This is really important because we’ve had some talent weaknesses on defense and this class is FULL of defensive talent. There are 4 4-star linebackers (in addition to Martin) and a 4-star defensive end. Just think about that. Of the 9 4-star and 5-star players, 7 of them are defensive players. In the past, generally, the balance has fallen towards more offensive talent than defensive at Cal.

The other two 4-stars are a wide receiver and an offensive lineman, two positions that we could use some additional strength.

Add in that the balance, as with all Tedford classes, is pretty good (you basically want a complete team) with 1 QB, 1 RB, 1 TE, 3 OL (little weak), 4 WR (little heavy but needed), 2 DL (little weak), 4 LB, and 3 DB. OK, it probably would have been nice to have 3 defensive linemen and 4 offensive lineman (and if we’re being nit-picky, a 4th defensive back), but when you compare that to some other schools, it’s near perfect balance (as an example of how bad it can be, last year Stanford had 4 tight ends).

Truly, this is a great, balanced class, the best of the Tedford era.

Can’t say I’m surprised, but it’s always sad to see those stars leave early. I wish him great success.

More thoughts from Ken:

I wish him the best as well and am similarly as unsurprised.

I worry a great deal about his future in the NFL with his injuries and his style which didn’t seem to have as much success when matched up against players with speed (and all the players in the NFL have speed). But here’s hoping he’s Cal’s next example of good play in the NFL following in the recent footsteps of Lynch, DeSean, and Rodgers.

• Final podcast of the year from Jason and I
• My thoughts on our obligations as Cal fans
• Thoughts on firing Alamar
• Thoughts on Tedford and what needs to change
• Early thoughts on 2010 potential
• Commentary on Pac-10 bowl performances
• Ranking the conferences bowl performances

There will be more in the off-season as well. I’ll finish off the 2008 looking back series that sputtered during the year (possible subject for comment section, should the 2009 looking back series be during the off-season or should I do it like this year with matching the 2009 looking-back post with the upcoming 2010 games?) for one. Plus, I plan to round out some other sections of the site like the stadiums section now that I’ve been to all 10 of them.

Keep checking back in for new posts…

It’s a decision that had mostly been made a year ago, that this year would be my last. I wanted to finish going to every stadium in the pressbox and I wanted just one more year under the sun. At the same time, I knew how taxing the job was on the family and on me personally. So my wife and I made the decision that this year would be my last and didn’t really tell anyone, not wanting to ruin the experience of the last year.

Now that the year has come and gone, it’s still been hard to pull the trigger on making the decision, in part because I’ve really enjoyed the experience and know that once I step away it’s unlikely that I’ll ever get a chance to do it again. Nevertheless it is the right decision. That’s why it comes with a heavy heart.

As for the anticipation, there was much about the job that was a lot more laborious than I expected when I started in on it. There are no hiatuses when it’s your job. You’ve got to write your articles when you feel disgusted and want to walk away just as much as you get to write them when the times are good. Particularly living so far from Berkeley, the weekly drives down for the Tuesday press conferences, particularly frequently on the back of a long road trip the weekend before, were quite taxing. This year seemed worse than prior years because part of what I enjoyed the most was watching practice, something I didn’t get to do now that Tedford closed most of practice to the press.

And then there was the constant mental struggle of posting the same thoughts I put in my articles and columns on a subscription site, here on the blog. I’d find myself trying to come up with new thoughts to put on the blog so that I wasn’t revealing subscription content for free on the blog. That was frustrating as well, because I felt like the blog posts were a “shell” of what I really wanted to say. It was one of the things I liked about the OTRH podcasts, because I didn’t feel so inhibited about them.

Point of all this being, I’m excited about blogging again just as a regular guy where I can say what I want to say and not worry. I don’t have to worry about spending too much time writing on the blog and then being too exhausted or disinterested to write a bunch of articles as well. There’s freedom in not getting paid.

So, while I will miss getting to travel so much (as an aside, I’d recommend to everyone that loves the Bears that you make it a goal to visit every Pac-10 stadium at some point. You’ll have a much better appreciation for our conference once you do.) I’m very excited for what the future holds for the blog.

I’m back!

The entire transcript of the liveblog after the break…

2:19 Jason: Hi everyone. I’m on my couch and Ken is in Seattle.

2:22 Ken: And Seattle is only as cold as your fridge… (I think it’s about 40 degrees right now)

2:22 Jason: Brr!

2:25 Ken: In actuality, although it seems cold, it’ll be just fine. The sun is out (albeit a bit blocked by the talll stadium). I did my usual routine of taking pictures of the stadium before going up to the pressbox (I think this is the Pac-10’s steepest stadium, which is saying something) and all I was in was dockers and a long sleeve polo shirt and I was fine.

2:26 Ken: If I had to describe Husky stadium I’d say it was Ohio State’s horseshoe with the bottom deck made from Memorial Stadium and the top made from the new Stanford stadium.

2:43 Ken: Uni update: Cal just came out in all whites.   Jason’s favorite “marshmallow”   look.

2:45 Ken: I don’t know where they’re getting this “chance of snow” stuff. It’s as sunny as can be with no weather systems in the area, even from 30,000 feet (flew in this morning). All that was around was a bit of fog that has entirely burned off.

2:45 Jason: Ugh, marshallows.

2:46 Ken: Kickoff should be at 3:37 based on the countdown clock.

2:46 Ken: Any other inane info that only I at the stadium can provide?

2:46 Jason: Hmm.

2:47 Jason: I have no ideas.

2:48 Ken: How about this one, combining my hobbies: if I was in a sailboat race on Lake Washington (adjacent to the stadium) in addition to not going very fast, I’d be sticking to the left side of the course.

2:50 Jason: Lots of sailboats out on San Francisco Bay by Crissy Field today.

2:51 Jason: I was over there to do some shopping at the Sports Basement (sponsorship opportunity!!), and there were an amazing number of sailors out there. Better get it in while you can—the rain is coming.

2:55 Ken: Must be some big regatta going on… ah, the Golden Gate Yacht Club midwinters (just checked the calendar). Us sailors don’t much mind the rain. We’re getting wet either way. So sailing in the bay is a year-aound affair for the racers.

2:55 Ken: Not so much in Seattle I don’t think.

2:56 Ken: (Our 3 readers are going to be very confused by the commentary so far… yes, we will eventually cover the game everyone )

2:58 Jason: We’re going skiing in a couple weeks (storms permitting… come on, storms!) and had to get some new cold-weather gear. Sports Basement… if I went there more often I would be very well equipped and completely broke.

3:00 Ken: No attempt to encourage a sponsorship from a specific ski resort?

3:01 Ken: I’ll put in my sponsorship opportunity for Southwest. They got me here on the cheap.

3:01 Jason: I am really conflicted about the USC-Arizona game. In my bones, I can not root for USC. And yet, USC beating Arizona gets Cal in a better bowl game.

3:02 Jason: Speaking of bones, Leonard “Bones” McCoy is well played by Karl Urban in the new movie “Star Trek,” now available on DVD and Blu-Ray. Excellent movie — check it out.

3:02 Jason: If only they were paying us for all this product placement.

3:02 Ken: USC winning only helps if Cal loses today.

3:03 Ken: If anything it hurts if Cal wins.

3:07 Jason: Interesting. So if USC loses, it falls to the Poinsettia bowl, and Arizona is in the Holiday Bowl, leaving Cal to remain in the Sun? (Assuming the reports are true and the Holiday doesn’t want Cal or Stanford.)

3:08 Ken: That’s the best guess/insider thought.

3:08 Jason: Well, in that case, Go Arizona!

3:09 Ken: But the latest rumor is that the Sun will pick Stanford over Cal.

3:11 Jason: Hmm. That’s a wild rumor.

3:11 Jason: If that were true, Cal would end up back in the Emerald Bowl with a win.

3:11 (Comment by joffle): Really? Would that bump Cal to Vegas?

3:12 Jason: Pretty sure if the Sun picked Stanford, Emerald would go with Cal just to get a local team. But I admit the whole Vegas/Emerald picking rule is a bit unclear.

3:13 Ken: Local knowlege update: They use the siren here in Husky stadium, including as they exit the field after final warmups. It’s pretty obnoxious for being such a generic choice.

3:13 Ken: BTW, welcome Joffle. We have anyone else tuned in yet?

3:14 Jason: They should borrow Stanford’s ringing bell sound effect.

3:14 Ken: And yeah, it’s assumed the Emerald would take Cal over OSU. You have to feel sorry for OSU. Looks like in just about every scenario, that one lose to Oregon pushed them from Rose to Vegas.

3:16 Ken: More local stuff: there are only about 100-200 Cal fans here so far. Looks like a small traveling crowd. Although they did their best to make some noise as the Cal team went off the field.

3:16 Jason: I’ve heard conflicting reports about the Holiday Bowl. One report I saw said the Arizona-USC winner would be invited. But another report suggests they might consider Stanford or Cal instead of Arizona.

3:18 Jason: Nobody talks about OSU, though. You’re right, Ken, it’s pretty tough.

3:18 Ken: EMFMV’s toughest fan award of the week goes to the single Washington batton girl who’s wearing a skirt and bikini top out there during UW’s pregame band performance.

3:19 Jason: Not sure if she counts as a fan. But still, tip of the cap.

3:20 Jason: My understanding for DirecTV people is that this game is on some crazy alternate channel, so be prepared to hunt. Channel 695, I think.

3:21 Ken: Comcast Sports Net California is on 698, two above Comcast Sports Net Bay Area at 696 (and Comcast Sports Net Plus in between)

3:24 Jason: My understanding is that it’s on the CSNC Plus channel, not the main channel.

3:24 Jason: Which is why DTV is overflowing it to 695, but we’ll see in a few minutes!

3:25 Ken: The Washington band is playing an emotional tribute to the 4 state of Washington police officers who were killed recently. Playing American the Beautiful as they “raise” a flag up a flag pole from a band formation.

3:27 Ken: If that’s true, Jason, my Tivo recording isn’t going to work quite right (ugh)

3:31 Jason: I can confirm it’s on 695.

3:31 Ken: I’m franticly on slingbox right now…

3:32 Jason: U of A back out on top of USC with 3 minutes to go.

3:33 Ken: Wow. I really didn’t think Arizona had it in them.

3:35 Ken: Phew, thank God for Slingbox (another product placement ). I had recorded the “replay” tomorrow at 9 AM. But via slingbox I was able to remotely change that on the fly. Thanks Jason and thank you SlingMedia for your wonderful Slingbox!

3:35 Ken: UW wins the toss and defers.

3:36 Ken: Anyone besides Joffle out there?

3:37 Philip Michaels: No. No one else is here.

3:37 Jason: Phil, your comments are always welcome. Except when they are not.

3:38 Philip Michaels: I’m currently watching the end of the USC-’Zona game. Because Pete Carroll’s tears are delicious.

3:38 Jason: USC has just turned the ball over on downs.

3:38 Philip Michaels: What’s your deal?

3:39 Ken: Dude, Bishop, get out of Vereen’s way, stop staring at him and block someone!

3:39 Jason: Ladies and gentleman, USC. 8-4 (5-4 conference).

3:40 Philip Michaels: FIRE PETE CARROLL!

3:41 Philip Michaels: I have your best interests at heart, USC.

3:42 Jason: Lots of nice movement here by the Cal offense.

3:42 Jason: Comcast Sports Net spared no expense on this telecast.

3:42 Jason: By which I mean, they spent nothing on it.

3:43 Jason: Not apparently in HD, no first-down stripe on the field… at least they paid for two announcers.

3:43 Philip Michaels: So far as you know. Maybe they just grabbed two guys as they walked into the stadium.

3:44 Ken: That second announcer is virtual AI. The retasked the yellow line computer.

3:44 Jason: Well, it’s Barry Tompkins and a former Cal QB. I recognize those guys.

3:44 Philip Michaels: I am puzzled by the clock management in this Arizona/USC game.

3:45 Jason: Riley, not the best scrambler.

3:45 Philip Michaels: As Arizona just gave USC the ball back with three seconds rather than kick a field goal to go up by 7. Because USC might have blocked the kick… or something.

3:46 Jason: Game over.

3:46 Philip Michaels: It’s moot as Arizona sacks Matt Barkley to end the game. Your sixth-place Trojans, everybody!

3:46 Ken: D’Amato gets the kicking duties for 2 weeks in a row… oops, missed that one.

3:46 Jason: Failed cal FG.

3:47 Philip Michaels: And now over to Comcast Sports’ Cal-Washington telecast… which apparently consists of Comcast training a camera at an old electric football game to recreate the plays.

3:47 Ken: The stat guy just told us Husky opponents are not 21 of 24 in field goal attempts, that being just their 3rd miss of the year.

3:48 Ken: now 21 of 24 that is.

3:49 Ken: Way to go Arizona. Still gives Cal a shot at the Holiday bowl.

3:49 Jason: Oh, for Pete’s sake.

3:49 Jason: Jake Locker just chucks it up there.

3:49 Ken: Not way to go Nnabufee who bit on the run and couldn’t recover.

3:50 Jason: Yeah, the trickery worked.

3:50 Jason: Locker with lots of time again.

3:50 Jason: Touchdown UW.

3:51 Ken: Nnabufee really fast, so I think sometimes he’s over aggressive and counts on his speed to save him. But that’s two plays in a row he didn’t have the speed he needed.

3:51 Jason: Also, Japanese Zeroes are bombing Seattle, apparently.

3:51 Ken: Curse me for dooming us with talk of the Holiday bowl!?!

3:55 Jason: I am crippled without the yellow first-down line.

3:55 Philip Michaels: Great run there.

3:55 Jason: Great long run by Vereen there. And Nyan Boateng showed no effort in trying to block on the run.

3:56 Ken: That was a great, awesome, run. Of course if we could have subbed in Best for the 2nd half of the run it would have been a TD.

3:57 Ken: I think UW called that timeout hoping for a replay. Do we have enough cameras for a replay?

3:57 Jason: I think the Huskies may be hoping that they’ll review that sack, er, incompletion.

3:57 Jason: Looked like Riley’s knee was down to me.

3:58 Ken: Sark is out of the field talking with the refs about this, but it doesn’t seem a replay is being done.

3:59 Jason: Not the best use of the Wildcat there. Not proving they can throw out of that.

4:00 Ken: They are NOT happy with the refs up here in Seattle.

4:00 Jason: I hear the boos.

4:01 Jason: Now they’re going to review the play, which is odd since it was blown dead.

4:01 Jason: I’m not sure how they can review that.

4:01 Jason: And apparently so says the ref.

4:02 Ken: What they can do is allow the turnover but UW gets the ball at their 10 yardline the thought being the whistle didn’t blow until after he picked it up.

4:02 Ken: But I think they’re confident he didnt’ have possession.

4:02 Ken: (and thus the ruling)

4:03 Ken: So, is anyone ELSE here?

4:03 Ken: I sure hope Gregory has done some reconfiguring to get Nnabufee some help, becuase he got abused on that last drive.

4:05 Jason: All this bowl speculation will be useless if the pass coverage continues like this.

4:05 Ken: That was an excellent play call. They knew Nnabufee would be playing a little softer now so they clear his area and force a linebacker to stick with the crossing WR.

4:07 Ken: Great run defense. It really is the strength of the Bears. That’s why the Bears beat Stanford when no one else seems to be able to.

4:09 Ken: Good thing that corner didn’t turn around.

4:09 Jason: Cal Offense just not clicking so far.

4:10 Philip Michaels: Every time, Riley tries throwing on the run, I brace for a disaster.

4:10 Philip Michaels: Great tackle on that punt, though.

4:11 Ken: Nnabufee… again.

4:11 Jason: I know. Let’s give Locker lots of time to throw AND not cover the receivers.

4:11 Jason: They know very well that he’s the weakness.

4:11 Jason: I’m feeling very Poinsettia right now.

4:12 Ken: So was Jake Locker on that play.

4:13 Ken: (Well, can’t say that for sure, could have been the receiver running the wrong route)

4:13 Ken: Big play here. I’d go for it too if I was them.

4:13 Jason: Perfect place to go for it.

4:13 Jason: SQUAD HIT?

4:14 Jason: That’s our best play right there. The ol’ let-em-catch-it.

4:15 Jason: End of the first quarter. UW 7, Cal 3.

4:17 Ken: And it’s officially past sunset.

4:18 Ken: Definitely short.

4:18 Jason: Your guess is as good as mine.

4:18 Jason: I’d kick the FG here to go back up by 7.

4:19 Ken: yard and a 1/3rd to go.

4:19 Ken: HUGE. That was HUGE!

4:19 Jason: Locker sacked, Cal takes over on downs!

4:19 Jason: Thanks for giving that 3 away, Sark.

4:20 Ken: Why would you give Cal the momentum like that? Take the points, keep rolling. By going for it you show you’re scared of Cal.

4:20Are you Jason, Ken, or Phil?Yes ( 100% )No ( 0% )

4:20 Ken: That was a question for Sark BTW.

4:20 Jason: Yes, I figured.

4:21 Jason: So far in our poll, we are the only people here.

4:21 Jason: Wildcat rhythm just isn’t there.

4:21 Jason: Riley throws to nobody.

4:21 Philip Michaels: I voted no. As I was making a drink.

4:22 Jason: Anger not having his best day.

4:22 Jason: And now UW gets the ball right back in scoring position.

4:22 Ken: Well, his coverage team did far worse than he on that one.

4:22 Jason: Dear Barry Tompkins, HIS NAME IS NOT MATT ANGER.

4:22 Philip Michaels: Remember how the tackling was good on the last punt? Not so much, there.

4:22 Jason: Berry Thompkinz.

4:23 Jason: By the way, I don’t believe Brett Favre wears Wrangler jeans because of their excellent value.

4:23 Ken: It’s deja-vu all over again.

4:23 Philip Michaels: At least he’s not confusing Algeria and Nigeria, like Bob Ley did on the World Cup draw yesterday.

4:23 Jason: I think he wears them because they pay him a lot of money, which means he doesn’t have to worry about the price of jeans.

4:24 Jason: TD Huskies, Jake Locker on the run.

4:24 Ken: Ouch. That’s going to hurt. Hopefully down 14-3 is the key score for a Cal rebound.

4:24 Jason: Yeah, either that or it’s over.

4:24 Jason: One of those

4:26 Jason: Florida’s toast, by the way.

4:26 Ken: Key stat of the 1st quarter: UW passed for 135 yards. Otherwise it was a pretty balanced quarter.

4:27 Ken: Cal really needs to find some offensive rhythm and fast.

4:28 Ken: Cal is most definitely losing the physical battle right now. They’re not holding their blocks, they’re getting manhandled on the line, they really need to dig deep right now.

4:28 Jason: Wonder how much they’re missing Summers-Gavin

4:29 Ken: A LOT.

4:29 Jason: Looks like. Much harder for Vereen to run than versus Stanford.

4:30 Jason: First Down!

4:30 Jason: Riley hit, fumbles, recovered by Cal. Sigh.

4:31 Jason: Tepper totally beat, but landed on it.

4:31 Ken: Heads up play by Tepper getting the ball back after he was abused around the outside. Mr. Mike “I don’t make mistakes” Tepper just made his 43rd first mistake.

4:31 Jason: Nice gain by Vereen, and a great move to drop one UW defender in his tracks.

4:31 Philip Michaels: I’m glad I’m not the only who’s thought Mike Tepper has had a bad year.

4:32 Philip Michaels: Heavens, what a terrible throw.

4:32 Jason: He threw that right between his two receivers. The average location, sort of.

4:32 Jason: Wildcat alert.

4:33 Ken: No, it wasn’t a bad throw. The pass was to Tucker who was at the next level. And it needed to be a bullet to get to him in time. It was just a good play by a defender to come off his guy.

4:33 Jason: Ran to the short side, nowhere to go, noplace to throw, terrible.

4:33 Jason: Keep in mind, Ken, the TV feed here is this fuzzy low-def far-away camera shot. Hard to get good angles.

4:33 Jason: Well, can’t blame that on Riley. He has had very little protection.

4:34 (Comment by Tedfordium): Butler is having a monster game

4:34 Ken: No, that was all Riley’s fault. They overloaded the line and he needed to check down.

4:34 Jason: Interesting perspective, Ken.

4:34 Jason: What kind of play call was that?

4:34 Ken: Boateng was WIDE open on that one.

4:34 (Comment by Tedfordium): I hate the wobbly camera

4:34 (Comment by Tedfordium): It’s the Bearcat jason

4:35 Jason: Since that’s the Cincinnati mascot, I don’t accept that name either.

4:35 Ken: There we go. A punt worth watching.

4:35 Ken: Welcome Tefordium BTW. We had Joffle but he didn’t like my inane comments.

4:37 Ken: All the reporters here are talking about how the Poinsettia will be nice because they’ll be done and home for Christmas.

4:37 (Comment by joffle): Heh. I’ve got the game on full screen except during commercials.

4:37 Jason: Nice to see reporters are just as cynical as always…

4:38 Ken: Uh oh, more bad news, Hagan is in for Syd. I bet Syd hurt himself again.

4:38 Jason: Well, Locker’s just going to keep throwing it.

4:39 Ken: If the Bears can keep this at an 11 point game at halftime, I’m optimistic some halftime adjustments could really help and the Bears could pull this one out.

4:40 Jason: That three points on the scoreboard calls to mind a few other games this year.

4:41 Jason: Locker, he’s really good.

4:42 Ken: That was the wrong approach by the Cal linebacker on the Locker run. You’ve got to come up and meet him.

4:42 Ken: Being flat footed and waiting isn’t going to help.

4:42 Jason: Given UW’s record this year, this is now in the running for Cal’s worst performance of the year.

4:43 Jason: UW lineman had two Cal rushers blocked at the end of that play, one in each hand

4:45 Ken: This 5 yards on 1st down pattern got old really fast. Where is the D-Line of the last couple games?

4:45 Jason: Geez, there is nothing redeeming to say about this defensive performance.

4:46 Ken: Why did Cal take a timeout there? To let UW plan out their TD?

4:47 Jason: Well, this is a pathetic performance.

4:47 Ken: Again, getting blown off the ball and not looking like they’re trying. They’re getting all turned around and pushed off the ball like ragdolls.

4:47 Jason: I can think back to two other games where Cal looked like they weren’t even trying.

4:47 Jason: At least they sort of tried against OSU, and had a reason to be emotionally deflated with Best injured.

4:48 Ken: And the score looked a lot like 21-3 at halftime.

4:48 Ken: (in those games)

4:48 Jason: Yup

4:48 Jason: The question is, will the coaches just quit in the 3rd quarter again?

4:49 Ken: I don’t think so. I think they’ve gained a lot of resolve since then.

4:49 Ken: The timeout was to give them a shot at a score before the half. But unless the team starts playing well, it won’t matter what the coaches do. That was a piss poor throw by Riley and he had better options too.

4:51 Jason: Riley’s passing was much more accurate against Stanford, but I suspect a lot of that has to do with the offensive line.

4:52 Jason: Here’s my impression of Riley. Snap, step back. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Overthrow.

4:53 Jason: Crazy play!

4:54 Jason: Vereen never had possession of that ball.

4:54 Jason: He was dribbling it.

4:55 Ken: That was crazy indeed.

4:56 Ken: OK, here’s one area where I think Tedford needs to be more of a jerk: in calling for a timeout. He wasn’t flying over to the ref and after they called it, he wasn’t screaming at them about putting 5 more seconds back on the clock. Those 5 seconds would mean a lot right now.

4:58 Ken: From the pressbox: “they’re going to get close enough to miss a long field goal”

4:58 Jason: Ha. It’s funny ’cause it’s true.

4:59 Jason: They’re not close enough, so they’re gonna chuck it up there.

5:00 Ken: ok, NOW they’re going to chuck it up.

5:00 Jason: Maybe.

5:00 Jason: Go for the long FG!

5:00 Jason: Barry Tompkins is very confused.

5:00 Jason: He thinks it’s 5th down. He is wrong.

5:00 Jason: The officials are having a much better game than the announcers.

5:01 Ken: Yeah, although there’s been a lot of controversy, they’ve called almost everything correctly.

5:01 Ken: (the refs)

5:01 Jason: Well knocked down, UW.

5:01 Jason: Okay, halftime.

5:02 Jason: Complete dominance by the Huskies.

5:04 Ken: OK, here’s my halftime analysis:On offense, the offensive line is sorely missing MSG. That’s killing the running game and not giving Riley the amount of time he likes to get into a rhythm.However, I’m not going to let Riley off the hook. He’s looking confused, double pumping way too much and is making all sorts of bad reads. He needs to be a lot more confident and just throw the ball.On defense, this is a team that is playing like they’re really cold and confused. They’ve got no push and their footwork in the secondary is horrible.Of the two, I have more confidence that the offense will get back on track, but I just don’t see the defense finding “it”, particularly in the passing game (which of course affects their ability to slow the run).

5:07 Jason: Here’s my halftime analysis: Yuck.

5:07 Jason: See you in a few, folks!

5:13 Ken: Here’s your key halftime stat:UW Score: 21

5:14 Ken: (just got handed the halftime stat sheet)

5:23 Jason: Just made reference to Cal’s disastrous game in 2007 at UW.

5:23 Jason: I like to think of that as the game that took place while I was on an airplane.

5:24 Jason: Part of my “Jason travels so he can’t watch Cal faceplant.”

5:24 Jason: Hold on UW, facemask on Cal.

5:25 Jason: Or facemask on UW?

5:25 Jason: Either way, that play was a mess.

5:25 Jason: ????

5:25 Ken: Ouch. That’s the worst case scenario there.

5:25 Jason: I saw the facemask, but not the other one. Hmm.

5:25 Jason: What a way to start.

5:25 Ken: But at least they’re nearly in FG range.

5:26 Ken: (boy my typing is bad today)

5:26 Jason: Let me just say, this is once again proof of why the season should end with the Big Game.

5:27 Jason: The week off followed by a random conference game? I don’t like it.

5:27 Ken: Bishop looked like he was on lsd or speed or something on that play. Very intense, but very erratic.

5:27 Jason: I don’t like USC finishing up with Arizona, and I don’t like Cal going to Seattle.

5:27 Jason: (I know, USC played last weekend.. regardless, no likey.)

5:27 Ken: Well, in particular I don’t like the trip north late.

5:28 Jason: Great farewell performance for Jake Locker tonight.

5:28 Ken: Never. Looked. For. The. Ball.

5:28 Jason: Once again, why defend the ball when you can just run with the receiver?

5:28 Jason: Like you’re his sidekick.

5:29 Jason: Well, this is a delightful turn of events.

5:29 Ken: Seriously, at least put your hands up or something. Face guarding is not illegal in college.

5:29 Jason: I’ve seen Cal’s DBs do that all year.

5:32 Jason: And a terrible return, and UW is pumped with nothing to lose and everything to play for.

5:33 Jason: Hey, a reception and a Cal first down!

5:33 Jason: 31-yard pass to Curran

5:33 Ken: OK, Alamar criticism time… I’m sick and tired of seeing our return guys get too far in front of the ball so they have to take a step back to catch it. It completely stops them in their tracks and costs them both time and momentum. DeSean Jackson was the master of the opposite, of getting a yard behind (or when he was being really tricky to the side) of the ball so that he could start running early and then explode after the catch already running the right direction.

5:34 Jason: Nice pass to Jones for another big gain

5:34 Ken: Riley looking like he’s not going to go down easy. It may not matter, but I like the effort.

5:34 Jason: I’m not sure those last-minute shifts in formation work when you then don’t snap the ball for 10 seconds

5:35 Jason: Let me just say now, I support going for it on 4th down

5:35 Ken: I know that when the team is in the redzone, that’s the best time for a false start.

5:35 Jason: The false start give you more room to work, Ken.

5:35 Ken: I don’t. A field goal and a later 2-point conversion is worth two scores.

5:36 Jason: Touchdown Bears! Riley to Boateng!

5:36 Jason: On the scramble, and a good pass, and then a good run after catch by Boateng

5:36 Ken: Thankfully, it won’t matter. Boateng with a nice sling. Boateng a nice catch on a tough throw and a great run into the endzone.

5:38 Ken: I’m calling it right now. If the defense comes out and get a big stop, get ready for a great comeback attempt.

5:39 Jason: And our special teams continue to suck.

5:40 Ken: No doubt. But in the big picture, it’s not what’s going to kill the Bears today. The defense needs to get a lot better and FAST.

5:40 Ken: (in my best Austrian voice) I could have driven my Hummer through that hole.

5:42 Jason: Jake Locker’s not gonna be denied.

5:42 Ken: Another thing the Bears aren’t doing today: wrapping people up. Even when they get the guys down, it’s with a hit. I think that’s the cold affecting them. They don’t want to extend their cold chafed arms.

5:43 Jason: Air Raid

5:43 Ken: Microsoft called: They’re running out of bullet points for Ken’s list of defensive problems.

5:44 Ken: Pop quiz question of the day: when’s the last time the Bears won when the opponent scored 35 or more points?

5:44 Jason: I’m now at the point where if I weren’t liveblogging I’d probably just give up and stop watching.

5:46 Jason: great runback by Sofele

5:46 Jason: Hey, look, special teams!

5:46 Ken: Bring on the shootout that won’t really matter.

5:47 Ken: Pop quiz answer: October 2005: Cal 42, WSU 38.

5:48 Jason: Nice.

5:49 Jason: short.

5:49 Jason: UW ball, I think.

5:50 Jason: Yeah, he’s short by a bit.

5:50 Ken: This is going to be very close… wait… Not with that shot.

5:50 Ken: spot.

5:50 Jason: If he had stepped toward the out of bounds line, he might have gotten the yardage, but he tried to juke.

5:50 Jason: Actually, he had more space to the right. Either way, not a good run.

5:51 Ken: If I were tedford I’d be throwing my red flag right now on the spot… too late.

5:52 Ken: Going back to my pop quiz, there are only two other examples of that in the Tedford era:2003 Bowl gameNovember 2002 victory over ASU: 55-38.

5:53 Ken: (bowl game was a 52-49 victory in the Insight Bowl for those who don’t remember)

5:54 Ken: Points wise, I still don’t agree with going for it on 4th down. Perhaps psychologically it has value, but those 3 points would have mattered a fair amount later.

5:54 Jason: I remember jumping off my uncle’s couch when that FG went through

5:54 Jason: Awkward for Phil, since his wife went to VA Tech

5:55 Jason: I love College Football, where Junior QBs only return for another season if they’re not very good.

5:56 Ken: Ugh, the Dawgs are already in pseudo prevent and we still can’t run the ball.

5:57 Ken: And a false start just to, I don’t know, piss me off.

5:57 Ken: Nice punt by Anger.

5:59 Ken: Hey, did they get the yellow line working?

5:59 Jason: No, no yellow lines on the CSNC telecast

5:59 Jason: Put his hand up and he still caught it.

6:00 Ken: Huh, it’s showing up, at least on one play, here in the pressbox.

6:00 Jason: Probably the CSN Northwest feed

6:01 Jason: or was it a play from some other game?

6:01 Jason: It’s just you and me now, Ken.

6:01 Jason: San Diego is wonderful in December.

6:01 Ken: No, it was that 1st down on 2nd and 4.

6:02 Ken: Yeah, just you and me. And after this performance it might just be you and me in San Diego in December. (Which I agree is lovely)

6:03 (Comment by Rollonubears): I’d like to sweeney but he will probably get killed. One o lineman shouldn’t male this big of a difference. Bears are playing like they’d rather be at home. No excuses but the scheduling is on sandy and tedhead. As bad as we’ve played, if we had even a decent kicker we’d be in better shape. Been that way all season. Almost looks like they are stealing our offensive AND defensive plays. We are screwed next year if this is all we can do without syd quan.

6:03 Jason: Oh, I won’t be there.

6:03 Ken: Another item for “false controversy” is that most of the Bear defense opted to go without an undershirt, aka they’re sleeveless.

6:04 Ken: OK, so it’ll just be me in San Diego.

6:04 Jason: I think I might skip Utah-Cal in SD.

6:04 Jason: Unless it fits perfectly with my travel plans.

6:05 Ken: December 23rd, evening game.

6:08 Jason: Yeah, I know when it is.

6:08 Jason: I just don’t know when I’m doing skiing!

6:08 Jason: And we’re back to where we started.

6:08 (Comment by BearFanOregon): So who goes where from the Pac 10 now? AZ to Holiday then what?

6:08 Ken: Marvin has had a bad case of the bobbles today. That’s very unlike him.

6:09 Ken: OK Tedford, that was NOT the time to use the challenge. You’re going to lose. You SHOULD have challenged on the poor spot for Riley’s run.

6:09 Jason: Hey, at least he’s trying.

6:10 Jason: BearFanOregon: I think it’s AZ to Holiday, Stanford to Sun, OSU to Emerald, USC to Vegas, Cal to Poinsettia, UCLA to whomever will take them.

6:10 (Comment by Amyable): Rose- Oregon, Holiday – Arizona, Sun – Furd, Emerald – OSU, Vegas – SC, Poinsettia – us

6:10 Jason: Or what Amyable said.

6:10 Ken: Bowls:Holiday: Likely AZSun: Likely StanfordEmerald: Likely OSUVegas: USCPoinsettia: CalEven the Vegas and Poinsettia are “likely” but so likely it’s not worth mentioning lthat way.

6:10 Jason: Though if I were the Holiday, I dunno, I’d probably take Stanford.

6:10 Jason: But apparently they like being just down the 8 from Tucson

6:11 Ken: Boy, this pressbox moves A LOT when the crowd gets excited. It’s no wonder the video is shakey too.

6:12 Ken: So, are all our new viewers here because they don’t like our regular commentary but do like us when we’re melting down?

6:14 (Comment by Amyable): It’s really difficult to be Cal fan. It really is.

6:14 (Comment by joffle): I think people are no longer following the game.

6:14 Jason: Maybe we’re better than the game!

6:14 Jason: Wouldn’t be hard.

6:14 (Comment by BearFanOregon): I agree with Joffle

6:14 Jason: Hey, so I’ll repeat here what I said on the podcast a couple weeks back.

6:14 Ken: I’d be pretty disappointed to find out we’re worse than this game.

6:14 Jason: HA!

6:15 Jason: Earlier this year I saw a guy at Memorial wearing a blue T-shirt with these words on the front in yellow:WE’RE GONNA BESO GOODNEXT YEAR

6:15 Ken: And the back?

6:16 Jason: I didn’t see.

6:18 Jason: Those not watching: Jake Locker just threw an interception that was run back by Cal for a touchdown, and then Cal went for 2 but using a little-known rule it actually counted for 14. And we’re still gonna lose.

6:18 Jason: Those watching: Please don’t tell the people not watching that I lied to them.

6:18 (Comment by joffle): So were we better last year or this year?

6:19 Jason: Well, from the shirt’s perspective, it’s always next year.

6:19 Jason: I’d call it a push, joffle.

6:19 Ken: OK, time to go ask the coaches what they’re problem is. See you guys. I”m sure Jason and I will do another podcast of sadness.

6:20 Jason: Bye Ken!

6:20 Jason: Only 3 conference losses last year, 4 this year. But in the end, same record going into the low-level bowl.

6:20 Jason: I might say this year is better if only because of coming off the Best injury with the two big wins vs. Arizona and Stanford on the road

6:21 Jason: But it’s basically a push, and if they lose their bowl I’d go last year.

6:21 (Comment by joshiemac): Cal is the Cubs of CFB.

6:21 (Comment by joffle): Give them a raised eyebrow from us, Ken.

6:21 Jason: JoshieMac: Truer words have never been typed in a chat window.

6:22 Jason: Cal fumble, Husky ball.

6:23 (Comment by joffle): Yeah. At least last year our defense could keep us in games when our offense couldn’t do anything.

6:25 (Comment by joshiemac): I’d say this is a worse year than last because of expectations. The end results will be about the same, but I expected much more from this team this year. Maybe someday I’ll learn not to do that.

6:25 Jason: Sark, what’s your deal?

6:25 Jason: They go for it on 4th down and make it.

6:26 (Comment by Sue): Sorry you had to stay with the Cal game-we are watching Nebraska & Texas. Best for next year, Cal

6:27 Jason: Touchdown UW!

6:27 Jason: Huck the Fuskies.

6:28 Jason: Complete destruction.

6:28 (Comment by Amyable): Going for it on 4th & 5 when you’re 25 points ahead – is that similar to Harbaugh going for 2 and/or Carroll going for TD against ND?

6:28 Jason: Like I said, “What’s your deal, Sark?”

6:29 (Comment by joshiemac): wow.

6:29 (Comment by joshiemac): I officially hate the huskies again.

6:29 Jason: On to the Poinsettia Bowl in scenic San Diego!

6:29 Jason: http://www.poinsettiabowl.com/

6:32 Jason: Aaand… Riley drops the ball.

6:32 Jason: Fitting.

6:32 (Comment by joffle): I wonder if this game will have any influence on Best regarding next year.

6:32 (Comment by joshiemac): At least the BB team is doing well. Oh, wait…

6:35 Jason: Time’s up, folks. Thanks for being here.

6:35 Jason: Until next time…. yuck!

I’m pretty confident he’ll be back for the bowl game.

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So, imagine that Mohammed wasn’t there. The receiver was well covered and it wouldn’t have been caught (in fact, if Luck had put some air under it like he said he should have, it might have been intercepted by Cattouse who was all over the receiver). In any case, let’s pretend that there was no interception. After the incompletion, it would have been 3rd and 10 from the 13. That’s two plays to get a touchdown (I’m ignoring the 1st down scenarios because it’s unlikely that close to get a 1st down but not a touchdown when going to the air or screen passes or the such.) and it’s even more difficult to figure out how to get Toby the ball in a way that works, because you’ve basically got two plays. Personally, I think the smart money at that moment is still on the Bears, particularly the way Luck was playing.

Don’t get me wrong, I was glad that Mohammed put an end to it. I just don’t think it was as desperate as many suggest.

I kept saying it in the car on the way home from the CalTrain station: I can’t believe we won that game.

But we did.

Oh, and before the game, your faithful correspondents met up. We only see each other at Stanford Stadium. I’m serious. It’s weird.

Jason (that’s me) on the right, Ken on the left.

I think that column is some of my best reporting work. A lot of research went into it, too much of which ended up on the cutting room floor as they say in the movies. So I wanted to share some more:

• 100 games is the 3rd most in Cal history behind Pappy (103) and Stub Allison (102). They’re both proof that one has to be pretty good as a coach to reach 100 games at Cal. (Pappy has 3 Rose Bowls to his name and Stub has 1)
• Tedford is 4th in all time wins, a game behind Pappy, and then in position to pass Andy Smith (74) and James Schaeffer (73) next year.
• His winning percentage is also exceptional. If the Bears can pull the upset Saturday he’ll be tied with Pappy for the best win percentage at 67% of their game (this excludes the coaches from 1925 and earlier, which includes Smith and Schaeffer. If you saw the percentage leaderboard, where there are 10 coaches in front of Tedford and Pappy, but all of them are 1925 and earlier, you’d readily understand why there is a tendency to focus on the “modern era” when it comes to winning percentage.)
• Probably the most “unfair” credit that Tedford gets is the number of bowl games, at least when it’s compared to previous coaches. The bowl revolution happened in the mid-90’s and so no coach other than Holmoe coached in an era when every bowl eligible team went to a bowl game. So the fact that no other Cal coach has been to 7 in a row doesn’t mean much in a historical context. Frankly, Pappy’s 3 Rose Bowls in a row is Cal’s most impressive Bowl stat.
• However, when one looks at the number of teams who have been bowl eligible each of the last eight seasons, it’s a pretty small list. After all, if Florida State can’t win one of it’s last two games, (Maryland and Florida), then the longest streak would be 19 (Florida). In the Pac-10, only USC has been bowl eligible every year during that stretch. While overall numbers were tough to come by (the best I could come up with is that through 2007’s bowls, only 12 teams had an eight year streak but one (Michigan) has fallen off that list) a team is in pretty elite company these days when they’ve been bowl eligible eight years in a row.

Point being, what Tedford has accomplished is pretty amazingly awesome.

I know, I know, we all want the Rose Bowl so bad we spit up blood every time the Bears are eliminated from contention. And yes, I know, we’re not looking in great shape to reach that mark in the next year or two. But, while I concede things aren’t as Rosy as I’d like, at the same time that’s not as true as one thinks. If the Bears had beaten Oregon State, we could have easily gotten a share of the conference title, and if the right teams lost in these last couple weeks, we still could have seen the chips fall the right way to end up in Pasadena. Said another way, our chances would be as good as Stanford’s are right now. Next year is an even year and generally, even years are the Bears good years minus continually losing to USC in LA. But you know what, if this year showed anything, it showed that there will be years where one doesn’t have to beat USC to go to the Rose Bowl.

I also know that the last three seasons have seen the Bears plateau a bit. But you know what, every coach hits a lull. People were ready to lynch Bellotti at Oregon after his slow stretch from 2002-2004, but guess what, 2005-2008 were his best years at Oregon. I know how much it’s like rubbing salt in one’s eyes to think that see Stanford leap-frog Cal with their new head coach and getting the wins we’ve been dying for years to get. But it’s just one year and they’ve peaked at opportune times during this season.

Please, go read my column. Go back and remember what it was like back then. If you’re too recent of a fan to do that, do your best to imagine. We’ve completely lost all sense of context in the last few years. We NEED to remember where we were and just how much has been accomplished. The 100 game mark for Tedford provides an opportunity to do that.

I don’t know that the Bears are going to be able to beat Stanford on Saturday (a post on that later). I don’t know that the Bears will do better than the Poinsettia Bowl this year. But what I know, and I mean know, with an absolute confidence unmatched besides my love for my wife and children and my faith in God and the Catholic Church, is that Tedford has been a great coach for Cal and there’s no reason to doubt that he’ll continue to be a great coach for the program.

Thanks Coach Tedford! Here’s to 100 more!

Pre-Game notes and thoughts:
After the disaster of 2007, no one was quite sure what to think of the Big Game in 2008. Was it just the collapse that broke Cal’s Big Game winning streak? Was it a Stanford resurgence? Was this Stanford team better than 2007’s 4-8 campaign (currently at 5-6 in 2008)? How much was the game being in Berkeley going to be a factor? Would the reduced number of Stanford fans (due to the new ticket exchange arrangement with Stanford stadium’s reduced size) in Memorial Stadium be missed? It was hard to tell. What was clear is that Stanford was building a reputation as a power running team and winning games at the line of scrimmage on both offense and defense. Their defense led the conference in sacks, their offense was allowing Gerhart to run for big yards. Could the Bears stop them? If they couldn’t do it in the Big Game, it could be trouble for the Bears, who were already on a 2-game losing streak.

Scoring and momentum changing plays:

• Best breaks a tackle and reverses field for a long run down into the redzone. The drive stalled and Tavecchio put it through the uprights to score on the opening drive. Bears up early: 3-0
• Brian Anger kicked a 76 yard punt down to the 1 yard-line, completely changing the field position game while the two teams were trading punts.
• After driving the length of the field, Stanford comes up empty when their kicker pushes a 25 yarder just wide right.
• After converting a 4th and 1 at the Stanford 40, Riley lofts an ill-advised pass into the corner of the endzone where it is easily picked off, giving Stanford the ball at the 20.
• Alualu forces a fumble out of Gerhart inside the Cal redzone. For the 2nd time in a row, Stanford marched the field and came up empty.
• Cal uses the iso play they usually use with Best but instead with Vereen, and Riley throws a great bomb down the sideline for a 60 yard touchdown. Bears up by two scores: 10-0
• Stanford marches down the field again, but the Cal defense comes up with yet another stop in the redzone, this time including two stops on the goal-line on 2nd and 3rd and goal from the 1 yard-line. This time Stanford gets the kick through, Bears up by a touchdown at halftime: 10-3
• Pritchard is unable to dump the ball in for a screen pass, overthrowing the ball into Eddie Young’s hands for the Tree’s first interception of the game to start the 2nd half.
• On 3rd and goal from the 1, Cameron Morrah sneaks out to the far side of the endzone off of the fake block, giving Riley the easiest touchdown pass of his life. Bears up big early in the 3rd: 17-3
• Cal runs a hook and ladder to Best for another all-to-easy touchdown down the sideline after a very short punt by Stanford. Bears have broken it open: 24-3
• After a 40-yard reverse catches the defense pursuing Best when he hands off to Ross going the other way, Best punches it in on the next play on an all too easy run. Bears up huge even though the extra-point hold is botched: 30-3
• Stanford goes for it on 4th and 1 from the Cal 27 and Gerhart is stopped short, even after a tackle busting second effort, giving Cal the ball back with just a couple minutes left in the 3rd quarter.
• Anger kicks it 75 yards on his 2nd punt of the game. Unfortunately it rolled into the endzone, but the 55 yard net punt is still very good.
• After Stanford has to punt again, Best explodes through another good hole opened by the O-Line for a 45 yard touchdown. The rout was officially on 2 scores ago, but they didn’t slow down: 37-3
• On a play where it’s clear the Cal defense got a bit too relaxed, Pritchard finds a receiver streaking across the middle who turns it up field for the Tree’s first touchdown of the game. Bears still way out in front: 37-10.
• Stanford converts an on-side kick, surprising the Bears doing it with nearly 12 minutes left in the game.
• Stanford marches down the field and then Gerhart finished it off with a nice 7 yard run. Stanford misses the extra point, Bears up big but losing the impressive score: 37-16
• Cal comes up with two more interceptions, one that ends a potential scoring drive for Stanford and a second that allows them to run out the clock. Bears win another Big Game!

Observations:

• The Cal offensive line had a stalemate with the Stanford defensive line in the 1st quarter, but the power of the Tree offense was definitely taking its toll on the Cal defense. Stanford had numerous players who were bouncing off Cal tackles and getting lots of yards after contact.
• Stanford QB Pritchard was also looking fairly sharp. I can’t tell how good his reads were or if he was missing some better options, but his passes were on target and generally complete.
• The Cal passing game didn’t start all that strong. Riley had made a few bad reads including the one INT and one should have been INT. In part, Cal’s 1 yard of passing midway through the 2nd quarter was because the offense was emphasizing the run, but it was also in part because of the passing ineffectiveness.
• Stanford really dominated the 1st half despite only putting up 3 points. All 4 of their drives they made good progress and on 3 of them, well into the redzone. But the fumble and the missed field goal kept a number of points off the board.
• OK, this isn’t really about the game, but the sideline girl, Jessica Mendosa was by far the WORST sideline announcer I’ve ever heard. She couldn’t spit out a sentence any better than the at-the-time lame-duck president.
• After getting man-handled in the 1st half, the defensive line started getting a lot more pressure right from the beginning of the 2nd half, including a sack on 3rd down to end Stanford’s second possession of the half and a similar sack on the 3rd possession of the half. All of this was while Cal was scoring touchdowns.
• The offense was also getting more push in the 2nd half as witnessed by Best starting to get some sizable holes to run through.
• The penalties really started piling up for Stanford in the 2nd half, particularly after Cal started opening up the can-o-woopass.
• By midway through the 3rd quarter it’s hard to judge the Stanford offense because they were forced out of their comfort zone by being forced to throw the ball, being in catch up mode. While Stanford is more balanced in 2009, they’re still not a team that is built for a comeback. If the Bears could strike early, it could completely change the complexion of the game and force Stanford to play out of their comfort zone.

Implications for 2009:
While the Cal offensive line has struggled compared to the 2008 version, and thus making it harder to judge, the pressure that the D-Line got on Stanford has to be a reason to be optimistic. Admittedly, Stanford’s 2009 offensive line is made up of mostly different players than their 2008 version, at least the one that played in the Big Game, but I still think there’s reason to be optimistic that the Bears will at least be able to compete on the line. More importantly, Stanford seemed more susceptible to the trick play than most of Cal’s other opponents and their highly aggressive attitude was exposed again and again by Tedford’s offensive genius. If the Bears are going to beat Stanford in 2009, they need to be watching this game again both for how to corral the Stanford offense and what kind of special/trick plays can be used to expose the aggressive Stanford defense. Then they should watch how Oregon State beat Stanford. They’ve seemed to have their number both of the last two years. Finally, Stanford ran out of gas in the 2008 Big Game and it appears from their recent games that the start out strong but generally fade (Oregon did almost catch up after all). It might be that Stanford’s not ready for a 4 quarter game.

Conclusion:
The Big Game is always a wildcard game (as anyone who watched the 2007 edition would know) but Tedford has figured out how to take advantage of that extra emotion to the team’s benefit in every year but 2007. The 2008 edition seemed to be the perfect example of how Tedford has won this game. After a first half in which Stanford gave Cal fans a lot to worry about, even though the Bears led 10-3 at halftime, Tedford brought out all the tricks in the 2nd half to put it away. Can he do it again in 2009? Only time will tell.

1. At best, the QB decides to knock down the ball instead of catching the deflection. Then it’s 4th and 3 at the 25, setting up a 42 yard field goal. This kicker’s lifetime long is 37 and his one shot at a 40+ yard field goal was missed. Definitely not a gimme, but I also doubt Stoops goes for it on 4th and 3. I’d give the kicker a 1 in 3 shot at best at that field goal.
2. More realistically, the QB catches the ball but decides not to throw again. Well, Cal was hot in pursuit and again, at best, he’d have made it to the 30 yard line before getting tackled. Now we’re talking about a 47 yard field goal or if Stoops thinks that’s too long 4th and 8. This, ironically, might have been the best thing to happen to Arizona as it would force their hand to go for it on 4th down but it wouldn’t have been 17 yards, only 8-10.

So yeah, putting it back to 4th and 17 didn’t help Arizona’s cause, but I think it wasn’t as big a deal as some make it out to be. The instant that pass was blocked, Arizona was in a tough spot.

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That’s what went through my mind when I saw the announcement that the Big Game will be at 4:30 PM on Versus. This Versus against DirecTV feud just got really frustrating to me. Two weeks in a row of games that no matter how much I’m willing to pay DirecTV I can’t get on my TV.

Yeah, I’m going to game. My kids have not missed a Big Game in their life and that’s not going to change as long as I can help it. But I like to have the game recorded at home for later review and for archiving to DVD (I know, I know, there are torrents available, but generally they’re not as well edited as mine).

I guess it’s good we’ll get some national exposure in the beat-downs I fear we’re going to receive in the next two weeks… or is it?

Since it was a home game, no interview quotes in this one, but as a bonus you do get to see the darker side of Ken in this one (remember that is really is recorded on the way home from the game, so no time to get one’s emotions in check).

Have no fear, says Erin from the Athletic Ticket Office. They’ll be sent out by the end of the week.

How exciting for us Bears fans to see the best college football team in the Bay Area play at Stanford Stadium!

(They’ll be the home team.)

Ouch.

All healthy-hearted (you’d have to be after Saturday’s heart-wrenching loss [even without counting Best's injury]) sturdy golden fans are welcome at the stadium.

As an FYI, for those with DirecTV, Versus is no longer available.