Back to Basics

Whenever a team goes through a rough stretch we always read about players and coaches "getting back to the basics." Of course, the entire premise of that statement is slightly flawed given the reality that teams should always be focused on the basics. In Cal's case, however, I actually think there is some truth to that statement given how bad the Bears have been in certain aspects of football.

Although I wasn't surprised to read it, I was very happy to hear that Sonny Dykes and his staff decided to mix things up a little bit during the off week. From various practice reports, the coaching staff inserted Daniel Lasco as the number one back, gave Christian Okafor some time as the starting left tackle, and continued to slowly ease Nick Forbes and some of the other injured players into the rotation mix.

When it is all said and done, I don't think Okafor is a better player than Big Freddie but I really like the fact that Dykes is staying true to his mantra that the best player plays no matter what the circumstance. Tagaloa struggled against Ohio State and I don't think it is far-fetched to insert someone else like an Okafor and see what he can bring to the table. Same goes for the other positions around the field as well.

Unfortunately for Cal, the Bears are tasked with the worst possible opponent to work out their many kinks. Oregon is a juggernaut of a program and playing in Eugene is going to be an extreme challenge for Cal. I have no doubts that the Bears have made improvements on both sides of the ball but given how sharp the Ducks are those improvements probably won't show up come Saturday night (having a night game doesn't help either).

Having said all that, some things I would like to see from Cal:

• Handle the Pressure ... because that crowd is going to be loud. Already regarded as the loudest stadium in the country (per person), I can't imagine what a full day of anticipation and adult beverages would do to the noise meter.
• Start Out Semi-Fast ... because teh Bears have been awful so far in thar regard. No one is truly expecting Cal to win (and in this case that's okay) but Cal should come ready to at least compete for four quarters.
• Stick with Lasco ... because the sophomore Texan ran like how a running back is supposed to against Ohio State. Cal has been searching and searching for a running game this season and maybe Lasco is the option the offense needs. I would like to see Dykes stick with the running game and not go so pass heavy.
• Somewhat Contain the Edges ... because that effort against Ohio State was terrible. I don't know what Andy Buh has to do to teach his guys how to edge contain better but the Bears have to find a way - not just for this game but for the rest of the season. The Ducks are going to score an abundance of points and in all honestly that is fine. What the Bears need to do is take small steps in improvement that will benefit them in future games against opponents more on their level. If that means moving Chris McCain off defensive end, benching Dan Camporeale, and moving Deandre Coleman to end - so be it.
• Red Zone Efficiency ... because the Bears are scoring but could score a whole lot more. Given how good the Cal offense has been at times this season the Bears are actually not super in the red zone - yet. If Cal is to take that next step, Jared Goff and company are going to have to start converting these field goals into touchdowns.

GO BEARS!