Today was the last work day for the Bears before Saturday's spring showcase, and there was a bit more fire around the practice field today as Cal inches closer to the end of spring ball. Here's a roundup of what I noticed watching practice as Day 13 is now in the books for Justin Wilcox and his team.
• Like most practices, there were some good and bad moments for both sides of the ball. I'd say the defense ended up winning the practice overall but the offense finished strong by making some big plays in the final team period. It could just be that it's the end of spring and players are growing tired of going up against one another, but there were more physical, after-the-whistle moments between players than at any other point in the spring. There were at least three instances when players on both sides of the ball got into shoving matches with one big one that brought a handful of players together during blitz pickup drills. Eventually it died down, but it was the first time there has been any glimpse of that this spring.
• The offense struggled to get the ball in the end zone again today, and the first touchdown of the day didn't come until very late in practice when Fernando Mendoza found tight end Jack Endries for 24 yards over the middle on a nice throw and catch by that duo. Endries probably had the best day overall of any offensive player, and Mendoza was able to put together a strong finish to practice as he continues to show signs of being a playmaker at the quarterback position. His ability to make plays with his feet has been a pleasant surprise for the Bears this spring, and he scored a 21-yard touchdown late in practice on a run to the right side that included him breaking a tackle near the line of scrimmage.
• Mendoza closed the final team period with a 20-yard touchdown pass to Andy Alfieri coming out of the backfield on a rollout to the left side of the field. Alfieri has made the move over to running back for the last several practices with the running back group thinned out because of injuries and absences. Alfieri might not eventually stick at the position, but he was impressive running the ball Wednesday with a couple big plays where he trucked defenders to gain extra yards. His aggressive running style was effective and led to runs of about 10 yards and 15 yards during the second team period.
• Junior college transfer Matthew Littlejohn would get my pick for most impactful defensive player in Wednesday's practice. He opened the first team period by intercepting Sam Jackson V around the 10-yard line with the Cal quarterback looking for Kenden Robinson Jr. down the field. It was a poor throw for Jackson and Littlejohn was able to easily track it and come down with the ball. Littlejohn also pressured Jackson later in the practice forcing a throw out of bounds plus he locked up his man later in that period to force a turnover on downs for the offense. The versatile defensive back also had a win in the blitz pickup period being tight end Asher Alberding on a play.
• Hunter Barth, who Peter Sirmon says is likely to stay at linebacker, made an impressive play early in practice as well coming up with a sack of Mendoza. It was really the first time this spring that Barth has been able to look completely comfortable at his new position, and he had a solid practice overall as well.
• Other standouts for the defense included cornerback Nohl Willams, who added to his interception total this spring by pulling in a pass from Jackson intended for Jeremiah Hunter down the left sideline close to the 5-yard line. Isaiah Young, who has put together a solid spring in the secondary, came up with yet another pass breakup late in the first team period in coverage against Chris Rogers. Mayze Bryant also had a pass breakup on the day as he knocked down a ball intended for Jordan King down the side line.
• Jake Spavital continues to try out some different plays and looks this spring, and Wednesday brought a different wrinkle in the running game. The best play of the day offensively went to Mavin Anderson who took the ball from Jackson on a reverse fooling the defense allowing the offense to pick up 29 yards to open the second team period.
• There were fewer mistakes overall for the offense, but the quarterbacks continue to have some issues hanging onto the ball. Today it was Mendoza who had a bobbled snap early in the first team period. The offense was able to keep control of the ball, but those types of mishaps have been common during the first 13 practices.
• The outlook for some of the players who have been limited in spring is starting to look much better as the end of the practice schedule draws near. Illinois transfer receiver Brian Hightower is doing more than he has at any point this spring and finally was able to get in on the team periods during today's practice. He still does not look completely comfortable but it is much more than we saw from him early in spring ball. It's clear there are at least some limitations there since he was only involved in the team periods for a short time, but there is clear progress as well.
Offensive lineman Matthew Cindric was behind the offensive line throughout the team periods taking some live mental reps. He was going through his motion of snapping the ball and working against air, but he has been allowed to do full work within the individual periods showing signs of progress as he prepares to make his return once training camp arrives. Offensive line coach Mike Bloesch says he wants to have 8 or 9 players ready to go up front by the time the season arrives but there won't be much movement with the starting five once he settles on a group. When Cindric goes into the starting lineup for individual periods, the team has moved Brian Driscoll over to left guard and Ender Aguilar then is the odd man out in that scenario with Cindric at center.
Practice videos
