SF Chronicle: Cal hoping high-risk approach is rewarded

Bruce Adams, Chronicle Staff Writer

Cal cornerback Daymeion Hughes was covering UCLA wide receiver Marcus Everett on a pass play early in last Saturday's game when he took a risk and went for the interception instead of knocking down the ball.  Hughes missed, leading to a 26-yard gain by Everett. Safety Harrison Smith, who eventually knocked Everett out of bounds, had a few choice words for Hughes. But not ones you might expect.  "I said 'Keep doing just that,' " Smith said. "He said 'Yea, definitely.' " In the fourth quarter, Smith and cornerback Tim Mixon were both covering Everett on a deep route. They both went for the interception, both missed and Everett made the catch, gaining 38 yards and setting up the go-ahead touchdown in the Bruins' win. They didn't hear a cross word from their coaches.  "That's how we play," secondary coach J.D. Williams said. "You want them to knock down the ball, but you don't want to take their aggressiveness away."  "You have to trust your players," head coach Jeff Tedford added. "You don't want them playing afraid to (try to) make a play."  The high-risk style of Cal's secondary will be tested again Saturday at Memorial Stadium by Oregon State -- a team that is ranked No. 3 in the Pac-10 (No. 5 in the nation) in passing offense at 347 yards per game. Beavers receiver Mike Hass leads the conference with 47 catches (second nationally) for 831 yards (tops in the nation) and four touchdowns. Quarterback Matt Moore has completed 57.5 percent of his passes for 1,570 yards and seven touchdowns.  Cal ranks No. 2 in the conference in pass defense, allowing 201.3 yards per game. And the Bears have done that with a pass rush that has only generated 12 sacks. The defense has 29 passes defended -- Mixon leading the way with seven break-ups, Hughes with six and Smith with five.  With the high-risk play comes another reward -- Hughes is tied for first in the conference in interceptions with four, including one returned for a touchdown. Mixon has two picks.  It's those two who will be most vulnerable Saturday because they usually are matched up with the other team's best and fastest receivers.  "Anytime you play with that style, confidence plays a factor," coach Williams said. "You've got to have, one, good confidence and, two, a short memory."

Smith, who moved to safety from cornerback, knows about the trials out on the corner. And he says Hughes and Mixon are well suited.  "They have that corner mentality," he said. "They have that corner swagger."  Williams said the secondary, like so many other units on this young Cal team, has yet to reach its potential.  "We're average right now," he said. "We could have made a lot more plays."  Hass presents the biggest challenge the secondary has faced.  "He's made a lot of defenses look bad," Smith said.  The former walk-on runs precise routes, has good hands and is deceptively fast.  "He has a great knack for catching the football," said Tedford, who won't have his secondary shy away taking chances. "They have to play with confidence and play aggressive," he said. "And they are going to have to do that for sure against Hass."