Washington/Cal Preview Q&A With California Golden Blogs

1. One of the things that I've kept my eye on this year when watching Cal has been their use of Luke Rubenzer. What are your thoughts on the pros and cons of Cal's use of two quarterbacks

atomsareenough: I'm not really convinced yet they're making the best use of Rubenzer just yet, but I'm hopeful it will evolve smartly over the course of the year. From the coaches' job security perspective, I don't blame them for burning his redshirt - after last year, they had to be willing to do anything conceivable to get off to a good start this year, plus they needed to keep him as involved and engaged as possible for insurance purposes should anything happen to Goff. He was very effective as a surprise weapon against Northwestern, which helped us win that game. As a dual-threat QB, he gives us another dimension, but he's supposedly a talented passer as well, and they've almost exclusively had him run the ball, and that's gotten predictable. On the other hand, against Washington State, they used that predictability to set up a reverse that clinched a crucial first down. There are critics who think taking the ball out of Goff's hands at ALL the way he's playing at this point is sheer folly, and there's a good case for that. I'm not opposed to working Rubenzer in occasionally though, as long as they pick their spots carefully with well-rehearsed plays, and don't use him in a way that's completely predictable and therefore unlikely to succeed.

Nick Kranz: It will be interesting to see if they continue to use him with any consistency. The amount of snaps Rubenzer has received has gone done with each passing game, to the point where he only came in for one play against Washington State. I don't know if that means the element of surprise is gone and he will rarely play, or if they are saving him for specific teams or specific situations. Against a team like Washington that probably defends the run better than they defend the pass, I would think that keeping Goff on the field would be preferable. But what do I know?

Leland Wong: If a backup can come into a game and be effective, then it's great to use him early to get him acclimated to the college game before the spotlight is solely on him. Rubenzer shocked everyone when he came in during Cal's first drive against Northwestern and that surprise factor was critical in him making some big gains. Since then, the defenses are beginning to plan for him to be a run between the tackles; while this has has hurt his effectiveness, he is still quite capable of gaining a few short yards for the most part. Overall, I think the best way to use Rubenzer is centered around that run threat--bring him in on running downs and either run or use a fake like a play-action pass and or a reverse.

2. How much has Cal's defense improved from a year ago, and in what ways are they different?

atomsareenough: On the surface, it would seem like they haven't improved much at all, but I think they are in reality much improved. First of all, DC Art Kaufman seems leagues ahead of Andy Buh in terms of basic competence and knowledge. We're still not executing as well as we need to, but guys are at least in the right spots for the most part instead of being completely lost. We were pretty decent on defense the first couple of games, but then lost important players in our secondary (who should hopefully return within the next couple weeks), which contributed to getting torched in the passing game the past few weeks, in addition to playing opponents that executed extremely well through the air. We're pretty decent against the run so far, but we're probably only an injury or two away from being porous there too.

Leland Wong: Although our safety play overall has been a bit of a weakness lately, that doesn't keep me from appreciating their veteran leader, Michael Lowe. He invested a great amount of time and effort in the offseason to impress the new defensive coaches and seems to have put it all together for his senior season. He's playing very smart and has become a sure tackler.

Nick Kranz: Atoms touched on the perceived improvements brought by Art Kaufman. Another key element is the return of key players who were out all of last year with injuries. Mustafa Jalil, Brennan Scarlet, Stefan McClure and Jalen Jefferson all played very little if at all in 2013, and their return has provided for some improvement on the field. The fact that some of those players have been out over the last few games might have some impact on the crazy stats Cal's defense has allowed. We'll see if the hypothetical return of, say, Stefan McClure has an impact, if/when it happens.

3. Who are a couple of Cal players who might be less talked about, but have shined so far this season?

atomsareenough: I would have said Daniel Lasco, but the ESPN Pac-12 Blog just highlighted him as an underrated player. Our run game is way better than last year, and the improved O-line and running back play are a big part of that. The run game has in turn opened up the offense considerably. Not many guys on defense are getting much publicity, understandably, but our biggest difference maker on that side of the ball is Brennan Scarlett. He's been our only consistent pass rusher.

Nick Kranz: Before returning two punt returns for touchdowns last week it would have been Trevor Davis, who was a virtual unknown to start the year after transferring from Hawaii. I'll go with safety Griffin Piatt, who has come up with 3 huge interceptions. When your offense scores a ton of poitns and your defense allows a ton of points, even one stop can be enough to swing a game, and his instincts and ability to close on passes has been a huge asset a few times this year.

Leland Wong: The next couple of games will be rough for the Bears, which we expected before the season. Fortunately, the Bears have survived some tough situations this year--stopping a Northwestern comeback attempt and falling behind early in our comeback wins against Colorado and Washington State. While these have been soooo embarrassing for the conference, I take solace in the fact it may have benefited the players as they have seen first-hand that they should not just fold when they fall behind. God, I just really hope the Pac-12 can forgive us for being the pimple on prom night.

4. If the season ended right now, Cal would be in the Pac-12 Championship Game. What are the expectations for the rest of the year?

atomsareenough: Bowl game. I think we have a good chance of winning against Washington, Oregon State, and BYU (especially sans Taysom Hill), and conceivably we might have an upset in us against one of the other three California-based Pac-12 teams or Oregon. If the defense improves or even gives us one strong game against a good opponent, our offense is good enough to beat anyone. So, two of the "good chance" games and one upset would get us to 7 wins. I'd been thinking 4-6 wins was a reasonable expectation at the beginning of the season, but the strong start has me hoping for 6-8 wins.

Leland Wong: The next couple of games will be rough for the Bears, which we expected before the season. Fortunately, the Bears have survived some tough situations this year--stopping a Northwestern comeback attempt and falling behind early in our comeback wins against Colorado and Washington State. While these have been soooo embarrassing for the conference, I take solace in the fact it may have benefited the players as they have seen first-hand that they should not just fold when they fall behind. God, I just really hope the Pac-12 can forgive us for being the pimple on prom night.

Nick Kranz: Make a bowl game, be competitive in every game. Cal's offense has reached the level where the Bears should never be blown out of a game like they have been regularly over the last four years, so if Cal makes a bowl game and is competitive in their losses, this year will be an unqualified success.

5. Do you have a prediction for this game?

Leland Wong: I'd feel much better about the game if UW weren't coming off a bye week. I'm sure Coach Petersen has cooked up some schemes to counter the Bear Raid and exploit our defensive weaknesses. I think the Husky defense is disruptive enough to slow down the Cal offense, but I think (or hope) that Cal will pull out the win in a one-score game

Nick Kranz: Sure. I think Cal's offense struggles early because UW will make running tough and they will probably get to Goff a few times. But I suspect that as the game goes on and the D line gets tired, Goff will find more and more time, and Cal's offense will get churning in the 2nd half. Meanwhile, UW's offense will score points, but Cyler Miles' inexperience and inconsistency will result in enough stops to keep Cal close. I'm thinking it will be UW 21, Cal 17 at the half, and Cal 45, UW 38 for a final.

atomsareenough: Cal 45, Washington 38. I know #drop50 is all the rage these days, but I think Washington's defense is good enough to keep us below that threshold. Our bad defense is enough to let any offense score points, but Washington's questionable performances against mediocre opponents this year gives me some hope that Cal can come out on top here.