Sonny Dykes, Jared Goff both praise Cal's improved defense

Published Jul. 31, 2015 6:36 p.m. ET

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BURBANK, Calif. -- Cal's offense is already one of the most prolific units in the entire country. However, in order for the Bears to make a real push this season, its defense is going to have be way better than it was in 2014.

"I expect our defense to make a big jump," the coach said. "I'm excited about it. We're bigger, stronger, more talented."

When QB Jared Goff was asked about his defense, he said the defense had "improved ten-fold" over what he saw last season. He mentioned that the biggest difference was how much better the secondary was "playing the ball in the air."

Dykes knows in order to compete in the Pac-12 that his defense is going to have to be much improved this season. He also knows that the defense still has a lot of work to do.

"We've got to improve our pass rush," Dykes said. "The better your pass rush, the better your coverage is. And these things don't change. If you're covering your guys tighter, you're going to have a tendency to get more sacks."

He continued, "We've got to get more production from our linebackers, and we think we will."

(h/t Pac-12 Media Days)