8:58 PT: Hi everyone. Jason here, with Ken chipping in via instant message. We’re getting settled and ready to go. I’m microwaving my oatmeal, and no, that’s not a euphemism. Ken: “Are you ready for some Tour De France football?” What exactly is Lance Armstrong doing there on ESPN?

(more…)

Here are my thoughts on the Eeastern Washington game game after re-watching it on Sunday (as an FYI, the On The Road Home podcast will come out later today):

• Boy, the Bears sure did have a hard time with the 5-wide formation that EWU was throwing at the Bears on their 2nd possession. It wasn’t just the coverage, and there were a handful of coverage breakdowns, but not accounting for the QB running as well as not getting very good pressure on the QB. Luckily it only lasted for a series or two.
• I don’t know WHAT the Cal linebackers and defensive backs on that EWU touchdown. It was obvious that the back was sliding out of the backfield for a catch but there were 3 Cal defenders on the outside and all three of them kept coming towards the middle. That should have been a pass for a loss and instead it was a touchdown.
• This was quite a low-budget TV broadcast. I think they only have 4 cameras and I noticed a significant dearth of replays, particularly slow-motion replays. (Then there was the score being wrong for a long time in the 4th quarter when they forgot to add the extra point that made it 52-7.)
• Best stepping out on that called back touchdown (the correct call) was a rare mistake for Best. He had plenty of room down the sideline but just let himself drift too much to the outside and clipped the line.
• I’m sorry, I don’t care how bad the bounces didn’t go the way of the Bears, there’s no excuse for a 7-7 score after one quarter, particularly when Cal got the ball first.
• You’ve got to love how Holley played in this game, particularly in the 1st quarter. That early run where he stayed on his feet was awesome, but he also had another catch out of the backfield that he very effectively turned up field for more yards than I would expect from a fullback.
• Jahvid’s fumble on the option-pitch was definitely regrettable, but I sure hope that Tedford and co. don’t shy away from using those types of plays. Usually the team does pretty well with them and I like those wrinkled.
• It was nice to see Tavecchio get a couple inside the 5 yard line. At the same time it was very disappointing to see him so inconsistent and most of them not going nearly deep enough.
• It was interesting to see the yardage for the 1st half. EWU actually outgained the Bears by one yard and had a ton more passing yards. It’s pretty troubling that Cal only had 48 passing yards in the first game. Obviously the gameplan was to emphasize the run game and the Bears did a great job of that. At the same time, they should have done better through the air.
• Obviously I’ve been singing the praises of Isi Sofele in fall practice. In some regards he was a bit of a bust in the first game having trouble delivering against college level talent. But having had a week to get used to that pace of the game, he had a few good runs and two that were just outstanding, including the TD run in the 4th quarter.
• EWU gave a perfect example of why one doesn’t use their coaches challenge unless it’s absolutely necessary. They used it on a 4th and 1 that wasn’t converted without a lot of good video evidence to overturn and didn’t win. Then they didn’t have it when they wanted to object to Riley’s “handoff” to Best that dropped to the turf before Best got to it. EWU wanted to challenge that as being a forward pass.
• Actually when watching that pass from Riley, it looked to be very similar to the lateral from The Play that Stanford complains about, except in reverse. On the last lateral of the play the player throws the ball backwards over his head but because he was running forward Stanford fans argue that the ball moved forward in relation to the field (not the players). This play seemed to be the reverse where Riley threw it forward but because he was being tackled backwards the ball actually went backwards in relation to the field. Still EWU was hating they had already used their challenge.
• D’Amato’s missed field goal is both troubling and not so troubling. On the one hand, we need our kickers to be consistent on the short ones no matter what. On the other hand, it was barely missed (so not a horrible shank) and it was one of those close high-angle punts that college’s wide hash marks make more difficult than it would seem.
• Boateng’s half-effort on that should-be touchdown is pretty distressing. It didn’t look as bad on the TV as it did in person. He most definitely let up and would have caught the ball if he’d gone 100% the whole way.
• I won’t lie, when Cal went up 52-7, what instantly came to mind was my 52-10 prediction. “All I need,” I told my wife, “is for Eastern Washington to get a field goal!?!” Then when they got down into field goal range I let out a big bwahahahahaaaaa! Sadly EWU muffed the field goal attempt, (And then the Bears scored another TD at the end to make the point mute.) putting an end to my evil plan.
• I was really disappointed how few passing attempts Mansion and Sweeney got. Mansion didn’t get a single attempt and Sweeney only got one, which was a roll out with just one passing option (so not a reading the field play). Part of the reason to get them in is to get them experience and you’re not getting them experience if they’re just handing the ball off.
• It was a bit of a surprise to see Tedford to not start taking a knee late in the game and instead let his offense score the final TD. Not exactly the same attitude as when he yanked on Levy’s helmet in the Holiday Bowl for running it when he had called for taking a knee. Obviously a very different scenario, but still a small surprise.

Overall, the only two things to have even minor complaints about was the lack of defense in those first few series and the kickoff game. While we need to see the team improve, it’s hard not to be happy with a 59-7 win.

Weird to be watching this game from Southern California. Rare that I’m not at Memorial, but family commitments couldn’t be helped.

So…. As I type this Cal has scored to go up 7-0. Go Bears, FCS opponent or no.

Feel free to comment in the thread of you like…

7:00 Q1: EWU moving the ball. As App State taught us, good teams are good no matter what level they play on.

Touchdown EWU. Bears D has bent and broken. Hope this wakes Cal up.

3:27 Q1: Bears not awake. Punt and now another EWU drive.

End Q1: Did I just hear a radio ad from the state of California and UC suggesting that while drunk driving is bad, it’s okay to gamble on sports. ???

5:57 Q2: 24-7 Cal on a nice pass to Best. Feeling better now. EWU taking some chances, but how can you not?

7:44 Q3: 38-7 Cal. Riley made a great pass just before the TD. Good to see.

Game over. Roll on to Minnesota.

Here are my thoughts after re-watching the game:

• The unsung hero of Best’s first TD run was definitely Tucker with his down field block. You also have to give credit to Best for making use of that block and being patient, but Tucker hustled to get down there and then did a great job of keeping between the defender and Best.
• Cal got really lucky on that ineligible receiver down field that stopped a TD. The Cal D didn’t play it like the was ineligible (in fact, he didn’t catch the TD). Instead it was just a lucky break.
• That wasn’t the only penalty that made life easier for the Bears. While I wouldn’t say the others were lucky breaks, it’s hard to debate that 3rd and 1 turning into 3rd and 16 based on Maryland errors doesn’t make the defenses job a lot easier, particularly in the 1st quarter (5 penalties against Maryland in quarter).
• DJ Campbell did a great job on the kickoff return where Chris Little forced the fumble. Maryland had a player on top of the ball but Campbell forced himself in there and got his back in between the Maryland player and the ball to strip it from him. A great fumble recovery. The Bears practice this sort of thing a lot and I’ve now seen a number of fumbles where Cal’s fumble recovery skills were very important to getting the ball (the Oregon rain-game with the bobbled punt return comes to mind).
• While Brian Holley had a pretty good game overall, he really blew it on a sweep play to Best. His inability to get a block on the outside linebacker forced Best to turn it up into the O-Line for a loss on what otherwise was looking to be a big gainer for Best.
• While Brian Anger never got off one of his signature booming punts, he had a VERY consistent game with very good directional punting. He continues to improve his game.
• If there was one area that the Bears defense seemed a little vulnerable it was the TE passes over the middle. Usually that’s a pass that the Cal defense locks down, but there were a number of 1st downs on that pattern for Maryland.
• While it didn’t burn the Bears overall, the Terps ran a handful of designed QB run plays. Clearly nobody was expecting that. I wonder what the story was on that? Why did Maryland decide to run them… new twist to offense? Thought they saw some weakness in Cal defense? Hard to say.
• I had big hopes for Owusu based on his performance in spring ball, but he kept fading, at least from how the coaches were talking about him, in fall practice. But his performance against Maryland confirms my instinct that he was going to have a breakout year. You’re going to see a lot of sacks and near sacks because of him.
• An example of where Holley performed well was his one carry of the game on 3rd and 1. After getting plugged up behind the line, he powered his way around the defensive end for a 1st down. I was pretty concerned about Holley before Saturday night. I’m not anymore.
• About the only point during the game that I saw any indication of this “scary” Maryland pressure defense was when Cal had 1st and goal from the 9 yard line. They forced Riley to throw early and they sacked him, forcing the field goal from D’Amato. But otherwise, the Maryland defense looked pretty vanilla. That said, a lot of times a defense looks much more mediocre when the offensive line and protection schemes of the offense do a good job of handling the defensive pressure.
• Speaking of D’Amato, while we didn’t get much of a chance to see him in action (other than extra points and a field goal that was like an extra point after a holding call), what we did see of him inspires a lot of confidence. In particular was the elevation he gets on his kicks. I doubt we’ll see him blocked if he keeps that up.
• One just can’t say enough about how awesome the combination of Marvin Jones and Verran Tucker is. What is really exceptional about them is there ability to haul in the tough ones. Riley threw two passes to Jones that mere mortals would have not been even able to get to but Jones was able to leap high to get them and just as importantly he had the hands to hold on to them as he got nailed. Tucker did the same thing with a deep pass where he was blatantly fouled. But instead of only getting the 15 yards for the penalty, Tucker held on to the the 30+ yards from the catch.
• Riley seemed much more mobile than he did last year. You get the feeling that with Longshore looking over his shoulder Riley was more concerned with not ignoring the direction of the coaching staff and so overly avoided running, even when it was the right thing to do. Against Maryland, even though he didn’t run down field much if at all, he did prove much more elusive than in the past. Of particular note was avoiding the sack and throwing the TD pass in the 2nd quarter.
• Those two touchdowns towards the end of the 1st half were really the ones that sealed the game. 20-6 at halftime (assuming that Cal got the field goal on the first drive), would have been easy for Maryland to be hopeful about rallying against. But, particularly after that 2nd touchdown that increased the score from 24 to 31 with less than 30 seconds left in the half, really put the nail in the coffin.
• And then the Bears really stuck a fork in the Turtles by going for a quick TD score to start the 2nd half.
• I’m not quite sure I said in my podcast that the defense was not flashy/impressive because they had 6 sacks by early in the 3rd quarter. The more I see of them, the more I’m impressed with their play.
• The one play that was somewhat distressing in the game was the 3rd quarter touchdown run by Da’Rel Scott. Of course by that point Cal was substituting in a number of backups, but nevertheless, the over-pursuit from the Bears is a little bit distressing. If there had been a handful of big plays late in the game it would have been more distressing, but as a single instance that was not repeated, it’s hard to get to worked up about it (unlike the short kickoffs).
• One of the things I was happy about was the times when the various players were substituted. Best was pulled in the 3rd quarter as he should be, he’s our most important asset to protect and most likely to be injured in a freak play late in the game. Riley came out in the 4th quarter with enough time to give Mansion a few drives to get more playing time. True, he mostly just handed off the ball to DeBoskie-Johnson, but it was still additional game time. Hopefully Mansion will get more quality playing time late in the Eastern Washington game.
• I was really surprised that Maryland never kicked to Syd, pooching a bunch of short punts. I mean, Syd’s good, but he’s no DeSean. There’s no need to have a game long strategy to sky-ball punts to him. Or is it just that Maryland’s punter didn’t have the skills needed to drive it deep?

Overall a performance where it is hard to find much to complain about. Great job Marshall and Ludwig preparing for an unknown defense. Good job Gregory getting the defense ready to play and developing so much depth. Way to go Tedford for making the transition from super-offensive-coordinator to genuine head coach.

GO BEARS!

UPDATE on 9/8/09 at noon: Here’s a link to my post-game article over at BearTerritory.net: Two Plays of Note. I chose to examine a couple plays instead of going big picture. BearTerritory.net does a couple articles a week that are non-subscription just to give people a taste and this one is one of those.

What can you say? When you win by 39 against a major-conference team that went to a bowl last year, you’re doing pretty well.

Jahvid Best‘s 12 offensive touches did a good job of showcasing his speed and ability to a sleepy national audience. I’m glad he got his two touchdowns early. That first touchdown was obviously a SportsCenter highlight and future Best highlight reel moment while he was still running.

Kevin Riley settled down after a poor first quarter where he was extremely inaccurate. For the most part, the knock on Riley is that while he’s very mobile and throws well out of the pocket, and has a strong arm, his touch is a bit lacking. And the first two deep rainbows he threw were quite a bit short, forcing the receivers to readjust.

But as the game wore on, Riley improved quite a bit. Not only did he show off his escapability with a nifty duck — he actually put his non-ball hand on the turf to keep his balance — and then toss a touchdown pass, but his pocket passing and touch on lofted balls got a lot better. If that was Riley shaking off the rust, he’s going to have a great season.

But as much as I praise Riley, let’s praise the receivers. Last year’s quarterback situation was seriously exacerbated by a complete lack of consistency at wide receiver. This year, it looks like Cal’s stocked with quality receivers, and Marvin Jones came through most notably with several impressive catches.

What can you say about the Cal defense? They tend to give up a lot of yards, yet when you look up at the scoreboard the other team always has less than you’d expect. I know “bend but don’t break” is a cliche, but time and again Cal’s defense plays that game and generally plays it well. As the game wore on, the defensive line completely took over the game, getting ridiculous amounts of penetration and basically ruining what was left of Maryland’s day. I am still not a fan of Cal’s defensive backs playing 10 to 15 yards off the line of scrimmage, because it makes them too vulnerable to the quick out for an eight-yard gain — a trick Maryland tried to pull on Darian Hagan with some limited success, mostly because Maryland quarterback Chris Turner wasn’t very accurate with some relatively easy throws. Full credit to Syd’Quan Thompson for an NFL-style bat down of a Maryland pass. That’s why people don’t throw to that side of the field.

Special teams was a weak spot. Bryan Anger‘s great, so I have no complaints about punting. But kick coverage was awful and apparently Cal doesn’t have a single kicker who can reach the end zone. Maryland started several times from pretty decent field position, due to short kicks and poor coverage.

What struck me most about Cal’s play in this game was just how clean it was. Very few penalties, very few mental mistakes, very few big plays. Early in the season it’s easy to expect a sloppy, messy, mistake-filled game. But with the exception of Cal’s offense sputtering mightily in the first quarter, this game was smooth. What a great way to start a season that will become much more difficult after next week.

The gameday experience at Memorial Stadium was pretty good, given the late start. It was no worse to get into the stadium than it’s been the last couple of years, though our route was different due to our usual staircase being closed off as a part of the training center construction. I was thrilled to see that names have been restored to the home uniforms, and that some of the particularly annoying additions to the PA system seem to have been toned down this year. Even AnnouncerBot 3000 2.0 beta showed off its new emotion module, when after it misidentified a Cal player, it corrected itself and said, with remarkably human-like emotion, “Sorry.”

So what can you say? Cal won by 39. It’s college football season again. I’ve got nothing to complain about.

It was a foggy night in Berkeley…

Cal’s offense was in fine form…

Kevin Riley’s accuracy was questionable at first, but that guy can sure move…

And the Bears scored…

And scored…

And scored…

And scored…

And Shane Vereen scored some more.

Before the game, I thought it would be 35-17. I mean, picking a 39-point victory is a little unseemly, don’t you think?

(Sorry for the lateness of these end of season posts. I was sick as the season ended and then I need a couple weeks just to get into my off-season routines)

Well, the Bears finished the season 9-4, one loss more than my pre-season prediction. Other than getting which of the Oregon schools the Bears would lose to wrong, I nailed the Pac-10 schedule perfectly including the loss to Arizona. So the way I see it, the only disappointment this season was the loss to Maryland. And having made the trek back east myself, I much better understand how it can be hard to play a good game so far away from home.

At the same time, it wasn’t exactly the best season ever, particularly on the offensive side of the ball. Here’s my analysis on what went right and wrong:

What went right:

1. The 3-4: There’s no way anyone could have anticipated just how awesomely the 3-4 was going to work out. The defense looked like a completely different team this year. Somehow the positive characteristics of the ‘Bend But Don’t Break’ defense remained intact, with the Bears giving up very few big plays, but they mananged to do it while being an attacking/game changing defense. Opposing offenses were stymied, confused, frustrated and overwhelmed by this defense. The only game where the defense can even be remotely argued to be in part the cause of the loss was the Arizona game, particularly the 3rd quarter. But even then they were playing in a game with the deck stacked against them having to come on the field time and time again after ineffective offensive series. Add in the fact that the Bears had a wonderful turnover margin due to the heads up play of the defense, a lot of which can be attributed to the 3-4 zone schemes that both had the defense watching for the ball and confusing the quarterback, and there’s no other way around the block than to praise the 3-4.
2. Syd’Quan Thompson: The only problem with Syd was that he was so good you never got to see it. There were often accusations that defenses picked on Hagan and Conte because they were weak, particularly Conte, but the reality was that it was more because Syd was SO good. He may not be the ball hawk that Hughes was, but I think Syd is the Bear’s best cover corner at Cal as long as I’ve been a season ticket holder. He’s NEVER out of position and always has a chance to make a play on the ball. Some of our most beloved corners played the role in a bit more risky fashion and at times found themselves burned, not Syd. Add in that his tackling on the perimeter almost made him the 5th linebacker at times (particulary when Cal went into a nickle package) and there’s very little not to like, check that, there’s nothing not to love, about this guy’s play in 2008.
3. Jahvid Best: Jahvid came a LONG way in 2008. He was really fast in 2007, but didn’t have the right sense of timing. Early in 2008 he looked “slow” sometimes because he was on the other side of trying to find the right timing. By mid-season he had found the right rythym. He saved the offense when the passing game struggled even when defenses were doing everything in their power to limit the Cal running game.
4. Creative play-calling: There was a lot more creative play-calling this year with Cignetti in the box. It felt like 2003 and 2004 again. While the offense didn’t rely on the trick play, they used them just enough to keep the defense honest and on their toes, and just as importantly most of the trick plays worked, many going for scores. But it wasn’t even just the trick play, there was a lot of diversity in the play calling and trying new and creative ways to make the most of the personnel on the field. You get the feeling that Tedford and Cignetti are on the same page. Cignetti gets what Tedford is trying to accomplish and agrees and Tedford trusts Cignetti to deliver on thier shared goals.
5. Alex Mack: I wish I could say the offensive line as a whole was a plus, but injuries hurt this unit a lot this year. But through it all, you could count on one defensive player being on his back just about every play due to Alex Mack being on the field. His leadership for the rest of the line was key too in keeping this unit effective in the running game and just better than mediocre in the pass rush. With all the young players getting playing time, particularly when Melele was out, that leadership was critical.
6. The rest of the Cal running game: Whether it be Will To’ufo’ou’s consistently strong play or Shane Vereen’s ability to excel in the backup roll, the Cal running game was the part of the Cal offense that kept the Bears on the field and was directly responsible for Cal’s good redzone effectiveness. Don’t forget the importance of the offensive line in the running game.
7. Zack Follett: I hate to single out one linebacker from a unit that was so strong, but Follett was something special this year. He had a knack for making the big play at the right time evidenced by his sack/forced fumble that won the Emerald Bowl for the Bears. While there was aspects of his play that was not perfect, his ability to rush the passer and create chaos at all times were remarkable. Add in that he was an important team leader, particularly in those moments when the team needed someone to pump them up, and Zack needs a specific mention amongst this very good unit.
8. Brian Anger/Punting Unit: Rounding out the list is Brian Anger and his supporting cast. Anger had a few inconsistency problems that ensured he ended up on the bottom of the “what went well” list instead of mid to high on the list, but his booming punts, particularly in the Big Game, were incredible to watch. This unit never gave up a big punt return and ensured the Bears were winning the field-position game pretty much all the time. Never underestimate the importance of this and thus that’s why it belongs on the list.

What went wrong:

1. Quarterback position: In Berkeley we have overly lofty expectations for our QB and this year was a big disappointment. I really thought the QB competition would be good for the team. In the end, I think it was bad. Some of it was it was uncontrollable with the concussion to Riley, but going back and forth prevented either QB from finding a rythym. What was most distressing to me was the lack of passing accuracy. The decision making skills of both Riley and Longshore were better than I expected, particularly Riley as a young guy (others would instead pick Longshore who didn’t throw many of his characteristic interceptions this year), but neither of them shined as far as getting the ball consistently to the intended receiver on target. I’m still pretty optimistic that Riley can turn the corner in 2009, but we’ll need better QB play moving forward if the Bears are going to make the step up to the next level.
2. Kickoffs: A lot of this has to do with still not having a kicker who can get the ball into the endzone. It’s just so frustrating that it has been two years where we don’t have a kicker who can get the ball inside the 5 yardline. To make matters worse, Tavecchio often tried a bit too hard to extend his distance and the result was too many shanks that gave the opposition the ball at the 40. The short kicks seemed to give the opponent 5-10 yards of field position they didn’t deserve and with the defense playing as well as it did, it didn’t hurt too much, but there was that important return for a TD against Oregon State that really hurt, and probably cost the Bears the game, when the momentum swing is included.
3. Pass protection: Even though I put quarterback play as the number one problem, let’s not forget that the deck was all too often stacked against them by weak pass protection. There were far too many times where a play would colapse before it could develop. Similarly it was clear from the coverage downfield that had the protection held, there would have been opportunities downfield. This is the 2nd year in a row that pass protection has been far weaker than run blocking. Hopefully this turns around soon.
4. Losing on the road: Yeah, Cal played 4 of its 6 toughest games (Michigan St. (home), Maryland, Arizona, Oregon (home), USC and Oregon St.) on the road. However, it beat the two it had at home and lost all four on the road. Even if the Bears had only won one of those tough road games to finish 2-3 on the road (remember that the 5th road game was lowly WSU), I think I could have left it off the “what went wrong” list, but 1-4 on the road when you go 7-0 at home including wins over Oregon and Michigan State?… just can’t make excuses for that. Personally, I think the Bears are a better team than Maryland, OSU and Arizona and should beat those teams on a neutral field and should have beat at least one, if not two, traveling to their turf. Tedford and company need to figure out why the team is just a little bit out of sync on the road. It’s probably not my natural grass pet theory, but it’s got to be something.

Overall, it was a successful season. Overwhelming? No. But they met their expectations and excelled in enough new areas to give one hope for the future.

Next post up: What we lost to graduation
Two posts out: What we need for a successful 2009

(although there will probably be a signing-day post before those two)

Well, I’m here in the pressbox. As I suspected, we’re using the baseball pressbox, which is in a great spot for a baseball game but a horrible spot for a football game. I’m in the corner of the endzone and pretty low too. The good news is that there is a good TV right in front of me to get that view of things.

3:35 PM: We’re still nearly 1 1/2 hours from kickoff, but I’ll give a few updates between now and then. I’m going to take some pictures now…

3:40 PM: Oh, before I go and just to drive everyone crazy, Riley is listed as the starting QB on the official press depth chart. Sometimes these things are printed days before the game and they make corrections over the air just before game time. In any case, I think Longshore is starting, but it was interesting to see that.

4:21 PM: I’m back from my tour of the stadium taking pictures. Quite the cozy little stadium. It was a weird feeling to see all the high end concessions and particularly all the alcohol which they don’t server in college stadiums. It’s pretty clear to me that the point of new stadiums is to increase concession revenue dramatically.

4:23 PM: The Bears are in yellow tops and blue pants. Miami is in white tops and orange pants. Cal gets the bench on the east side of the 50 (so towards the home-run wall) and Miami the west side (towards the 1st base line).

4:36 PM: Reason number 4354934 why you should attend the game in person: I’m pretty sure the Emerald Nut mascots are never going to be on TV. One is a nut and the other is a nut container.

4:37 PM: Cal is starting their pre-game band show and the stands are a little more than 1/2 full.

4:45 PM: Now it’s Miami’s band’s turn. It’s not exactly clear where the Miami section is. Although from the sounds of things it might be right above me in the 2nd deck. The band is not as good as the Bears.

4:47 PM: In entirely different news, I saw Kirk Herbstreet’s picks this morning. He was using confidence points for the games 1-34 for each of the bowls. He not only picked the Bears to win but picked them with 33 points, so it’s the bowl he has the 2nd most confidence in his pick.

4:54 PM: With the end of the anthem, they then had 3 parachuters come down. A Cal flag one, a UM flag one and an American flag one. See what you’re missing?

4:58 PM: Word came down that Miami will be without their starting TE (#18 Dedrick Epps) who has a leg contusion.

5:04 PM: Cal won the toss and will receive. Miami will defend the west endzone to start. There is very little breeze and completely overcast to the degree it “feels” almost misty but there doesn’t seem to be any rain falling.

5:07 PM (14:57 1st) Not the most graceful kickoff by Miami. He slipped as he kicked the ball giving the Bears the ball on the 37. The Bears return the favor when Longshore mis-threw the ball to Ross who was open behind the defense on a deep crossing route. Longshore’s 2nd throw didn’t look any better. Not sure what the story is but that’s not the start Tedford was hoping for out of Longshore. Nor the punt they wanted out of Anger… only 35 yards.

5:10 PM (13:30) Welcome to the 3-4 Miami. That type of play on 1st down plays right into the hands of Follett playing on the edge when he releases the receiver into the zone.

5:14 (12:22) Both teams went 3 and out on their first possession. Looks like my prediction that this would be a lower scoring affair than people think may be about right.

5:17 (11:06) It’s the Bears who commit the first turnover. That was one heck of a strip by Miami. Vereen held on pretty well but just couldn’t muscle it away. Now it’s time for the Bear defense to step it up and force another punt.

5:19 (9:25) Miami is sorely mistaken if they think they can get 1st downs running between the tackles on 3rd and 5. Bears forced the punt they needed to nullify the fumble.

5:23 (8:30) Longshore is playing with fire on both of those two passes, particularly the 1st one where it looked like he was throwing it away but it was not out of bounds. And then he COMPLETELY redeems himself with that perfect throw to Tucker who ran like his life depended on it in route to the endzone. This is going to be reviewed.

5:27 (8:17) Yeah, his knee was definitely down. Ball should be placed around the 1 yard-line. Review is taking a long time. Are these Pac-10 refs? Indeed, ball at the 2. Shouldn’t matter. The Bears have no excuse if they can’t punch this in.

5:31 (7:15) Well, it took two tries but sure enough the Bears punch it in. Bears up 7-0.

5:32 (7:15) It definitely seems that Miami is doing a lot of press defense and there will be lots of opportunities for the Bears to pass over the top for big gains.

5:34 (7:15) The Miami band is USC-esque in their decisions to play songs even when they just got schooled. As an example, their 5 yard run gain that got them from 2nd and 23 to 3rd and 18, got a “good play” song.

5:37 (5:05) Horrible punt by Miami. Bears will get the ball on the Miami 42. And Best doesn’t waste anytime making the best of that short field. Best’s ability to accelerate away from the last set of defenders really shows his speed. Bears up, and fast at that, 14-0.

5:43 (4:09) Another 3 and out for Miami. This Bear defense really has Miami confused. They can’t run. They can’t figure out the coverages. They can’t block the rushers. It just looks ugly for Miami.

5:45 (3:19) That was a very poorly sold trick play by the Bears. You could just tell that something was amiss by the way Longshore tossed the ball to Best. Longshore did the right thing by throwing it away.

5:46 (2:29) Longshore is throwing too tall when he mis-throws. Missed a pretty open Tucker to end the drive.

5:50 (0:16) Miami gets their first big play. Minus that play they had less than 10 total yards in the 1st quarter, which ended just after the play. Looked like a blown coverage of some sort. Didn’t catch how.

5:57 (13:46 2nd quarter) Miami dropped an easy TD in the endzone. The Bear defense lost a little something on this drive. Most of the plays are good, but there are just a few breakdowns here and there. The long pass, the QB run, the missed pass, and now a TD pass where Hagan just looked dazed. He was in position but didn’t make the right moves. The Bears need to get out of this funk. Bears still up 14-7.

6:08 (11:07) Boy, the Bears funk continues. Anger has lost his punting magic (the one good punt sailing way into the endzone) and the offense just isn’t operating on all cylinders. If the defense can return to their dominating ways though, it won’t matter.

6:16 PM (8:11) Well, it wasn’t as efficient or pretty as the first quarter’s stops but the Bear force a punt after only one 1st down. The Bears get the ball back at the 20 after the punt went into the endzone. Let’s see if the Bears can get out of their offensive funk.

6:20 (6:30) OK, another blown up trick play for the Bears. Looks like Miami doesn’t bite on that sort of thing. Hopefully that’s the last attempt at that because both times it has put the Bears behind the chains and ended up resulting in a punt.

6:27 (1:47) I had a feeling that if Miami kept up their pass-happy ways they’d eventually make a mistake and sure enough, Mohammed intercepts the ball at a critical time. With less than 2:00 left in the half, it gives the Bears not only a short field but one more opportunity to score before the end of the half. A TD would be huge here. There’s a big difference between 14-7 and 21-7.

6:31 (1:18) Of course when you can’t get a 1st down, it really doesn’t matter does it? The Bear offense has really stalled here in the 2nd quarter. They’ve only gotten one 1st down in the 2nd half. Not good. Luckily it seems Miami doesn’t know how to manage the clock and the half ends without incident.

6:40 (Halftime) Well, the defense has done their job. Minus the one drive where they didn’t quite look right, they’ve been very solid particularly in the 1st quarter. The offense on the other hand has not impressed overall. Really it’s been about one big pass and one big run. Otherwise its been inconsistent. Now the Miami defense seems to have the philosophy of “stop Best at all costs” and is just daring Longshore to throw the ball. So far he’s not proven up to the challenge. Part of that has been poor pass-protection. That’s particularly important because I think the “stop Best at all costs” philosophy leaves some room down the field for big plays. But for those to develop, the QB needs time to throw. The other thing the offense needs to do is give up on the trick play. Miami isn’t biting. I’ll tell you this: Longshore isn’t taking advantage of this unique opportunity to give himself a bump in the NFL draft.

7:02 (13:05) I don’t get Miami’s strategy on 3rd and long. They seem time and time again to go with plays that don’t have a chance. Is it just a lack of confidence in the passing game?

7:03 (12:20) Of course Longshore isn’t inspiring any more confidence with his lack of accuracy on the out routes. Bears are punting again. They’d better hope the defense keeps it up because the offense isn’t going to score a ton of points unless something signficant changes.

7:11 (8:54) The Miami running game is starting to open up and Miami is looking pretty balanced. This is bad news for the Bears. Miami had nearly 19 minutes of possession in the 1st half. That’s got to be wearing down the Bear defense despite how well they’re playing. What the defense really needs is for the offense to get their act in gear.

7:13 (7:34) Miami is able to convert their 3rd and goal from the 6 for a touchdown and this game is tied: 14-14.

7:16 (7:34) So, if you’re Tedford, what do you do? Do you keep Longshore in there at this point? Or is it time for a change?

7:18 (7:20) Or do you just hand it off to Best over and over?

7:19 (6:56) Boy, what is the story with Longshore? I’ve been one to be a bit soft on him because he battled through injury and had gotten too much blame for the teams short-comings. But there is no denying how poorly he’s playing tonight. He’s had guys wide open and just completely missed them. Ross was at a minimum going to get a big gain out of that one and if he could have slipped one tackle would have quickly found himself in the endzone. Instead a wounded duck hits the turf 5 yards behind him.

7:25 (3:48) Well, if there is one good thing it is that Miami has had to use two timeouts for the defense not being ready for the snap. That could matter later in a tight game. For this 47 yard FG, there’s no wind of any sort. The biggest issue may be the turf which has been a bit slippery… what the… they decided to go for it and then call a timeout? And now they’re going for it again?… well it worked out. But I don’t think it was the wise move there. Take the points.

7:29 (3:08) Cal picked a HORRIBLE time for their first penalty of the game. From 1st and goal at the 5 to now at the 10 is a really big difference. Although when Best takes it down to the 1 on 1st down. Now they just need to punch it in… or have Longshore trip coming away from center… you know whatever works. UGH! At least the field-goal is an easy one now. Bears back in the lead 17-14.

7:43 (13:33 4th quarter) The Bears just got the shaft. Not only did the punt go off so quick that the box didn’t have a chance to review Worrell’s INT (which was much closer than I thought) but the running into the kicker gives Miami a 1st down. A bad break.

7:48 (11:44) Bear defense is looking tired again. The intensity is just not there that was there in the 1st half. Add in the balance of the Miami offense and things are not looking nearly as good. This stand from 1st and goal from the 8 is very important. A tie and the Bears just need to get some offense going. Down 17-21 and I think it will be hard to recover.

7:51 (9:13) And the Bears hold to force the field-goal. The game is back to tied: 17-17.

7:58 (8:15) Back to running game and it’s working. Vereen now is busting off some good runs too. The Bears are already down in FG range. Unfortunately a one-dimensional team is eventually one that will get stopped. So the Bears come up a 1/2 yard short at the 16 yard-line. Then Tavecchio pulls the FG attempt and the game remains tied. It did give the defense a good rest though and a reason to believe their efforts are not in vein.

8:05 (4:24) The Bears have to be careful here. A long drive could take 4 minutes and give the Bears no chance to respond if Miami scores. Basically, the defense needs to get a quick stop here.

9:19 (Game over) Sorry for not giving notice on disappearing. Had to make my way down to the field for post-game interviews. In any case, while the defense and Follett deserve a lot of credit for forcing that fumble deep in Miami territory, overall it was a lucky break as I saw it. The reality was that outside of that, the Cal offense was sputtering and the Miami offense was gaining momentum. That one turnover changed everything and let the defense tee-off on Miami to prevent a tying score.

More commentary in the days to come…

A few additional notes from the Big Game that came to mind:

Riley blocking: There were a number of big plays in the game that were a direct result of our young quarterback making a key block. The busted play in the 1st quarter that Best turned into a 50 yard “reverse” was sprung by Riley blocking the contain man allowing Best to cut up field. On the reverse by Ross, Riley made *two* key blocks and was actually further up field than Ross all the way down to inside the 5 yard-line. Then there was another busted play were Best reversed his field and Riley was out there trying to make a block. While he didn’t do as good of a job on that one, the effort was there. To me, seeing the QB blocking is a sign of a strong team effort, that everyone, even the QB is trying to get a hat on a defender during run plays.

Referees lacked mobility: Of course the play everyone remembers is the bonk on the head. But the one that stuck in my head was on Best’s nifty little run up the middle in the 2nd half. The replay camera from the endzone shows the line-judge running down field and then going for a nasty little spill on the sideline, and to make matters worse, there’s no explination besides clumsiness. What’s with these guys?

TV coverage pretty weak: While the play-by-play announcer was pretty polished, just about everything else was sub-standard. The sideline girl, Jessica Mendosa (perhaps related to the Sac news-lady Christina Mendosa?) was very inexperienced and nervous as can be. More troubling to me was the video work, particularly on the reviews and replays. They got horrible angles and never got to the bottom of a number of plays worth numerous looks. The botched extra point? No 2nd look. The review of the phantom catch by Stanford? Only two replays and from bad angles. Time and time again they failed to get good angles and to be honest, I’m not sure the reason the review was upheld was because the replay crew in the booth wasn’t getting good video either.

The Wave: I’ll second HydroTech’s comments over at CGB. Doing the wave early in the game is ALWAYS wrong. The only time to do a wave is late in the game when the blowout/romp is assured. I know Hydro doesn’t like the wave at all, but I love it… yet I still agree with him. One of my best memories of the Big Game is in 2002 when the Bears were killing Stanford and the wave started working. First of all, it looked awesome in a true bowl, much better than it looks at the Oakland Coliseum. Far more importantly, I remember when it finally got going and reached the Stanford section and everyone wondered what was going to happen. Would it just die there? (maybe) Would Stanford join in? (Highly unlikely) When the Cal fans on the other side of the Stanford section stood up to continue the wave the stadium errupted into cheers. It was great. Nevertheless, if you want to do waves at random points in the game, go to a baseball game. Wave’s are reserved for the end of meaningful blowouts (2006 Oregon game is another example) in football.

Home-field advantage: I spent the week beating the drum of the first true home-field advantage for the Bears in Big Game history, so excuse me for saying a quick “I told you so”. Frankly, Oregon had more of an opponent presence than Stanford did and that’s a huge change from years past when all of Stanford’s season ticket holders got tickets to the Big Games in Berkeley. While I don’t think the home-field advantage was a huge factor in the game, it was a factor and kept the teams spirits up. All I can say is that the Bears better be ready for a hostile environment next year in Palo Alto as I think it really caught them off guard last year after having so many years of fairly balanced crowds on the farm. There’s no excuses next year.

Jahvid Best ran for more than 200 yards today as Cal beat Stanford by 21, and it wasn’t that close. Here’s my complete photo set.

Well, I’m here in sunny Oregon on a beautiful day in Corvalis. Jason is at home watching the game. Let’s get straight to it:

12:31 – (before kickoff): The stadium is 85% full here just before kickoff. It’s supposed to be bursting from the seams before too long here. Spirits are high. They just showed the last play of last years game on the big-screen and the crowd errupted. Lots of fireworks as the OSU Beavers come onto the field.

12:33 – Cal has a REALLY small contingent, maybe 200 people, separated in two areas. They did bring the straw-hat band. The team looks patient as they wait their turn to come down the tunnel to the field. They came on pretty quietly without much booing, as is the norm in Berkeley for the visitors.

12:37 – OSU won toss and deferred.

12:38 (kickoff) – A great return by Best. Only pulled down by his facemask at the OSU 40, giving the Bears the ball at the 26 yard-line. What a great start!

12:39 (14:45) – And then Ross does the impossible bouncing off two tackles to give 1st and goal from the 8. A rough spot to be 1st and goal, but let’s see what they can do. Jason says: “Remember when guys would tackle other guys?”

12:41 (13:05) – TOUCHDOWN! 5 wide worked for the Bears. Much better than the direct snap to Best on 2nd down. Jason says: “Direct snap trickery. Maybe that’s the answer — the no-QB offense.” And “Can the offense still look inept and yet score?” Looks like it, Jason. The particularly good news is that it shut the crowd up real quick. 7-0

12:45 (12:54) – Well, it doesn’t do much good to have a great kickoff return of your own when you give it right back. Did both teams leave the special teams defenses at home? Jason says, “So, back to even. Like the first 2 minutes never happened.” Yup, including quieting the crowd. 7-7

12:49 (11:35) – That was a really powerful rush for OSU on 3rd down. That’s going to be a problem if the Bears can’t get it under control. Punting for the 1st time and Anger only gets a 39 yarder off, OSU gets ball at own 47.

12:54 (10:03) – Big win for Bears… they’re not the first to blow a timeout for bad clock management!

12:56 (9:24) – Just like playing center-field, huh Syd? A big momentum changing interception gives Bears the ball back. Also should give OSU some gitters about throwing the ball down the field.

12:59 (7:05) – Bears have to punt after getting one 1st down running the ball. Jason says: “Before the game the TV sideline reporter asked Mike Riley how he was going to shut down the “high-powered Cal offense.” I’d like to know where that offense has been hiding, so we could cart it out and then see if OSU could shut it down… This game appears to be on the shoulders of the defense. Welcome to your 2008 Cal Bears.” But Anger does great punt and gets ball down to OSU 11.

1:00 (6:56) – Announcer says crowd is over 45k and a Reser stadium record. It looks pretty darned full now, but they’re not as loud as they were at beginning of game.

1:04 – Jason says: “USC fans are sending me messages encouraging Cal to win. Has it come to this, Trojans?” I think it has. It’s nothing personal, they’ll be rooting for Arizona next week and Oregon after that if we can’t get it done.

1:07 (3:53) – Nearly anther pick. OSU had better be careful. And also a near punt block. Too bad that Syd got tackled right off the bat.

1:09 (2:58) – Bubble screen doesn’t work for Bears either: “Good to see that our first-down play of choice is the still loss of yardage.” Well, there’s a lot of different ways for the coaching staff to ensure that, so they go with the percentages. Next two plays aren’t any better and Anger is back out on the field. Jason says: “So this is three straight quarters of Riley not looking good.” And “So… kick coverage is not strong today.” Horrible, horrible, horrible. The Bears really need to turn the corner. It only took one play: 7-14.

1:15 (1:02) – Vereen got shaft on 1st down and they took away his forward progress for no good reason. Riley does his best to make sure that the Bears do nothing to recover with two off the mark passes. Bears punting again and while we’re on the subject, Anger is looking down right pathetic. 29 yards. He looks like he’s droping the ball too soon and can’t get through it.

1:30 (9:30 2nd) – Lost my blog connection for a while… Beavers drove the entire field including converting a 2nd and 30. Despite numerous mistakes by OSU, the holes in the zone keep letting them off the hook. Jason had tons of comments during “the break” which can be summed up as “ugh”. Thankfully Cal holds them to a field-goal that bounces off the up-right but good. Cal down by 10: 7-17.

1:39 (7:44) – TOUCHDOWN. Some trickery on the fake WR screen to WR pass from Ross to Boateng. “trickery…Ross, player of the game…Ross for QB…And RB…And returner…And punter.” And “Tavecchio with the efficient extra point.
As little space used as possible.” Not sure I agree on the returner bit. Best did better with chance. But you may be right on the rest.

1:42 (7:37) – Although I’m not happy to see Tavecchio trying to be “efficient” on the kickoff too. Luckily the coverage is better. Mohammed ROCKs the QB so hard the ref thinks it had to be a pass the way the ball flew out on 3rd down. Beavers have to punt.

1:47 (5:54) – Tucker has GOT to come up with that catch. That would have been HUGE! Luckily it should help keep the defense honest. Best has great run on 2nd for 3rd and 2 that Bears convert to get new set of downs.

1:52 (3:32) – But Morrah has to out-do Tucker and sink the Bears on 3rd and 4 by dropping a catch that he’s got no excuse for dropping. Bears then decide to go for it, er, botch the punt snap, er, whatever and give the Beaver the ball around their own 40.

1:57 (2:00) – At least the ref is consistent. He took 5 yards away from Rodgers when he tried to get out of the tackle. It was a similar, although not as obvious case against Cal in 1st quarter.

2:01 (1:29) – I’m not sure I like this call of a timeout by Cal. Do we really want another shot before halftime with less than 1 1/2 minutes? And do we really want to give OSU a chance to re-think going for it on 4th and 6 from the 32 instead of trying to kick the long FG?

2:04 (1:21) – OK Bears, just nothing stupid like a turnover here. Although something more productive than these first two plays would be appreciated… and they take the knee. Halftime score: 14-17.

2:07 (Halftime) – Jason jumps in with the first Valuable Halftime Analysis (brought to you by Charlie Brown for Congress – let the recount continue!): “For a team that has played as terribly as Cal has, it is a miracle that they’re this close.” Got to agree with that. The Bears seem to have gotten their act together in the 2nd quarter. A little trickery shows the Bears are going to keep the play calling diverse. The defense is starting to clamp down and if a few of OSU’s mistakes could bite them a little harder, the Bears could get back in this one. A key possession is the one right after the break because OSU scoring would really hurt. Riley seems to be a 2nd half QB so perhaps he can clean up his act… and then the receivers need to, you know, catch the ball… and stuff.

2:20 – Man, at OSU the ENTIRE fan base leaves their seats at halftime. There were literally 1 out of 15 seats full a couple minutes ago. Theyr’e all out in the parking lot drinking. I know, I know, what’s a parking lot?

2:29 (Start of 3rd) – What!?! Seriously, how do you kick it THAT badly. Nice way to start, giving OSU the ball at the 40.

2:36 (12:36) – There seems to be some corelation between OSU driving and my blog connection… In any case, this will be a key goal-line stand for Bears if they can pull it off. Down by 6 is huge compared to down by 10.

2:39 (11:45) – Well, it wasn’t pretty but the hold does keep the game in reach. Bears down by 6: 14-20.

2:47 (10:22) – Unbelievable. This review booth is ridiculous. The OSU guy who caught the ball out of bounds isn’t over-turned. And then when the ball is clearly moving forward the review both calls it a fumble. Just ridiculous. I don’t mind much the miss on the field. We’re all human, particularly with the time constraints of a ref. But there is no excuse in the booth for, you know, actually seeing something approaching reality.

2:49 (9:20) – On the plus side Anger is still shanking the ball.

2:51 (8:06) – Horrible pursuit by the Bears on two reverses. Both plays the contain men where there and both times they didn’t get there. Now the game is very much in jeopardy. The Bears need a touchdown ASAP and find some ability to hold the OSU offense. This is getting ugly… and Jason is off at a birthday party… notice how these road games always go downhill after he leaves, coincidence?

2:56 (7:38) – Riley’s got to get rid of that ball. Just can’t take this many sacks. Hopefully he can continue to throw like that last ball that bailed out the Bears. 1st down!

2:58 (6:43) – TOUCHDOWN! Well for once the offense did there part and Best gets his obligatory big run for a TD run for this game. Now it’s back to 6 points. That’s workable if the defense can get their act together.

3:00 (6:37) – Tedford yanks Tavecchio for Kay, who at least keeps it in-bounds… albeit at the 17. It’s really not this hard guys.

3:02 (5:30) – Defense holds. No thanks to Conte who comes off his guy to nearly give up the 1st down. Let’s see if the offense can keep the ball moving.

3:06 (4:40) – Man, it’s AMAZING what one penalty can do. The Bears were looking good with 2nd and 4. Then a hold (questionable call too) puts the Bears back and all of a sudden it’s a passing situation and the Beaver defense can force a punt. Defense needs another hold here…

3:12 (end of 3rd) – Well, the defense is starting to look tired and Rodgers is wearing them down. He’s a great runner. I don’t know how OSU keeps finding these great backs but their lineage is incredible considering their recruiting ‘station’. I’m a big believer in taking a timeout on defense when the boys in the trenches look tired. I would have taken it about 2 minutes prior to this when OSU was just out of field-goal range. Now the Beavers are well inside field-goal range and even holding to a field-goal will still put OSU up by two scores. I don’t know that the Cal offense has two 4th quarter scores in them.

3:19 (14:11 4th) Well the Bears get a minor break and the replay booth proves they have eyes overturning a difficult call on the field. Then the REAL break is that OSU misses the field-goal. The Bears are only down by one score and that’s HUGE. The offense needs to take advantage of this!

3:25 (12:40) But they don’t. Punting again. Anger finally punts a good one but the coverage is completely jammed at the line and a big run-back ensues. Thankfully a block in the back sinks OSU’s return and they get the ball at their own 37. Pretty good considering Cal kicked from within their own 5.

3:28 (10:56) Bear defense still looks tired. Perhaps they get it done here, but even if they do, the way the clock is moving, the Bears have two possessions at the most left to score.

3:30 (9:45) Punt is nearly blocked after high snap. They get it off and it rolls down to 12 yard-line. OK Bears. The time is now. You’ve got to find some offense.

3:36 (7:49) I know the Bears need to show some run balance, but it’s not working. I’m not saying you don’t mix it in to keep them honest, but it’s still frustrating the ineffectiveness of the run game. The patchwork offensive line is a problem. Luckily the holes in the passing defense are there when they pass. If only Riley can get enough time to find them.

3:39 (7:01) Another dropped ball kills the Bears again. That was a first down waiting to happen if Best could have just held on. Punting again. The Bears probably get one more shot at this. The talent is there, they just need to execute.

3:42 (6:30) Rodgers is wearing down the Bears. I’m really impressed with his ability to both slip through very small holes but also to power his way forward. He’s another great OSU back in the making as a freshman.

3:45 (4:20) That might have been a back-breaker. Completing a pass for a 1st down when the Bears finally had a break with the false start. Moevao had ALL DAY to throw with no pressure. Zone defenses don’t do well with that.

3:47 (2:25) Moevao makes life real it by getting a first down with just over 2 minutes left and only 1 timeout left for Cal.

I’m going to have to wrap up this LiveBlog now to go down to the field to do player and coach interviews.

I’ve got a pet theory running about the Bears playing on grass as opposed to artificial turf. It seems the Bears have a lot more trouble when they play on grass than when the play on turf. So, in pursuit of some data about this, I got game data from the entire Tedford era to see how they did on grass versus how they did on turf.

The scariest numbers are the last 3 years, 2006 to 2008. The Bears are 0-9 on grass during the regular season. That compares to 5-10 (33%) overall on the road (of course all home games are played on artificial turf) for the same span. Turn that same comparison over and the Bears are 5-1 (83%) on the road playing on turf, the only loss being to Washington last year towards the end of the slide.

In fairness, if you include earlier years and bowl games, the numbers are more balanced. The Bears are 12-15 (44%) on grass during the Tedford years while they are 23-20 (53%) overall on the road. However, if you just look at the turf road games, the Bears are 11-5 (69%). Seeing as how the overall win record of the Bears during the same time is 66%, it sure feels like the Bears do just fine on the road when the surface is artificial turf.

Are these numbers conclusive? No, they’re not. It could just be that the best teams the Bears face on the road play on grass, USC being an obvious example. However, if one is searching for reasons that the Bears struggle against teams like UCLA, Arizona, Maryland and even Tennessee on the road but seem to do much better against teams like Oregon and Oregon State, this might be another reason to consider.

It sure feels to me like the Bears struggle on grass far more than just on the road.

3:13 PT: This is Jason in scenic Mill Valley, California. Ken Crawford is in the belly of the beast, at the Los Angeles Coliseum, for today’s game. We’ll both be reporting live here when the game begins. Feel free to chat in the comments. And Philip Michaels will join us from Alameda.

3:15 PT: Ken reports that “the field is nice and dry, as well as very shortly cut. I think that’s good for the Bears.”

4:21 PT: Ken reports that USC’s fans are cheering the scoreboard, namely Penn State’s loss and the Alabama-LSU game going into overtime. Ken: “This is why I’m not completely convinced that USC won’t overlook this game.”

4:36 PT: Uni watch: Ken reports that the Bears are wearing their white shirts and blue pants.

5:07 PT: And we’re on the air on ABC, in highly-defined splendor. “This isn’t gonna go well,” my wife says. The opening announcer talks about how few of these Cal-USC meetings have been as important as today’s. Which I guess is true, unless you consider three of the last five meetings… Ken: “The L.A. Coliseum is one LOUD stadium.”

5:14 PT: Ken: “The Bears didn’t waste any time having an important 3rd down.” And Best falls down. Maybe not the time for trickery. Ken: “And didn’t waste any time botching it… bad snap by Mack, odd.” Phil chimes in: “I consider it a moral victory that I turned on the TV and Cal is not yet behind. Just in time to see that hideous play call on third and short.” Ken: “And while we’re the topic, have I ever mentioned I HATE the direct snap?”

5:18 PT: Trojans offense making it look easy as they drive into the red zone. Ken: “Right now the Bears are getting outrun and outhustled.”

5:19 PT: Nice defense in the end zone by Hagan. On comes… Buehler? Buehler? Ben Stein says it’s good. USC 3, Cal 0. Phil: “Just defend, Darien, don’t talk.” Ken: “Bears dodged a bullet there forcing the FG attempt.” The defense definitely stiffened at the end there.

5:23 PT: Kickoff out of the back of the end zone. Ken: “Could we buy like 5 yards of USC’s kicker’s leg? He doesn’t need it.” Hey, Kenny Norton is on the sideline. Phil: “I am always sad when they cut to Ken Norton Jr. on the sideline, and he’s not wearing his cowboy hat.”

5:26 PT: Ken: “Looks like the Bears are going to have to, you know, actually throw the ball down the field.” Nice pass there to Boateng. Yeah, the run isn’t working so well so far.

5:27 PT: Longshore trips and falls. That’s the dexterity we’ve come to expect from Longshore. And then he calls a timeout. Phil: “Longshore is vying to be the first Cal QB to start in three USC games and look progressively worse in each one.”

5:29 PT: We’ve broken away for a Taco Bell score update. Phil: “Having eaten at a Taco Bell today, I’ve been having Taco Bell updates all afternoon. If you get my meaning.” Did I mention that I am fortunate that Phil is in Alameda and I am in Mill Valley?

5:30 PT: Oh, yes, USC Band, keep playing that song. I want them to cut over there and show a guy pushing a button on an iPod. There really is no USC band, is there? Phil: “Not true. I dated a girl in the USC band. Or more to the point, went out on one date with the girl in the USC band. (They do not like it when you make fun of their playlist.)” I would only be impressed if you dated a song girl, Phil.

5:32 PT: Cal has to punt after an incompletion on third down. Ken: “The receiver needs to keep coming back to that ball.  Then it’s a first down.”

5:32 PT: I find I am strangely not nervous about this game. That’s probably because I feel like Cal’s playing with the house’s money here. I don’t expect them to win, so if they play well, that’s a bonus. Now if they keep it close I will get nervous later on.

5:35 PT: Big 27-yard run on 2nd and 16. Yeah, that’s not good, Cal defense. Phil: “Apparently, the game plan is to have USC exhaust itself.” Ken: “Those are the moments that the defense needs to convert. They had 2nd and 16 on a penalty and needed to force a punt.”

5:38 PT:It’s actually hard to believe that Cal once beat USC. Long ago. In 2003. In a game that was replayed on ESPN Classic last night. Visualize.

5:39 PT (1:31 1st Quarter): Hey! Squad hit! USC has to punt. Wouldja look at that. Ken: “Luckily the Trojans game the Bears a rain-check with that false start and the Bears were able to force the punt. Interesting to see the D-Line go ‘narrow’ and that seemed to confuse the USC O-Line.”

5:42 PT: Ross drops a pass from Longshore for an easy first down. This is how good USC is: every drop feels like you’re letting the game slip away. But Best gets a first down on an 11-yard completion to Best while Longshore is running to his right. Best fights for the first – well done.

5:44 PT: And the first quarter ends with a 21-yard completion to Morrah to get Cal into USC territory! Ken: “The Bears need to throw the ball A LOT. USC is geared towards stuffing the run. They need to force them to be more balanced.” Phil: “1st qtr summary: kept it close, mantained dignity.” And that’s… one to grow on. USC 3, Cal 0.

5:47 PT: And we’re back for the second quarter. Impressive Boateng reception, hit so hard that his helmet came off (though he wears it loose, I believe) but holding on to the ball. Phil: “Cal players must lead the league in lost helmets. Use the straps. I invented them for a reason.”

5:49 PT: Longshore chased, should just throw it away, tries to complete a meaningless pass, and has it picked off. He is saved only by a stupid roughing the passer penalty against USC. Phil: “hooray negated turnovers! Ticky-tack, but I’ll take it.” Terrible judgment by Longshore, though. A clear force, as are many of his interceptions.

5:51 PT (2nd Q, 12:59): Ken: “USC fans are irate. But that was definitely roughing the passer. That was the right call. It’s one thing to continue with your momentum after the throw. It’s another thing to shove after the ball is released. That’s going to get called every time. Now, the interception… ugly.”

5:54 PT (2nd Q, 12:15): Phil: “not sure I agree with the idea that you call a timeout to yell at a guy.” Yeah, I think Pete Carroll’s anger got the best of him there. And the push on Longshore was while the ball was in the air. Then again, maybe he’s just trying to set up the officials for some sympathy later.

5:55 PT: Illegal snap. Ken: “OK, that’s twice I’ve heard that penalty. What does that mean, he moved the ball but didn’t snap it.”

5:56 PT: Longshore makes a terrible, terrible pass — just a Three Flies Up jump ball. Intercepted by USC. What in the world is he doing? And yet again, USC blows a turnover via a pass interference penalty. And a dumb one — the pick would have happened anyway. Ken: “THAT’S TWICE!” Phil: “hooray negated turn… you know the rest.”

5:57 PT (2nd, 10:53): Ken: “Refs are calling a very tight game.” No kidding. Five USC penalties and Cal’s still trailing here. Gotta take advantage, Bears. Vereen goes inside the 10, but that’ll be another flag — holding on Cal. Back we go. Ken: “VERY tight.”

5:59 PT: Great play on 1st and 25: an inside hand-off to gain a yard. Nice! 24 more of those…

6:00 PT: Screen to Best, and it’s sniffed out immediately. Great play on USC’s part. Ken: “Screens don’t work against experienced and fast line-backers.”

6:01 PT: Sean McDonough has just declared that Cal is excellently running down the clock. That’s just what we’re doing. Running out the clock in the second quarter. Later we’ll hide the ball and replace it with a squeaky toy. Score with that, USC!

6:03 PT (2nd, 8:53): On third and forever, they run short. Ken: “Ah, the classic setup a field-goal attempt play.” Tavecchio kicks it through! Our endless drive is over. Cal 3, USC 3. Phil: “well, it’s three points. even if it looked like a Tim Wakefield pitch.”

6:05 PT (2nd, 8:14): Ken: “An upside to that drive: took 8 minutes off the clock. A short game is good for the underdog.”

6:08 PT: Big gain for USC. Apparently the strategy is, let a guy be totally open and then don’t tackle him.

6:11 PT (2nd, 5:01): Ken: “Very unusual for the Bears.  Gerenally their zone defense is pretty good about not having hugely missed assignments.” Beautiful pass from Sanchez to Turner, Touchdown Trojans! USC 10, Cal 3. Ken: “Williams need to turn around and look for that ball.” Phil: “I, for one, welcome our USC overlords.”

6:15 PT: So that USC touchdown? Maybe not a touchdown. But it’s too late now. Also, Longshore’s accuracy has evaporated. One pass way low, one a bit too high but still caught. What’s up, Nate?

6:19 PT: Washington and Arizona State are tied 16-16 in the 3rd quarter. Before the game Ken predicted this might be the win for Washington, given how terrible ASU had been this year. Ken: “Excellent.  My evil prediction may just come true!” Don’t count Washington out, Ken. They still might blow it.

6:23 PT (2nd, 1:43): Carroll challenges a call, but it’s not overturned. First down Bears. Phil: “I’m sure Pete Carroll is a lovely man. And yet. Highly punchable. His punchability rating is off the charts.” Ken: “I think you could make a better argument for fumble than incomplete. But a Bear picked it up.” Nah, it was totally incomplete.

6:25 PT (2nd, 1:12): Another mistargeted pass from Longshore, incomplete, to the umpire. Screen to Ross, and again, USC is way too fast for that. Ross did a great job to gain 2 yards. Ken: “The Bears are not doing anything to stretch the field vertically like they were in the 1st quarter.”

6:26 PT: Oh, Nate. You fell down. Again. While chased. Ken: “Dexterity at its best, eh Jason?” Feet are complicated, Ken. Very complicated. Phil: “Oh, Lord. Someone revive Riley. Get Dr. Spaceman to give him medical clearance.”

6:29 PT: Cal punts and USC gets a couple shots at it. On the screen, ABC decides to keep the camera on Sanchez. We’re watching him watch the play! See how experimental it is! Phil: “stellar camera work.” It’s like this film was directed by Jean-Pierre Gorin.

6:31 PT (Halftime): And the half ends on a sack. Revenge!! Halftime. USC 10, Cal 3. Phil: “Well, it could be worse.” And it’s time for me to put my kids to bed. See you after the break.

6:39 PT: Ken’s Halftime Thoughts: “Bears are ‘kinda’ in this game. They need to make some substantial halftime adjustments. They need to stretch the field. They need to clean up the missed assignments. They need to find just a little bit more heart on defense and tackle a bit more consistently. But a couple of additional lucky breaks in the 2nd half coupled with those adjustments could result in a Bear win. I wouldn’t quite be headed to the mid-game betting sites with that, though.”

6:40 PT: There are lots of Cal home games where I feel that Cal was never really in jeopardy for the entire game. That’s sort of how I feel here — Cal’s hanging around, yet they don’t really seem to be threatening USC.

6:41 PT: So while I was driving my parents to Sonora today so they could empty their storage shed and complete their move to their new house, my father pointed out that he went to dental school with two members of Cal’s last Rose Bowl team. Pretty cool.

6:53 PT: And we’re back. And Tavecchio starts with a kick out of bounds. Auspicious!

6:54 PT: I love how the announcers are in awe of USC. I mean, yeah, they’re great. But listening to the announcers you’d think that USC could score on any play if they wanted, but they only score sometimes so that they don’t confuse the fans and embarrass the NCAA.

6:55 PT: USC for a nice gain. Ken: “OK, it’s a soften the blow piece of good news, but the good news is that the Bears are having good backside and secondary pursuit to prevent the big play. That run would have been a TD against less determined teams.”

6:56 PT: Sean McDonough says that blogs have been critical about the USC offense. Blogs? Critical? Well in that case, the USC offense sucks. There, what he said is provably true. And on cue, USC punts!

6:57 PT: And Kevin Riley is in. Let’s hope he’s still not goofy.

6:58 PT (3rd, 12:12): And just like that, Riley throws a pass complete for a first down. That’s the way, Riley.

6:59 PT: I like the switch to Riley, assuming he’s not seeing double out there — or invisible aliens. He gives the offense that scrambling dimension, and Nate has not been very accurate so far. Ken: “I was pestering the guys here in the booth that Tedford might make the switch.  Nobody believed me.” Ken knows his stuff, folks.

7:00 PT: Ken: “Well, it’s a big guessing game.  I was the one on the other side at the Arizona game who wouldn’t believe that Tedford was going to switch.” Riley scrambles, coming just short of a first down. Phil: “Not to pick on Nate, but he would have thrown about three different interceptions on that play.” Now here we go again — another time out due to running out of time on the play clock. Oh well.

7:02 PT: Just got accused on the Twitter of being partisan in my liveblogging. Big Cal logo up top, folks. Truth in advertising.

7:03 PT (3rd, 11:16): Deep throw on third and short, and a fantastic one-armed catch by Tucker. Wow. Have we finally found a WR?

7:04 PT (3rd, 11:01): Cal throws a beautiful touchdown pass, but they’re going to bring it back on the — you guessed it — penalty. Ineligible downfield. That’s just… terrible. Phil: “It was fun while it lasted.” Ken: “What goes around comes around.” Ken: “While a blow, the fact that the Bears marched so easily just put the Trojans on notice.”

7:06 PT: ABC has now certified that the penalty on the touchdown pass was complete B.S. Oh well — I guess it all evens out, right? Right??

7:08 PT (3rd, 10:12): And now a PI call on USC on 3rd and long. Phil: “flags work in our benefit! What a horribly played football game.” And so now it’s first down Cal. What a weird, messy game.

7:09 PT: Wow, Ross leaps over guys and gains 5. Phil: “Most dramatic four-yard gain ever.”

7:10 PT (3rd, 9:15): Pass tipped up and intercepted by USC in the end zone. Oh well. Not really Riley’s fault. It was fun while it lasted. Ken: “That was the right play just needed to float it a bit more so it wouldn’t be tipped. Otherwise it was a TD.” And to add insult to injury, the USC band plays “All Right Now.”

7:12 PT: So looking at these crowd shots… Am I right to think that you can send in an 8 x 10 glossy as a USC application?

7:13 PT: Ken: “Important 3rd down here.” Flag down, incomplete pass under pressure by Sanchez. And… penalty is against USC. Penalty declined. USC will have to punt.

7:15 PT: This liveblog is brought to you by Sierra Nevada Porter and the last of my wife’s chili. My wife’s chili: It’s What Was For Dinner.

7:17 PT: Riley sacked! Ken: “That’s one area where Longshore is a better QB. He gets rid of that ball.” Yeah, that’s Riley’s inexperience there.

7:18 PT: Phil’s portion of this liveblog is brought to you by Pacifico Beer and, uh, the Oyster. The kind you eat.

7:19 PT (3rd, 6:20): Third and 12. Riley throws it and it’s caught but dropped because he got smashed by the defender. Hard to ask the WRs to catch all of those. Anger must punt. Don’t Punt Back In Anger.

7:21 PT: Ken: “Riley needs to get better on these deep out patterns and get the ball there a 1/2 second earlier and to the outside. He’s going to get his receivers killed when in reality they’re doing a great job of getting open.”

7:22 PT: This looks like most of the other recent Cal-USC games. Cal hangs in there for a while and then it all goes wrong at the end.

7:24 PT (3rd, 4:22): Terrible tackling on a gain by USC. Phil: “Cal defended there like they thought we switched over to two-hand touch during the break.” Sack on Sanchez by Alulu with Follett. 3rd and long for USC. Completed, but short of the first down.

7:28 PT: Roughing the passer, and boy, was it. USC player nailed Riley in the neck with his helmet after the ball was away. Dirty play. Phil: “Hooray, roughing the passer! That’s our best play!” And then Best runs for 8 on first down.

7:29 PT: Nice Taufo’ou run. Ken: “It’s been a LONG time since the Bears have run the Fullback chrash. You could tell USC wasn’t expecting it.”

7:31 PT (3rd, :44): Now Cal gets very conservative with the play calling. Ken: “Um Tedford, we don’t just need a field-goal here.” Third and long. Aaand… flag. Of course. Phil: “I see we’ve reached the drive-stalling portion of the drive.”

7:33 PT: Cal punts. Phil: “don’t like the punt here. You’re down seven. in their territory. I know it’s fourth-and-long. But you gotta start going for it.” Ken: “Riley’s gone downhill in these last two drives. Can’t help but wonder if knocks are getting to his recently concussioned head. Particularly the cheap ones.”

7:35 PT: End of Third Quarter.Phil: “This is actually much how I envisioned this game playing out. Cal’s offense being largely inept. The defense keeping us in it. And then, in the fourth quarter, the sadness.” They show the Cal players holding up four fingers. What does that stand for, “The Fourth Quarter Is When It All Falls Apart For Us?” “Oh God, It’s The Fourth Quarter?” Ken’s analysis: “That was a pretty balanced 3rd quarter. The Bears could win this if they stop shooting themselves in the foot.”

7:38 PT: Some pretty weak tackling there, defense. First down USC. Ken: “Bears are starting to get worn down. They need to find an extra burst of heart REAL quick.” Yup. It’s strange, since the offense has actually been on the field a lot. But still, it’s hard to keep USC down. And that’s an understatement.

7:39 PT: Terrible tackling on a 16-yard McNight run, and then– he ran too far, so they stripped the ball. Fumble! Cal ball. Phil: “I was about to complain bitterly about the lack of tackling. But I’m quite happy he was not tackled. Someone hit the spin button too much.” Huzzah! Ken: “That’s the kind of break the Bears needed.” Now to do something with it.

7:42 PT: Ken: “Now, uh-hem, I give you, the up until now missing…. drum roll please… California Golden Bear OFFENSE!” To be fair, USC’s defense has been spectacular this year. Ken: “Yeah, but the plays have been there and the Bears aren’t converting.” Fair enough.

7:43 PT: And… false start. Again. Phil: “The next person that jumps loses their scholarship.” Ken: “Was there like a sale on yellow flags at K-Mart today or something?”

7:45 PT (4th, 12:15): And yet another penalty, this against USC negating a sack on Riley. Apparently Cal’s playcalling here is, chuck it down field. Not a terrible idea at this point, I suppose. Phil: “USC will see our stupid play and raise us another stupid play.”

7:47 PT: Riley to Morrah deep, but he readjusted and couldn’t get it. Hit off his hands. Painful. Punty punty.

7:50 PT: Phil: “The guy in this Holiday Inn Express commercial — not the one eating eggs — plays the evil managing editor in the final season of ‘The Wire.'” Watching these commercials makes me long for the home games where we just stare at the guy with the red vest who’s stopping the game and boo him.

7:50 PT (4th, 10:34): This is the point in the game where USC scores two TDs and puts it away. Just saying. Ken: “11 minutes left. Hold out hope my friend. I’m not ready to face reality yet.”

7:53 PT: Ken: “88523 is today’s attendance. Crowd is not happy to be back at commercial.” Blame Pete Carroll for calling a timeout here. Now who’s running out the clock, eh?

7:55 PT (4th, 9:23): USC fails on the third-down conversation, an incompletion, which means Cal will get the ball back. Syd fair-catches at the 12 yard line.

7:57 PT: Best for no gain up the middle. Ken: “Good call with 9:20 remaining, a run up the gut.” Yeah. And Best is at his best without space. Sure.

7:57 PT: And they follow that up with a sweep to the left. Yeah, that’s it, Cal, establish the running game. Now it’s 3rd and 9 with eight minutes to go. Perfect. How about some 10-yard pass routes instead of bombs and sweeps? And Riley on the overthrow. Fourth down. Phil: “Is there a 3rd QB we can try?”

7:59 PT: Nice punt by Anger. A shame Cal can’t punt itself into the lead. But it can’t. Otherwise Cal would have been undefeated in the Nick Harris In Punt Formation years.

8:00 PT: Pass knocked down by Worrell Williams and almost picked off. So close. And yet, this is USC. At the Coliseum. And so here comes the sadness. And USC gains 17 to midfield on the third-down pass. It’s slipping out of reach…

8:02 PT: Here’s the thing. USC’s defense is remarkable. And yet, Cal has had a bunch of chances. And they just haven’t converted. They have had the chances to beat USC, but they’ve just not been good enough. If the other team is good and you’re not, that’s a recipe for a loss if ever I’ve heard one.

8:04 PT (4th, 5:00): Another first down, to the 25. USC keeps moving the ball, hoping to go up two scores and put it away. Cal is definitely wearing down now. It’ll take a major mistake by USC or a huge play by the Cal defense to make a difference here.

8:05 PT: And another first down, and the clock keeps rolling. Phil: “Essentially any score here ends the game. As Cal’s not going to score twice.” I think they aren’t going to score again, period.

8:09 PT: Touchdown Trojans. USC 17, Cal 3. And it’ll be 24-3 once Cal throws an interception that’s run back for a touchdown on the next drive.

8:11 PT: So these days we get eliminated from the Rose Bowl in November instead of September. Is that progress?

8:13 PT: Painful stat. Riley is 3 for 12. Make it 13. It’s a shame that this year’s great defense has such a weak offense backing it up.

8:16 PT: Riley chucks the ball ineptly on fourth down. Phil: “well, that pretty much sums up the game.” Yeah. So it ends. There’s that sadness Phil was talking about.

8:19 PT: Tedford is frustrated. Phil: “Well, he should be. His team just played 60 minutes of undisciplined football. Who does that reflect upon?”

8:20 PT: So, what’s USC going to do here? Kick the FG? Take a knee? No, they go for it, don’t get it. And Cal will get one exciting play with 8 seconds left.

8:22 PT: What do you do, Taylor Mays? Knock it down. Game Over. USC 17, Cal 3. USC has won seven of the last eight against the Bears. And don’t we know it. Good night, everyone.

So, this was pretty much the most miserable I have ever been at a sporting event. Including years and years at Cal. From the mid-first quarter to early in the fourth quarter, it was raining hard.

I didn’t bring my snazzy camera, so all you get is an iPhone shot.

It was an odd game. At the start of both halves, Cal was on the ropes. The game started with a Cal turnover and an Oregon scoring drive. Things looked bad. But then Riley converted on third down (boy, they converted a lot of third downs Saturday) and the Bears were off for a 7-6 lead. Which expanded to the classic 9-6 lead (in a most unclassical way) after the Oregon long-snapper chucked one 30 yards out the back of the end zone.

But in the second half, the same thing happened. Oregon, tired of the terrible conditions, went exclusively to the option run. And it worked great for one drive. But all of a sudden, the Cal defense figured it out, and when Oregon tried to start passing again, it was bad news. The receivers’ hands had turned to stone and the passer’s arm wasn’t much better.

It was also a game where the side of the field you were playing on really mattered. At the end of the third quarter, Oregon was driving toward the south end. But the quarter ended and the teams flipped to the north end, which was full of standing water. All of a sudden the fates shifted with the weather. A failed field-goal at that cursed end later, Cal had the ball. Shortly thereafter, Oregon’s punt returned dropped a fair-catch punt, Cal recovered, and the Bears put the game away.

A weird game, for sure. But hey, a great outcome for Cal. On we go to USC.

Uni Watch: Cal broke out the all-yellow uniform combination for the first time. Can’t say I like it, though it was less awful than I thought it would be. It helps when you break out an odd uniform when you’re on the field with Oregon, because you’re guaranteed not to have the worst uniforms on the field. And in the rainy conditions, it was a little bit like the Bears were dressed as Team Raincoat.

The rest of us were dressed in raincoats, too.

By the end of the game, my clothes were soaked through — guess that raincoat has lost its waterproofing! — and my teeth were starting to chatter. But at least the rain stopped for the second half of the fourth quarter. Combined with Cal reasserting itself, that was enough to allow us to survive till the final gun. Which we did. I feel like we deserve a merit badge of some kind.

Every football fan knows the following frustration: Your team is up by a score or two mid-way through the 4th quarter. It’s time to grind out the clock. Problem is, your opponent KNOWS you’re trying to grind out the clock. So do you run plays that don’t keep the clock rolling so that the defense is confused or do you accept that you’re likely going to go 3 and out? It’s a big risk to not run out the clock in the traditional fashion because the defense may think you might run some plays that won’t run out the clock because they know you know that they’re going to run out the clock.

Before I start quoting Vizzini, let me suggest there is a different way, due to the rule changes in 2008. Spefically:

Previously, the game clock stopped when a runner went out of bounds and didn’t re-start until the next snap. The proposed change will make an out-of-bounds play just like a first down, after which the clock is started when the official marks the ball ready for play. But the clock will not start until the snap during the final two minutes of each half to protect the two-minute offenses.

When most people, and I think coaches fit in this group, read this rule change, they blocked out of their mind the running out the clock aspect of this rule change because of the two-minute caveat. The two-minute caveat “feels” like ‘the end of the game’. But the reality is that when you’re running out the clock, it can start WAY before there are two minutes left. Often times the final two minutes are the last of 3 or 4 drives of running out the clock that started early in the 4th quarter.

I believe this perception provides a good opportunity for the rule-savy coach who appreciates this. Defenses focus on stopping the run up the middle when their battling a run out the clock offense. They assume that the offense isn’t going to run around the edges because it’s the traditional wisdom that edge plays tend to go out of bounds and the clock stops. True, the clock does stop, which adds to the perception that the rules haven’t changed, but it only stops for the 10 or so seconds it takes the refs to spot the ball. 30 of the 40 seconds there are between plays the clock is still rolling.

So, watch for this late in the games from now on and watch for the coaches who are running, quite successfully, on the perimeter. And watch for how the clock keeps ticking (once it is set by the ref).

That’s not a criticism, that’s an actual question. Never in my years of following Tedford has his decision making process been so unpredictable to me. I FULLY expected Longshore to start this week. The order in which the two tooks snaps in practice was very similar to how they took snaps before Longshore’s other starts, at least early in the week.

So what is Tedford thinking? I think the right answer is that nobody knows… and he likes it that way.

So here are my thoughts as to the possible reasons why Riley started on Saturday:

• UCLA defensive line: At the weekly press-conference Tedford talked about picking the QB based on the “game plan”. Well, what if the “game plan” includes recognizing that UCLA is going to try and bring a lot of rushing heat via their studly interior defensive linemen? Well, if you’re worried about that, you’re much more likely to pick your more mobile quarterback, someone who’s more likely to still make a play even after getting heat.
• Home games are easier for inexperienced QB’s: Perhaps the reason that Longshore got the start versus Arizona was because he wanted a QB who had a lot of experience for a road game. Now that the team was back home in their comfort zone, Tedford felt more comfortable playing the younger Riley. The problem with this theory is that Longshore started the Colorado State game, which was a home game.
• Riley was replaced to get some ‘perspective’: This theory is that Riley has been the starter all along in principle but Tedford decided that Riley needed to take a step back before he got to scatter-brained with the pressures of starting every week. Instead, you take him aside and say “OK, we’re gong to give you a couple weeks off to work on your fundamentals and get back in the groove.” This theory doesn’t feel right, but perhaps, if you combine it with the road game theory and change this one slightly to say it retroactively, that Riley DID improve after getting a week to re-group, that Tedford thought, I want to get this guy back under center, but I want to do it at home.
• Unspoken injuries: There’s a lot of possibilities here. Perhaps Riley had an injury that the coaching staff didn’t communicate. Perhaps it’s quite the opposite and it is Longshore who’s nagging back injury or leg injuries that weren’t communicated but have been suspected that was the reason for the decision.

So which is it? Only Tedford knows. Perhaps it is something entirely different. All I know is that this is not the same Tedford who stuck with his QB for all of 2007 even as he was hurting very badly. As I said up front, nobody knows what he’s thinking and I think that’s the way he likes it.

From ESPN’s UCLA game recap:

Neuheisel curiously called timeouts after each of the Bears’ three kneeldowns in the final seconds, forcing Cal to run a handful of running plays.

I can sort of understand the first two timeouts, but when Cal got the first down, there was no way for them to get the ball back. Still, Neuheisel called time out. Can anyone explain?

Was this some kind of “Boys, fight to the end” motivational ploy? (If so, he might have wanted to go for it on 4th and 6 at the UCLA 26 when trailing by three touchdowns with nine minutes to play.)

What gives, Rick?

Finally, a moment of silence for Towel Man (right).

It’s true — he’s sad not just because Cal beat UCLA by 21, but because Rick Neuheisel took away his towel. Is there no tradition in Westwood?

I read on the Wikipedia that Towel Man retired in January and moved back to central California. I wonder if this game was Towel Man’s one appearance on a UCLA sideline this year. If so, Towel Man, we salute you.

Towel Man wouldn’t have called all those timeouts.

A beautiful day, and Cal in their best uniforms as well.

It’s easy when your best player is named Best. I’d say that it says it on the back of his shirt, but…

I thought Riley played quite well, especially in managing the game and using his mobility to get out of the way of blockers (as on the big flea-flicker pass).

For reference, the crowd was much larger (though not much louder) than the one at the match I attended the previous Saturday — in Stockholm.

But they had one thing in common. The home team won, both times.

I spent last night reviewing the Arizona game footage with a specific emphasis on why Arizona was able to run the ball on the edges. I had intended to go all high-tech and get screen captures a la HydroTech over at CGB. But technical difficulties (Slingbox and Tivo, why must you torture me so!) slowed me up enough I couldn’t follow through on that.

Nevertheless I came to four conclusions about the Arizona run game:

#1: The inside AZ run-game was pretty stong too

My memory of the game was that the Bears did a good job of stopping the run between the tackles but failed on the perimeter. Not so! While the the consistency of success in the middle was not as good as it was around the edge, a lot of the big runs where up the middle. The blocking schemes that Arizona threw at the Bears didn’t work often, but when they did, it was HUGE. Add in a bunch of missed tackles that allowed the run game to work more consistently than it should have up the middle and the run game was surprisingly balanced inside and outside.

#2: Cal used more ‘traditional’ 3-4 formations at times

A lot of longtime football fans have been surprised at what Cal is calling the 3-4 as in most of the plays it looks a lot more like a 5-2 with both outside linebackers all the way up on the line of scrimmage. Most of the time, the ‘traditional’ 3-4 had the outside linebackers about half-way between the line of scrimmage and where the inside linebackers were lined up. There were a lot more snaps where Cal’s 3-4 looked a lot more like the ‘traditional’ 3-4 against Arizona, particularly on passing downs or when Arizona went 4 or 5 wide. While I didn’t notice a very dependable correlation between when Arizona had success running on the edges and when Cal was in the ‘traditional’ 3-4 (it was hard with not many examples to work with) it did seem like Cal struggled in that formation.

#3: Corners getting blown back by WR’s

This was one of the more distressing things I saw. Usually Cal’s corners have been pretty good about at least holding their ground against the blocks of wide-receivers, if not great at getting off of them and forcing the play back inside to the line-backers who were in pursuit to crush the runner. However, Arizona’s wide-receivers OWNED Cal’s corners, particularly Hagan and Conte on Saturday. There were a bunch of plays where they could have disrupted things or prevented the majority of the gain, but because they were effectively on their backs watching, there was running room both inside and outside of their position.

#4: OLB’s taking C gap, not perimeter

This is the most difficult to explain and why I left it for last. The holes in the line where the running-back runs through are called the ‘gaps’. The A gap is between the center and the guard. The B gap is between the guard and the tackle. The C gap is between the tackle and the tight-end (or receiver if there’s no tight-end). In cases where there is a tight-end, the D gap is outside of them.

In the 3-4, normally the nose-guard has responsibility for both A gaps (one on either side of the center). The defensive ends are responsible for the B and C gaps and the outside linebacker covers the D gap, or in other words, the outside linebacker covers the perimeter/outside/edge. However, I said “normally” above for a reason. Often times there are ‘stunts’ (really too strong a word here because there are no crossing defensive linemen) where everyone shifts to one side to overload that side. The nose-guard takes the A gap, the end the B gap and the outside linebacker the C gap, putting more people in the gaps on one side than the offense is expecting to have to block.

While I didn’t have the time to analyze how many of the instances where Cal got burned on the outside was a planned ‘stunt’ or whether it was just a case of the linebacker jumping inside when they shouldn’t have, it doesn’t change the fact that what happened was the linebacker purposely jumped into the C gap and there was no pursuit from the inside linebacker or safety to take the outside, giving Arizona the edge for a big gain.

This in my opinion was the main cause of the issues.

We’ve heard it said before by the coaching staff that the defense sometimes bites too hard inside and doesn’t play their assignment to protect the edge. There was a ton of this against Arizona, with the outside linebacker, particularly Eddie Young, jumping in the C gap to try and get to the running back in the back field and giving up the edge, leading to a big run.

Hopefully they can get this cleaned up by tomorrow.

Well, I’m not sure if Jason is going to be able to join me for the live-blog, but I’ll host one from Arizona. I’m back in the press-box tonight. They actually gave me a first row seat! The stadium is still 1/2 empty despite being only 15 minutes before game-time.

7:07 PM (15:00 1st) – Arizona wins the toss and defers so Cal is going to get the ball first. They kick it to the back of the endzone. Wonder what it takes to get a kicker like that? BTW, the stadium is now 80% full with the only place looking a bit sparse being the upper deck on the student side. Cal has one full section on the alumni side. Pretty well represented in my humble opinion.

7:10 PM (13:13) – First few plays looking really sharp. Even the not very productive swingout pass was not bad considering Best made something out of nothing… here’s an important 3rd and 4, I mean 9, nice one guys. That killed that drive.

7:15 PM (12:10) – FUMBLE! What a big break for the Bears. Now let’s see if they can convert!

7:18 (10:22) – What a nice slant by Longshore. Too bad it ended at about the worst spot on the field from a touchdown perspective, between the 8 and 12 yardline.

7:20 (9:19) – TOUCHDOWN. Well, the Bears didn’t let the position bother them. The all-whites are working! Jason says: “It’s actally a pretty good look, I think. They wore the blue shirt and white pants against ASU, and it was much worse than I thought it would be. But it made me think the all-white look might actually be good. The only good Cal looks, I think: Blue shirt and yellow pants, white shirt/blue pants, all white. Notice I didn’t say yellow shirts.” 7-0

7:23 (9:12) – What is it with Tevechio during the games. He looks so good in practice and then he shanks it in the game. Back kickoffs again… ugh!

7:25 (7:50) – The Bears are going to have to tackle better on the edges if they’re going to contain Arizona. UA is really trying to seal off the Bears.

7:28 (6:19) – Jason says: “So little pressure on Tuitama, it looks like he’s waiting for a bus back there… oh my. That’s not how to throw the screen pass.” Apparently he got on the Longshore botched screen pass tour bus. What a gift for the Bears. The way UA was moving the ball, they really needed that.

7:35 (3:38) Tavechio missed a 50 yard field goal. Jason says: “that seemed like a bad idea”. Yeah, but it was pretty darned close. Can’t argue too much. What was a bad idea was going 5 wide on 3rd down and then Longshore not seeing he had 10 yards of running room and 5 covered receivers.

7:37 (3:05) Jason says: “okay, turnover ever series, Wildcats. every single one.” It’s a nice dream, isn’t it?

7:40 (1:10) The coverage schemes that Cal is throwing at Tuitama aren’t fooling him in the least. And they’re so “tricky” there’s lots of open guys. Time to go for something more simple guys. And while you’re at it, how about tackling more than just shoes. Jason says: “Tacking, folks, Tackling.”

7:42 (End of 1st) Well, despite Cal being up 7-0, Arizona is moving the ball all too easily. The only thing keeping them from scoring so far is their own mistakes. If the Bears can’t start tackling a lot better, this could be a VERY long game. As Jason says, “These guys can really move the ball.”

7:45 (14:14 2nd) Touchdown Wildcats. The Bears need a good LONG offensive drive to give the defensive coaches some time to make some adjustments and bang them over the head about good tackling. The Bears are using too many fancy formations and the only people who are fooled by them are the Bears. Jason says: “The old “empty defense” defense.” 7-7.

7:51 (13:04) This could get ugly really quick. The Bears need to TACKLE. And while we’re at it they need to cover their receivers. And while their at it, TACKLE. That was way too quick of a touchdown and the Bears are in a hole, 7-14 far too quickly. Jason says: “TACKLE…I mean, yeah, he’s fast at the start and they can’t touch him. But then they miss the tackle…ugh…Linebackers looking bad…TACKLE…jeez.”

7:56 (11:15) That was Longshore both at his best and worst. His best because he didn’t force a ball he shouldn’t throw. His worst because he didn’t improvise and see that there was 60 yards of running room to the opposite side of the field.

8:00 (10:15) Phil says: “So did Cal take that whole week off thing seriously? Because they are playing as if they never saw a practice field in 10 days.”

8:01 (10:00) Jason says: “Bryan Anger, the second coming of Nick Harris. How I remember the days when Cal’s punter was the best player on the team.” What I remember is how important it was that Cal have an exceptional punter in those days. I’m sure that’s what Holmoe told recruits, “you’ll get a chance to display your talents at Cal like no other school.”

8:02 (8:35) And the Bears defense actually comes up with a stop!?! There may be hope left!

8:04 (8:04) There’s an attempt to get the wave going here at the stadium. Apparently their amateur fans here…

8:05 (7:51) And the football gods punish AZ fans for their incompetence and arrogance. Best displays why he’s so beloved. TOUCHDOWN! Tie game: 14-14

8:11 (7:11) The defense seems to have made the needed adjustments and the pass coverage looks a LOT better. You’ve got to man up and play those guys close in the spread. 2nd 3 and out in a row for AZ. That 1st 3 and out was a turning point of the game, momentum wise.

8:18 (3:34) TOUCHDOWN… or not as we review. It looks like Morrah held the ball all the way down and this should stand. Sure enough. Jason says: “He is the best receiver on the team. of course, review. sigh.” Bears up 21-14. What a swing of momentum when the Cal defense got their act in gear. More from Jason: “Morrah, really, I’m so impressed by him… When the WR corps is so depleted, having a TE like that… is gold… Get the feeling this is gonna be a shootout, folks.”

8:25 (2:15) Jason says: “Not sure quite what the rationale was for that directional punt. I mean, I like it, because it suggests someone is trying something different… but not sure if it made sense.” Probably true. But it make more sense than Longshore’s arm movement with the ball or running it on 3rd and 22. Now they’ve got to put to AZ with 1:35 left.

8:29 (1:16) OK, AZ spends two timeouts getting the ball back and then runs it up the middle, forcing them to take their last timeout. Huh? And then get sacked, so that Cal can play the same game with their timeouts… what a weird futile end to this half.

8:34 (0:35) Wow. Syd. Jason says, “wow… syd!” That may have been just enough to have a chance at scoring. Field goal is GOOD! Bears up by 10 at the half if they can just survive these last 3 seconds: 24-14.

8:40 (End of 1st half) Now that the 3 seconds have been survived, some halftime thoughts: 1st, the defense really turned the corner there in the early 2nd quarter. They made some significant adjustments and manned up. It looked like the Gregory was really concerned about the long-ball and was doing all sorts of scheming to prevent it as opposed to bringing his men forward to prevent the quick throws. After the Bears proved the could get back with the best of them, the scheming changed significantly and the Bears were in a much better position. The tackling also seemed to improve, although, I still fear that if AZ were to return to their running game, something they surprisingly abandoned in the 2nd quarter, we may see some more troubling misses if they haven’t got their act together. On offense, the unit has been pretty consistent throughout the game. Sure, not every possession was a gem, but overall there was good play-calling and plenty of good execution. Best is still, well Best, when he got in the open field. I expect to see a lot more of that in the 2nd half. If the Bears defense can continue it’s good trend, perhaps making the needed adjustments for AZ’s halftime adjustments, this should remain a very winnable game.

9:00 (14:55 3rd) Tavechio kicks it into the endzone. That’s the first time this season ANY Cal kickoff guy has reached the endzone, albeit only by a yard or two.

9:01 (14:27) See, here comes that running game for AZ again. I bet they realized how one dimensional they got at halftime.

9:03 (13:14) And when you can run the ball, all of a sudden, passing routes open up and Syd can get beat pretty bad on a slant. He should have gone for the tackle, not the tip.

9:06 (13:03) That’s the longest 7 yard run I’ve seen since Marshawn was doing his freaky elusive thing a couple years back. Nice to see the creative running.

9:08 (12:15) And nice to see the refs have NO idea that pass-interference includes climbing over the back of the receiver a half second before the ball gets there.

9:10 (12:00) Coaching update: Stoops face is half way to the obligatory construction sign red he must approach by game’s end after the marking of that punt.

9:15 (10:45) That was a great time for play-action. Everyone knows that Tedford likes to run with the lead in the 2nd half.

9:19 (9:20) Oooo! If only Boateng could have held on to that. It was a tough catch, but it would have been huge. Of course, it’s nice to see Tavechio kicking so well. 2 for 3 now and good on everything inside 50. Bears up 27-21.

9:24 (7:47) When the Bears blow it on a running play, it’s always pretty ugly. There’s no safety backup and it tends to go a LONG way. A goal-line stand would be HUGE here. No such luck. Bears in a 1-point hole: 27-28

9:34 (6:10) There were two people at fault on that INT. One was Tucker who needs to wrestle that ball away from the defender. The other is Nate who’s double clutching a ton today. You can tell 2006 is etched in his brain and he’s over-thinking it. Too bad he didn’t re-think that one. Thinking more globally, the Bears are doing everything underneath and the AZ secondary is biting on it HARD. We need some stop and gos or one of the many other ways that make corners pay for that.

9:37 (4:09) It’s pretty close to time for Tedford to call a “momentum” timeout. The Bears are realing and they need a moment to re-group. Tedford never does that though.

9:41 (1:29) That’s a really tough play to defend. There were some warning signs early that there could be trouble down the road: The running game of AZ and the “feel” of a shootout. Neither were good for the Bears and both are coming true in the 3rd quarter. The Bears need a BIG turnaround right here. A touchdown drive and a stop would go a LONG way.

9:46 (0:25) OK, I like that the Bears are going down the field, but there still needs to be some semblance of trying to move the chains. These refs are calling the game VERY loose on pass-interference and Cal’s secondary needs to play accordingly.

9:48 (End of 3rd quarter) Anytime you let your opponent score 28 points in one quarter, you’ve got a BIG problem. WAY too many big plays. The problems that were plaguing the Bears in the 1st quarter are back and unlike the 1st quarter where the Bears were gifted a couple of turnovers, AZ converted on all those drives. The defense needs to play very physical to get back in this.

9:53 (13:04 4th) WOW. I just don’t get Tedford these days. I would have NEVER expected this. We’ll see how it goes, but this breaks every Tedford template there is.

9:58 (11:45) This clock is moving awful fast for a team down two TDs. The Bears only have this last punt in them (another great one by Anger) and then they just have to execute and score. There’s not two punts here.

10:04 (8:32) Now we’re at the desperation point. There isn’t time for anything less. For all you Riley lovers… ask yourself, does Longshore over-throw that ball so that it is tipped up for the INT? I don’t think so. Not that Longshore doesn’t have his issues. But my point is that Riley is not savior right now either.

10:17 (3:44) Well, time to go down to the field for the interviews. I think we all know this isn’t going to happen.