Jordan Kunaszyk Will Play His Final Collegiate Game In The Cheez-It Bowl
12/25/2018 12:53 PM | Football, Inside The Lair
Cal’s Defense Has Been A Force in 2018
Defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter arrived at Cal in 2017 knowing the Golden Bears needed to change things up on defense.
Inheriting a group which had struggled in recent seasons, the Bears' defensive coordinator wasn't interested in what caused the previous poor execution. As far as he was concerned, that was the past and he was turning the page to a new era.
The focus for DeRuyter in the early days of his tenure wasn't merely to motivate his new protégés for change, but rather to show them how it can be done.
New techniques on tackling and better ways to predict how opposing offenses were trying to move the ball combined with gaining confidence through upset victories were all part of the recipe for success that DeRuyter and his defensive staff implemented in their first season.
Nearly two years later after placing the initial framework, Cal boasts a stifling defense in Phoenix for the 2018 Cheez-It Bowl against TCU Wednesday night at Chase Field.
Among the many improvements over the past two seasons, Cal has improved its scoring defense from 42.6 in 2016 to 21.3 this season, and after allowing 518.3 yards of total defense in 2016, the Bears are allowing only 319.4 in 2018.
Before earning numerous All-America and All-Pac-12 Conference honors this year, inside linebacker and team season captain Jordan Kunaszyk arrived at Cal when the defense wasn't nearly as formidable. He's proud of the progress made during his collegiate career.
He considers the culture change that includes increased camaraderie and holding everybody accountable a big reason for the successful turnaround.
"I feel very happy to see the growth with this group and the team," Kunaszyk said. "I'm sure people see it from the outside, but seeing the change in the culture, how much better we are as a team and how promising the future of Cal football is, it makes me feel really good knowing that my contributions and hard work have made an impact on that. I'm proud that I was part of the class to change the culture here at Cal going forward."
Kunaszyk and fellow inside linebacker Evan Weaver – who has racked up All-America and All-Pac-12 Conference honors himself – have been all over the field in 2018 stuffing running backs, pressuring quarterbacks and collecting interceptions.
The pressure Cal's dynamic linebacker duo has put on opposing offenses all year has allowed the Bears to snag 17 interceptions this season.
Safety Ashtyn Davis, who boasts a team-leading four interceptions, is somebody who has flourished under the new regime. After arriving as a walk-on, he's worked hard to earn a scholarship, garner more reps and move to his spot atop the depth chart.
"I'm proud of what we've done this year," Davis said. "Last year was about learning the scheme, and this year, we've taken it to the next level with disguise and understanding where we fit in the defense as a whole, beyond our specific responsibilities. Our general understanding of the entire defense has improved."
Many Bears performing at a high level in 2018 gained valuable playing time in 2017, and having so much experience returning this season benefited them. But it had to start somewhere in 2017, and according to DeRuyter, it was a combination of showing the Bears the simple "how to" in addition to confidence instilled from him and head coach Justin Wilcox.
"Any time you can give guys tools to tackle better or tools to help them understand how an offense is trying to attack us with film, and then when it happens in the game the way you teach it, that gives them confidence," DeRuyter said. "I think coach Wilcox has a great way of communicating to our players how he expects things to go. When that gets reaffirmed on gameday, guys naturally believe it. When you see your guys playing with a lot of swagger that makes it fun."
Confidence is definitely in abundance with this Cal defense. As safety Jaylinn Hawkins stated, everything is clicking right now, but there's still work to be done to keep that momentum going.
"People may give us pats on the back for what we've already done, but that's not the goal," Hawkins said. "The goal is to keep getting better. Coach GA (Gerald Alexander) preaches consistency and continuing to get better as a group."
With three interceptions himself, Hawkins has been a major contributor in that area of the field, but the Bears have been steady in all phases of the defense.
Luc Bequette and Alex Funches are tied for the team lead in sacks with five. Bequette said he and his teammates could feel a change in culture immediately from the confidence exuded by the coaches last season.
"The leadership that starts with the coaches and has trickled down to the older players." Bequette said. "Guys who have been around and seen what the flip side looks like, how bad things were, preach to learn from those mistakes. It's been a combination of strong veteran leadership and good coaching."
One more test remains for the Bears and their defense on Wednesday against the Horned Frogs. Many members of the group will be back in 2019, but not all. The Cheez-It Bowl marks the swan song for seniors such as Kunaszyk.
DeRuyter would love nothing more than to have Kunaszyk and the other seniors go out with a bang.
"This has been a special group," he said. "This is the most special unit that I've ever been a part of. It's a very tight-knit group. We want to send those guys off in the right way. To do that against a team like TCU, which has had as good of a stretch in college football as they have in the last 10 years, on national TV, what better way to send our guys off."
Inheriting a group which had struggled in recent seasons, the Bears' defensive coordinator wasn't interested in what caused the previous poor execution. As far as he was concerned, that was the past and he was turning the page to a new era.
The focus for DeRuyter in the early days of his tenure wasn't merely to motivate his new protégés for change, but rather to show them how it can be done.
New techniques on tackling and better ways to predict how opposing offenses were trying to move the ball combined with gaining confidence through upset victories were all part of the recipe for success that DeRuyter and his defensive staff implemented in their first season.
Nearly two years later after placing the initial framework, Cal boasts a stifling defense in Phoenix for the 2018 Cheez-It Bowl against TCU Wednesday night at Chase Field.
Among the many improvements over the past two seasons, Cal has improved its scoring defense from 42.6 in 2016 to 21.3 this season, and after allowing 518.3 yards of total defense in 2016, the Bears are allowing only 319.4 in 2018.
Before earning numerous All-America and All-Pac-12 Conference honors this year, inside linebacker and team season captain Jordan Kunaszyk arrived at Cal when the defense wasn't nearly as formidable. He's proud of the progress made during his collegiate career.
He considers the culture change that includes increased camaraderie and holding everybody accountable a big reason for the successful turnaround.
"I feel very happy to see the growth with this group and the team," Kunaszyk said. "I'm sure people see it from the outside, but seeing the change in the culture, how much better we are as a team and how promising the future of Cal football is, it makes me feel really good knowing that my contributions and hard work have made an impact on that. I'm proud that I was part of the class to change the culture here at Cal going forward."
Kunaszyk and fellow inside linebacker Evan Weaver – who has racked up All-America and All-Pac-12 Conference honors himself – have been all over the field in 2018 stuffing running backs, pressuring quarterbacks and collecting interceptions.
The pressure Cal's dynamic linebacker duo has put on opposing offenses all year has allowed the Bears to snag 17 interceptions this season.
Safety Ashtyn Davis, who boasts a team-leading four interceptions, is somebody who has flourished under the new regime. After arriving as a walk-on, he's worked hard to earn a scholarship, garner more reps and move to his spot atop the depth chart.
"I'm proud of what we've done this year," Davis said. "Last year was about learning the scheme, and this year, we've taken it to the next level with disguise and understanding where we fit in the defense as a whole, beyond our specific responsibilities. Our general understanding of the entire defense has improved."
Many Bears performing at a high level in 2018 gained valuable playing time in 2017, and having so much experience returning this season benefited them. But it had to start somewhere in 2017, and according to DeRuyter, it was a combination of showing the Bears the simple "how to" in addition to confidence instilled from him and head coach Justin Wilcox.
"Any time you can give guys tools to tackle better or tools to help them understand how an offense is trying to attack us with film, and then when it happens in the game the way you teach it, that gives them confidence," DeRuyter said. "I think coach Wilcox has a great way of communicating to our players how he expects things to go. When that gets reaffirmed on gameday, guys naturally believe it. When you see your guys playing with a lot of swagger that makes it fun."
Confidence is definitely in abundance with this Cal defense. As safety Jaylinn Hawkins stated, everything is clicking right now, but there's still work to be done to keep that momentum going.
"People may give us pats on the back for what we've already done, but that's not the goal," Hawkins said. "The goal is to keep getting better. Coach GA (Gerald Alexander) preaches consistency and continuing to get better as a group."
With three interceptions himself, Hawkins has been a major contributor in that area of the field, but the Bears have been steady in all phases of the defense.
Luc Bequette and Alex Funches are tied for the team lead in sacks with five. Bequette said he and his teammates could feel a change in culture immediately from the confidence exuded by the coaches last season.
"The leadership that starts with the coaches and has trickled down to the older players." Bequette said. "Guys who have been around and seen what the flip side looks like, how bad things were, preach to learn from those mistakes. It's been a combination of strong veteran leadership and good coaching."
One more test remains for the Bears and their defense on Wednesday against the Horned Frogs. Many members of the group will be back in 2019, but not all. The Cheez-It Bowl marks the swan song for seniors such as Kunaszyk.
DeRuyter would love nothing more than to have Kunaszyk and the other seniors go out with a bang.
"This has been a special group," he said. "This is the most special unit that I've ever been a part of. It's a very tight-knit group. We want to send those guys off in the right way. To do that against a team like TCU, which has had as good of a stretch in college football as they have in the last 10 years, on national TV, what better way to send our guys off."
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