Relying on defense is winning strategy
Raymond Davison III walked through Cal’s postgame news conference just before Saturday night turned into Sunday morning and whispered “Go Bears.”
The usually vociferous senior inside linebacker knew he didn’t have to say anything more, because his defense had already spoken volumes in Cal’s 27-16 over Mississippi.
“I absolutely loved how the defense played,” said junior running back Patrick Laird, who subbed for injured Tre Watson with 78 rushing yards and a touchdown. “I thought they held it together. So many of them made so many different plays at clutch times. It was super fun to watch. I love playing with those guys.”
For the third consecutive Saturday, the Bears’ defense led a second-half comeback — this time overcoming a 16-7 deficit to beat an Ole Miss squad that came into the game leading the nation in passing and flashed some of that luster early.
The Rebels racked up 16 points on 218 passing yards, including 71- and 72-yard connections, in the game’s opening 17 minutes. During that stretch, they completed 67 percent of their passes for 18.2 yards per attempt and were chunking off 12.8 yards per snap.
In the game’s closing 43 minutes, Cal shut out Ole Miss, allowing 3 yards per play and 4.5 yards per pass. The Bears’ defense actually outscored the Rebels’ offense during the span as redshirt freshman outside linebacker Cameron Goode returned an interception 32 yards for the game-clinching touchdown.
“I just keep going back to how the guys respond, and that’s guts and grit and toughness. I’m really proud of them for that,” Cal head coach Justin Wilcox said. “… It’s not like we’re reinventing the wheel, by any means. … We didn’t install new defenses at halftime. We played it better.”
That’s become the norm for the Bears, who came back from down 17-7 at North Carolina in Week 1 and trailed Weber State by three points in the fourth quarter Sept. 9. Ole Miss’ second-half possessions ended in three punts, a missed 48-yard field-goal try, Goode’s interception and a failed fourth-down attempt.
Cal, which was among the nation’s cellar dwellers in points and yards allowed last season, is now among the country’s best in some key statistical categories. The Bears are tied for eighth in fumbles recovered (four), tied for ninth in interceptions (five) and tied for 21st in sacks (3 per game).
“It’s not always pretty right now with us, but the guys find a way,” Wilcox said. “It’s really the third week in a row that nobody flinched. They came back when things got tough, and that’s when we’ve been at our best. That is a great quality to have.”
Fittingly, it was Devante Downs who sacked Shea Patterson for an 11-yard loss on Mississippi’s final play. The senior inside linebacker finished the game with a team-leading 14 tackles, two sacks and an interception.
He’s tied for 14th in the nation with 10.7 tackles per game and tied for 15th with one sack per game.
“He’s done it each week,” Wilcox said. “I’m really happy for Devante. He’s put in a lot of work, but I’m not overly surprised. He’s done it in practice. He’s a smart guy. He understands how to get the protections when he’s a blitzer. In the pass game, he’s really good in some of the zone coverages we put him in . ...
“He finishes the play on the ball. It’s one thing to be in the right spot, but you’ve got to go finish it.”
That’s exactly what Cal’s defense has been doing.