Cal's uphill battle toward success
The California Golden Bears lost the Poinsettia Bowl to the Utah Utes 37 to 27. This was a game Cal could have won.
It started off with promise: Cal Running Back Shane Vereen (20 for 122, 6.1 yard average and two touchdowns) ran for 36 yards and a touchdown on Vereen's nifty stop to let the defense flow by him, then shooting through the resulting hole like a missile. Cal's Defense followed that with Eddie Young's 31 yard interception return for a touchdown. The Bears were up by a quick 14 and Utah could have folded.
But the Utes didn't.
Utah did what I wish Coach Jeff Tedford would do: forget offensive balance and go for the opponents defensive weakness. In this case it was Cal's Defensive Secondary. But Utah didn't attack by throwing deep; they used a steady mix of screens, wide receiver bubble screens, play action passes, and short swing passes, and crossing routes.
On many occasions Cal missed tackles, and was so confused on defense that Cal Defensive Coordinator Bob Gregory was "calling scared", leaving his charges in base three-four, and three-three-five defenses. If Cal blitzed, it was one person, sending four. That was it, except for one time late in the 4th quarter when Gregory elected to turn them lose as Utah threatened to score. The Cal Defense came up with a great stop.
At first, I thought Utah's own bad play calls were going to help Cal. Like failing to realize that Cal wasn't going to play straight man-for-man against their three-to-one-side receiver set. Instead, Cal's Gregory left two defenders against three receivers. Utah didn't exploit that in the first quarter of the first half.
But in the second quarter, they did, calling receiver screens because they had the numbers advantage. Watching Cal not adjust to this was punishment on Festivus. Painful.
That set the tone for the game.
Once again, Cal Quarterback Kevin Riley (20 of 36 for 211 yards, one touchdown and 2 interceptions for a passer rating I'm not going to post) was left to suffer under a game plan dictated by Coach Tedford's stubborn need to establish a running game, even when the defense was loaded to stop Shane Vareen. When Cal did throw, the passes were downfield to receivers running into a defense that was sitting back waiting for them to come to that depth.
Utah gave Cal the chance to call simple five yard "stick" passes, and Cal didn't do it.
But not all of it was Tedford and Cal Offensive Coordinator Andy Ludwig's fault. Riley made some predictably terrible throws. Specifically, the flat passes he always has missed on all year long, but Tedford and company keep calling them. Look, Riley needs to learn to make that throw, but he's not done it all year long, I don't know why they think he's going to get religion when they call it.
I have the impression Coach Tedford calls some offensive plays that they may not have practiced because they're the right technical call, but Riley's not the right person to make the throw that's called for.
But one throw Riley did not make was all his fault. On a third and eight in the fourth quarter with about 10 minutes left, Riley dropped back and looked to his right with Utah blitzing backers on the left. Instead of Riley calmly throwing to Vareen in the right flat with green space, Riley held the ball and got plastered. Riley's got to develop that all important feel for the rush. If he wants to survive.
I could write for days about this game, but it's Festivus, Christmas is a day away, and I'm getting ready and helping my Mom, and I don't coach Cal's Offense and they don't ask me to send them plays.
All I do is write this funky blog.
Oh, did Cal miss Jahvid Best? Yes. But Shane Vareen's done a wonderful job. Hats' off to him.
GO BEARS!
Stay tuned.
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