| Cal Power Running Game As I highlighted in another post the number one rushing team over the past seven years in the Pac-10 on a yards per game basis is the University of California at Berkeley. The Cal Bears have averaged over 175 yards per game during this period while USC ranks second with 160 yards per game (click here and scroll to the bottom for the entire Pac-10 list). Jeff Tedford gets a lot of well deserved credit for developing QB's but a less appreciated facet of the program is the strength of the rushing game since he arrived. The Cal rushing attack is similar to USC in that it is varied in nature and still uses a fullback in many situations. Cal in particular is very successful with their Power Run Game where one player kicks out (usually the fullback) and another player (normally a pulling guard) creates a hole for the tailback to follow. It involves some impressive footwork by the pulling guard to step back quickly and effectively in order to get the timing just right. USC ran a version of this play very successfully as well when LenDale White was in the backfield. I would not be surprised at all to see more of it next year as well. On the Cal Power Run Plays the Bears reportedly averaged close to 9 yards per carry over a two season period from 2004-2005. The effectiveness tailed off somewhat the past two years I suspect but it still probably averaged well over 6 yards per carry. Stopping this type of run play is key for any opponent that faces Cal. Here are several closer looks at Cal's Power Run Concepts. The first video with the bulk of the coaching material consists of Cal's 2 Back Power Runs and lasts about 40 minutes with explanation and film examples. The second video contains the 1 Back Power Run examples (no fullback) and has about 10-12 minutes worth of explanation and game film. The final video is another 25-30 minutes with variations which Cal calls the Rail and Arc variations of the play. Which version Cal uses depends upon the skill of their TE versus the opponents DE and the front defender's alignment (inside shade / outside shade, etc.). Take a close look at the execution and you can see one of the key reasons why Cal has been such a strong team in the Pac-10 the past few years on offense. 2 Back Power Run Play Examples |