UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. -- A summary of Cal head coach Jeff Tedford, wide receiver Keenan Allen and defensive back Josh Hill.
Tedford on getting back to playing on campus: “It’s great to move home to Memorial Stadium … I know the players are fired up and the fans are fired up.” He says that the first two rows of the field are down and they should be on the field Aug. 15. “I think our players did a very nice job of trying to block out the distractions [of not playing at home].” He said the home environment at Memorial Stadium will be very special.Tedford said he feels good about having a 3,000-yard passer, a 1,000-yard receiver and 1,000-yard rusher coming back. He said there is a lot of experience on the defensive line, but losing Mychal Kendricks is a big hole to fill.
Tedford says he has a lot of confidence in quarterback Zach Maynard. “I think the early struggles were really just about game management and that comes with experience and knowledge of what we’re doing ... we expect big things out of him this year.”
Allen says there are guys who can step up and replace Marvin Jones.
Tedford says it’s going to be an exciting year with the four new coaches. “Year in and year out you learn to have a book on some of these teams. With four new coaches, it’s an opportunity to match up with some of these new offenses.”
Tedford says offensive lineman Dominic Galas pulled his pectoral muscle and is having surgery Tuesday afternoon. How it looks in surgery will depend on rehab time but he’s estimating about three months.
Allen says he plans to be 100 percent heading into camp. “If I had to play a game today, I’m not sure I could last all four quarters.”
Tedford says if you ask the fans if they’d rather be in the national championship game or the Rose Bowl, they’d pick the Rose Bowl. “It’s the measuring stick on where you want to be."
Tedford said spending time with the New England Patriots was great and he spent time looking at their tight end package. "I think that's going to be critical for our success this year." He says that being multiple in their formations will take a lot of the pressure off of Allen.