Pac-12 media day: Sonny Dykes cautions about player safety assumptions

Much discussion during the run-up to the 2013 college football season has focused on player safety, with some speculating that hurry-up offenses and the number of plays they run without a break puts players at risk for injury.

Not so fast, says new California Coach Sonny Dykes.

“I think we all need to make sure we get our facts straight before we start making a lot of assumptions,” Dykes said Friday at Pac-12 Conference media day.

Dykes, who came to Berkeley after installing his pass-happy offense at Louisiana Tech, takes over a program that won only three games in 2012 under former coach Jeff Tedford.

The Golden Bears were picked to finish fifth in the North division in a media poll.

Dykes said he understood the low pick, but added that he likes what he has seen from his players.

“From the inside,” he said, “we think it looks real good.”

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