SAN DIEGO- The Aztecs head into hostile territory this Saturday for their first road game of the season against the Cal Golden Bears. The Golden Bears will be the first Power 4 team that SDSU football will play in the college football playoff expansion era.
Cal is coming off of a huge upset win at Auburn, whilst SDSU had a tough loss at home against Oregon St. The Aztec offense was shut out 21-0 last week and will need to find their identity offensively to compete against an electric Golden Bear defense.
The Cal defense caused five turnovers last week and held Auburn to 286 yards of total offense. Their secondary flies around and has excellent ball skills. They run a little bit of everything coverage-wise but mostly rely on cover three concepts and rolling coverages late.
The SDSU offense needs to limit mistakes. The Aztecs repeatedly shot themselves in the foot against Oregon St., committing an abundance of penalties, not capitalizing in the red zone and failing to execute play calls.
The Aztecs will need to avoid third and long situations and minimize playmaking opportunities for the Cal secondary. Establishing the run game and getting running back Marquez Cooper going as early as possible will open up the play-action and screen game for head coach Sean Lewis.
It is difficult for an offense to find a rhythm when they are constantly looking for the big play. The quick game should be a vital install in this week’s matchup for SDSU, and it will open the door for the possible big play opportunity.
Oregon St. dominated the time of possession last week and gave their offense plenty of chances to figure the SDSU defense out. Any high-level offense will eventually break down a defensive scheme given the opportunities. Keeping the Aztec defense off the field as much as possible will restrict the Cal playbook and keep the defense refreshed.
Cal quarterback Fernando Mendoza has a knack for extending the play and is an efficient thrower. His chemistry with his receivers minimizes mistakes and is not afraid to throw a 50/50 ball in a single high or press. The Aztec cornerbacks need to establish outside leverage in cover 1 or cover 3 to funnel wideouts to their safety to take away the deep threat.
Mendoza identifies what is going on pre-snap so expect disguised coverages and disco from linebackers. Expect more stunts and blitzes with spies attached to make Mendoza’s job as difficult as possible and limit his play extension.
Defensive Coordinator Eric Schmidt has done a great job with this defensive group the last two weeks. The Cal offense runs a mix of everything including 12 personnel, pistol, motions, running back wheels, etc. Schmidt will have plenty of packages and schemes to combat this Golden Bear offense.
Remaining a unit and avoiding pointing fingers if mistakes are made will benefit this young Aztec group. Kickoff is set on Saturday, Sept.14 at 7:30 p.m. in Berkley, Calif.
