What Needs to Happen: Ohio State

Surfing my way around the blogosphere this week I've gotten the same feeling about Saturday's contest against Ohio State that we all felt last year. As we learned, however, anything and everything could happen in college football.

With that said, some things I want to see from Cal this week:

1. Play Mentally Tough ... because the Buckeyes aren't going to feel sorry for anybody. Ohio State is ranked in the top-5 for a reason and they have lofty goals of a national title this season. Considering the fact that this game is on national television (hail Gus Johnson and all his Gus-isms) and coincidentally no favorable 5 p.m. ABC game to contend with, all eyes will be on this game.
2. Goff Is Good, But Let's Find Some Balance ... because the freshman's arm is going to fall off if he keeps throwing a gazillion passes. Brendan Bigelow made a name for himself against the Buckeyes last year but he hasn't quite duplicated that performance since. What a better time to start up the Bigelow Train again, right? In all seriousness though, I'll take a steady dose of 4-5 yard carries for four quarters and while I don't know if that is possible, I really want the Bears to stick to the ground game and try.

   

   Hopefully Brendan Bigelow has a couple more of these come Saturday. (Getty)

3. Seriously, Where Is the Pass Rush? ... because it can't possibly get worst than it has been, can it? Cal has amassed a total of 1.5 sacks this season. I had to take a second and third look at that number because I couldn't believe it. I don't care if the Bears have to bring back Abu Ma'afala to make offensive linemen squirm, Cal just needs to find a way to pressure the passer.
4. Defensively, Let's Showoff ... because again it can't possibly get worst than it has been, can it? I know the Bears only allowed 12 yards in the fourth quarter against Portland State, so let's hope they carry that momentum into Saturday. I want to see Andy Buh implement some tricks that I know he has up his sleeve and I hope they work. Buh had to prepare against Ohio State last year while a coach at Wisconsin so hopefully that comes into play.
5. Richard Rodgers, The Weapon ... because as the big tight end showed last week, he possesses a skill set that very few defenses can matchup with if he's used correctly. Portland State or not, when is the last time Cal had a tight end that could move the way Rodgers did against the Vikings? In the contest last year against Ohio State, Cal did a great job of working the middle of the field, as Darius Powe, Keenan Allen, Chris Harper, Spencer Hagan (unfortunately given his career-ending injury that game) and Rodgers all found small gaps in the middle. It seems like Goff and Rodgers are slowly starting to build a rapport and I hope that continues.
6. Believe You Are Just As Good ... because I was there the last time Cal knocked off a top-5 team at home. Way back then (10 years have flown by that fast?) I heard the same grumblings I heard this week about how Cal was going to get blown out and how ugly the final score might be. Then, in just the second snap of the game, the offensive line opened up a huge hole for Adimchinobe Echemandu and from then on Cal was in it to win it. While no one is going to argue that Cal has more talent than Ohio State, I hope Dykes has his players believing that they aren't that different from the Buckeyes. It's college football and anything can happen. If the Bears don't believe it, Dykes should just show them this video.
7. Send The Bucks Home Crying ... because their fans treated us like cute little brothers and sisters when we were in Columbus last year. Ohio State fans were super nice, helpful, and respectful -- but too much so. You know when your niece visits and you guys play board games? You know how you pretend you're trying to win but really you're just patronizing her? Well, that's how we felt in Columbus last year. Those people didn't take us seriously. Those people talked to us like we never watched a football game in our lives. Those people asked us if we flew to Columbus (as if we could get to Columbus by Greyhound?) Those people even asked us if we were all related. Come 9 p.m. Saturday night, let's give them something to think about as they ride a germ-infested BART seat back to San Francisco after the game.