC and Oregon. If Best was running behind Cal's 2005 OL, he probably goes for 2300-2400 yards. Can he drag 3 tacklers with him and grind out 100 yards on 30 carries? No. Does that make him a bad runningback. Of course not.

Best is still a phenomenal talent. And in a balanced offense with decent blocking, he would be devastating.

THOUGHTS ON OREGON STATE

Cal better be practicing how to defend the TE pass. OSU loves to go to their TE Halahuni, and he's done some damage this year. Cal has proven they are vulnerable to the TE pass - Dickson, Ayles, Paulson all had big days against Cal. Cal just needs to be ready for these plays and not get caught flat footed. Halahuni is not as tall as Ayles or Paulson, so the jump balls they got burned on in those games won't be as big of an issue.

Cal had better be practicing how to defend the bubble screen. OSU will run this all day. That is their offense: spread you out with bubble screens and fly sweeps, and then pound the rock with Rodgers inside. If Cal doesn't jump all over this play, Riley will just keep running it.

Cal seems to have gotten better at lining up to cover this better, i.e. not leaving the inside receiver uncovered, and then getting after it quickly once the throw is away. That will have to continue, because unlike the past teams who have run it, OSU has the ability to turn that play into a back breaker.

Canfield will shred this defense if he is not pressured. Canfield is tall, has a quick release, and knows the offense. If he gets time, he will pick the defense apart. Gregory is going to need to sell out here and there to get pressure, as well as try to mix up looks a bit. I've said it before - they don't need to send the house, but they do need to use stunts to try and frustrate blocking schemes and confuse Canfield as to where the pressure is coming from. Canfield is error prone if he's pressured. But if he gets time, as we all remember from Memorial in 2007, he can be pretty good.

Cal's receivers have to fight off bump and press. OSU likes to play press and try to disrupt Cal's WR's timing with the QB. This has worked at times in the past. Cal's WRs have find ways to fight off the press and get free. If they do, OSU can be had, especially if Riley's deep pass in on, as we saw in 04 and 06, when Rodgers and Longshore torched their aggressive corners for deep ball after deep ball. Incidentally, in both those games, OSU's corners were pretty green, just like they are this year.

Final thought about the USC-Oregon game. As I watched that game, I couldn't help but notice something: whenever Oregon would make a big play, the USC defensive players were visibly frustrated, cursing, slashing their arms in disgust, hands on their hips. I saw this as early as the second quarter, while the game was close. And the mood on the USC sidelines was noticeably somber. No hootin' and hollerin'. No singing "Lean on Me" and yucking it up. And Coach Carroll's eyes were pretty big and glassy, and his demeanor was pretty pale much of the game, especially toward the end, when it became clear they couldn't stop Oregon. He certainly wasn't running around to his players talking about "winning forever," or trying to pump them up, or talking about how "jacked" he was.

Why do I mention this? Because after Cal's losses to Ore and USC, a lot of folks questioned whether Tedford should be more "upbeat" and "loose" like Coach Carroll. Maybe if he were, the argument went, the players would have found a way to break out of the funk in those games. Instead, the implication was that the sidelines were a tomb because Tedford was too stoic.

Well, whatever Carroll's methods are, they certainly weren't working on Saturday. For a guy who is all about having fun and whose teams take that to heart, that sure didn't seem to show itself on the field. Carroll's players were already whining and bitching while the game was still very much unsettled, and his sideline looked like a morgue. And Carroll's pallor was such a stark contrast to his whole "pumped" and "jacked" schtick that it all sort of seems like, well, a schtick.

The point is, it's amazing what getting whipped will do to all that looseness and bravado. Even for Captain Com-Pete himself.

ASU Highlights

From Big C (new), and extended highlights from PRD74 - thanks as always for your hard work.

Washington State Film Study

Of late, the annual Cougar scrimmage has been the tonic for what ails the Bears. It makes Jahvid feel like Jahvid again, Riley feel like he can throw darts all over the field, the d-line feel like they're unblockable, and the reserves not feel silly for actually taping up before the game.

But this year, it looks like a lot of the media and fans are putting an asterisk next to this one: "another victory over a bottom dweller - how is this different than MD, EWU, Minn, UCLA?" "the defense surrendered too many yards and looked soft doing it," "the kickoff coverage still bites," "we still don't know if this team is any good or just better than a few really bad teams," the list goes on.

Fair enough. Beating a team that is in full scale rebuilding mode shouldn't give a ton of comfort to a team that still feels like it has something to prove. But I do think it's a bit overreactive to dismiss the ways Cal dismantled them and focus only on some of the struggles. Cal didn't just beat them offensively and on special teams; they chopped them to pieces all over the field. By the end of the first half, they had 35 points, 3 passing TDs, 5 plays of over 20 yards, 160 return yards and a 1 ST TD.

And yes, the defense served up chunk after chunk of yardage through the air, which I will get to. And yes that is a glaring concern. But let's be fair here. Almost everyone plays down to teams like Wazzu. But with a 5-score lead in the second quarter? You can't expect the defense to not to lose a little focus. And something else that bears mentioning: in the second half, Wazzu failed to score a point and only crossed midfield twice, and that was with Cal playing a lot of reserves. I think the defense is allowed to take some confidence away from this game and not feel like it was a complete failure.

That said, one thing is starting to become apparent after watching the other conference teams the past few weeks. This Cal team is probably going to go as far as its offense can take it. If the defense can get stops, turnovers, sacks, and shut down the run, that will be a bonus. But more often than not, the offense is going to have to be the unit that puts pressure on opponents. Which is precisely why it was so critical for the offense to gain some confidence as well. With that, onto the game observations:

GOOD THINGS I SAW

1. The continued diversification and evolution of the offense. Last year, the offense found its identity, kept things a bit simpler, and ran with it. This year, every game we see a new wrinkle and plays built off previous wrinkles. For example, early on we saw the QB draw. Then we saw the option with a pitch. Then we saw the option where Riley kept it. Then we saw the wildcat with a read option handoff. This week, we saw a read option where Riley kept it and ran untouched for 15 yards. Defenses now have a lot to think about.

This is something a lot of fans have been waiting for from Tedford's offense, because for the first few years, it felt like the potential was there for that. It's nice to see that Ludwig has that in mind.

2. More deception in the passing game. Last season, it seemed as though the passing game was fairly vanilla, and its success was less dependent on catching defenses out of position and more on just making a good play. This season, though Riley has had some pinpoint passes, we are also seeing a lot more plays where guys have separation or are wide open, indicating the defense has been exploited.

The best example from Saturday was the the 60-yd bomb to Ross. That pass was out of a similar formation and what appeared to be a similar line call or signal from Riley, as the earlier TD pass to Jones. Riley even looked the same direction as he had on the Jones pass just before he threw to Ross, but just threw deep instead of underneath. This was a nice use of multiple options out of the same set. If defenders are playing zone and watching Riley, it is going to look like the same play.

3. Good for Gregory for mixing it up on defense. From the 4-down linemen to the stunts and blitzes, I thought Gregory showed a lot of commitment to finding ways to get better and finding ways to play to his unit's talents. That is what a good coach is supposed to do. And I think the results show that this team can get pressure in other ways, by playing to its strengths.

4. Richard Fisher looked pretty good at LG. Granted it was late in the game, but he was moving people around pretty well, and definitely looked like the best of the OL reserves out there. After going from walk-on to finally getting a scholarship this year, it would be great to see him get in there with the 1s this week if Summers-Gavin is hurt.

5. Riley is starting to show signs of seeing how he can beat defenses. He is getting that look about him at times, like he knows where he wants to go with the ball, and expects the guy to be open or the run to go for yardage. Players in Walsh's system (and its offshoots) used to say that the QBs would often call the play in the huddle and say it should be a first down or a TD, just based off the call and the way to the defense was being set up. Riley's got a ways to go, but you can tell he's getting to the point where he's starting to see the bigger picture.

THINGS THAT STILL NEED WORK


1. Run blocking. The yardage was better, but much of the good running was just Cal's speed - Wazzu still had guys there waiting on a lot of plays. Better defenses would have stuffed those plays. Expect a lot more stuffing and less gravy against ASU this week based on what I saw.

The counter to this will likely be Cal's use of the diversity of run looks that Ludwig has been building into the offense: fly sweep, read option, draws, counters, mixed in with the staple power runs, inside zones, and toss sweeps.

2. Still can't properly defend the flanker screen. Cal is still relying on a slower OLB who is way out of position to get all the way to the sideline, usually chasing the guy from behind, while the corner gets blocked easily after giving a huge cushion to the split end. On Wazzu's second quarter drive, Cal had Browner at OLB in tight, the inside WR totally uncovered, and the corner Hill giving about a 7-10 yard cushion to the outside WR. The ball goes to the inside receiver, and Browner (a converted DL) tries to run down the WR while the corner Hill gets blocked 10 yards downfield. Easy 10 yard gain for Wazzu. What a circus.

First off, if you are going to put the onus on the OLB to stop this play (which is not unheard of), you need speedier OLBs or you need them out wider. Mohamed and Kendricks look like the only LBs fast enough to cover this play if it's to the wide side of the field. Second, whoever is at OLB has to recognize the GIANT bubble created by the combination of (1) no coverage over the inside WR and (2) a 10 yard cushion given to the outside WR. When he sees that, he has to be coached either to (1) start creeping over before the snap, (2) take a massively wide angle as soon as the ball's thrown, or (3) the safety needs to recognize the bubble and creep over.

The thing you cannot do, which Cal's defense continues to do, both against 2 and 3 WR sets, is leave BOTH a gaping hole over one of the WRs AND give the other WRs a huge cushion. You can't do those things and expect not to give up at least 6-7 yards per play.

3. Riley's yips on the freethrow passes. Riley continues to have problems with the gimme passes. The concern here is that in tight games, the great play calls that produce these wide open receivers are going to be pivotal moments in the game. Cal has to drive the stake in the opponent's heart when the opportunities present themselves, such as when Vereen was wide open on the sidelines vs. USC.

I think Riley is largely doing what he's been asked to do, and he's leading the team well. But to carry the team, which it's looking like the offense is going to have to do, he is going to have to stick the daggers when he gets an opening.

4. Kickoff coverage. The saga continues.

5. Defense starting slow against the pass. It seems like the defense enters games not prepared to play fast against the pass from the start. They seem to need to adjust to the speed and pace of the opponent's passing offense before they settle in. At this point, it is a foregone conclusion that they will see a steady diet of quick passes the rest of the way. The coaches need to have them ready to defend this stuff from the start. In other words, assume you are playing Texas Tech every game, because any offensive coordinator worth his salt is going to run those plays against this defense until they can prove they can stop it.

More thoughts later.

Washington State Highlights (updated)

1. Mr. Reliable, PRD74, has posted his camcorder highlights from the stadium. That's right, instead of soaking in the game day experience at sunny memorial, PRD74 (and whomever shot the video below from CGB) burned his deltoids off holding trying to hold a camcorder steady for 4 hours so everyone else could enjoy the game too. Pretty solid camera work too. If there were a silver star for fandom, I would award it to you.

















2. Sequence of plays filed from student section. Here's a link a nice sequence of plays from someone's camcorder in the stands - just hit play and the clips will play in sequence. Thanks to the videographer and CGB for putting this together. Link.

3. Cable Recap Highlights.

Cal-WSU 10/24 from Cal98 on Vimeo.

4. Cable Recap Highlights (alt version).

Midseason Thoughts

I am sure many Golden Bear fans once again have that familiar feeling, that feeling of watching football with a rational, grounded mind. It is that certain equanimity, missing from most college football fanbases, that Cal fans can proudly call their own. I am not talking about accepting mediocrity, or being content with losing games. I am talking about watching games with an awareness of how good your team actually is, whether you're a USC fan or a Washington State fan.

Until this last game, the media hype, unabashed optimism, and a small sample size of games conspired to make that challenging, even for the for the most cold-blooded, battle-worn, curmudgeonly Old Blues. That is precisely why I said I'd wait to pass judgment on how good this team was until after the UCLA game.

Unlike week 2 or 4, by this time, I figured Cal will have been jabbed in a variety of its pressure points: (1) facing teams that have enough film on this year's personnel and schemes to be ready for its game plans, (2) facing a range of offenses and defense, both in terms of scheme and ability level, (3) facing conference opponents with a target on its back due its rank, and (4) meeting the challenge of quashing some of its long-standing nemeses: non-conference BCS road win when favored, beating USC, and beating UCLA on the road. In years past, these pressure points have been acid tests for Tedford's teams (which they have failed), and they typically don't all surface until about this point in the season.

So what have we learned? Based on what I have seen, I'd say this team is about 1-2 wins better offensively than last year's team, and about 1 win worse defensively. In terms of record, comparatively that says 9-3. Mind you, that's not a prediction since the opponents and scheduling are different. But given the personnel similarities, last year's team is a good benchmark for comparison. And comparing the two teams, this group appears to be a bit better.

OFFENSE

The offense has improved slightly in terms of its actual execution, but considerably in terms of flexibility and variability. In terms of execution, i.e. how well the players are actually playing, I'd say the QB and WRs are playing noticeably better, the OL and RBs are about the same, and TE and FB are slightly below last year's level of play.

In terms of scheme, the offense seems to have spread its wings a bit under Ludwig. We are seeing a greater variety of plays, some greater use of deception, and more diversity of attack points. Even in the losses, Cal showed a number of things offensively that have been missing the past couple years. You get the feeling this offense is on the verge of really getting going.

Riley. We are starting to see the real Kevin Riley, the mean of his ups and downs. Thus far, the good: he throws a great long ball, doesn't turn it over, and can make plays happen with his feet. Those are three things Cal hasn't had in a QB since 2004.

The struggles: lack of consistent, repetitive accuracy on the short and medium routes, and lack of mastery of the playbook and reads to the point that he's a step ahead of opposing defenses. At this point, it also does not appear he is going to hurt defenses with the second and third option on pass plays - it's primary receiver, scramble, or bust right now for the most part.

The good news is the things he's good at are god-given, and the things he needs to work on usually improve with experience. So there is room for optimism. You can already see that Riley is starting to get the feel of when he can beat defenses, with the scrambling and the deep ball. Once he gets comfortable spreading the ball around on intermediate routes, the offense is going to be tougher to stop.


Passing game starting to draw boundaries. As the season has worn on, more and more of Riley's passes have been one of three varieties: (1) very short, (2) to sidelines, or (3) deep. With a few exceptions, the 10-20 yard balls over the middle have been missing.

On the one hand, this is a sound scheme (if it is by design), because those are the least likely to be picked off. On the other hand, it is limiting the receivers somewhat in their ability to do much damage, or even at times to get open. These three kinds of passes are the easiest to defend, especially if defenses start to see that the middle is not a threat. If guys are getting thrown to over the middle constantly, it opens up the sidelines a lot more and it pulls the LBs back a bit into coverage, which can make the draws and run game even more effective.

Plus, as scary as some of Riley's overthrows have been over the middle, that part of the field is wide open. It will be interesting to see if Riley and the coaches start trying to attack it more, especially if teams start taking away the deep ball and the sideline stuff.

Lack of reliable run game. What has not improved offensively is that this team still has no "rice and beans" offense - the plays that sustain the offense between all the big plays. Right now the Cal offense is living off Red Bull and vitamins instead of real food. 500 yards of offense doesn't matter if you can't get 3 yards when you really need it. Great offenses can get those yards on the ground. This team is still relying on the big play the way the Cal basketball team relied on the three pointer last season. When the big play isn't there, it is struggling to manufacture yards. Exhibit A: the entire second half versus UCLA.

Offensive line struggles. The key to this lack of staple offensive rushing production is not mysterious. The offensive line (including FBs and TEs) is struggling to block LBs and dominant DLs. They do fine (not great, but fine) straight up against down linemen. And they do fine when they have a good angle on LBs from the snap. But they are not getting good blocks on crashing or flowing LBs and disruptive down linemen. This was a problem last year as well.

I keep hearing about how you can't run into 8 man fronts, and you have to bounce outside or throw to punish defenses for that. I don't agree. You have to prove you can get yardage against those sets from time to time, even if it's only 3-4 yards. You see it in the NFL. Good teams run against 8 man fronts. Heck, in 2005, plenty of teams stacked the box against the pass-inept Ayoob offense, and the team still averaged 235 ypg rushing (#2 conference). They got those yards with a dominant offensive line

(Side note: I shudder to think how great that 2005 team could have been had Rodgers stayed - Lynch, Jackson, the OL, Hughes, Bishop, Mebane, #1 scoring defense, #2 rush defense. That was an undefeated team waiting to happen. Makes you wonder how things would be now.)

This OL is still young, but right now, it is getting beat in the run game. If it doesn't start being able to chop wood against defenses, it is going to be a ball and chain around the offense's ankle.

Ludwig is an upgrade. To Ludwig's credit, instead of just running the same run plays over and over, he has added some different wrinkles to get the ground game going, notably the wildcat, more fly sweep action, well-timed draws, and the use of the option. The option and the draw were responsible for most of Cal's rushing yardage Saturday outside of Best's TD (which was all Best). Eventually these will stop working if they are overused. But by mixing them in with the bread and butter Tedford run plays,even if that bread and butter isn't working all that well, Ludwig is giving the offense more of a chance to keep defenses honest.

I really think Cal has a good one in Ludwig, and I hope he gets the chance to stay another year and really kick this offense into high gear.

DEFENSE

Unlike the offense, the defense is playing worse than last year, pretty much across the board with the exception of defensive line. They are getting beaten through the air long, medium and short. Though they are stopping the methodical ground game, they are still giving up multiple big runs a game. And though their sack total is high, their pass defense stats show that their pressure is not taking opposing offenses out of their comfort zone. To the contrary, they are allowing opponents 63% completions and 129 passer rating. That says the pressure isn't working.

Talent level. I say it constantly: defense is much more about talent than offense. On offense, your scheme can account for a lot. Look at Texas Tech. Most Tech players never see the NFL, but they put up ridiculous numbers. Same with Air Force. But the best defenses year in and year out are the Alabamas, USCs, Oklahomas, etc. Though they have great coaches who get the most out of their players, they also have future NFL starters (not just players) on their defenses.

This team does not have that elite level of talent. They have probably one surefire NFL starter/backup in Alualu, and a handful of guys who have a chance of making a roster but that's it. After watching this unit for 6 games, I'd say Alualu and Thompson look like first team all-conference players, and maybe a few others make honorable mention. No shame in that, but it's important to keep this talent level in mind when evaluating the defense.

Bad reads and being out of position. In particular, at LB and DB, this defense has taken a step backward. With the exception of Thompson, both groups are struggling to make reads and are getting caught out of position. The best examples are the big runs teams have had - Maryland, USC, Oregon, UCLA. Guys go to the wrong spot (Mohamed), chase the wrong player (Ezeff), take poor angles or leave their feet too early (Thompson), or just plain bury their head in someone's chest as the runner goes by them (Johnson, Young).

For some of these players, it is just a question of lack of experience. But for some, it is lack of instinct. The former will improve with time, and in particular I think we'll see improvement at LB over the course of the season. The latter probably will not.

Constant shuffling of LB spots. While I have a number of issues with Gregory, which I will get to, one that relates to this issue of being out of position is all the shuffling around at LB. I get that you want to figure out where they fit. But seriously, you don't know where Devin Bishop, Mike Mohamed, and Eddie Young should play at this point, in their third, fourth, and fifth years in the program, respectively? This constant moving around is almost certainly making these guys think too much and play tentatively. You can see it with Mohamed in particular. Give them their spots (which can still be multiple, such as one spot on 1st and 2d down and another on 3rd down - as long as it's fixed), and let them get comfortable with it.

Lapses in technique. But beyond being out of position, even when they are in position, their technique is failing under duress and they are still getting beat. Case in point would be Hagan's coverage on the acrobatic sideline catch by the UCLA receiver. He was right there, but he turned around a split second early and lost a few inches (admittedly a tough play, but if he watches the receiver's eyes like he did vs. Damian Williams in the endzone last year, he probably breaks up that pass). Same thing has happened to Ezeff, Mohamed, and Bishop trying to cover TEs - stride for stride but poor ball technique. This is on the coaches. This is what you work on in practice.

Passive game plans. Notwithstanding some of the talent limitations, this defense should still be performing better than it has. And that is where I take issue with the game planning this year.

I understand that if people are going 5 wide and throwing within 2 seconds, you want to avoid jailbreak blitzes every play. But Cal is consistently rushing 3, and occasionally 4, and dropping 7 or 8, yet they are still giving up chunks of passing yardage. At some point, if your coverage defense isn't getting it done, you have to acknowledge that the conservative play is just death by 1,000 cuts.

Where is the zone blitzing from last season? Where are the twists and delayed blitzes? Where is the corner blitz? Eddie Young ran a delayed blitz Saturday and got a sack. Why not do that a few times with Kendricks or Mohamed, who are even faster than Young? Owusu gets zero pressure rushing straight up, but virtually every time he's gotten a sack or pressure this season, it's been off a slant or a stunt. So run those stunts.

This defense has good athletes. Not all of them are necessarily equally good football players, either because of experience or just plain ability, but the right calls can mitigate some of that. Blitzing is one of those calls. And guys like Owusu are a perfect example of that.

Passive game plan = passive attitude. As much as defense is about talent, it is also so dependent on attitude. Lawrence Taylor's crazed dog mentality sums it up. The Cal defense needs to be told on Sunday before the week of practice begins that they are going to impose their will on the opposing offense, that they are going to be the unit that the team rides to a win, not the offense. They need to practice with that mindset and they need to play with that mindset. And the best way to ensure that happens is to put in a game plan that reflects that mindset. Rushing 3 or 4 and dropping 7 or 8 every play doesn't do that. Playing read and react and keeping everything in front of you on every play doesn't do that.

Promising young defensive line. This unit looks like it's going to continue to be strong the next couple years. Guyton, Tipoti and Payne all look like future rocks on the front line. Owusu still looks like he's working through some technique issues, but he definitely has the ability as a pass rusher if the right calls are made. This group looks like the strength of the the defense right now.

Hagan's return. It's hard to say your #2 corner can make that big a difference, but you could see how some of Hagan's ability to jump short routes changes the game on defense. When he and Thompson are in there and playing at 100%, it either means a more likely pass breakup or it forces teams away from the sideline and into the middle of the field on the short and intermediate stuff. That's when INTs and sacks are more likely to happen. That is what we saw last year.

If Hagan is really healthy, and Thompson can stay healthy, I do think we'll see less vulnerability to the short sideline routes that have been killing this defense.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Coverage. An abomination plain and simple. There's not much to say except that it is sloppy and in disarray. Here and there, the gunners will make great plays. But other times they just look like they're lacking in urgency, like they are waiting to see what the runner is going to do instead of trying to close in and take his head off.

I have been saying for years Tedford needs to take these units over personally, hold tryouts for special teams and make it a privilege to be on the special teams coverage units. And then he needs to talk not just about stopping people, but about changing the game on special teams - creating turnovers, knocking people silly, and stealing momentum. That is what special teams is all about.

Alamar: Leave Anger alone. This one actually irks me more. Brian Anger was the #1 HS punter in the country coming into Cal. He already knew how to blast sky bombs before he ever put on a Cal uniform. And before he was ever coached by Pete Alamar, he was fine. He didn't even struggle early on last year, so clearly the adjustment to D1 was not a problem. Plus, as far as I know, no one on Cal's staff can punt, including Alamar.

So my question is this: why is it that every time I see Anger coming off the field, Alamar is right there jawing in his ear? You have to wonder if there's a correlation between Anger all of a sudden shanking punts this year and Alamar's constant commentary.

Kickers and punters are different than other players. They're like golfers. They get a handful of chances to do something that requires perfect coordination in one sweeping movement, with guys running at them.

Their psyches need to be handled differently. You don't chat at them during a game. You call the play in the huddle - punt left, punt right, etc., and you let them execute. And if they don't execute, you wait until practice to talk about it. And even then, you can talk to them about direction, but not too much. As long as it's high, you should have the athletes to cover. Don't waste the kid's talent trying to turn him into a surgeon with the football.

Kickoffs. I think there may be some of the same problems here. If Tavecchio can truly kick into the endzone repeatedly in practice, then it's clearly mental with him. So, let him be. Let go of the crazy blooper kicks and cute angle kicks. Tell the kid to let it rip and see what happens. It can't be much worse than the average starting position we're giving everyone anyway. With the height he's getting, it's almost a certainty he can kick a line drive out of the endzone. So let him try.

OVERALL

I think this team has the potential to win the rest of its games. Though it lives and dies by the big play, the repeated big plays in almost every game, going back to last season, shows it is not a fluke. You can almost expect one every game. Even against SC, they were there but for maddening execution errors.

But this offense cannot carry this team to wins if the special teams and passive defense continue to give teams life and let them hang around. The attitude has to change on these units. They have to play with their hair on fire, not like they're trying to avoid making a mistake. If they can summon this attitude, this team can run the table, because it will be the most talented and well-coached team top to bottom in every game the rest of the way. If they cannot, they will get exposed by Arizona's and Oregon State's offenses at a minimum, and possibly others.

UCLA Recap

Mismatch.


1. Game ball - Kevin Riley. The best part of Riley's performance Saturday wasn't 60-degree wedge lobs he was dropping into a cup all over the field, or the timely 6 yard scampers for first downs (though it was nice to see those plays again from him). It was the fact that Riley came up with those nails plays when his team needed him most. He almost had a bit of an edge to him the way he carried himself. Cal hasn't had its QB be that guy for a long time, especially on the road.

2. Good for Tedford and Ludwig for trusting Riley. With the way Riley has struggled the past two games, it would be easy to imagine the coaches puckering a bit and coming out with a bunch of low risk passes to play it safe until they could see how Riley was playing. But you could tell from the play calls that they had 100% confidence in him, and it showed in his demeanor.

3. Best's running style is severely hampered by injury. Bigger, straight-line or one-cut runners can play through injury a bit more because frankly, their top end ability is just faster and stronger, not necessarily more dynamic. But Best is like an Italian sports car. When he's fully tuned and running perfectly, he runs with a rare combination of speed, strength, elusiveness, and anticipation. But just like one of those cars, his blend of skills is tightly calibrated. The slightest injury can throw off the whole machine. Even injured, he's still at worst a Corvette. But in particular you could see that his physical limitations affected his vision and instincts. It was as if he didn't see (or wasn't looking for) the creases because he knew he didn't have the juice to get through them.

Given how much discomfort he was in, with the cramping and asthma, it makes the long TD run he had that much more impressive.

4. Egregious holding by UCLA. I don't recall seeing an offensive line commit holding so deliberately, so often, across the board, for an entire game, the way UCLA's line was holding on Saturday. It was almost like they were coached to do it, because they were giving bear hugs and grabbing cloth from the snap of the ball. Alualu must have been held three or four times trying to pursue the QB. Jordan was held as the RB went right by him on UCLA's long TD run. The list goes on.

As bad as the lack of pressure was (and it was pretty abysmal), this definitely didn't help. This made the hands to the face call on Alualu all the more absurd.

5. The BBDB defense is officially back. I thought it might have been retired, but apparently Gregory still has it on speed dial. That was as passive a defensive game plan as I've seen, against an offense that was begging for Cal to shut it down. Clearly, the plan was to take away the run and the deep ball and make UCLA dink and dunk their way up the field. While I don't have a problem with that scheme per se, if you're going to run it, you better have LBs and DBs who can close holes and cover ground quickly. This group just isn't playing fast enough this season to do that. When that happens, the result can be a steady diet of 4-7 yard pass plays being completed with ease.

And while Cal was able to keep UCLA out of the endzone, I would not get too excited about that. UCLA is in the bottom 10 in red zone TD% and 101 out of 120 in scoring offense nationally. This game was ripe for the defense to attack, sending guys from all over the place, and using delayed blitzes and mixed coverages. Instead, they played read and react, and the result was they let a bad offense run up 450 yards and 26 points, and frankly were a bad QB throw away from another Bruin comeback against the Bears in Pasadena. If Gregory dials up this Sally Ann defense against Arizona or Oregon State, they are going to get lit.

6. The special teams are officially an embarrassment. It has gotten to the point Tedford seems to have words with Alamar on every special teams play. It's abysmal, and totally uncharacteristic of Tedford's detail-oriented approach. I am not saying Alamar should be fired, as I am not privy to what other things he may do well for Tedford in the area of quality control, etc. But he should be moved off of special teams, and someone else needs to hired/moved over.

At this point, no excuses, statistical aberrations, or injuries can overcome the established trend on the field: middle to bottom of the conference kick and punt coverage for Tedford's entire tenure. See for yourself:

Conference rank 2004-present -
(1) Opponent kickoff return yards: 6,5,8,6,6,6.
(2) Opponent punt return yards: 7,7,2,2,8,10.

7. Good finishing blocks downfield. A lot of great blocks downfield extended long runs. Jones in particular drove his man backward for about 10 yards on Vereen's first TD. These blocks are not only the difference between a 7 yard run and a 27 yard run, but they are great indicators of effort. Teams that give up on downfield blocks leave points on the field.

8. Derrick Hill is quietly having a very good season. Before the season, I called Hill an "enigma." He started as freshman, which was promising, but he also started in Tedford's doghouse, which was ominous. Last year he showed flashes, but seemed to play a bit banged up. He's got great upside as a quick, penetrating 3-technique, but candidly, of all the players on the defense, I initially thought his talent would be the most wasted in a 3-4. So it was sort of hard to read him going into this year.

But it is now safe to say what he's done to transform himself into an effective, if disruptive, NT is downright impressive. He flat outplayed O'Dowd (a consensus All-American) in the SC game, and had his way with UCLA's OL as well. He may not get the recognition he should, but right now, he's doing everything you want out of your NT.

9. Tipoti and Guyton have bright futures. I was very impressed with the push both of these guys got. They both use excellent technique, in terms of pad level and use of the hands. And both guys were driving their blocker backwards repeatedly. Admittedly, they provide more depth than I anticipated coming into the season.

10. The gatorade bath says something. Say what you will about a gatorade bath after a mid-season win over a middling conference team. But Boateng's quote gives some insight into what the players think of their coach:

"I didn't know if it was a good idea because of what has happened the last two games," Boateng said. "But we just felt like coach deserved it because he's worked hard."

And according to Okanes:

Boateng said offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig lit into the offense at a team meeting Friday night.

"He was very upset about what's been going on the last two weeks," Boateng said. "We felt like we had to step up and get this win for him."

Based on these and other post-game quotes, it sounds like Tedford and the staff not only lit a fire under the team, but they also rallied them together. I am reminded of all the bluster by the pundits about how Tedford's message wasn't getting through to the team, and how this was a defining game for Tedford and a make or break game (I actually do not think it was). I doubt these critics will ever be silenced, but I thought the team's response on the field and post-game was pretty telling.

All in all, this was a salty win and a cathartic streak-breaker. Questions abound on defense and special teams (which I will get to in my next post), but it was nice to see the offense and the swagger make an appearance again, especially on the road.