Cal defensive coordinator Bob Gregory deserves almost as much credit for Cal's rise as head coach Jeff Tedford. The year before Gregory took his job at Cal, the Bears ranked 110th nationally in scoring defense, yielding 39.2 points, improving to 61st (26.5 points) in Gregory's first season. In Year 2, the Bears were 54th (24.4 points), and last season, Cal was eighth, yielding 16 points. The defensive starters against Arizona included only three starters from last season, and one of those played a different position. All four players who earned first- or second-team all-conference honors last season are gone, and four defensive starters Saturday are in their first season of eligibility at Cal. Nonetheless, Cal is sixth in the nation in scoring defense, giving up 10.6 points a game. Obviously, Cal's weak early schedule is a significant factor, but no team had held Arizona to less than 24 points this season before the Bears shut out the Wildcats on Saturday.
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