By the own admission of the coaching staff, Friday's practice was not a good one for the Cal offense. The Bears failed to reach the end zone and really could not move the ball much in the 10th practice. So, being able to bounce back with one of the best overall days on that side of the ball was a positive development and exactly what the offensive staff hoped to see Saturday.
Here's a rundown of my top takeaways from Saturday's action, which featured some extended team periods but fell short of a true scrimmage.
• Jaydn Ott returned to practice for the first time this week, and whether or not he was the thing that sparked the offense it was clear how much his presence was missed Friday. The first drive ended with a touchdown as the offense was able to come out of the gate with a different level of success in the first team period Saturday. Ott put together a couple strong runs but the drive was capped with a 13-yard touchdown pass from Sam Jackson V to Monroe Young. The offense scored four touchdowns overall during the team periods and two of them came in the first segment of practice.
Fernando Mendoza led the second scoring drive as he connected with Kenden Robinson Jr. for a 28-yard touchdown to keep the momentum moving for the offense. Mendoza accounted for the other two touchdowns in the practice as well as he had a 5-yard rushing score in the second team period and a 21-yard touchdown connection with Trond Grizzell toward the end of practice. He also scored a 2-point conversation to end practice rounding out a solid day for the Cal backup signal caller.
Jackson, again, proved to be a difference maker with his feet. He broke a run that went for close to 20 yards to open the last team period and kept plays alive with his ability to scramble. Overall, he was only able to throw one touchdown pass but compiled a really nice collection of throws. Still, he had a couple big mistakes that he will need to clean up including an interception thrown to Raymond Woodie III that likely could have been returned for a touchdown plus another mishandled ball on a handoff exchange that ended ultimately ended up not being a turnover.
• The work up front from both the first and second units was also improved on the offensive side of the ball. There was a mostly clean pocket for Jackson and Mendoza to work from Saturday, and far fewer breakdowns in protection allowing the offense to be executed at a higher level than on Friday when the defense created all kinds of disruptions in the backfield and at the line of scrimmage.
• That is not to say it was all bad for the defense or all good for the offense, however. Woodie, in particular, had an impressive day as he opened the practice with a pass breakup working against Jeremiah Hunter that would have gone for a touchdown if not for his impressive play. Lu-Magia Hearns III, Craig Woodson and Kaleb Higgins all had pass breakups as well in Saturday's practice. Cam Sidney came through with some pressure and batted a ball at the line of scrimmage against Mendoza.
• The defensive front also did a good job of creating some problems but could just not get home as often as it did Friday. There were some pressure situations with Sidney, Myles Williams, David Reese, Matt Littlejohn, Sam Ross and Curlee Thomas IV all either forcing bad throws or throws out of bounds with their ability to pressure the quarterbacks.
Reese had the only sack of the day as he was able to get to Jackson to open the second team period. That came shortly after defensive coordinator Peter Sirmon grouped the defense together and scolded them for not having as much effort and energy as he thought they should. Justin Wilcox brought that up again after practice and told the defense that it was too "flat" during today's practice.
• There some updates from Wilcox on absences from practice. Running back Byron Cardwell still has his right leg heavily wrapped and Wilcox says the medical staff is still running tests to determine the severity of the injury and exactly what is going on. Ott was back at practice today but Wilcox declined to comment on the situation and says the Bears' star running back was simply "unavailable" to practice earlier in the week. Ott didn't appear to be injured in any way today and he was not seen with the "injured" group working off to the side earlier in the week. Jeremiah Earby has been dealing with an injury and Wilcox says he should be "progressing" this week but it's unclear on if he'll be able to get back on the field for the last week of spring.
• The staff mixed and matched some of the groups today and there were some players getting extended time with the first unit more than they had previously. Jordan King was able to get a good amount of reps with the first unit in place of Monroe Young during today's practice while walk-on tight end Jack Endries also seems to be solidifying his role as an option with the first unit at his position alongside J.T. Byrne.
• The Bears worked special teams into the team periods more than any other practice today, and it was a strong practice for kicker Michael Luckhurst. He was perfect with all five of his field goal attempts in the team periods and the staff had him move all the way out to 48 yards at one point. He looked confident, and overall he has been solid through the spring when given his opportunities.
• There were a good number of recruits on campus for the practice, but only a couple of them were able to stay on the field for the entirety of practice. Two of the most notable ones were Houston offensive line transfer Cam'Ron Johnson and Armijo HS defensive lineman Jericho Johnson. Both of them spent ample time around the staff and Johnson was right in the mix on the sideline with the defense for most of the practice. You can see photos of both players below.
