Cal running game still sputtering through four games

The Bear Raid needed some ground help on Saturday, but the Cal running attack looks really dysfunctional right now. How much of it is on the offensive line? Who do you trust as the running backs going forward?\

Norcalnick: I generally put most of the impetus for running the ball on the offensive line. Sure, an above average RB might gain 4 yards rather than 3, and a transcendant back might turn a 5 yard gain into 20. But for the most part, it's the blockers that create space, and the running back just needs to hit the hole. Those holes were largely absent against Oregon, particularly considering the rain meant that Oregon really didn't need to respect Cal's deep passing game . . . or, really, the passing game period. It would be in everybody's interests to ignore the Oregon game. Let's all hope that Cal can move the ball against Wazzu. If they can't, then our premature worries will no longer be so premature.

Vlad Belo: I am far from an expert, but I tend to view most of it as falling on the offensive line. We just don't seem to get anything going at the point of attack. There was very little running room against Oregon and we haven't really had decent production in the running game on a consistent basis. As far as whom to trust at the RB position going forward, I still think Bigs should get touches because he is, IMO, still the most explosive back we have. But Lasco is another guy I like for his hard running and (so far) his ability to hang onto the football.

Sam Fielder: Not to keep sounding like a broken record here, but as Vlad and others before have said, I think a fair amount falls on the OLine. They just don't seem to be able to open up good holes for the backs to run through and it seems that for whatever reason the backs this year aren't elusive enough to get things done on their own. Lasco seems to be the one I trust the most right now, as in the runs I've seen him make, he always runs hard, seems to be able to move the pile, and also has decent speed. And no fumbles that I remember either...