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Pac-12 North: Jared Goff, improved Cal defense get ready for potential national breakout
“I wouldn’t trade him for any other quarterback in college football. I wouldn’t even consider it.” – Cal coach Sonny Dykes on QB Jared Goff.
Jared Goff is the nation’s top NFL QB prospect. Despite that high praise, it seems that no one is paying attention to Cal.
There was some preseason hype surrounding the Bears as pundits called for them to be a potential breakout team. However, through the first two weeks, very few have noticed that Cal’s offense, run by Goff, has been as good as advertised and that the defense has yielded only 21 points.
Remember, this is a defense that last year gave up more touchdown passes and passing yards than any team in FBS history. That same defense, with some minor changes under second-year defensive coordinator Art Kaufman, has been impressive so far.
Speaking after Cal’s 35-7 victory over San Diego State on Saturday, Cal linebacker Michael Barton praised the defense.
“It was good to have our defense carry us through the game and have the offense feed off our energy instead of the other way,” said Barton. “Our veteran leadership showed a lot and we made big plays when we needed to.”
The fact that the words “defense” and “carry us” were used by a Cal player is somewhat mind-blowing, and significant. This is a Cal defense that doesn’t need to completely shut down teams, but they need to be opportunistic and force turnovers. It’s the same logic that applies to defenses like Oregon’s and Baylor’s: Get the ball back to the offense as often as possible.
As Goff said of Cal’s defensive performance against SDSU, “When you have a defense that can do that, it helps so much.”
Through two games, the Bears have forced seven turnovers. In 13 games in 2014, the Bears only forced 17. It’s clear that the Cal defense is trending upwards. That should scare other Pac-12 opponents, especially considering Goff and Cal’s offense.
The Bears have a chance to put themselves on the national map Saturday as they travel to Texas to take on the Longhorns. Perhaps the only people that have noticed Cal’s improvement are the good folks in Vegas. Cal is currently a 6.5-point road favorite against the Longhorns, according to the website Vegas Insider.
Can Stanford get back on track and take down USC?
The Stanford Cardinal got back to its winning ways by taking down UCF 31-7 at home. That’s good news for a team that had everything questioned after losing to Northwestern in the season opener.
Now the Cardinal face a pretty significant litmus test as they travel to Los Angeles to take on sixth-ranked USC.
The Trojans and Cardinal have played extremely tight games each of the past five teams they’ve met. USC has won the past two, each by a field goal. Stanford won the preceding three by a total of 17 points.
While the Trojans and Cardinal appear to be moving in different directions, don’t be surprised if this one is another nail bitter. The Cardinal defense is still one of the best in nation and the Trojans have yet to face a team worthy of playing at the Coliseum.
The Trojans are the favorites, but it would be foolish to count out the Cardinal so early in the season.
Gabe Marks finally returns to action, makes big difference for Wazzu
A season after being redshirted following an offseason brawl and a concussion, wide receiver Gabe Marks is back playing for Washington State. Not only is he back and playing, he’s quickly re-establishing himself as one of the conference’s best wide outs.
In the Cougars improbable 37-34 win at Rutgers, Marks caught 14 passes for 146 yards and two touchdowns. After a tough opening loss to Portland State, Marks, who has become a team leader, said, “This is the team that I know we can be. I’m really proud of all the guys and how we fought through adversity.”
Quick hits: While Oregon’s 31-28 loss to Michigan State wasn’t the desired outcome for the Ducks and the Pac-12, the Ducks took some big punches and kept fighting. The Ducks aren’t done quite yet… Oregon QB Vernon Adams is playing with a broken right index finger … Oregon State lost to Michigan 35-7, proving that it’s going to be a long and bumpy rebuilding process for Gary Andersen … True freshman QB Jake Browning is improving quickly at Washington. He threw for 326 yards and two touchdowns against Sacramento State. The Huskies could be a tough matchup for Pac-12 opponents if Browning settles into his new position.
Jason Gold is a writer covering the Pac-12 for FOX Sports. Follow Jason on Twitter@TheSportsGuy33.
