There has been lots of yakkty yak on the various sites about how wonderful Cal is - greatest running back in the world, California speed, a cornerback who's going to shut Decker down, so on and so forth.
Let's look at the other side of the coin however. I think if you are a Cal coach or fan you have some legitimate worries.
Eric Decker is the obvious worry for Cal but any Cal coach watching tape of the Air Force game has to be worried as well about Adam Weber. Weber was 20/29 and had at least three passes that hit receivers in the hands dropped. Moreover when the game was on the line Weber came through. Weber was also very accurate. While our offensive line may not be the greatest it is big and that takes a while for defenses to get around. Unless Cal can blitz effectively Weber could have a great night. Decker, Tow-Arnet, Green have great hands and, we are told, so do Gray and Hayo. Stodimire has great speed and ok hands. Could make for a fun night for Gopher fans.
One other area of concern for Cal has to be our defensive lines. For the past two games we have alternated the first string line and the second string defensive line. They are roughly equal. I think the first string line plays smarter football and doesn't get caught out of position but the second string defensive line seems more explosive to me. It has to worry Cal when they see a defensive tackle, Kirksey, chase down an option quarterback. By the end of the game with Air Force it seemed like our defensive line was clearly in control and Air Force had trouble gaining more than a few yards at a time. It took them almost 4 minutes to drive down the field and they only got a field goal.
Lastly, if you are a Cal coach, you have to figure out how to deal with the Gopher linebackers. Two different linebackers were Big Ten players of the week, one a national player of the week, in a conference noted for big tough linebackers - indeed, one school is known as "Linebacker U" .
I'm not saying we will win the game but I'm a little tired of the Minnesota mind set. This isn't the Wacker or Mason era. We are not the Little Sisters of the Poor. We have a very good quarterback, good receivers and a fast tough defense with good depth on the defensive line. While we may not be able to play with everyone we CAN play with ALMOST everyone. I expect a good tough game Saturday.
Let's look at the other side of the coin however. I think if you are a Cal coach or fan you have some legitimate worries.
Eric Decker is the obvious worry for Cal but any Cal coach watching tape of the Air Force game has to be worried as well about Adam Weber. Weber was 20/29 and had at least three passes that hit receivers in the hands dropped. Moreover when the game was on the line Weber came through. Weber was also very accurate. While our offensive line may not be the greatest it is big and that takes a while for defenses to get around. Unless Cal can blitz effectively Weber could have a great night. Decker, Tow-Arnet, Green have great hands and, we are told, so do Gray and Hayo. Stodimire has great speed and ok hands. Could make for a fun night for Gopher fans.
One other area of concern for Cal has to be our defensive lines. For the past two games we have alternated the first string line and the second string defensive line. They are roughly equal. I think the first string line plays smarter football and doesn't get caught out of position but the second string defensive line seems more explosive to me. It has to worry Cal when they see a defensive tackle, Kirksey, chase down an option quarterback. By the end of the game with Air Force it seemed like our defensive line was clearly in control and Air Force had trouble gaining more than a few yards at a time. It took them almost 4 minutes to drive down the field and they only got a field goal.
Lastly, if you are a Cal coach, you have to figure out how to deal with the Gopher linebackers. Two different linebackers were Big Ten players of the week, one a national player of the week, in a conference noted for big tough linebackers - indeed, one school is known as "Linebacker U" .
I'm not saying we will win the game but I'm a little tired of the Minnesota mind set. This isn't the Wacker or Mason era. We are not the Little Sisters of the Poor. We have a very good quarterback, good receivers and a fast tough defense with good depth on the defensive line. While we may not be able to play with everyone we CAN play with ALMOST everyone. I expect a good tough game Saturday.
