By Andrew Kim and Matt Kawahara
The Cal football team had no momentum at halftime against Maryland on Saturday, so Zack Follett did his best to create some. On the second play of the second half, Follett came around the left side on a handoff to Terrapins back Da'Rel Scott and drilled him before he could tuck the ball. Scott fumbled, Keith Browner recovered, and the Bears took over in Maryland territory. Four plays later, the defense was back on the field. It was the first of two big turnovers that the senior linebacker had a hand in, as he also recovered a fumble that was stripped by cornerback Darian Hagan early in the second quarter. But both opportunities were squandered as the Cal offense failed to get a first down. "That's part of the game," defensive coordinator Bob Gregory said. "You've got to just go back out there and play. We just keep telling them the same thing -- play hard, play smart, try to create turnovers." Follett said after the game that it wasn't demoralizing for him to watch the offense struggle to convert those turnovers into points.
"I know when I don't make plays that other guys are making plays," Follett said. "That's why it's a team game. We made plays, but they were just a better team (Saturday)." Still, after forcing the second fumble, Follett ran to the Bears' sideline and parked it in front of the giant fan with his head down. He said, though, that he was more fatigued than anything else. "It was hot, man," Follett said. "I felt like I was running in puddles. I had ice towels on. It was a tough place to play."
Several players besides Follett admitted after the game that the heat and humidity came as a surprise.
"A lot of guys weren't expecting this weather," Riley said. "This is the most I've sweated in my life. You could hear my shoes gooshing." Still, from Tedford on down, Cal's personnel avoided attributing the loss to the elements. The Bears downplayed the possibility that any intangibles outside of their performance played a part in the loss. They maintained that stance despite repeated questions about the weather, cross-country flight and early start time. "I don't think it had anything to do with the coast-to-coast," Tedford said. "There are no excuses whatsoever about coming east. We prepared well, we stuck to the plan, the kids were up this morning focused and ready to go." This was Cal's first trip to the East Coast since 2001, when the team traveled to Rutgers, and the noon kickoff translated to a 9 a.m. start in California. In the week leading up to the game, Tedford implemented a schedule that was intended to condition the players to functioning earlier than normal. Some have second-guessed the decision to leave for Maryland on Friday rather than Thursday, which would have given the team a day to adjust. "I was like, 'Man, we're gonna have to wake up at like 5 a.m. our time,'" Riley said. "But I woke up fine. "We just weren't ready to play."
Though the Bears were stagnant in their rushing efforts, several Cal wideouts had the games of their careers. LaReyelle Cunningham led the green receiving corps with seven receptions and 138 yards and was often the go-to target for Riley, who found the senior for six first downs. The Riley-Cunningham tandem produced just one incompletion all afternoon. Also, after posting his first career catch against Washington State on Sept. 6, redshirt freshman Michael Calvin finally left a mark on the stat sheet with five grabs for 69 yards, all of which came in the second half. He was on the receiving end of four first-down conversions.
Junior-college transfer Verran Tucker had one reception for a touchdown -- both career firsts -- while tight end Tad Smith hauled in a score as well on one of his two receptions. Cameron Morrah continued his steady production with five catches for 49 yards after sitting out most of Cal's 66-3 rout of the Cougars last week.
"I think they did fine," Riley said of the unit. "When the ball was thrown their way, they caught it. They did a good job." Tedford acknowledged their progress during post-game interviews, though he did notice a few areas needing improvement. "Some of our receivers had a chance to get some action today and catch some balls, which was nice," Tedford said. "We had a couple blown assignments out there, situations where we lined up two guys on the line of scrimmage, blown route going into the end zone.
"So there's some growing pains there, and the key is that we learn from those. It comes down to communication and making sure they understand what they're doing, and I was happy to see some of them make plays today."
The first of three bye weeks has arrived for Cal, which gives the team an extra week to prepare for its Sept. 27 clash against Colorado State at home. Following their loss to Maryland, the Bears voiced a consensus on the timeliness of getting a Saturday off. "I think it's really good that we have a bye week coming up right now," Tedford said. "It's a great opportunity to study." It's also a great opportunity to heal after multiple players sustained injuries against the Terps. Tailback Jahvid Best has a bruised sternum from the hit delivered by Maryland's Kevin Barnes, and Shane Vereen suffered a sprained ankle in limited appearances. Tedford also added: "Cam (Morrah) had a hard time breathing today, so we had to hold him out a little bit in the second half," though it's likely his respiratory struggles were due to the heat and humidity in College Park.
The break should allow the Bears to continue evaluating several of their defensive starters. Saturday saw two new faces in defensive end Cameron Jordan and safety Brett Johnson, though incumbents Rulon Davis and Bernard Hicks saw as much time, if not more. Gregory said the coaches selected their man at safety the night before facing Maryland, and the evaluation period may continue for a few games. Gregory also mentioned last Thursday that neither Johnson nor Hicks has separated himself as a clear-cut choice.
In the trenches, Jordan has been touted for his pass-rushing abilities, but Cal succumbed to the Terps' running attack despite his presence as early as Maryland's first drive, which went 60 yards -- 44 rushing -- for a touchdown. Whether Jordan or Davis will start against the Rams opposite entrenched junior Tyson Alualu remains to be seen as well.
No comments:
Post a Comment