By Tim Miguel, Cal Athletic Communications
Today may be the start of spring practices, but some of the Cal football players are already in a fall mindset, particularly running back Daniel Lasco.
Last year was about Lasco taking the reins and cementing his role within the Golden Bear offense. Now, he knows he needs to take his role to the next level.
The 2015 senior has his sights set on being a veteran leader for the Bears along with standout junior quarterback Jared Goff. Today’s first day of spring football practice will be when that goal begins to become a reality.
“It’s all about taking it one day at a time and trying to get better each day,” Lasco said. “I want to work on getting a better understanding of defenses when I’m standing in the backfield and being able to see all the different blitzes, and that comes in the film room. I just want to help Jared out a lot, stand back there and get better communication than we’ve already had. That will just help us improve on offense.”
Last season, Lasco was named Cal football’s Most Valuable Player and earned honorable mention All-Pac-12 honors after becoming the first Cal player to rush for 1,000 yards or more since Isi Sofele (2011) by totaling 1,115 rushing yards on 210 carries. He also added 14 total touchdowns including 12 on the ground that ranked ninth on Cal’s all-time single-season list. All those 2014 totals were career and team season highs.
In addition to working on the physical aspects of his game as Cal’s starting running back, Lasco wants to work on being a more vocal leader. He and Goff want to be able to improvise on the fly during games based on what defenses give them. Building trust from their teammates and coaches to make those decisions will be earned during these spring practices.
The 2015 Bears will have the luxury of having many wide receivers returning. With so many weapons for Goff to throw to, it will likely lead to holes in the defense that Lasco wants to be able to read and take advantage of. Taking advantage of opportunities the defense gives them is something Lasco said Cal needs to improve on.
While the Bears didn’t reach their goals of a bowl berth in 2014, the four-win improvement from 2013 was the program’s best turnaround since 2002. Lasco and the Cal rushing attack had a large role with that turnaround.
“It’s great that we can finally say that we have a ground attack and that defenses have to respect and acknowledge that,” Lasco said. “That shows where our group did a good job last year. It’s going to be just another thing added to the list of what we need to improve on, though.”
Added Goff about Lasco and the revamped Cal running game: “It helps tremendously. Our rapport back there and chemistry is great. I can really talk to him during the whole game, and that’s going to increase. We’re talking about where he’s going to block and the route he’s going to run. He’s knowledgeable and understands the game. He’s always looking to improve, as well.”
Head coach Sonny Dykes has noticed the change in Lasco from a year ago at this time. He has the utmost confidence that Lasco can make the next big leap and be a solid leader for the Bears.
“He kinda came out of nowhere and, all of the sudden, that’s a lot to carry,” Dykes said. “Everybody wants to know you and talk to you about your success. It’s an adjustment. Now he’s comfortable in that role. He’s confident, stronger and he expects to be successful. All of those are things are important. It makes him become a better leader. It’s all about his ability to be a leader and others’ ability to follow his lead.”
Another aspect of leadership that Lasco wants to make a focal point is cleaning up the little mistakes that the team has made in past seasons. He believes one of the jobs of being a leader on a football team is keeping the team focused during practice, especially when repetitions get tedious. It’s going through those repetitions day in and day out at practice that limit in-game mistakes, and those are the mistakes that Lasco and Goff know need to be eliminated if the Bears are going to be successful in 2015.
While spring football isn’t the time to be concerned with figuring out opposing defenses and game planning, it is all about forming good habits and setting a foundation in place. Those tasks will be squarely on the shoulders of Lasco, Goff and the other Cal leaders.
There’s work to be done in Berkeley this spring, and Lasco can’t wait to roll up his sleeves.
Spring football concludes on Saturday, April 18, with the Cal Football Spring Experience at 11 a.m. from Kabam Field at California Memorial Stadium. The event will be televised live by Pac-12 Networks.
