Who's Throwing?

Just to get away from the boredom of the NFL's 3-Day "legal tampering" window I went back to school to see what's up at Cal. Not since Aaron Rodgers' one full year of quarterbacking in 2004 has there been such excitement over who's throwing the ball at Cal. Well, I'm excited about it. Some of that excitement comes from the unknown. No one really knows what new coach Sonny Dykes' "Bear Raid" offense is going to look like in Berkeley. No one really knows which quarterback is even going to lead that offense. One thing that everyone knows is that the quarterbacking can't get any worse than it's been the last several seasons. Another thing that everyone knows is that Dykes' offense is going to be quarterback friendly. For one thing the quarterback doesn't even have to worry about calling the plays or even the cadence. The center has those responsibilities covered. This is one aspect of this new offense that truly intrigues me. A new coach often brings open competition at many, if not all, positions. Every quarterback on the roster signed on before Sonny Dykes was named the coach. It's open. Who's throwing the ball for the Golden Bears?

It's still early but judging from the scrimmage held this weekend there's three youngsters in the race. Not one of them has even thrown a collegiate pass. Junior Austin Hinder, redshirt freshman Zach Kline, and true freshman Jared Goff looked the most ready for the starting gig. According to one report, Goff looked the best of those three. He was the only one to lead multiple scoring drives (3 in his 4 possessions). Kline and Hinder each had one scoring drive. Kline had the biggest play of the scrimmage in that his scoring drive came on one play. He threw a 98-yard touchdown pass to Joel Willis. Goff has a ton of talent. I have a hunch that Dykes would have no problem starting a true freshman. I also have a hunch, just a hunch, that Kline wins the starting job. It's just little things that receivers have said about Kline throwing the ball, leading the team. His redshirt year gives him an edge over Goff. Kline's been around for a while. The players are more familiar with him. If the decision does actually come down to Goff or Kline, it'll be a tough decision. Each has four years of eligibility. Quarterbacks that are used to starting don't much care for sitting. Now matter what happens the starter is going to like the receivers catching his throws. Cal has some terrific young receiving talent. Bryce Treggs, Chris Harper, Darius Powe and Maurice Harris all made impacts as freshmen this past season. They could make up the best receiving groups in the conference. Perhaps one of the best in the entire nation. A quarterback friendly offense, terrific receivers, the center making all the play calls. It all makes for a real happy quarterback. Now, who's it going to be?

One interesting development during the scrimmage was that Cal ran some plays for the Pistol. Hinder was the only one to run plays from the formation.