Up Front is the Focus for the Cal Offense Saturday

When asked about the Oregon defensive line Tuesday, Cal offensive coordinator Beau Baldwin had this to say about a unit he thinks is truly two-deep.

"I think everybody up front for those guys, and they rotate guys in, there's no drop off," Baldwin said, "that nose guard's impressive as all can be, but it doesn't drop off. When I see 34, it's impressive, but around him it's pretty dang impressive."

While Jalen Jelks has been the most productive (and highest graded per PFF) on the defensive line, Baldwin made a point of mentioning Jordon Scott, the 6'1", 329 pound nose guard on several occasions. And why not, he's a quick player for his size, and he's part of a very talented Oregon front along with Jelks.

With that, there's an emphasis on doing all the little things right in the run game, as the Bears piled up a grand total of 8 yards in the run game (7 sacks to Ross Bowers added to that). The Bears haven't sprung a run beyond 19 yards so far on the season, and that's due to the little things according to Patrick Mekari.

"A lot of the time when we're watching film, it's not a missed block or a whiff or miscommunication, it's the small stuff," Mekari said. "It's six inches here, it's the hand-placement there, it's very small technical things that we've got to key in on."

It's also a bit on the running backs, according to Patrick Laird.

"I've gotten the most carries, so it's mostly on me," Laird said, "running more physical, running more downhill. When I get a crease, take it, just put my face mask downhill and take the opportunities that I'm given."

Laird's averaged 2.9 yards per carry so far, as his yards after contact numbers are down from a year ago, but there's a thought that the QB run game should open things up for him.

"It should, just numbers wise, when you have another running threat on the field," Laird sai, "they also need to have another person on the field accounting for that. It should help out, we expect it to, but it's not on the quarterbacks for the running backs to break runs, it's on the running backs to break runs."

All this said, but Oregon has been one of the best teams in the country against the run, with opposing teams getting 2.1 yards per carry against the unit. Justin Hollins and Troy Dye have been the two productive linebackers in those spots, combining for 47 tackles and 21 defensive stops (defined as any play that results in a 'loss' for the offense, not necessarily a tackle for loss, but a tackle for no gain on 3rd and 1). Scott and Jelks have 26 combined defensive stops as well.

The passing game is going to be the area that the Bears will have to utilize better than they did a year ago. As mentioned before, Bowers got sacked seven times in that contest, and while the Cal OL has been a better unit in that area, having a mobile QB helps as well.

Stanford found success going after the Oregon corners (going 9-11 for 193 yards and 3 scores against the two starters), and while Cal doesn't quite have a receiver like JJ Arcega-Whiteside, they'll likely look to scheme things up outside to deal with sometimes tight coverage. An area where the Cardinal also succeeded was with their tight ends matched up against linebackers, something the Bears might try to emulate with Ian Bunting. Bunting had four receptions in week three, and showed he can hold onto a pass, and take a hit.

Either way, it starts up front for this Cal team, and they're going to have to keep Garbers and McIlwain clean.

Note: Head coach Mario Cristobal said during a press conference today that projected starter Austin Faoliu is 50/50 to play Saturday. If he can't go, Greg Baker will likely start in his place, something they did in the opener against Bowling Green.

Key Matchups:

OL Patrick Mekari or Jake Curhan vs. DL Jalen Jelks

Mekari or Curhan will be tasked with Oregon's most productive defender, as Jelks broke open last year's contest. Mekari noted that it's all about technique in dealing with him and anyone else on the Oregon line.

"Watching all the video, they do a lot of stuff well, but it's nothing we haven't seen, we go up against a great defense every day in practice, so really it's about us executing our plays, executing our techniques, just going out there and playing confident, playing with an edge and an attitude."

WR Kanawai Noa vs. S Ugo Amadi

Noa returns to the Cal lineup this week after an undisclosed injury kept him out against Idaho State, and he'll be in the slot, likely going up against Amadi, who has come down from his safety spot to play in the slot at times. Other players will likely pick Noa up, like Nick Pickett or one of the outside corners in Lennoir or Thomas Graham, but Noa getting open is space is something the Bears need. He may not be able to replicate his 7 reception, 126 yard game from a year ago, but his presence can help open up the outside

TE Ian Bunting vs. Troy Dye/Kaulana Apelu/Amadi/Nick Pickett

This is an area where Stanford got back into the game from, as they used their big tight ends to box out smaller corners, safeties and linebackers. Bunting is massive, and the Bears need to utilize that size.