California-Nevada: Five Matchups the Bears Need To Dominate To Win
Since starting the season unranked (only the third time in the Tedford era) and seventh in the Pac-10 preseason media poll, the Golden Bears have definitely made their presence known.
Blowout wins at home in their first two games have allowed Cal to crack the top 25 and pundits across the land are taking note. It would seem that the Bears have earned some respect.
Now all they need to do is keep it. After sending Colorado out of Berkeley in a heap, the Bears should face their first real test in Reno tonight, a venue they haven't visited in nearly a century.
Things have changed in that time, as this latest Nevada Wolf Pack has an offense that is capable of putting up numbers that haven't even been discovered yet.
Make no mistake, the Bears need to win this game if they want to continue to be seen as contenders in the Pac-10 and they would do well to win big.
So with that in mind, here are five matchups that the Bears need to dominate if order to stay on the national radar.
Shane Vereen Vs. Nevada's Run Defense
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There's no denying that Shane Vereen is one of the most talented all-around running backs in all of college football. In fact, this matchup probably concerns the Wolf Pack more than the Bears, as it well should.
While Nevada's offense is obviously great, their defense has some issues. They've allowed 240 rushing yards in their first two games, most of them to Eastern Washington's Taiwan Jones (145 yards on only 12 carries). This is significant considering how their big point totals have forced their opponents to turn to the air.
Indeed, the only reason this matchup is worth mentioning at all is because, no matter how good the Bears' offense is, they can't afford to get into an offensive pissing contest with Nevada, who rack up more yards than anybody and who can score with the best of them.
Naturally, they need their defense to do work, but they also need to control the time of possession battle and that starts with Vereen.
As long as he can steer clear of defensive end Dontay Moch, the reining WAC defensive player of the year, it's hard to find a reason why Vereen won't be able to run wild. If he does, the Bears will be in good position to dictate the pace of the game.
Vereen hasn't yet recaptured his studly form from when he took over for Jahvid Best at the end of the 2009 season and he's definitely better than he's shown so far this year. Why not prove it on national TV?
Kevin Riley And Keenan Allen Vs. Nevada's Shaky Secondary
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Using Vereen to control the tempo of the game may be the best way for Cal to break Nevada's spirit, but a big pass play never hurts either.
And with all due respect to Marvin Jones and Jeremy Ross, who are both very good receivers, Allen is easily Cal's most dangerous big play threat. And against the Wolf Pack's secondary, he should get his chances.
After breaking out in impressive fashion against Davis (158 total yards, 2 TDs), Cal's top recruit turned in a relatively pedestrian performance against Colorado (72 total yards, 1 TD). Whether it was a matter or good coverage or a good job of spreading the ball around by Kevin Riley, Allen was pretty well bottled up.
Meanwhile, Nevada's defense has had trouble bottling up far lesser passing attacks so far. They've allowed a combined 464 passing yards to a freshman QB (Colorado State's Pete Thomas) and a QB who is fresh off a transfer from the great Southern Methodist University (Eastern Washington's Bo Levi Mitchell).
They need their above-average defensive ends (Moch and Ryan Coulson) to get pressure on the quarterback in order to stop the pass.
If the Bears o-line can hold their own and Vereen and co. can pick up a block here and there, an experienced passer like Riley should be able to torch the lesser secondary of Nevada.
And you can bet that he will look to Allen first.
Cal's Front Seven Vs. Colin Kaepernick
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Those first two matchups definitely favor the Bears. This one...not so much.
Colin Kaepernick is off to a fast start so far, ranking third place nationally in total offense at 384 yards a game.
He has always been able to run, but he's shown considerable maturation as a passer in 2010. His completion percentage of 71.2 is a huge improvement over last year's 58.9 and he's well on his way to being the first quarterback in NCAA history to throw for 2,000 yards and rush for 1,000 in three straight seasons.
Put simply, Kaepernick is exactly the kind of multi-threat quarterback that has given recent Bears teams fits (see Jeremiah Masoli and Jake Locker).
Furthermore, Nevada's pistol offense is run off of zone reads, which typically leaves a defender unblocked in favor of creating double teams. Against a 3-4 scheme like Cal's, this is going to invite linebackers to be overly aggressive. With a player like Kaepernick, you can't trick a trickster.
Thus, it falls to new defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast to keep his boys in check if they have any hope of keeping Kaepernick under wraps (and hopefully behind the line of scrimmage).
Having speedy linebackers like Mychal Kendricks and Jarred Price should work to his advantage and Mike Mohamed will have to be his usual self after sitting out a couple days with a toe injury.
The Bears can't afford to let Kaepernick pick them apart. If they get hung up on stopping him, they might forget about Vai Taua.
Cal's Defense Vs. Nevada's Offense
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... is he serious?
Indeed, if this was any other game, claiming the defense of one team vs. the offense of the other as a matchup worth watching would be pretty dumb. But this is no ordinary offense and defense we're dealing with here.
While it may be true that both teams have amassed their stats against far inferior teams, the statistics tell us to expect a clash of titans every time Nevada has the ball.
With an average of 592 yards a game over their first two contests, the Wolf Pack's pistol offense is the most productive unit in all the land. They've amassed nearly 600 rushing yards so far and only six teams have scored more points than them (including Cal).
Meanwhile, the Bears have allowed an average of 160 yards per game over their first two games, which is tops in the nation. They've also only allowed a grand total of 10 points.
True enough, much of this is thanks to the luck of drawing an FCS team and a hapless Colorado squad, but the fact of the matter remains that the Bears defense has been a pleasant surprise.
As much as Nevada wants to prove themselves by taking down a Pac-10 team, shutting down the Wolf Pack would be a huge statement for the Bears.
Wilt Chamberlain once said that nobody roots for Goliath. Tonight, there really is no choice.
The Bears On The Road
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This is not so much a matchup as it is a simple reminder of a very harsh reality: Cal is going to have to carry out all this dominance in hostile territory.
Make no mistake, the biggest hurdle facing the Bears is the unyielding psychological pressure of a college road game. Winning consistently away from home is something that only the truly great teams do on a regular basis.
And it just so happens that road woes might just be the biggest reason why Cal teams during the Tedford era never seem to truly make it to that next level, where the air is rarefied and the accolades fall like rain.
The Bears are riding high right now and winning this one away from Memorial Stadium before they head to Arizona to play an even tougher opponent would be absolutely huge. If they lose... well, that just won't be good at all, will it? Let us not forget that game at Oregon State back in 2007...
Oh by the way, this is the last of three straight home games to start Nevada's season and they won't play at home again until October 9. They've won the first two in convincing fashion and you can bet that they want to give the home fans a memory that will last until they see them again.
This ain't gonna be easy...
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