Cal Football Video: How Much Does Mike Pawlawski Like Evan Weaver? Watch This

Mike Pawlawski and I usually talk offense during our pre-game video conversations.

But given the state of Cal's offense, we switched gears today.

I asked Pawlawski one question about senior linebacker Evan Weaver, and he responded with enthusiasm and great detail.

Weaver leads the nation in total tackles (127) and tackles per game (15.9).

He is threatening Cal's single-season record of 167 and even could go after NCAA records, although those only date back to 2000. Currently, Weaver is on pace to record 190 tackles during a 12-game schedule.

Pawlawski, during his days as Cal's quarterback, played with Jerrott Willard and David Ortega, two of the great linebackers in program history.

And Pawlawski says Weaver easily fits in with that crowd that also includes Ron Rivera and Hardy Nickerson.

Weaver has five games of at least 15 tackles (more than any player in the country) and four games of at least 18. No other FBS player has more than one such game.

A native of Spokane, Washington, barely an hour from Washington State, will go against home-state school today when the high-scoring Cougars line up against the Bears.

Both teams started their seasons strong but have faded. Cal opened 4-0 but has lost its past four games and must win at least twice in order to attain bowl eligibility.

After today, Cal closes out its home schedule next Saturday against USC, then plays road games at Stanford and UCLA.

WSU, also 4-4 overall and 1-4 in Pac-12 games, faces the same difficult road toward the postseason. The Cougars' remaining schedule includes home games against Stanford and Oregon State and a trip to Seattle to face Washington.