Some of the fine folks over at California Golden Blogs took the time to answer questions Thursday about the Golden Bears for the Washington State blog CougCenter.
Among the many answers, some of the Cal writers tried to make sense of QB Zach Maynard's up-and-down play this season. Here's what Berkelium97 had to say on the subject:
"We've reluctantly accepted that we'll have to take our lumps along with the occasional performance like the one we saw [against UCLA]. Good Maynard is more likely to come out when the offensive game plan is tailored towards quick strikes, slants, and screens. We need to keep it simple for him and avoid relying too much on the O-line for sustained pass protection."
The Q&A session also touched on which defenders the Cougars should be most afraid of for Saturday's game. And both of the writers nominated the same individual for the recognition:
"Chris McCain. He's our starting outside linebacker opposite Brennan Scarlett (he's pretty scary too, but he's still learning the ropes). He has a team-leading 5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, and a team-leading 3 QB hurries. He's a long, rangy, tenacious defender with great speed and a penchant for getting into the backfield and wreaking havoc. Tedford nicknamed him "Gadget" last summer because of his ability to use his long arms to disrupt passes."
The full interview can be found here. Make sure you give it a quick read to catch up on Washington State's opponent before Saturday's game at 10:30 p.m. ET.