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Golden Nuggets: Chronicling the Rise of the Defense

Enjoy this special Friday edition of Golden Nuggets. Worked from 8am-midnight yesterday so I couldn’t do one yesterday, but knew this WSU game was too important to not show you these articles before the game. Obviously wouldn’t make much sense to post them Sunday.

Cal defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter has noticed a pattern in his Sunday chats with buddies from the coaching fraternity this season.

During every conversation, there are complimentary remarks about how hard the Bears’ defense plays — a remarkable achievement considering how the unit was perceived when DeRuyter and head coach Justin Wilcox arrived in Berkeley 21 months ago.