Last year, Cal ran a total of 989 plays the entire season, which was good enough for 27th nationally. Now, heading into the 2016 season under new offensive coordinator Jake Spavital (who spent last season in the same role at Texas A&M), the offense is getting 500 offensive plays in PER PRACTICE.
After their spring scrimmage over the weekend, quarterback Chase Forrest talked about the changes Spavital has brought with him, how it differs from Tony Franklin's system, and some other nuances of the new turbo charged approach.
"We're running 500+ plays per practice. So it's a lot different in a way. We tried to go fast, and we went fast at times with [Tony] Franklin's offense, getting plays off pretty quickly, but this is a whole other level - so it's kind of funny."
Forrest noted that many of the plays are runs, the staff monitors the quarterbacks pretty well to make sure they're not overexerting their arms.
"It's not as gruesome as you think, but it's still a lot, and the defense would say that too because we're getting plays off before they even have a chance to line up."
The amped up pace also ensures that up to 15 different lineman are seeing action during practice as well, which should really help them in the long haul, and Forrest notes that he's just as comfortable setting up behind the two's and three's as he is behind the starters because of that needed rotation.
Hear more below.