The Big Game: Nothing sweetens a rivalry like the awful taste of losing

I’ve never rushed the field after a Big Game.

These days that does not seem so surprising, I know. But back when I was in school, beating Stanford was the norm, not the anomaly. I—and the many that were members of my cohort—were spoiled.

These were the days of the “Ted Head” tie-dyed t-shirts. These were the days when Stanford was coached by someone called Buddy Teevens or—much worse—Walt Harris. These were the days when Aaron Rodgers was Cal’s quarterback while some guy named T.C. Ostrander quarterbacked the Cards.

I never respected the Cal-Stanford football rivalry while I was a student. There was no need to. I stepped foot on campus at the peak of the football program under Jeff Tedford, while at the same time the Cardinal was facing its worst five-year stretch probably in history. (I did, however, take beating Stanford seriously in all things other than football, in the sports where it truly mattered to Beat Stanfurd—women’s basketball, soccer, water polo, swimming, lacrosse, baseball, etc.) But football, in my time, was not one of them.

The rivalry was an afterthought. I was not even in attendance for the Big Game my freshman year. Failing to get tickets earlier in the semester, I had to watch the Rodgers-led Bears steamroll Stanford from my dorm room with other hapless freshmen. The students rushed the field, the roses came out and I can pretend my way of having been there because I know so many who actually were.

The next year, in 2005, I took BART and then CalTrain down to The Farm for my first in-person Big Game—and the last at the Old Stanford Stadium. There was a fence between the Cal student section and the field—and between the Cal students and everyone else—preventing us from storming the playing surface after fullback-turned-quarterback Steve Levy led the Bears to victory.

In 2006, I could not muster enough emotional support to race down the Memorial Stadium steps and onto the field. That was the year that Cal had two shots of getting to the Rose Bowl. They failed both times, our dreams of playing in the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1959 wilting in the desert sun and then finally being crushed in the full glow of the Los Angeles moonlight. I was in no mood to take the field after the Bears beat a team that would win one game all season. Stanford football was so pathetic in 2006 that to inspire their fans, the football team entered Memorial Stadium through the stands, while a huge “I Believe In Stanford Football” banner was unfurled by their students. This win did not call for celebration.

And so I never had the chance to rush the field, and as I entered my senior year at Cal, I wouldn’t. I took over the football beat for the Daily Cal. I was ensured that any victory down at The Farm would end with me in a tunnel somewhere, asking questions and conducting interviews as fans celebrated on the field.

And as that cold November night came to a close, that’s exactly what I did, except it had not turned out the way I imagined it.

Red Zone Issues

As much as I like Vince D'Amato - and boy has he been great this season - I think all Cal fans can agree that we would like to see the Bears punch it into the end zone a little more. For all the positives that the offense has provided (I'm going to pretend the Oregon game didn't happen) the one big concern so far is the lack of execution inside their opponents' 20-yard line.

A lot of that lack of execution should be pinpointed from Cal's lack of a true power running game and a lot of it is still the offense simply getting used to limited space and working off each other. Regardless tough, Cal has to get better once the offense gets down in that area - especially given the defense's up-and-down play.

Statistically, the Bears rank 35th in the country in red zone efficiency. That stat doesn't sound too bad, but considering how well the Bears move the ball everywhere else, that number isn't nearly as high as it should be - especially in the touchdown-to-attempt ratio. With the weapons that Cal puts on the field, converting just 9-of-17 red zone tries into touchdowns is very low.

Chris McCain Dismissed

I have always had high hopes for Chris McCain and the type of player he could've become as a member of the Cal football team.

Unfortunately it appears his demons off the field have finally caught up with him as it was announced that Sonny Dykes kicked him off the team yesterday. Considering how deeply football coaches want to win football games there was obviously something really serious internally that McCain couldn't overcome.

Hopefully the kid finds the help he needs to improve his overall well-being.

GO BEARS!

Now That That's Over ...

the real season can begin.

Four games into the new coaching regime and two things are pretty clear:

1. I completely overrated Cal's ability as a whole.
2. I should've kept in mind that this team went 3-9 for a reason.

It is more obvious than ever that Sonny Dykes has a big task on his hand. Dykes needs to find a way to keep his team motivated and continuing to buy into what he is selling - not an easy task considering how the last two games have gone. If Dykes wondered even the slightest bit how much harder coaching in a BCS conference is from week-to-week, well now I'm sure he knows all too well.

Week 4 Roundtable: Oregon vs. Cal Preview

Flashback to a Better Time

Since us Cal fans love to live in the past, why not keep the trend going by looking back at one of the greatest games in school history. While a Cal victory on Saturday is probably far-fetched, this is why they play the games, right?

GO BEARS!

Back to Basics

Whenever a team goes through a rough stretch we always read about players and coaches "getting back to the basics." Of course, the entire premise of that statement is slightly flawed given the reality that teams should always be focused on the basics. In Cal's case, however, I actually think there is some truth to that statement given how bad the Bears have been in certain aspects of football.

Although I wasn't surprised to read it, I was very happy to hear that Sonny Dykes and his staff decided to mix things up a little bit during the off week. From various practice reports, the coaching staff inserted Daniel Lasco as the number one back, gave Christian Okafor some time as the starting left tackle, and continued to slowly ease Nick Forbes and some of the other injured players into the rotation mix.

When it is all said and done, I don't think Okafor is a better player than Big Freddie but I really like the fact that Dykes is staying true to his mantra that the best player plays no matter what the circumstance. Tagaloa struggled against Ohio State and I don't think it is far-fetched to insert someone else like an Okafor and see what he can bring to the table. Same goes for the other positions around the field as well.

Unfortunately for Cal, the Bears are tasked with the worst possible opponent to work out their many kinks. Oregon is a juggernaut of a program and playing in Eugene is going to be an extreme challenge for Cal. I have no doubts that the Bears have made improvements on both sides of the ball but given how sharp the Ducks are those improvements probably won't show up come Saturday night (having a night game doesn't help either).

Having said all that, some things I would like to see from Cal:

• Handle the Pressure ... because that crowd is going to be loud. Already regarded as the loudest stadium in the country (per person), I can't imagine what a full day of anticipation and adult beverages would do to the noise meter.
• Start Out Semi-Fast ... because teh Bears have been awful so far in thar regard. No one is truly expecting Cal to win (and in this case that's okay) but Cal should come ready to at least compete for four quarters.
• Stick with Lasco ... because the sophomore Texan ran like how a running back is supposed to against Ohio State. Cal has been searching and searching for a running game this season and maybe Lasco is the option the offense needs. I would like to see Dykes stick with the running game and not go so pass heavy.
• Somewhat Contain the Edges ... because that effort against Ohio State was terrible. I don't know what Andy Buh has to do to teach his guys how to edge contain better but the Bears have to find a way - not just for this game but for the rest of the season. The Ducks are going to score an abundance of points and in all honestly that is fine. What the Bears need to do is take small steps in improvement that will benefit them in future games against opponents more on their level. If that means moving Chris McCain off defensive end, benching Dan Camporeale, and moving Deandre Coleman to end - so be it.
• Red Zone Efficiency ... because the Bears are scoring but could score a whole lot more. Given how good the Cal offense has been at times this season the Bears are actually not super in the red zone - yet. If Cal is to take that next step, Jared Goff and company are going to have to start converting these field goals into touchdowns.

GO BEARS!