Auburn can Exploit Cal's High-Risk, High-Reward Defense

The Cal Golden Bears visit the Auburn Tigers on Saturday with a penchant for taking the ball away and giving up big plays.

The Auburn Tigers have plenty of big-play weapons including receivers Cam Coleman and KeAndre Lambert-Smith. / Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK

The California Golden Bears roll onto the Plains, fresh off their win against UC Davis. Now, the Bears tangle with an Auburn Tigers team that crushed Alabama A&M, 73-3. Now, people will want to believe that the Tigers 73-point outburst will carry over in some shape, form, and fashion against an interesting Cal defense. 

For the first time in what seems like eons, the Tigers head into a game with the attention and eyes of the college football world upon them. You never really hear the words offensive juggernaut and Auburn football fit in a sentence. Calm down, the Tigers will run up against a stiffer opponent in Cal.

Wild Scheme

Traversing the world of college football, you will see various schemes, even on defense. For Cal, and their defensive coordinator Peter Sirmon, they take that to another level. Now, on film, Cal runs what looks like a modern 4-2-5 defense. If you look closer, the Bears operate out of a 2-4-5, with two rush ends, from a two-point stance and just two down linemen. 

While seemingly odd, the defense possesses a bundle of possibilities. Of course, Sirmon will send the rush ends at the quarterback, but look out for the zone blitz, which forces the offense to account for the blitzer. This level of confusion can bite Cal, especially versus the run. A steady diet of Jarquez Hunter will force California to change.

Pass Rush

Last week, the Bears failed to register a single sack against an FCS program. Despite playing an opponent that threw the ball 48 times, Cal could not drop the quarterback. UC Davis didn't do anything special that stopped the Bears from getting home. 

Now, that should make Auburn think that the offense won't face heat. Xavier Carlton presents a challenge for the Auburn offensive line. Carlton is a five-technique that uses arm length and strength to win battles. At the same time, he will get to the outside with quick hands when he's not converting speed to power. Outside of that, the offensive line should enjoy a strong day in pass protection. 

Aggressive Yet Vulnerable

Against UC Davis, California picked off three passes, contributing to their victory. Last year, the Bears led all of FBS with 28 takeaways. but the defense still allowed almost 33-points per game. The secondary will jump most routes playing a high-risk, high reward style of defense.

As a result, Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne could feast on the double move due to the size of the Auburn wideouts. Auburn cannot underestimate a defense that will constantly attack the ball, regardless of how many points they surrender. Sophomore linebacker Cade Uluave blends the ability to stop the run but also drop into coverage with sound ball skills and defensive vision.

Auburn is nearly a two-touchdown favorite against Cal on Saturday. The weather should be relatively mild for early September on the Plains, but the Tigers should still be able to heat up the scoreboard against the Golden Bears.

It just won't look as easy as it did last week.