Cal Football 2020 Assessment: Part 4, Passing Defense

Part 4 of our assessment of Cal's 2020 season focuses on the Bears' pass defense.

Cal cornerback Camryn Bynum, who will be a starter for the fourth consecutive season, provides his insights in the video above.

Cal State That Matter

2019 Passing Yards allowed per game -- 264.3, 5th in Pac-12

2019 Opponents' passer rating -- 131.4, 4th-best in Pac-12

2019 Sacks -- 36, 2nd in Pac-12

2019 Interceptions -- 8, 9th in Pac-12

Cal returned all four starters in its secondary in 2019, and big things were expected from that quartet. It turned out to be a solid group, but it was not one of the nation's best, as had been projected before the season began. After recording 21 interceptions in 2018, which was second in the nation, the Bears picked off just eight passes last season.

"We were kind of a victim of our own reputation," Bynum said of the 2019 performance. "It was a lot different the way offenses attacked us."

Bynum admits that USC caused the most problems last season, as freshman quarterback Kedon Slovis completed 29-of-35 passes for 406 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions in USC's 41-17 victory in Berkeley. The Trojans figure to be the Bears' biggest passing-game challenge this season as well.

"That game is circled on the calendar for sure," Bynum said.

This season is different. Cal lost both starting safeties, both of whom were taken within the first four rounds of the NFL draft, and the Bears will have new starters at three of the four base-defense secondary positions as well as a new face at the nickel back spot.

Five issues will determine how well Cal defends the pass in 2020.

1. How well will the move of Elijah Hicks from cornerback to safety work out?

Hicks (No. 3 in the cover photo) has been a starter at cornerback the past three seasons, and his move to safety weakens the Bears' secondary at two positions from last season -- safety and cornerback. But Cal has considerable talent at the cornerback position, with players like Josh Drayden and Chigozie Anusiem, who was a starter in the Redbox Bowl, ready to step in.

Bynum is one of the best cover corners in the Pac-12, and he may play some safety and nickel back as well as the Bears move him around to put him in position to make plays.

In any case, the loss of two safeties taken in the NFL draft has to hurt the pass defense. Even if Hicks adapts well to his new position, the Bears have to find somebody to adequately occupy the other safety spot.

Perhaps overlooked is the loss of talented nickel back Traveon Beck. Cal often uses five defensive backs against Pac-12 opponents, and having to replace the nickel back position as well is significant.

2. How much will the loss of secondary coach Gerald Alexander hurt?

Alexander got a lot of the credit for molding Cal's secondary into a strong unit, and that helped him land a job as the Miami Dolphins' defensive backs coach after the 2019 season.

He was replaced at Cal by Marcel Yates, who was Arizona State's defensive coordinator for much of last season. Yates has the job of piecing together the secondary that is making significant changes. In terms of scheme, not much will change, though.

"It's just an opportunity to learn some different things from a different person," Bynum said.

3. How effective will Cal's linebackers be in pass coverage?

For all his talent in stopping the run, Evan Weaver was not great in pass coverage.

Inside linebacker Kuony Deng is an outstanding 6-foot-6 athlete who can cover running backs or tight ends when he's not asked to rush the passer.

Also, the offseason creation of the Star position--a hybid safety/outside linebacker--will aid the linebacking crew in pass coverage, although it's unclear who will man that position and how often it will be used.

The Bears linebacker should be at least as good as they were last year when asked to cover receivers.

4. Will Cal's pass rush be as effective as it was last season?

With the notable exeption of the USC game, Cal managed to apply pretty good pressure on opposing quarterbacks in 2019, collecting 36 sacks, which ranked 21st in the country and second in the conference.

The Bears return their top five sack-producers from 2019, led by outside linebacker Cameron Goode, who ranked third in the Pac-12 in sacks last year with 9.5.

Sixth-year defensive ends Zeandae Johnson and Luc Bequette combined for 6.5 sacks, and Deng figures to improve on the 3.0 sacks he had a year ago.

Peter Sirmon, who was promoted to defensive coordinator in the offseason, noted he wanted more tackles for loss this season, so you can expect him to be aggressive in his play-calling.

The Bears will be disappointed if they don't rank among the conference leaders in sacks in 2020.

5. Will Craig Woodson have as big an impact as some expect?

We don't even know if redshirt freshman safety Craig Woodson will be a starter in 2020, but observers believe he can be a game-changer once he gets the chance.

Virtually every practice Woodson gets an interception or makes a big play of some kind.

"In practices, he's really set himself apart from a lot of other people," Bynum said.

Like Ashtyn Davis, Woodson could be a player who makes plays that change the course of a game. But the emphasis at this point is "could be."

Conclusion

You can't expect a secondary that lost both safeties to the NFL and is forced to move players around to be as effective as it was a year ago. The pass defense can still be solid if Cal can be good against the run and mount a consistent pass rush, both of which seem possible. Unlike last season, the Bears need to take the pressure off their defensive backs.

Click here for Part 1, Cal's Rushing Offense

Click here for Part 2, Cal's Rushing Defense

Click here for Part 3, Cal's Passing Offense

Click here for Part 5, Big-Play Potential

Click here for Part 6, Special Teams

Click here for Part 7, Momentum, Expectations, Schedule, Depth

Follow Jake Curtis of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jakecurtis53

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