California Golden Bears Midseason Review: Defensive Report Card

(Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

The Cal defense, which returned all but three starters from a unit that recorded 35 sacks and ranked among the nation's best in forcing turnovers, figured to be a strength this season.

There were even talks of Berkeley having the best defense in the Pac-10 this side of Troy. 

So much for that. While the defense hasn't suffered a meltdown like it did in 2007, things have not come up all roses for the Bears.

On one hand, Cal has had only one truly terrible performance—the 42-3 Oregon loss; and since that debacle in Autzen, they have not allowed a passing touchdown. Overall, starting with the second half against USC, the defense has tightened up in the red zone.

That said, Cal's defense has had trouble getting after the quarterback this year; much of it has to do with the absence of a bona-fide pass rusher, a role that was filled in 2008 by the departed Zack Follett.

Another reason is opponents' strategy, which has spread out the Bears and relied on many short, quick passes—see Oregon, USC, and the first drive against Eastern Washington. Cal has also given up some big chunks on the ground in conference play.

That was a quick overview; now let's hand out the marks, unit by unit.

Defensive line

Don't be fooled by the stats; Cal has 18 sacks, which putting it on pace to surpass last year's mark, but six of those came in the opener against Maryland.

The three-man defensive line has not gotten its own consistent pass-rush outside of senior stud Tyson Alualu, who has notched four and a half sacks, 26 tackles, and three passes defended.

Cameron Jordan has been inconsistent, while back-up Ernest Owusu has not had a single quarterback drop since getting a couple in the Maryland opener.

The defensive front, which made look UCLA's suspect offensive line look like word-beaters, has also been partly responsible for Cal's porous rushing defense in Pac-10 play—the Bears have allowed 236, 174, and 137 yards on the ground against the Ducks, Trojans, and Bruins.

Grade: C

Linebackers

Coming into the season, the Bears had hoped that their depth at the position (a rotation that ran six-deep) would help remedy the loss of Zack Follett, Worrell Williams, and Anthony Felder.

It's safe to say that the results have been mixed.

Cal's linebackers do boast two of the conference's top tacklers, with senior Mike Mohamed first (50) and Mychal Kendricks fifth (47), who has certainly lived up to his billing. In addition to racking up tackles, Kendricks has emerged into a ball-hawk and a defensive play-maker as a sophomore.

The depth also became a big plus in the heat against UCLA, as Cal was able to rotate players in and out all game—Kendricks, who made the game-sealing interception return, did not even start and only saw about 15 plays.

However, this group has had its issues, as Bob Gregory has shuffled the line-up constantly; and it is clear that the Bears sorely miss the experience and leadership of of their departed "Wrecking Crew".

The Pain Train (aka Follett) in particular was the unit's most dangerous pass-rusher, recording 10.5 sacks, something that the Bears have been unable to replicate.

Meanwhile Williams and Felder were solid against the run—which this unit has also struggled with at times. Just look at the fits Joe McKnight and LaMichael James gave them. 

It's hard to call this core group inexperienced, since there are no freshmen and all of the players saw saw snaps in 2008.

They may very well gel into a terrific unit before the end of the year, but the early expectations—like those for the Bears in general—may have been too much.

Grade: B-

Secondary

After being benched during last week's game, the previously ineffective Kevin Prince threw for 311 yards against the Bears on Saturday. That should tell the story of Cal's secondary this year.

While an inconsistent pass-rush has been part of the problem, the Bears helped Jeremiah Masoli to break out of an early-season funk, while allowing nearly 600 combined passing yards against two consecutive freshman quarterbacks. 

Cal has allowed 250.5 passing yards per game (compared to under 200 last year), giving up big chunks of yardage on a regular basis—whether through short bubble screens or simply unaccounted play for open receivers for long gains.

Unlike with the linebackers, there weren't supposed to be any questions about this veteran group, which accounted for 16 interceptions in 2008 and returned completely in tact.

But corner Darian Hagan, a starter in 2008, was actually benched after one the worst games of his career against Minnesota (accounting for all of the Gophers' touchdowns); even SydQuan Thompson has looked sloppy at times.

The defensive backs have often been overmatched against bigger, physical receivers like Damian Williams, Ed Dickson, and Logan Paulsen.

However, as of late, Cal has tightened up when it counts—not allowing a passing touchdown in two games. Hagan appears to have shaken off his early rust after posting five tackle and defending three passes against the Bruins.

Furthermore, reserve corners Josh Hill and Bryant Nnabuife filled in admirably when needed on Saturday.

Overall, though, it's hard not to be disappointed with this unit so far in 2009.

Grade: C-

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