BearTalk

(Note: Now that the blog has separate football and basketball tabs, we’ll no longer use the name of the sport in the titles)

This was not what Alex Mack bargained for when he decided to return to Cal for his senior season.

Mack thought he would be returning to a veteran and skilled offensive line, one that would rank among the best in the country. Then he watched fellow senior Mike Tepper suffer a season-ending pectoral injury in the spring. Once the season started, he watched starting guard Chris Guarnero suffer a season-ending toe injury and tackle Chet Teofilo a season-ending ankle injury. The only other senior on the line, guard Noris Malele, also missed time with a sprained ankle.

It all kind of makes Mack’s preseason goal of not allowing any sacks the whole season kind of laughable. Mack was only half-serious when he made the statement, but it demonstrates how confident he was in the line before all of the injuries took their toll.

Considering the beat-up nature of the unit, Cal’s offensive line did a respectable job this season. Certainly, there were poor performances against USC and Oregon State, but those also were two of the better defenses the Bears played. The unit still helped running back Jahvid Best rush for 1,580 yards, the second-best mark in school history (Best’s average of 131.67 yards per game was No. 3 in the country).

With Mack anchoring the middle, the Bears automatically are going to grade out pretty well. Mack arguably was the best center in the country this season (he was a third team All-American) and may go in the first round of the NFL draft in April. Malele was much-improved when he was healthy and ended up being an All-Pac-10 second team pick.

Redshirt freshman Mitchell Schwartz won the starting job at right tackle out of training camp but moved to left tackle after Teofilo struggled during a loss at Maryland. Teofilo moved to the right and played there until he suffered the injury. Schwartz was dominant as a right tackle but didn’t make quite the same impact when he moved to the left side. Still, he showed promise and played well in the Emerald Bowl win over Miami.

Walk-on Mark Boskovich and junior college transfer Donovan Edwards were forced into starting roles after the injuries to Guarnero and Teofilo. Boskovich had his share of ups and downs and had trouble against faster defenses. Edwards was beaten badly against Oregon State’s pass-rushers but improved down the stretch. The coaching staff wasnt’ really expecting Edwards to contribute this season. In fact, they really wanted him to stay in junior college one more year. But when Edwards originally committed to UCLA to play this season, the Bears stayed after him and got him to change his mind right before the start of training camp.

Redshirt freshman Justin Cheadle also got some experience for a couple of games filling in for Malele. He figures to be a strong candidate to be a starter next season.

Next year’s offensive line is shaping up nicely. Yes, the loss of Mack will be huge, but Guarnero is a terrific talent who could move back to center, his natural position. That would leave Boskovich, Cheadle or perhaps Matt Summers-Gavin to battle for the two guard spots. And that’s not taking into consideration another younger player who could emerge.

Schwartz and Tepper figure to be the tackles. Teofilo and Edwards are still around and will provide depth, and again there are other younger players who could contend for playing time.

Tight end Cameron Morrah improved as a blocker but still needs work. He had a good year as a receiver, leading Cal with eight touchdown catches. He also tied for second on the team with 27 receptions. Backup Tad Smith was a good run-blocker who helped improve the Bears’ physical component up front.

2008 OFFENSIVE LINE GRADE: B-