USC’s Helton applauds Cal defense
It’s a common practice for football coaches to refer to opposing players by their positions or jersey numbers.
USC head coach Clay Helton has so much respect for Cal that he learned the players’ names.
“I’ve always thought that good defenses are built down the middle. When you look at Chris Palmer, Evan Weaver and Ashtyn Davis, that nose, that mike and that free safety are three of the top players in our conference right now,” he said in advance of the teams’ Saturday meeting in Los Angeles. “It’s no wonder you look up and they’re one of the better defenses in our conference.”
Cal isn’t just one of the better defenses in the Pac-12. It’s become one of the top 25 in the country.
The Bears are tied for 13th in third-down defense, stopping opponents 68.2 percent of the time. They’re 19th in total defense (323.2 yards per game) and 21st in both passing defense (184.2 yards per game) and defensive pass efficiency (110.99).
Helton has been especially impressed with Cal during the past three weeks, during which the Bears’ defense has allowed only 12 points per game as the team went 2-1 to get within one victory of bowl eligibility.
But he didn’t need to see the recent stretch to know where the Cal defense was headed under head coach Justin Wilcox and defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter. Even in the coaches’ first season in Berkeley, the tandem showcased a great scheme against USC quarterback Sam Darnold.
Darnold, who threw for 7,200 yards and 57 touchdowns in two seasons and was drafted No. 3 overall by the New York Jets, had to rally to beat the Bears last year 30-20. He threw for only 223 yards, one of just two times all season that he was limited to fewer than 225 passing yards.
“That was probably the toughest game for Sam last year, because of the coverage disguises,” Helton said. “They do a tremendous job of showing you one coverage and bailing to another. … Coach Wilcox is a masterful defensive coach, and then, you put coach DeRuyter with him. That combination makes it hard on you.”
Helton took over the playcalling duties last week against Oregon State to jump-start a middling offense and to help true freshman quarterback JT Daniels, who has the impossible task of replacing Darnold.
Daniels is completing 56.6 percent of his passes for 225.8 yards per game with nine touchdowns and seven interceptions. His 125.2 passing efficiency ranks better than only fellow true freshman Dorian Thompson-Robinson (UCLA) among Pac-12 starters.
Daniels didn’t have to throw much in a 38-21 victory over Oregon State that got USC back into the conference’s South Division race. The Trojans ran for 334 yards on 7.8 yards per carry, including 205 yards by Aca’Cedric Ware and 101 by Vavae Malepeai.
The Cal coaches probably know those guys’ names, too.
Walk on, then run: Cal senior running back Patrick Laird was named one of 10 semifinalists for the Burlsworth Trophy, which is given each year to the nation’s best player who started his career as a walk-on.
Laird has 700 rushing yards and five touchdowns and has caught 38 passes for 251 yards and three more scores. The selection committee on Tuesday will trim the group to three finalists, each of whom will be honored at a luncheon where the winner is announced Dec. 3 in Springdale, Ark.
“I’m a big fan of Patrick Laird,” Helton said. “I think he’s as blue collar a runner as there is in our league.”