Are Oven Mitts the Solution to Cal's Penalty Problems?

Cal coach Tosh Lupoi has been creative in his attempts to solve the Bears’ shortcomings this season.

---He changed offensive play-callers at halftime of a game against UNLV when the Bears offense was failing.

---He put a handful of defensive players, including standout safety Kingston Lopa, on offense for some plays against SMU because of Cal’s shortage at running back and wide receiver in that game.

Now he is using an inventive way to address Cal’s penalty problems, because the Bears have committed more penalties for more penalty yardage than any team in the country.

“We’ve had a lot of defensive pass interferences, so do we just talk about it or have a course of action,” Lupoi said Tuesday. “And literally our DBs are wearing oven mitts at every single practice to not grab. So maybe we’ve got to go boxing gloves at times.”

So Cal defensive backs are wearing oven mitts at practice. Even if their pass-defense habits do not improve maybe they’ll learn to bake delicious buttermilk biscuits.

Kidding aside, Cal has committed 73 penalties, the most in the country, that have cost the Bears 682 penalty yards, also the most in the country.

Cal’s penalty yardage (682) exceeds the Bears’ rushing yards (672) for the season. That is not a stat to be proud of, and that only includes Cal penalties that were accepted by the Bears’ opponents.

However, It’s debatable whether those penalty numbers are the reason Cal’s record is 3-5 heading into Saturday’s game at North Carolina State (3-5).

The nine teams immediately ahead of Cal in most penalty yards have a combined record of 43-25, and four of them – Wake Forest, Liberty, James Madison and Texas-San Antonio – have just one loss apiece.

Cal has averaged more penalty yards in its three wins (88.7) than in its five losses (83.2). Cal’s least penalized game was against Wake Forest, when the Bears committed just five penalties for 37 yards, and Cal lost that game 41-7.

Cal was assessed 107 yards in penalties against SMU on Saturday, but 76 of those yards came in the first half which ended with Cal holding a 20-17 lead, and 31 of those penalty yards came in the second half when Cal was outscored 42-0.

The debate is whether penalties indicate a team that is aggressive or undisciplined.

This is not to suggest that penalties are good thing, especially if they occur at a pivotal moment.

So Lupoi is trying reduce those negative penalty yards, as noted by Cal defensive lineman Derek Wilkins.

“Yeah, the DBs, they’ve been wearing oven mitts,” Wilkins said. “We have a thing where if a guy jumps offsides or false starts [in practice] he gets pulled and has to run and touch the pole . . . He’s getting tired an he’s got to come back after running 80 yards to touch the pole.

“For hands to the face [penalties], on our sled for the D-linemen, we’ve actually lowered the sled, so we put it at the lowest possible level to work on our pad level and getting our hands under. If the hands slip up, we’re taking another rep.

“Us as a defense when we don’t get in our own way, we play really good ball.”

However, it’s the oven mitts for defensive backs that is the most interesting attempted remedy. You wonder whether Cal safety Kington Lopa can intercept a pass wearing those big mittens. On Monday he was named one of 15 semifinals for the Jim Thorpe Award, which goes to the nation’s best defensive back, and he is still tied for the national lead in interceptions with five.

He could probably pick off a pass wearing boxing gloves, let alone oven mitts. There is an endorsement opportunity there somewhere..

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