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Cal Bears: Five Things From Opening Win Against Hawaii

By Sean Bialaszek

Sep 12, 2015; Berkeley, CA, USA; Members of the California Golden Bears cheerleaders watch as a giant inflated bear head mascot is moved into place before the game against the San Diego State Aztecs at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 12, 2015; Berkeley, CA, USA; Members of the California Golden Bears cheerleaders watch as a giant inflated bear head mascot is moved into place before the game against the San Diego State Aztecs at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sep 12, 2015; Berkeley, CA, USA; California Golden Bears defensive end DeVante Wilson (95) reacts after making an interception in the 2nd quarter against the San Diego State Aztecs at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports /

4 – Uh, Defense?

The offense is going to carry this team, that’s been the case for the past three years, but the defense barely carried their own weight on Friday against a much-weaker opponent.

The tackling was absolutely abysmal. The angles were awful, and attempted arm tackles just did not get it done time and time again. Hawaii running back Diocemy Saint Juste ran over, through, and around the Cal defense. On 14 carries, Saint Juste racked up 118 yards (including a 53-yard dash) and scored once. Saint Juste also had a great catch-and-run, nearly finding the endzone before being dragged down for a 34-yard pickup.

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    • Overall, Hawaii ran for 248 yards on 38 carries, gaining an average of 6.5 yards per attempt. Three different running backs scored touchdowns. Quarterback Ikaika Woolsey completed jut 50 percent of his passes, 17 of 34, but still threw for 234 yards.

    The pass rush was basically non-existent. Woolsey was not sacked on Friday, and he wasn’t pressured much at all either. Cal has to figure a way to bring some heat on the quarterback, whether it’s by using exotic blitz packages or bringing in some new bodies. As the opponents get tougher, quarterbacks will shred the defensive backfield apart if they aren’t under some type of duress.

    The defense did get those opportunistic turnovers that became their calling card in the first half of the 2015 season. On the first defensive drive of the day, Cameron Walker intercepted Ikaika Woolsey with Hawaii in Cal territory. In the fourth quarter, DeVante Wilson forced a fumble by Saint Juste, and safety Luke Rubenzer picked it up.

    They also forced a fumble on a kickoff late in the second quarter, picking it up to give themselves great field position. Cal needs things like that to allow the offense to pile up points and give the defense more time to rest.

    But most importantly, they have to be better fundamentally. When they have a running back stuffed at the line, they can’t allow him to push forward and gained yardage. They have to tackle better. They have to force the quarterback into bad throws.

    They won’t stand a chance against Pac-12 opponents if the defense plays like this. They have time to improve before Cal’s Pac-12 schedule opens, but how much can they reasonably improve? We’ll find out.

    Next: Peace and Good Health

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