Cal Football Countdown: 73 Days, A Worst Case Scenario, Part 1

The following scenario is speculative. It is in no way something we here at Cal Rivals are wishing for – let us repeat, in no way what we are wishing for -- and is merely a thought exercise into what we think might happen, should this specific scenario happen. (This, of course, is Cal after all.)

Plus, with it being the doldrums of the offseason – fall camp is so close and so far away – and us needing to continue filling out our preseason countdown, this can sometimes take us to weird, unexpected places. So, what happens if:

Evan Weaver gets hurt?

Weaver’s development over the last two seasons has been remarkable, but not entirely unexpected – the staff here at Cal Rivals felt that his move to the inside linebacker position would play well, where his athleticism could pay larger returns than it would elsewhere. That, combined with the aggressive role that Wilcox deploys his middle linebackers in, have made him a star on the conference, and now national stage heading into his senior season. For us to even have had him this long, considering his draft-eligibility, is an unexpected treat, truly.

He is, unquestionably, the heart of this Cal defense – the other, I would argue, is either Ashtyn Davis or Traveon Beck -- although the Takers as a unit might get more shine. Should that heart go missing for any reason, though, we don’t need to look very far for a historical analog, because the last time this happened, it opened the way for Weaver in the first place.

In 2017, there was a young linebacker thriving in the Wilcox system, able to take full advantage of his athletic gifts and the attacking nature of the defense. In the first six games, he recorded 5.5 TFLs (3 sacks), 4 hurries, 2 fumbles forced, 2 interceptions, to go with 65 tackles and countless other unofficial pressures – a whole season’s worth of production from some other players. He won Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week twice for his troubles.

But when Devante Downs was injured against Washington State – the only low point on an unexpectedly delightful evening – he shifted responsibilities to the next guys behind him in Kunaszyk and Weaver, with the latter already being groomed for the job. It’s likely that should such a thing occur again, that the Bears already have their next attack-backer ready to go.

Take a look:

Devante Downs: 6’3, 245

Evan Weaver: 6’3, 245

There is are only two players currently on the Cal roster are close to those dimensions, and while dimensions don’t tell us everything, we should note that

JUCO transfer Colt Doughty is: 6’1, 230…and Evan Tattersall is 6’2, 235.

Both of those guys are also similar to Weaver (and in turn, Downs) in traits, as well. Just take a look at our scouting reports on those guys:

Doughty: “At 6’1", 230, Doughty is ready made in the size bracket of replacing Downs (6’3, 245) and Davison (6’2, 235), but plays closer to the former style-wise. You can tell that much from even the first four plays alone, which are of him:

a) crashing down hill,

b) flashing decent maneuverability in zone drops,

c) demonstrating some clean up speed from hash to hash, and

d) taking on a pulling guard to make the tackle.

Those are all rules more associated with Downs’ role inside than Davison’s, although Doughty doesn’t offer as much top end athleticism or show as much in pass coverage so far.”

Tattersall: “Most of the highlight reel here demonstrates he is a tough, contact-inviting kind of player, throwing blocks and grinding through tackles, and the defensive half is mostly only glimpses of him in the pass rush…”

“….his athleticism has developed a ton over the last year. Watching his senior tape, I see a guy who is a lot more decisive in the field and an increased sideline to sideline threat. He was already tough, hard-nosed on tape and a big hitter as a junior. Now? He pops a lot more and gets there even faster. “

Now, there are no guarantees about either guy being a seamless replacement for Weaver, injury or otherwise – something the team was fairly fortunate to get the first time -- and in an ideal world, we a full final 13, maybe even 14 or 15 games with the star linebacker. But, as far as worst case scenario goes, there’s a chance this one could at least be managed. The staff’s pretty good at coaxing the most out of their defensive talent, and the first two guys up have had a long time to be ready for this opportunity.

Scenario likelihood: Unknown (hopefully low!)

Scenario survivability: Good