Who Will Be Cal’s Starters Against Colorado? It’s a Guessing Game
Which Cal players will be in the starting lineup for Saturday’s game at Colorado? We just have to wait and see.
Yes, the Bears (3-2, 1-1 Pac-12) provide a depth chart every Tuesday, but that does not always match up to what Cal puts on the field to start the game four days later.
In Cal’s most recent game against Washington State, three players who were not listed as starters on that week’s depth chart were starters – cornerback Jeremiah Earby, inside linebacker Mo Iosefa and tight end Elijah Mojarro.
Mojarro started because the Bears began with a two-tight end set, and the Bears might start Saturday’s game with two tight ends – or possibly even three – to establish a running game against the Buffaloes’ poor run defense. But the two starting changes on defense were coaching decisions that suggest Cal is continuing competition for starting jobs throughout the week and is willing to change starters from one game to the next.
Only five Cal offensive players who were starters in the opener started at the same position against Washington State. Only six defensive players who were starters in Game One were starters at the same position in the most recent game against the Cougars.
We’re not even halfway through the season, and the alterations are likely to continue.
“Until we get to a point where we don’t give up any points, we’re going to continue to think in a way that might not be the most traditional, but week to week of what we can do to give our team the best chance to win,” Cal defensive coordinator Peter Sirmon said. “And part of that has been some position changes and some position flexibility, and I anticipate that continuing throughout the season.”
The best example of starting adjustments is at the Mike inside linebacker spot. Jackson Sirmon has started every game at one inside linebacker spot, but the other inside linebacker position has been a revolving door. Femi Oladejo, Ryan Puskas and Muelu have started games at that position this season, and that spot for Saturday's game remains up for grabs as Cal lists three players – Puskas, Iosefa and Blake Antzoulatos – as possible starters against Colorado.
“That position, the Mike linebacker position, we've got to continue to get more production out of, run and pass,” head coach Justin Wilcox said.
That position might be the most important position in the Cal defense, and Wilcox is not satisfied with what he's getting from it. If Antzoulatos starts at that spot against the Buffaloes, it would be the fourth starter at that position in six games, with none of the changes due to injury.
The changes at inside linebacker a position change by Oladejo, who is now a starting outside linebacker after starting the first three games on the inside.
Myles Jernigan is the other starting outside linebacker now, and neither he nor Oladejo started at those positions in the opener. Ethan Saunders is the only defensive lineman who has remained in the starting lineup each game, and Iosefa and Earby made their first starts of the season against WSU.
“It’s just about getting the best guys in the best position,” said Earby, one of four true freshmen in Cal’s starting lineup against Washington State. “We’ve just been moving pieces around trying to better the defense.”
Furthermore, the Bears have used a four-man front with two linebackers and five defensive backs at the start of every game this season, instead of the three-man front they consider their base defense.
Coaches like to use the word “continuity” a lot when discussing personnel usage, but Cal does not seem to place a lot of importance on that.
“Continuity is not undervalued,” Sirmon said, “but by the same token I think there’s significantly greater value in finding the best player for that position than overall continuity.”
On the offensive side, quarterback Jack Plummer, tackle Ben Coleman, tight end Jermaine Terry II and wide receivers J.Michael Sturdivant and Jeremiah Hunter are the only players who started at the same position against Washington State as they did in the opener.
In the week between the Notre Dame and Arizona games, the Bears established new starters at four of the five offensive line positions. That’s a dramatic change that worked out well against Arizona but was ineffective against Washington State when the Bears scored just nine points in a loss.
Will there be modifications in the Bears’ offensive lineup on Saturday in an effort to improve production. The depth chart suggests there won’t be changes, but we won’t know for sure until Plummer takes the first snap.
We’re assuming there will be no change at quarterback.
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Cover photo of Peter Sirmon and Justin Wilcox is by Darren Yamashita, USA TODAY Sports
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