Cal Football Video: Jake Curhan Breaks Down the Utah Defense

Bears offensive tackle explains how the Utes approach defense differently than Oregon

Cal didn't have much success three weeks ago against Oregon's defense.

Now the Bears take a shot - also on the road - against No. 12 Utah, boasting a defense that's just as good, if not better.

We talked with Cal offensive tackle Jake Curhan about the Utes and got right to the point.

"They're good," he said.

But they're also schematically different than Oregon.

Utah basically puts an extra defender in the box to discourage the run, rushes the passer with its big and experienced front four and plays man coverage in the secondary.

"Nothing exotic," Curhan said. “They’re confident their players are going to win their one-on-one matchups so they try to get the pressure home before you can do anything about that.”

It's been a successful formula for years at Utah, but this defense is special. 

The front four includes three players who earned All-Pac-12 honors last season, led by defensive end Bradlee Anae, who had three sacks last week against Arizona State to earn Defensive Player of the Week and Defensive Line Player of the Week honors in the conference.

The secondary is led by junior cornerback Jaylon Johnson, also a returning first-team All-Pac-12 honoree. Johnson, who is expected to enter the NFL draft next spring, held ASU star wideout Brandon Aiyuk to one catch for 7 yards last week. Aiyuk caught three touchdown passes a week earlier.

 The Utes rank second nationally in rushing defense (61.1 yards allowed), fourth in total defense (252.1) and sixth in scoring defense (11.7 points). There simply aren't a lot of holes.