Cal Offense vs. Air Force Defense
Cal head coach Jeff Tedford is known for his potent offensive attacks, but the Bears' passing game has sputtered down the stretch as QB Nate Longshore completed less than 47 percent of his passes in two of his last three games. In fairness to Longshore, an ankle injury has hindered him and a thigh injury that forced him to miss the regular-season finale has hindered explosive WR DeSean Jackson. However, don't be surprised to see Longshore and Cal snap out of it against Air Force. Jackson, who also injured his thumb earlier this season, is expected to play and the extended time off means he should be as healthy as he's been in quite some time. In addition, Air Force CBs Carson Bird and Garrett Rybak are going to have a difficult time matching up with Jackson, Lavelle Hawkins and Robert Jordan. Considering the Falcons frequently blitz, it puts defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter in a difficult position. If he brings additional pressure, it will create some single-coverage opportunities on the outside. On the flipside, staying too conservative should give Longshore enough time to go though his reads and find the open man because the Bears' pass protection has been sound this year.