Analysis: What to expect from a surprising California offense

The Golden Bears' offense was lethal vs North Texas. What can Tiger fans expect this week?

Jack Singley | Sep 6, 2023

Analysis: What to expect from a surprising California offense /

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The California Golden Bears, usually viewed along with fellow PAC-12 teams like Stanford as an academic school shocked quite a few people this past weekend, putting up a stellar offensive performance. The "Bears of Berkley" managed to score 58 points just one shy of matching Auburn's 59, and totaled an incredible 669 yards of total offense.

This onslaught was the most that Cal fans have seen their offense produce since 2015 when they were led by the future number-one pick, Jared Goff. The approach against North Texas relied a bit more on the rushing attack compared to that of a Goff led team. Jaydn Ott led the way, gaining over nine yards a carry and finishing the contest with 188 yards on the ground along with two touchdowns.

One might think that with an SEC-level defensive line, this should not be an issue for the Tigers, and after watching the Minutemen tear through the Auburn defense early on there should be cause for concern.

The leading rusher for UMass gained 7.4 yards per carry, and with noticeable speed issues to protect the edge against outside runs look for the Golden Bears to highlight this with zone run schemes towards the boundary. Ott showed off incredible speed and ability to not only make a man miss but to use his six foot two hundred pound frame to break away from would-be tacklers.

Isaiah Ifante and Ashton Stedrcik both received over 10 carries against The Mean Green, so a balanced rushing attack with at least 40 carries amongst three backs should be expected.

The passing game for Cal is intriguing, as back-up Ben Finley played most of the game following TCU transfer Sam Jackson V leaving the game with a shoulder injury. Jackson's status has not been revealed at the time of this article.

The last time Cal had a performance like they did against UNT, Jake Spatival was on the sidelines as OC - the Golden Bears brough him back this offseason to run things again. Having coached Johnny Manziel, Brandon Weeden, and Jared Goff, Spatival has proven the ability to get the best out of his quarterbacks. Spatival's scheme was shown off early but following the injury to Jackson V in the season opener, but the Air Raid part of his scheme gave way to the zone run which was incredibly successful. Finley performed well and after finishing second place in the QB race, it is a question if his 279-yard and a touchdown performance brought any doubt to the coaching staff's decision.

Auburn will have to face this revamped offense at one of the latest start times Auburn has had in quite a long time. The 9:30 PM CST kickoff will be broadcasted on ESPN and will keep many Auburn fans in the Eastern and Central time zones up past their bed times.

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Published Sep 6, 2023

JACK SINGLEY

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