[U][SIZE=3]MY TAKE ON WASHINGTON:[/SIZE][/U]
Coming into the season I felt that Washington would have an effective and balanced offense, utilizing the athleticism of their skill position players. But the questions at quarterback have proved significant, making the Huskies a bit of a wild card. Under Petersen, they seem to be much more of a running team, which is surprising because they have more experience at WR. Maybe it's because Miles is himself a good runner. They even use their WRs for running plays.

Defensively they are very talented and have future NFL draft picks at every level of the defense. Their defensive line is particularly tough and they have good OLBs. It is surprising that they have been somewhat porous against the pass, but they are very good at creating turnovers.

[SIZE=3][U]STATS TO DATE:[/U][/SIZE]
[U][SIZE=2]National (Individual):[/SIZE][/U]
[U]Cameron Van Winkle[/U] #1 FG %
[U]Hau'Oli Kikana[/U] #3 in sacks
[U]Danny Shelton[/U] #3 in sacks and tackles for loss
[U]Shaq Thompson[/U] #4 Fumbles Recovered
[U]Hau'Oli Kikana[/U] #5 in tackles for loss
[U]Marcus Peters[/U] #5 in interceptions
[U]Marcus Peters[/U] #16 in passes defended
[U]Dante Pettis[/U] #14 in punt returns
[U]Andrew Hudson[/U] #14 Forced Fumbles
[U]John Ross[/U] #23 in kick-off returns
[U]John Ross[/U] #36 in all purpose yards
[U]Danny Shelton[/U] #39 in solo tackles
[U]Cyler Miles[/U] #40 completion percentage
[U]Danny Shelton[/U] #47 in total tackles
[U]Korey Durkee[/U] #48 in punting

[U][SIZE=2]National (Team)[/SIZE][/U]:
#1 passes had intercepted, red zone offense & turnovers lost
#2 turnover margin
#3 sacks
#4 fumbles lost
#8 punt return defense
#9 fumbles recovered
#17 turnovers gained
#34 3rd down conversions (defense)
#35 punt returns
#36 rushing offense
#42 rushing defense

[U][SIZE=2]Conference (Individual):[/SIZE][/U]
[U]Van Winkle [/U]#1 FG %
[U]Danny Shelton[/U] #1 tackles for loss
[U]Marcus Peters [/U]#1 interceptions
[U]Shaq Thompson[/U] #1 forced fumbles and fumbles recovered
[U]Dante Pettis[/U] #2 punt return avg.
[U]Hau'oli Kikaha[/U] #2 sacks
[U]Danny Shelton[/U] #2 sacks
[U]Andrew Hudson[/U] #2 forced fumbles
[U]Hau'oli Kikaha[/U] #3 tackles for loss
[U]Sidney Jones[/U] #3 fumbles recovered
[U]Danny Shelton[/U] #4 tackles
[U]Marcus Peters[/U] #4 passes defended
[U]Korey Durkee[/U] #5 punting
[U]Kevin King[/U] #5 forced fumbles
[U]Sidney Jones[/U] #5 forced fumbles
[U]John Ross[/U] #6 all-purpose yardage
[U]John Timu[/U] #6 passes defended
[U]Lavon Coleman[/U] #8 rushing
[U]John Timu[/U] #10 tackles
[U]Shaq Thompson[/U] #15 tackles
[U]Kevin King[/U] #29 tackles

[U][SIZE=2]Conference (Team):[/SIZE][/U]
2nd in sacks by
3rd in punting
4th in punt return avg., rushing offense/defense, 3rd down defense, sacks against
10th in TOP, 3rd down offense, first downs, pass effeciency defense
10th in 3rd down conversions
10th in first downs
10th in pass defense efficiency
11th in passing efficiency
Last in passing offense, total offense, and 4th down defense.


[U][SIZE=3]SUMMARY OF PRE-SEASON MEDIA RANKINGS:[/SIZE][/U]

• Consensus #3 finish in north, consensus top 30 ranking
  
• #4 OL unit in conference, #3 DL and LB units in conference. #8 LB unit in nation (Athlon). #9 OL, #13 DL, #24 WR, #27 LB, #39 DB units nationally (Steele). #2 OL and DL in pac-12 conference (Steele)
  
• Danny Shelton #7 defensive tackle in nation, 1st team conference (DT), top ten NFL talent in conference (Lindy's). Shelton 1st team All-American DT, #1 run stuffer (Sporting News), 3rd team All-American DT (Athlon). #5 draft eligible DT (Steele)
  
• Shaq Thomspon #9 outside linebacker, 2nd team conference (OLB) (Lindy's). #1 draft eligible OLB, 3rd team All-American (Steele). Marcus Peters #9 cornerback in nation, 1st team conference (CB) (Lindy's). #8 draft eligible CB (Steele)
  
• Hau'oli Kikaha #11 defensive end in nation, 1st team conference (DE), best pass rusher in conference (Lindy's). #16 draft eligible DE (Steele)
  
• Above 4 are first team all-conference (Sporting News & Phil Steele)
  
• Kasen Williams 2nd team conference (WR) (Lindy's & Steele), #11 draft eligible WR (Steele)
  
• Dexter Charles (OG)(2nd team) and Micah Hatchie (OT)(3rd team) all- conference (Athlon), 2nd and 4th respectively (Steele). #19 draft eligible OG (Steele).
  
• John Ross 2nd team (KR) (Athlon), 3rd team (KR) (Steele).
  
• John Timu 3rd team all-conference (LB) (Steele)
  
• Corey Littleton 3rd team all-Pac (DE) (Steele)
  
• 
  

[U][SIZE=3]KEY ADDITIONS:[/SIZE][/U]
[U]Lavon Coleman (TB)-[/U] RSFR leading ball carrier on a team with 4 active TBs, 8th in conference in rushing.

[U]Budda Baker (S)-[/U] Highly recruited true frosh is starter at safety. One of the top rated DB recruits in the nation

[U]Sidney Jones (CB)-[/U] Has emerged from a pack of higher rated young DBs to start opposite Peters.

[U]Dante Pettis (WR)-[/U] True frosh starts as a return man and adds depth at WR.

[U][SIZE=3]OTHER DIFFERENCE MAKERS NOT ALREADY LISTED ABOVE:[/SIZE][/U]
[U]Dwayne Washington (TB)-[/U] Starts at TB for a run first offense.

[U]Jaydon Mickens (WR)-[/U] Has a knack for making key plays and TDs.

[U][SIZE=3]LATEST INJURY REPORT:[/SIZE][/U]
Ben Riva (OT) is questionable.

[U][SIZE=3]MY TAKE ON THE GAME:[/SIZE][/U]
[U]Reasons To Worry:[/U]
This is not a good match-up offensively for Cal, unless the OL overachieves to the point of neutralizing one of the best pass rushes in the nation. Some of our key DBs are still a game or 2 away from being healthy. UW is really good at forcing turnovers.

[U]Reasons For Hope:[/U]
Our defense should make a few more stops this time. We've played this team close 2 of the last 3 years and this year we could close that gap, especially with home field advantage. Our offense is firing on all cylinders. This team tends to defy the odds.

[SIZE=3][COLOR="#000080"]Washington 41-38[/COLOR][/SIZE]
(This time the last second FG is kicked and made)

[U][SIZE=3]SOME THING THAT MAKE THIS GAME INTERESTING:[/SIZE][/U]

• Haters gunna hate (hatters gunna hat)-Plenty of historical bad blood between these schools: Not as much now that Sark and Co. are gone. But as long as Shaq is there, the bitter memories will be as well.
  
• It's not just Shaq and 2012, Cal has lost many recruiting battles to Washington including several DBs that we could use right now.
  
• Washington has also broken our hearts on the field. 2009 we got blown out after a stunning upset of furd in Palo Alto. Did we ever recover? 2010 Washington kept us from bowl eligibility on a last play 4th and 1 conversion. In 2011, we could have been 4-0 and ranked but could not convert a first and goal with a chance to force OT. During our miserable 2012 season, we outplayed Washington only to lose on some late scores and a Shaq interception.
  
• Another coaching head to head: Chris Petersen (the coach we wanted) vs. Sonny (the coach we got).
  
• A series of streaks: We won 5 straight from 2002 to 2006 breaking a streak of 19 consecutive losses dating back to 1977. Now Washington has another 5 game win streak (2009-2013)
  
• Contrasting styles: Washington plays the old way. Good defense, balanced offense, take time off the clock. Cal is part of the fast paced/no huddle revolution.
  

[U][SIZE=3]KEYS TO THE GAME (BESIDES THE USUAL):[/SIZE][/U]

• [U]Health:[/U] Cal needs to be healthy on defense. This is especially true with our DBs. Yeah I said this last week and I'm going to keep saying it until it is no longer true.
  
• [U]Preparation/Coaching:[/U] Franklin is going to need to dial up some creative ways to counter a very effective pass rush. Petersen is no dummy and he knows that throwing off Goff is the key to everything else. Kaufman is going to have to find a way to get pressure on a QB this season. This week would be a good time to start but he has to do it vs. one of the best OLs nationally.
  
• [U]Momentum/home crowd:[/U] Ever watch the baseball playoff. A good home crowd knows how to exploit every moment in order to shift the momentum. Cal fans need to get better at this. And we need better cheers
  
• [U]Tackling:[/U] Miles is an elusive scrambling QB. Cal has not been good at wrapping up QBs that scramble. Add to that 2 good return guys and an elusive WR in Mickens and it could be another long afternoon watching the Cal D. Shaq Thompson may (read will) get some reps at RB and he is tough to bring down.
  
• [U]Turnovers:[/U] OK yes, this is always a key. But it is not an exaggeration to say that Washington lives and dies by the TO. Balance out their stunning +11 TO advantage and they are 1-4 instead of 4-1. So Cal must take care of the ball like they did last week, even when Shaq is trying to strip it.
  

[U][SIZE=3]SPECIFIC KEY MATCH-UPS:[/SIZE][/U]
[

• U]Cal OL vs. UW DL:[/U] The Cal OL improved significantly last week after some letdowns against Colorado. They are going to need to take another step up against one of the best DLs they will face all year.
  
• [U]Lasco vs. Shaq:[/U] Lasco has become a punishing downhill runner, making key plays by breaking tackles. Shaq Thompson is one of the best OLBs in the nation and has a knack for causing fumbles and scoring TDs on defense.
  
• [U]Cal passing game vs. UW CB Marcus Peters:[/U] Like Shaq, Peters is a ball hawk and is one of the conference leaders in INTs. With Goff getting pressure, Peters will be waiting for any mistake and is likely to turn it into a pick 6.
  
• [U]Cal's run D vs. UW's run O:[/U] Can Cal continue to stuff the run against a run team?
  

Lol didnt you predict us to lose the last few?

Davidson;842379060 said:

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Lol didnt you predict us to lose the last few?

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Don't stop him!

Davidson;842379060 said:

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Lol didnt you predict us to lose the last few?

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No
I picked Cal against Colorado.
But yes I picked WSU to beat Cal
It's not a lack of faith, I just think Washington is better than most here do.
Cal is a good team and if they were healthy at DB, I'd pick Cal.
But they're not.
Cal has gotten away with some things the last 2 weeks.
Do you really think they can keep going to the well against the better teams?
Or maybe you think Washington isn't that good.

Didnt u choose us to lose against nw?

NYCGOBEARS;842379064 said:

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Don't stop him!

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Doing my best to help the team!

heartofthebear;842379067 said:

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Doing my best to help the team!

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Whatever you're doing, keep it up. It's working wonders.

Davidson;842379066 said:

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Didnt u choose us to lose against nw?

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I was traveling so I couldn't update that. You are correct that I posted as such.
But the good weather helped our passing game. The forecast was for really bad weather.

I was there. As soon as I sat down in my seat, I felt Cal had a good chance of winning.

Davidson;842379060 said:

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Lol didnt you predict us to lose the last few?

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i think heart did have us taking the loss vs wash st ... on paper lol Just playing heart .. thx 4 the time you took to break things down

my thought is they have to prepare for 2 QB's at anytime .. and CAL has too many WR's for anybody to cover and whoever is open goff will find them imo...

oline will make needed adjustments as will the Defense if change is needed ..

is the weekend the hard knocks that the db's have been taking on chin start to pay off ?

NYCGOBEARS;842379068 said:

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Whatever you're doing, keep it up. It's working wonders.

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I'd like to take the credit but I really must give all the accolades to my offensive lines.

heartofthebear;842379073 said:

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I'd like to take the credit but I really must give all the accolades to my offensive lines.

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rofl yall kill me lol

going4roses;842379072 said:

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i think heart did have us taking the loss vs wash st ... on paper lol Just playing heart .. thx 4 the time you took to break things down

my thought is they have to prepare for 2 QB's at anytime .. and CAL has too many WR's for anybody to cover and whoever is open goff will find them imo...

oline will make needed adjustments as will the Defense if change is needed ..

is the weekend the hard knocks that the db's have been taking on chin start to pay off ?

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When I see McClure and Sebastian actually on the field on game day, I'll believe it.

Home field advantage ( in this case )= 10 points. so really Cal 48 UW 41. Just sayin..........

davetdds;842379077 said:

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Home field advantage ( in this case )= 10 points. so really Cal 48 UW 41. Just sayin..........

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Haha
Nice
I'll go with that

heartofthebear;842379058 said:

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MY TAKE ON WASHINGTON:

[SIZE=3][COLOR="#000080"]Washington 41-38[/COLOR][/SIZE]
(This time the last second FG is kicked and made)

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heartofthebear;842379065 said:

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No
I picked Cal against Colorado.
But yes I picked WSU to beat Cal
It's not a lack of faith, I just think Washington is better than most here do.
Cal is a good team and if they were healthy at DB, I'd pick Cal.
But they're not.
Cal has gotten away with some things the last 2 weeks.
Do you really think they can keep going to the well against the better teams?
Or maybe you think Washington isn't that good.

---

I'm curious why you think uw is so good.

Their stats so far don't show them being a very good team.
Their schedule so far has been the weakest in the league.
Their pass offense is probably the worst in the pac12.
Their pass defense is one of the worst in the pac12.
Their dline stats are overrated as discussed already in previous threads.

Not saying uw can't win. But they would have to play their best game of the season so far. If they play at the same level as they have in past games, they lose.

In what game this year do you think uw has actually played well?

So basically you are assuming they play up to their supposed talent level for the first team this year.

That's a big if.

heartofthebear;842379076 said:

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When I see McClure and Sebastian actually on the field on game day, I'll believe it.

---

that would be great help but wash is not going to through 70 times i think .. i want to see more dbs making play aide by bit more pass rush

Here is my scouting report.

UW is not a real team. Yes, they have a lot of talented guys up and down their roster but they have not bought into CP and have no interest in playing for Cyler Miles.

Picture one of the later Tedford teams. A lot of guys concerned about individual goals. They will try to run the ball first but aren't dominant. The passing is suspect.

The second they are faced with adversity in this game, they will wilt. They can come out and score on their opening drive and still lose big.

We are playing like a team on a mission right now and that will be the biggest decider of this game.

Paper gorilla

Washington is an embarrasment to this conference with the way they play football. Ok, i'll be right back, gonna go make up my own blog. How about MSB's BEARPOUND.NET

only team that can beat CAL is CAL

going4roses;842379093 said:

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only team that can beat CAL is CAL

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Boom! I agree.

(I'm just happy that we are playing as a TEAM. Win or lose.)

avery is go according to dykes press after practice this evening .. mcclure still probable

I don't know where to post this. This seems like a good place.

GO BEARS!

Davidson;842379086 said:

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Here is my scouting report.

UW is not a real team. Yes, they have a lot of talented guys up and down their roster but they have not bought into CP and have no interest in playing for Cyler Miles.

Picture one of the later Tedford teams. A lot of guys concerned about individual goals. They will try to run the ball first but aren't dominant. The passing is suspect.

The second they are faced with adversity in this game, they will wilt. They can come out and score on their opening drive and still lose big.

We are playing like a team on a mission right now and that will be the biggest decider of this game.

---

A collection of individuals wearing the same uniform ... the comments by coaches and their tones of voice reveal just how fragmented that squad is in terms of goals and performance. Their performance in games show that ... and then CP makes dumb ST decisions.

Much has been made about the Cal defense versus UW's offense. My concern is over the other matchup which puts the Bear Raid against a very good UW defense.

I'm guessing some here have forgotten all about Tedric Thompson, CU safety. Terrorized us for the first half of our game with the Buffs. Picked off Goff, nailed Lawler (I think) on the PI non-call, made several tackles, and overall wreaked havoc until he was injured, fortunately for us.

My point is that one good player on the opposing defense can throw the Bear Raid off. Fortunately, UW doesn't have a safety like Tedric to worry about over the middle but they do have Peters at CB and Shaq could wind up playing some safety as well. Throw in their pass rush and we could sputter not unlike the first half of the WSU game but this time for a full 60 minutes.

I'm curious who UW will have Peters line up against. My guess is Lawler on the outside. In any case, Goff needs to know where he is at all times and TF needs to work his magic once again when it comes to pass protection.

Thanks Liver...in life there are peaks and valleys...

nailed anderson on a very bad NO CALL

MinotStateBeav;842379155 said:

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Thanks Liver...in life there are peaks and valleys...

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Thanks brother. Who doesn't like Easter eggs embedded within threads once in a while? :beer:

This guy overrates UW so badly. Just another stat whore who doesn't watch the games.

Isnt their D statistically really bad and their pass d even worse?

FrankBear21;842379163 said:

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This guy overrates UW so badly. Just another stat whore who doesn't watch the games.

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What guy? This board needs stat whores, pessimists, optimists, pranksters, foodies, soothsayers, diagrammers, musicians, artists, drunks, historians, drunk historians, ex-players, photographers, travelers, incubuses, succubuses, trolls and other cal football fans to make it work. What it is lacking is actual Cal students...

BerlinerBaer;842379149 said:

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Much has been made about the Cal defense versus UW's offense. My concern is over the other matchup which puts the Bear Raid against a very good UW defense.

I'm guessing some here have forgotten all about Tedric Thompson, CU safety. Terrorized us for the first half of our game with the Buffs. Picked off Goff, nailed Lawler (I think) on the PI non-call, made several tackles, and overall wreaked havoc until he was injured, fortunately for us.

My point is that one good player on the opposing defense can throw the Bear Raid off. Fortunately, UW doesn't have a safety like Tedric to worry about over the middle but they do have Peters at CB and Shaq could wind up playing some safety as well. Throw in their pass rush and we could sputter not unlike the first half of the WSU game but this time for a full 60 minutes.

I'm curious who UW will have Peters line up against. My guess is Lawler on the outside. In any case, Goff needs to know where he is at all times and TF needs to work his magic once again when it comes to pass protection.

---

I remember Tedric, but the first interception was the one bad pass I can remember Goff throwing recently. And while there was the horrible no call on the hit on Anderson, which was a drive killer, after that the offense seemed to get into rhythm. And Cal adjusted and took Tedric out of the equation eventually. He was largely a non-factor during the comeback.

One good player can throw the Bear Raid off for a series or two, but its pretty obvious that Tony Franklin knows how to make adjustments on the fly and I really can't see UW stopping it for more than a half at best.

BerlinerBaer;842379149 said:

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Much has been made about the Cal defense versus UW's offense. My concern is over the other matchup which puts the Bear Raid against a very good UW defense.

I'm guessing some here have forgotten all about Tedric Thompson, CU safety. Terrorized us for the first half of our game with the Buffs. Picked off Goff, nailed Lawler (I think) on the PI non-call, made several tackles, and overall wreaked havoc until he was injured, fortunately for us.

My point is that one good player on the opposing defense can throw the Bear Raid off. Fortunately, UW doesn't have a safety like Tedric to worry about over the middle but they do have Peters at CB and Shaq could wind up playing some safety as well. Throw in their pass rush and we could sputter not unlike the first half of the WSU game but this time for a full 60 minutes.

I'm curious who UW will have Peters line up against. My guess is Lawler on the outside. In any case, Goff needs to know where he is at all times and TF needs to work his magic once again when it comes to pass protection.

---

Everyone who keeps saying that uw's defense is good keeps relying an anecdotal evidence.

People who claim that uw's defense is overrated rely in things like actual stats.

Again, if uw's safety is so good, why is their pass defense efficiency numbers as bad as cal's?

If uw's dline is so good, why did they give up 200 yards rushing to freaking Hawaii and almost 500 yards in the air to an fcs school?

Bc that guy in the middle has 14 sacks of potatoes in his belly