Bequette becomes rock of the D-line
Luc Bequette beat Jake Curhan in a game of roshambo, earning the right to be the first to handle his media responsibilities and get out of Monday night’s post-practice chill.
Then the Cal junior defensive lineman revealed his secret.
“I actually looked it up,” the 6-foot-2, 295-pounder from Little Rock, Ark. said. “Apparently, everyone’s first move is rock, so I always go paper.”
The exchange was telling. Bequette consistently puts in extra study to heighten his physical tools and has been nothing short of rock steady for the Bears.
“He was probably even better than I thought during the game,” Cal head coach Justin Wilcox said after reviewing video of Bequette’s performance in the Bears’ 15-14 victory at USC on Saturday night. “He was really, really productive against the run and pass, finished on the quarterback a couple of times and punched the ball out for a critical play in the game. …
“He’s been playing real well. Sometimes it just doesn’t show up on the stat sheet, but he was instrumental in that whole thing.”
It certainly showed up on Saturday’s stat sheet as Bequette recorded career highs with eight tackles and two sacks in earning Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week honors. Pro Football Focus graded his play at 85.7 — higher than any other interior lineman in the nation for the week — and he made the game-changing play.
Already leading 14-0, USCwas inside the Cal red zone in the closing minute of the first half with a chance to take a three-score lead before getting the ball again to start the second half.
Having lined up late out of the timeout, Bequette chased down receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and forced a fumble that inside linebacker Jordan Kunaszyk recovered to shift the momentum.
“I think it’s a testament to our defense and how we swarm to the ball,” Bequette said.
Bequette was one of only three defensive players to start every game last year and is the only defensive lineman to start every game this season. Although Cal substitutes liberally along the rest of the defensive front, he played 66 of 72 snaps against USC and was right in the middle of the some of the most crucial plays.
Along with forcing the fumble, Bequette and Kunaszyk hit Aca’Cedric Ware near the goal line to jar loose a ball that was recovered in the end zone by JT Daniels for a third-quarter safety that marked Cal’s first points in the game.
Bequette also had two sacks, including one in the first half that he celebrated by mimicking Turkish chef Nurset Gokce, better known as “Salt Bae” after video of him flamboyantly sprinkling salt on a steak went viral. In the second half, Bequette sacked Daniels and, for good measure, took down Ware on the same play.
“I actually don’t remember that one,” he said. “In the moment, I just remember seeing the quarterback, and I got really excited.” Team of the week: Cal’s first win over USC in 15 years earned National Team of the Week recognition from the Football Writers’ Association of America. The Bears last got the award after their 2003 victory over the Trojans and also won the award in the year it was created with a 2002 victory at Michigan State.