By Andrew Kim
Allowing 31 points, the Cal defense probably didn't impress the "national" TV audience. The Bears gave up 402 yards of total offense to Michigan State, who scored 24 points in the second half, while Spartans quarterback Brian Hoyer overcame a slew of dropped balls for a 321-yard performance. But while a drowsy East Coast won't believe it until they see it, I think it's safe to say the 62,956 fans in attendance -- as well as a small Michigan slice of the ABC coverage map -- saw more than just glimpses of a lights-out defense.
For one, the linebacking corps came as sharp as advertised. Zack Follett made a couple Zack Follett-type plays, while the lesser-known Eddie Young, making his first career start, matched Worrell Williams with four tackles. Has he already proved that he belongs? Yes, and Anthony Felder, arguably the top performer of the defense Saturday, agrees. "Eddie isn't afraid of anything, and that's perfect for the position he plays, the Sam (linebacker), because it's his job to set the edge, and that means there's going to be a lot of collisions with fullbacks, tight ends and pulling guards," Felder said. "It's not a spot for somebody that's timid, and Eddie's not afraid to stick his nose in there and jam things up."
In the trenches, tackle Derrick Hill and the defensive end unit challenged the linebackers as the deepest position on the Bears roster. Despite their lack of sacks, Rulon Davis and Tyson Alualu hurried Hoyer often enough, a point coach Jeff Tedford emphasized during the post-game press conference. Keith Browner, who has the talent to soon be a starter according to Davis, was also dominant during a series in the second half, while freshman Kendrick Payne (6-foot-2, 288 pounds) is a prototypical 3-4 end. The fact that Javon Ringer was limited to 81 yards on 27 carries is proof for the above assessments. But just a couple things stand between the Bears and a truly dominant defense. Though he finished 20-for-48, Hoyer deserves his due for nearing a comeback. Still, it's hard to believe he would've had the same success had the Spartans faced Cal later in the season. To paraphrase, Bears defensive coordinator Bob Gregory said some time during fall camp that the ability to "go fast" would be one of the defining characteristics of a finished product on defense. What does that mean today?
By reducing Ringer to only a few decent scampers, Cal proved that its defense has the mettle to stuff the everyday run, but it was evident that Gregory has a couple things to smoothen out in the upcoming weeks -- things that are expected to take a couple games, like playing against a hurry-up offense. Beyond the front seven, there's one final piece to Cal's defense, a player who "got robbed on some calls," according to Felder.
His first start might have drawn mixed reviews, and sure, he was picked on a bit as a result of playing opposite Syd'Quan Thompson, but corner Darian Hagan has nowhere to go but up. We all know he's got the athletic ability -- his (recovery) speed might have single-handedly won him the starting job over now-No. 3 corner Chris Conte -- and the coaches have noticed his newfound work ethic. At this point he represents the final question mark surrounding the Bears' defense. And it was half-answered Saturday. All in all, Hagan had a decent night despite a lot of forces going against him. He dropped a couple interceptions, on top of the ones that were negated, while Hoyer seemed to view his side of the secondary as the only viable opening to cracking Cal's raging defense. The coaches will make their evaluations upon watching film this week, but what was clear during the game was that Hagan never lost his confidence. "I think he responded well," Gregory said. "He actually wasn't out there for most of the third quarter, he couldn't because of cramps. To his credit, he came back and played well." Hagan is by no means a finished product, but he'll get plenty of practice in the first few games for Cal. He saw his share of work in the opener, but next week's roadie against Washington State isn't going to be a breeze either. After the Cougars, who plan to line up returning first-team all-conference wideout Brandon Gibson across anyone not named Thompson, we'll have enough sample points to map out Hagan's learning curve.
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