Cal Football: The Tight End Helping Create a More Versatile Golden Bears Offense
Back in the Sonny Dykes days, when it seems like 20 percent of the Cal roster was wide receivers, the tight position had ceased to exist.
The best tight end Dykes inherited from Jeff Tedford was Ray Hudson and he was transformed into something akin to a wide receiver.
But current Cal coach Justin Wilcox — and especially his offensive coordinator, Bill Musgrave — want to show a versatile offensive attack. Wilcox talks in the video below about what helps create variety in the offense.
Adding to that versatility is the tight end position, which seems to be gaining more prominence by the week.
Quarterback Chase Garbers completed passes to 10 different targets in Saturday’s 26-3 waltz past Colorado, the Bears’ first win of the Pac-12 schedule.
Four of those 10 were tight ends.
Freshman Keleki Latu, a wiry 6-foot-6 native of Sacramento, caught three for 36 yards. His first reception — the first of his college career — was a 24-yard touchdown catch where he beat man coverage from a linebacker to give the Bears a 10-0 first-quarter lead.
Latu’s post-game Zoom interview session, shown in the video at the top of this story, is precious.
“I thought it was a great moment in my life,” he said. “Honestly, that ball was in the air for like a minute for me.”
Garbers talks in the video above about exploiting favorable matchups when defenses try to cover Cal’s tight ends,
Senior Gavin Reinwald caught just one pass Saturday, but it was a 31-yarder for the Bears’ other touchdown.
Garbers’ past four TD passes, in fact, have gone to his tight ends. Against Oregon a week ago, he found Jake Tonges for a 9-yard touchdown and Reinwald for a 4-yard connection that wound up in the end zone.
Tonges has consistently been one of the team’s most dependable pass catchers this season. He has 15 receptions and 180 yards with a pair of TDs. He caught two passes for 8 yards against Colorado.
Highly touted freshman Jermaine Terry II — a 6-foot-4, 270-pounder from Kennedy High School in the East Bay community of Richmond — also got in on the action against the Buffaloes. He pulled in an 11-yard reception in the fourth quarter — his first career grab.
Talking in the video above about Latu and Terry, the two freshmen, Wilcox said, “Since fall camp I thought they were going to do some things to help our team this year.”
Fifth-year senior tight end Collin Moore also made a catch Saturday but it was erased by what replays suggested was a shaky offensive inference call. He would have been the fifth Cal tight end with a catch against the Buffs.
For the season, six tight ends — also including Elijah Mojarro — have combined for 29 receptions covering 294 yards with five touchdowns.
Cover photo of Keleki Latu catching his touchdown by Neville E. Guard, USA Today
Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo
