California head coach Marty Albertson had a pretty tall task for his defense Friday night against Versailles. That was to contain dual-threat quarterback Duane Danner. After giving up more than 300 yards to Mexico's rushing attack the week before, the task seemed like a difficult one at the very least.
Danner rushed the ball three times for just two yards and completed 7-of-14 passes for 31 yards. The Pintos' defense also forced Danner into two interceptions.
"They did pretty well," Albertson said. "He got out a couple of times on us, but our coverage was really good. He really didn't break loose and run like we were worried about. We thought he'd take off and run, and he's a pretty good athlete once he does that."
Jackson Trachsel was the only Pinto to record a sack on Danner, but there were multiple times when a defensive line broke through the line to force Danner to scramble. But instead of making plays happen, Danner threw into California's coverage, often falling incomplete, or getting tackled behind the line of scrimmage when he was trying to run.
"It's the third game this season and they're starting to get it," Albertson said. "When they're suppose to blitz, they know now. Coaches were making calls and they weren't going on the blitz because they were confused. As a defense, to make it work you have to make it work as a team. Everybody has to do their job and tonight, they did a good job at it."