New secondary to be ‘tested’ by Tennessee

The Contra Costa Times has a nice article pointing out that Cal has three first-time starters in the defensive secondary, guessing that Tennessee will likely go after them instead of running the ball into the highly rated defensive line. While the safety/rover positions were known to need to be filled, the season-ending injury of Tim Mixon was unexpected.

Projected starters: Thomas DeCoud (safety), Brandon Hampton (rover),
Daymeion Hughes (cornerback), Syd’Quan Thompson (cornerback)

However, the Oakland Tribune writes about the confidence and potential of Syd’Quan Thompson, a redshirt freshman cornerback who was a big-time recruit. Although he hasn’t been named the starter for Tennessee to replace Mixon, all signs point to him as the man.