What Excites You The Most About Cal Football? (2009 ed.)
by Avinash Kunnath on Jul 1, 2009 4:00 AM PDT
in California Golden Bears Football
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A few weeks ago, we focused on the Debbie Downer side of Cal football. Would the sky fall on our team's chances from the opening kickoff? Would quarterback, quarterback, quarterback continue to torment us? Would one of those doomsday scenarios that chowder was thinking of here unfold?
Yeah, enough of that. Let's move toward the brighter side of life. Let's figure out what we'll all be looking forward to the most in 2009. I'll talk about three particular units that have me excited this season, and the first one has something to do with some mystical trophy that everyone obsesses over for whatever reason.
(Click here for the image wallpaper of Jahvid Best above!)
Running backs: I'm pretty sure that this has been at the top of every Cal fans's list since 2004. Going into every season since 2004, the run game behind Ron Gould has blossomed into one of the most effiicent in college football. They have placed near or at the top of the Pac-10 every season, often surpassing USC in terms of pure production. Take a look at two of the most common metrics of success in the run game.
| Year | Yards per game | Division I rank |
| 2004 | 256.75 | 6th |
| 2005 | 235.25 | 9th |
| 2006 | 162.38 | 35th |
| 2007 | 166.77 | 44th |
| 2008 | 186.23 | 28th |
| Year | Yards per carry | Division I rank |
| 2004 | 6.05 | 1st |
| 2005 | 5.84 | 3rd |
| 2006 | 4.94 | 13th |
| 2007 | 4.92 | 14th |
| 2008 | 5.57 | 5th |
It appears with Best entering his junior campaign, the Cal run game is back on the upswing after two good but not great running campaigns. Assuming he gets at least adequate backup from Shane Vereen or Covaughn Deboskie, he should . Anything more would set the Bears offense right on track for 2009, hopefully opening up the passing attack to exploit Pac-10 defenses looking to box in Cal's power run game.
Defensive Line: During the first year of the 3-4 (click for danzig's brief rundown of it), there were indeed significant improvements from 2007 to 2008. Four particular improvements stand out that highlight how important our D-line has been to our rebirth as a defensive stalwart in the Pac-10. First numbers are from 2007, second numbers from 2008.
Rushing yards per carry allowed: 4.02 (59th) to 3.21 (15th)
Rushing yards per game allowed: 164.46 (68th) to 122.23 (26th)
Tackles for loss/game: 5.08 (109th) to 6.92 (18th)
Sacks/game: 1.62 (94th) to 2.69 (14th)
Rulon Davis is gone, but filling in his shoes should be the very capable Cameron Jordan, who showed very promising signs going into next season that he is ready to step into Davis's giant shoes. Rounding out the line with the capable senior Alualu and the developing Derrick Hill at nose tackle, this should be a very strong unit in 2009, and should make up for the losses of the linebackers with additional experience running the 3-4 set.
Secondary: My favorite position. The Bears pass D allowed only 5.8 yards per attempt (10th in the country), completed 51.6% of their passes (4th in the country), and picked off 24 passes (3rd in the country). And guess what? Those stats could possibly be better (or at least the same) this year. EVERYONE is back.
Syd'Quan Thompson and Darian Hagan combined for 36 individual pass in 2009, tying them with Verner/Norris of UCLA as one of the best lockdown corner units in the country. Brett Johnson and Marcus Ezeff aren't quite on their level, but they can certainly tackle well enough. Add in capable reserves in Sean Cattouse, Chris Conte, and Bryant Nnabuife, and it's hard to see Cal's secondary not being second to none in the Pac-10.
What makes you optimistic about 2009 Cal football? Voice your thoughts in the comments!
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Anyone who says anything besides RB is just trying to sound sophisticated. It’s all about the Jahvid Best rickshaw, people!
Still holding out hope that Ryan Anderson will capitulate and grant him that interview he's been asking for for months now.
Ummmm
Hold your horses there, Fever. Yes, the RB slot is the epicenter of excitement, what with Best getting all this hype and it being the engine that will drive any success the Bears see this year.
But I voted for the LB corps because that is where the real thrill will be. The young guys coming up have massive potential, and can end up being the real crux of this team’s potential. The combination of hope, expectation, the unknown, and the possibilities are huge, and bring more excitement over this than either the RB or secondary group.
No sophistication involved at all. Just a real sense of thrill at what these kids could do.
Be cool.
Yeah, well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
Roughly 60% of people agree with me!
I think your point is fair enough, but if you had to pick one option, I daresay you’d have to pick RB first. I mean, I’m excited to see how the WR group develops and how the young LBs step in, but are they first on my list? No, and I think you agreed with me in your first paragraph.
Still holding out hope that Ryan Anderson will capitulate and grant him that interview he's been asking for for months now.
by yellow fever on Jul 1, 2009 12:44 PM PDT up reply actions
The reason I picked RB is simply because it will be a healthy Jahvid Best, plus at least 10-15 lbs of muscle. No one in the secondary will be able to tackle him, and lighter LBs will have a difficult time as well. He’ll be stiff-arming all of them. And those who could bring him down with an arm tackle won’t be able to catch him.
It’s too bad there wasn’t an RB + Efficient QB option. Because I’m really excited to see what happens if that’s the case.
I like defense. I’m excited about the defensive line. I like watching them stuff ball carriers and destroy quarterbacks. And they’ve proven they’re very capable of doing so.
by Missing Barry on Jul 2, 2009 7:31 AM PDT up reply actions
Actually, I don’t agree with you, but I just put it poorly. Must have been a damned overdose of pseudo-ephedrine that day.
My feeling is yes, the RBs will be exciting, but we’ve seen them last year and know what to expect and what sort of performance they can give. The LB corps are completely new, and full of promise and mystery. I’m much more interested in how they progress and grow, and how their play will impact games as well as the team’s overall success. In short, I look at this year’s LB corps the same as I did the RBs last year.
Call it close, but LB takes it by a nose for me. And that 60% thing? Yeah, well, I’ve never been one to go with the crowd simply to fit in.
Be cool!
Yeah, well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
Best and Coaching
“It appears with Best entering his senior campaign, the Cal run game is back on the upswing after two good but not great running campaigns.”
Ummm…not that I expect JB to stay for another year, but isn’t he a junior?
And I am pretty excited to see the new OC get to work.
by Montezuma's Revenge on Jul 1, 2009 8:14 AM PDT reply actions
Jahvid & the O-Line
I voted for Jahvid, but the reason I am excited about his potential, is because of the offensive line.
Unrelated Comment about "The Life of Brian"
Yesterday it was officially unbanned from the city of Glasgow.
Bwwiiiaaan
CGB: Optimism is dead to us.
by Spazzy Mcgee on Jul 1, 2009 10:30 AM PDT up reply actions
Would a screen cap of Best’s elbow bending the wrong with with the caption of “Tis only a flesh wound” take the Monty Python theme too far?
the coaching staff is really coming together
From all the reports, and probably more importantly from the Tedford interview posted over on one of the other blog sites, it sounds as though for the first time in a while all of the coaches are clicking with one another. I think the coaches’ chemistry is probably more important than, and will in turn influence, the team’s chemistry. It seems like last year, Tedford and Cignetti didn’t see eye to eye and the trust factor was never there. This year seems to be different, and I’m pretty excited about it. The program feels like its on an upswing again!
Jahvid Best is so awesome, he makes me want to strangle a mountain ox with my bare hands!
Yeah, I’m really excited about that as well. Ever since Dunbar, we’ve been searching for the next great O.C., the one will do what Tedford would do (WWTD) so that he can manage the program as a whole.
So, basically, you gotta Go Bears!
I think you misspelled that. It is WWJD. Because Tedford is the messiah.
All aboard the Jahvid Best rickshaw!
I kinda feel like if Jesus showed up near the stadium Tedford would look at his hair and assume he was a tree sitter. Or Aaron Rodgers.
by HolmoePhobe on Jul 1, 2009 5:31 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
wtf postfail
I don’t know who to vote for! I’m most excited about Best, the D-line, the secondary, and the Ludwig/Tedford offense. Ayatollah Twist, how do I thwart democracy and vote for all four?
Whose domicile? OUR DOMICILE!
I put DLine.
Dr Saturday has made many correlations between rush defense and winning. I think this Dline will be monster.
CGB: Optimism is dead to us.
However, optimism is dead to us.
The Ultimate Opportunist
by Rated-R Superstar on Jul 1, 2009 11:33 AM PDT up reply actions
Correlations, not guarantees!!! Don’t you worry there will be ample room for heartbreak.
CGB: Optimism is dead to us.
There’s nothing worse than heartbreak.
The Ultimate Opportunist
by Rated-R Superstar on Jul 1, 2009 2:11 PM PDT up reply actions
I am going to go with ruptured bladder. Ruptured bladder is much worse than heartbreak.
All aboard the Jahvid Best rickshaw!
rec for Tycho Brahe reference
Driver of the Cal Um Bus
by CALumbus Bear on Jul 1, 2009 3:48 PM PDT up reply actions
I've got nothing
Everything about the 2009 team excites me!
Actually, nevermind
I’m excited to see Kevin Riley’s development. There’s been so much addition-by-subtraction going on this offseason that when September finally comes around Riley’s going to take the field like a whirlwind. The quarterback controversy is over, the coaching staff has gotten back to basics working on mechanics, the receiver corps will be both deeper and more experienced, and the offensive line should be tough against the pass rush. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not expecting 9.5 yards per attempt or anything, but I definitely think Riley’s going to end up with some pretty serious stats; somewhere in the neighborhood of 3000 yards, a 2.5:1 TD/INT ratio and 7.5 YPA.
(Yes, I know I just doomed Riley to a season of mediocrity. But damnit sometimes you just have to tell superstition to fuck right off.)
I could give a fuck about yards, as long as he completes at least 59%
All aboard the Jahvid Best rickshaw!
Add that with Jahvid Best’s 8 YPC, and you have a ridiculously intimidating offense. We are most likely going to get 9 yards on this play. Deal with it. Then, when we kick the ball back to you after our touchdown, you have to deal with the best D in the Pac. Sucks to be you, doesn’t it.
All aboard the Jahvid Best rickshaw!
by rollonubears on Jul 2, 2009 12:03 AM PDT up reply actions
Longshore passed for 3,000 with a ypa of very slightly over 8 in 2006. Assuming Riley has as many attempts as he and Longshore had combined in 2008 (which might be a crap assumption, since pass attempts vary for a whole buncha reasons, but work with me), he’d have to pass for about 7.8 per attempt.
But this is getting into specifics when my thesis should have been more general: that Kevin Riley is going to do his team, the fans, and Coach Tedford proud.
In 2006, Longshore had THA1 who was a big team deep threat. Furthermore, THA1 wasn’t on many defense’s radars as much that year so he was even more successful. However, this year we don’t have a THA1. In other words, Riley is going to need a much higher YPA if he’s going to pass for 3000 yards if he presumably takes about as many attempts as Longshore did.
www.californiagoldenblogs.com
(Because I just happened to be compiling this data today, for an unrelated reason)
Aaron Rodgers got close (over 2900 yards) in 2003, despite sharing time with Reggie Robertson at the beginning of the season. His yards per attempt that year? 8.3.
Heck, Kyle Boller threw for over 2800 yards in 2002 with a YPA of just 6.7. He probably would have gotten to 3K if Cal had been allowed to play in a bowl game that season.
So, basically, you gotta Go Bears!
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Golden Bears Football Schedule
| Fresno St. | Sat 09/03 | W 36 - 21 |
@
Colorado
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| Presbyterian | Sat 09/17 | W 63 - 12 |
|
@
Washington
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Sat 09/24 | L 23 - 31 |
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Oregon
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Thu 10/06 | L 15 - 43 |
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USC
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Utah
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UCLA
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Washington St.
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Oregon St.
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Pacific-12 Conference Standings
(updated 1.2.2012 at 11:12 PM PST)
| North | Conf | Overall | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | W | L | |
|
Oregon Ducks
|
8 | 1 | 12 | 2 |
|
Stanford Cardinal
|
8 | 1 | 11 | 2 |
|
Washington Huskies
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5 | 4 | 7 | 6 |
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California Golden Bears
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4 | 5 | 7 | 6 |
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Oregon St. Beavers
|
3 | 6 | 3 | 9 |
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Washington St. Cougars
|
2 | 7 | 4 | 8 |
| South | Conf | Overall | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | W | L | |
|
USC Trojans
|
7 | 2 | 10 | 2 |
|
UCLA Bruins
|
5 | 4 | 6 | 8 |
|
Utah Utes
|
4 | 5 | 8 | 5 |
|
Arizona St. Sun Devils
|
4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
|
Arizona Wildcats
|
2 | 7 | 4 | 8 |
|
Colorado Buffaloes
|
2 | 7 | 3 | 10 |
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