Previously in our Cal Football 2018 Preview:
In 2017, Justin Wilcox and the Cal defensive brain trust provided a remarkably stark illustration of how much coaching matters in football.
Cal’s defense improved across the board—in every conceivable way that defensive performance can be measured. It was done with largely the same players and talent level as produced by the previous coaching staff. And the turnaround was almost immediate. Cal’s defense was the primary reason that the Bears won the third game of the season against Ole Miss. And save for a few understandable hiccups, the defense was consistently solid throughout the season despite some pretty significant injuries.