Dykes altering defensive staff
Having the worst defense in school history and one of the two worst defenses in college football in 2013 came at a cost to three members of Cal head coach Sonny Dykes’ staff.
Dykes announced Wednesday that defensive coordinator Andy Buh would be reassigned, and defensive tackles coach Barry Sacks and defensive backs coach Randy Stewart were fired.
“I owe it to our studentathletes to provide them with the best conditions for success, both on and off the field, and I am committed to hiring coaches who will develop our players to their fullest potential,’’ Dykes said in a statement.
Dykes is expected to hire a defensive coordinator soon, someone with “significant experience in that role who can lead our defensive unit to success in one of the most prolific offensive conferences in the country,” he said in the statement.
Dykes might consider a man with previous experience as a defensive coordinator at Cal in Clancy Pendergast who was on Jeff Tedford’s staff from 2010 through ’12. Pendergast, USC’s defensive coordinator in 2013, has extensive experience game-planning against Pac-12 offenses.
Cal’s defense, depleted by injuries to front-line players as it was, nevertheless was historically bad in 2013.
The Bears allowed the most points in school history, 551, a figure that ranked 122nd out of 123 FBS schools last year.
Buh’s defense was next-tolast in yards allowed per game at 529.6 and last in passing yards allowed per game, 341. Figures for points, total yards and passing yards allowed by Cal in 2013 were the worst in 130 years of Cal football.
Offensive lineman Freddie Tagaloa will transfer to Arizona, where he will sit out 2014 and be eligible as a redshirt junior in 2015. With the Wildcats, Tagaloa will be reunited with his former offensive line coach at Cal, Jim Michalczik. Stanford, Cal announce 2014 schedules: The Cardinal will open next season with three games at Stanford Stadium. Included in that trio is a game against USC on Sept. 6 sandwiched between two nonconference matchups. The Cardinal will play Notre Dame on Oct. 4 in Indiana.
The 117th Big Game is slated for Nov. 22 at Cal.
The Bears’ home schedule includes six games at Memorial Stadium and one at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, where Cal will face Oregon on Friday, Oct. 24 in the first college game to be played at the 49ers’ new home. The Bears are at USC on Thursday, Nov. 13.