Day 3 of Cal spring practice meant pads for the first time. The Bears have had good intensity through the first week of spring ball, and that continued with some contact. There were no completely live periods during Friday's practice, but the players were allowed to get more physical.
Here's a quick rundown of what I saw during the latest day of work for the Bears.
– Fernando Mendoza remains impressive at the quarterback position for Cal. Today he was very vocal and is truly becoming comfortable in his position as the starting quarterback for the Bears. He was barking out orders and getting his teammates lined up where they needed to be, and everything about his game continues to look improved. To me, his passing is beyond that of Chandler Rogers right now and he's not made many mistakes. I say many over any because he did throw an interception today during the 7-on-7 period as newcomer Ja'ir Smith was able to make a nice play on a pass intended for Marquez Dortch for the turnover.
– Rogers has remained steady and made some impressive plays himself. He hit Nyziah Hunter for a 20-yard completion early in practice and had an impressive connection with tight end Marquis Montgomery during the 7-on-7 period for about 14 yards.
– The running back unit has so much talent and it feels like a different player has shined every practice. Dean-Taylor Chapman made some impressive plays Friday including taking a screen for about 35 yards late in practice. He also had a run that went for more than 20 yards earlier in the day. Jaivian Thomas has also been steady through the first few days.
– It was an impressive day overall for the defense as there were turnovers created and havoc for the quarterbacks regularly throughout the practice. Ryan McCulloch was able to get pressure on Rogers early in practice to force a difficult throw. That was followed up by a strong play from safety Craig Woodson to stop Thomas on a short run.
Newcomer Isaiah Crosby also made an impressive play coming up on a blitz to bat down a pass from Rogers during the first team period. Late in practice, Cam Sidney came up with a well-played pass breakup working against Hunter.
Up front, R.J. Stephens and Woodson both made strong plays to stop Thomas on run attempts during the late team period. Marcus Harris worked against Tobias Merriweather late in practice and made a nice play to force the Cal receiver out of bounds on a throw in the end zone.
Lucas Vanderlind put a big hit on Merriweather to end practice.
– Ron Rivera is on campus for the coach's clinic tonight and tomorrow, and he spoke to the team before practice. He is the keynote speaker for the event, so he spent time watching practice. OL alum Alex Mack spoke with the team after practice and spent a good amount of time with the offensive line group after that.
Here's a quick rundown of what I saw during the latest day of work for the Bears.
– Fernando Mendoza remains impressive at the quarterback position for Cal. Today he was very vocal and is truly becoming comfortable in his position as the starting quarterback for the Bears. He was barking out orders and getting his teammates lined up where they needed to be, and everything about his game continues to look improved. To me, his passing is beyond that of Chandler Rogers right now and he's not made many mistakes. I say many over any because he did throw an interception today during the 7-on-7 period as newcomer Ja'ir Smith was able to make a nice play on a pass intended for Marquez Dortch for the turnover.
– Rogers has remained steady and made some impressive plays himself. He hit Nyziah Hunter for a 20-yard completion early in practice and had an impressive connection with tight end Marquis Montgomery during the 7-on-7 period for about 14 yards.
– The running back unit has so much talent and it feels like a different player has shined every practice. Dean-Taylor Chapman made some impressive plays Friday including taking a screen for about 35 yards late in practice. He also had a run that went for more than 20 yards earlier in the day. Jaivian Thomas has also been steady through the first few days.
– It was an impressive day overall for the defense as there were turnovers created and havoc for the quarterbacks regularly throughout the practice. Ryan McCulloch was able to get pressure on Rogers early in practice to force a difficult throw. That was followed up by a strong play from safety Craig Woodson to stop Thomas on a short run.
Newcomer Isaiah Crosby also made an impressive play coming up on a blitz to bat down a pass from Rogers during the first team period. Late in practice, Cam Sidney came up with a well-played pass breakup working against Hunter.
Up front, R.J. Stephens and Woodson both made strong plays to stop Thomas on run attempts during the late team period. Marcus Harris worked against Tobias Merriweather late in practice and made a nice play to force the Cal receiver out of bounds on a throw in the end zone.
Lucas Vanderlind put a big hit on Merriweather to end practice.
– Ron Rivera is on campus for the coach's clinic tonight and tomorrow, and he spoke to the team before practice. He is the keynote speaker for the event, so he spent time watching practice. OL alum Alex Mack spoke with the team after practice and spent a good amount of time with the offensive line group after that.
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