BERKELEY — When Cal opens its home schedule Saturday afternoon against visiting Texas Southern, center Tyson Ruffins will make one of his assignments a priority over all others.
“I just want to protect the guy who’s behind me,” Ruffins said.
That’s freshman quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, who showed himself to be a valuable asset last Saturday when he passed for 234 yards with three touchdowns and no turnovers in his college debut, sparking the Bears to a 34-15 victory at Oregon State.
Cal’s rebuilt offensive line didn’t allow Sagapolutele to be sacked all night, but he did take four hits. “Obviously, the goal is never get him hit,” right tackle Braden Miller said ahead of the home opener (3 p.m., ACC Network Extra)
Considering Cal quarterbacks absorbed 49 sacks a year ago — one of the highest totals in the country — keeping Sagapolutele upright was an encouraging start for new offensive line coach Famika Anae’s group.
“Pass pro-wise, I thought guys competed really hard for No. 3. He brings that out of his teammates. He’s got that factor in him,” Anae said.
“I love him. He’s a little brother to me, honestly,” Ruffins said.
Left guard Jordan Spasojevic-Moko calls him nephew.
“As talented as he is, he doesn’t let any of the publicity get to his head,” said Ruffins, alluding to the lefty QB being named ACC Rookie of the Week for his performance at Oregon State. “It just makes you want to protect him even more.”
Anae, whose O-line at New Mexico last season led the nation with just five sacks allowed, has put together a starting five out of six transfers and four returning linemen. Sioape Vatikani, with 23 starts for the Bears over the past three seasons, is the right guard opposite Spasojevic-Moko, a native of Australia, who played last season at Charlotte.
Leon Bell, a 6-foot-8, 330-pound redshirt junior transfer from Mississippi State, is the right tackle and returnee Miller made his first career start last week as left tackle.
The lineup is fluid, Anae said. He would like to have five players as clear starters, but isn’t ready to write his lineup in ink. “For us, zero politics, zero favoritism,” he said. “That deal is a competition until we walk out of the tunnel.”
Miller, who began his career at Michigan State and came off the bench for Cal last season, said there’s a difference in how the Bears block this year. “I think we’re a little more violent, a little more stout,” he said.
Week 1 was mostly a success, according to Anae. He liked the physicality, effort and the developing chemistry.
Consistency is the next step, especially in the run game.
“To me, the offensive line controls the first four yards of a run play. There was not enough to get that thing going, in my opinion,” Anae said after three running backs combined for 100 yards on 27 rushing attempts. “Our whole goal is to get people clean four yards . . . If you get four yards and someone falls down, you have an efficient play.”
Texas Southern (0-1), an FCS team from the SWAC, may not be a reliable measuring stick for the O-line’s progress. The Tigers have never beaten an FBS opponent and haven’t assembled a winning season since 2000.
A better test will come a week later when Minnesota of the Big Ten visits Memorial Stadium. So far, Anae likes what he’s seeing.
“I think this offensive line is smart and I think they’re willing and I think they try,” Anae said. “With extreme expectations and precise coaching, I think this group can become whatever it wants to be.”