Cal Football Video: Why Aren't 'The Takers' Taking the Ball Away As Often in 2019?

Cal's defensive secondary was so prolific at generating turnovers last season that they named themselves "The Takers."

It was entirely appropriate, considering the Bears secured 21 interceptions to rank second in FBS.

Cal's defense scored five touchdowns last season.

Through eight games this season - two-thirds of the regular season - the Bears have just 3 interceptions and no defensive scores.

To find out why, we talked with junior cornerback Cam Bynum, generally considered the Bears' best cover man.

He initially suggested the Bears are a victim of their own reputation, that opposing quarterbacks have less often challenged them on deep balls that Cal often picked off a year ago.

But Bynum acknowledged that's only part of the story.

"We've been blowing opportunities we've had with tipped balls," he said. "We've got to run to the ball harder, even when it's in the air because there's been a lot of tipped balls this year we could have made turnovers.

"And they're landing on the ground . . . we're not getting so lucky. We've had a lot of forced fumbles this year, but they're not bouncing our way. We've just got to keep at it, keep working at taking the ball away, getting the ball out to give ourselves a chance."

While Illinois leads the nation with 13 fumble recoveries, the Bears have corralled just six loose balls from the opposing offense to rank in a tie for 32nd nationally. Cal is tied for 109th nationally with its 3 interceptions, well behind FBS leader Oregon, which has 14 picks.