Daily Cal: Special Teams Shine Under Alamar's Tutelage

Pete Alamar is perfectly content having one of the most thankless jobs in sports. “If we don’t get things done, I’ll take the blame,” said Alamar, the Cal football team’s special teams coach. “If we do get things done, it’s because there are 11 guys on the field doing a great job. “Such is the nature of the beast.” Alamar dominated the headlines after last year’s 47-40 loss to UCLA, when current NFL player Maurice Jones-Drew returned three punts for 162 yards and a touchdown. On another play, the Bears only had 10 men on the field when the Bruins easily converted a fake punt attempt.

Alamar took the brunt of the blame. But the fourth-year coach described the UCLA meltdown as “just one blip on the radar.” So far this season, Alamar has stayed out of the headlines. Special teams play has been one of the bright spots for Cal. Opponents have only managed a total of 66 punt return yards against the Bears for an average of 5.9 yards a punt, compared to Cal’s 13.4 yards per punt return.

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