Firstly, great running diary by Go Beers.  Being at the game, it was tough to keep track of things at times (esp. being in Row 73).  For example, I thought it was Forsett who fumbled late, not Lynch. 

 Video of Pete Carroll’s face now available on YouTube.  You have to watch about 6 minutes of the end of the game to see it, but yknow what, if you are anything like me, YOU.LOVED.EVERY.SECOND. 

But I post here not as much to talk about the Big Game, but more about that other Big Game, UCLA-USC.  I LOVED that replay of Pete Carroll at the end.  He is running down the field in that energetic manner of his.  His face has a anxious and cocerned look on it.  Then, when the USC player lept into the air and appeared to make the catch, his face lit up with the glorious joy of 1,000 burning suns.  And then, as the ball fell harmlessly to the ground and his world crumbled and crashed like so many shards of glass, a look perfectly reflecting that emotional devestation crept into his face.  It’s so hard to explain.  Anybody who saw it knows what I am talking about. 

I hate USC so much.  I hate everything about USC.  Its arrogance is certainly tops of the list and nothing reflects that more than the brash braggadacio of Pete Carroll.  To see that crush in that schauenfraude (sp??) way.  Well, that almost makes it worth it all.  And to think that if DeSean keeps that big toe in, we are going to the Rose Bowl.  But perhaps it is better this way.  With the way Longshore has regressed, I’m nervous about A+M, let alone Michigan.  I still think we can win, though.

GO BEARS!  BEAT THE AGGIES!

15:00 - Fans are doing the wave.  It’s a close game!  Pay attention!!!  Marshawn runs for a first down.  Why he hasnt gotten the ball more makes zero sense.

13:47 - Nate takes a bad sack, incomplete pass to Lynch, then Lynch fumbles.  Unmitigated disaster.  Even if we win this game, I’ll be embarrassed by this performance.  Play is being reviewed, but it looks like a good call.  Fumble will stand.  My hatred for Stanford is being re-kindled.  I feel like I’m 20 years old again and wondering if we’ll ever beat them.

12:20 - 4th and goal now for Stanfurd.  Good stand by the D after the Marshawn gaffe.  FG attempt - and it missed by about 25 feet to the left.   Huge break.  That field goal was about as bad as it gets - aside from a bad snap. Ugly.

11:26 -  Long run by Forsett.  Definitely time to run…and then run more.  Forsett just had a lynch-esque scamper by dodging about 10 tacklers and turning a 5 yard loss into an 8 yard gain.  Bodes well for next season. 

08:49 - Nice drive has culminated in a 4th and inches at the 25…here comes the kicker…why arent we going for it……and we miss the kick.  Ok….IT’S 4TH AND INCHES!!! WHY CAN’T WE GET AN INCH!!!????  Another clue that Tedford/Dunbar has no faith in our O-line.  But c’mon, Nate is 6′5" - he just has to fall down to get an inch!  Disturbing. 

05:55 - Great defensive stand results in a quick 3 and out for Stanford.  Got to Ostrander on 3rd down finally.  For the season the D-line has been a bit of a disappointment, but overall they’ve played well today.  It’s our DB’s (surprisingly Hughes) who have struggled against Stanford WR’s, which is why it’s only a 6 point game.

04:40 - 3rd and 1 here…let’s see if we can push it through get the tough yards on an obvious running play.  Ummm….we got a bit tricky…end-around to DeSean…good spot by the ref, barely got the first.  Whew. (Note: Stanford only has one TO left.  If we score here, the game is pretty much over.)

02:00 - Forsett is looking great - he’s obviously excited that he’ll be the main guy next seaon and making sure the redshirt freshman comin in next season don’t take his job. 

01:01 - OK 4th down down with a minute to go.  Bears are about to ice the game with a FG, or miss it and give Stanford a chance to win the game with a TD and an extra point in the final minute.  We shall see if Stanford has a miracle in them. aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand…NO they don’t. Tough break for the trust-fund crew from Palo Alto.  26-17 Bears, game should be over.

00:00 and yes it is.  5 straight Big Game victories.  I love Jeff Tedford.  Wasn’t a crazy game and we didnt play all that well, but I’ll take 9-3 any day. GO BEARS!!! 

14:47 - Welcome back.  Cal gets the ball first in the 2nd half.  It would help to establish some offensive rhythm and get Nate/Marshawn/DeSean going.  We shall see if Mike Dunbar can redeem himself here and make some gutsy play calls.  Stanford currently has way more  confidence than they deserve.

11:38 - Thus far the drive is lookin good.  Desean and Marshawn have a couple first downs apiece.  Here’s to someone getting in Dunbar’s face and telling him to get the ball to the playmakers as much as possible. 

11:24 - TOUCHDOWN LAVELLE!  The Hawk!!  Pretty throw from Longshore (who quickly banished Ayoobian fears in one pass). 

07:18 - Another 3rd down conversion from Stanford to that Compton WR.  He clearly is confused about who he is abusing….ok as I was typing Evan Moore just caught a one-handed 51 yard TD catch.  I will now smash my laptop against my head.  20-17 Bears.

05:37 - 40 yard pass to Jackson to save what woulda been a quick 3 and out following the Stanfurd TD.  Good pass.  Now please….give the ball to lynch….please…..jesus, almost a pick.  Got lucky.  GIVE THE BALL to MARSHAWN!!!  Ok, ignore me.  Now it’s 4th down.  I hate Dunbar.  FG negated by a penalty.  Ok, he made the 2nd one, despite crazy winds.  23-17.  Horrible kickoff that goes out of bounds.  D needs to step it up here.

03:49 - 3rd and long here for the Tree.  Incomplete.  Pimentel should have picked it off, but I’ll take a punt to DeSean…and it goes out of bounds.  Bears ball.

00:00 - ugly end to the 3rd - both teams go 3 and out.  see ya in the 4th. 

11:08 - 3 and out by the Bears here after getting great field position after a Tree punt.  Not looking pretty.  I’m not sure it;s the Stanford D-line or Cal O-line, but Longshore isnt getting much protection and Lynch isn’t getting any holes to run through.

10:51 - Stanford ball - 16 yard run.  Some short looking white guy. One of 3 white RB’s in the nation.  Looks a bit like Levy. 

08:11 - Stanford is moving the ball at will.  Hughes just gave up a big play…I feel like it’s the twighlight zone…wait Stanford has a WR from Compton???  He should be at CAL!!! What’s going on?

07:01 - First and Goal Stanford.  My 35-3 prediction appears to be foolish.  Should we pull a Stanfurd and just give up now???  Ok, perhaps I overreact.  We clearly have superior potassium to them…3rd and goal now…and it’s a timeout.  We need to hold them to a FG here.  Stanford is doing a great job putting together long drives and keeping the ball out of the hands of our offensive playmakers.  Some halftime adjustments need to be in order.

05:44 - FG good by the white and red, game tied at 3.  Barely.  Cal seems a bit lacksadasical…similar to the game in Tucscon 3 painful weeks ago.  We take USC 9-9 into the 4th quarter in LA, yet were outplayed by Arizona and thus far Stanfurd.   Tedford needs to work on his motivational speeches.

05:21 - I don’t understand offensive coordinators sometimes.  Why not just rotate plays between Marshawn and DeSean?  Does this not make sense??  Ok now two straight plays to DeSean for first downs.  Good call!!  Now back to Marshawn.  Hell, bring back LaShaun Ward!!!  Any Sean works!!

04:15 - quick pass to Marshawn gets up first and goal!! Fire Dunbar, hire me!! 

03:27 - wow.  wow.  First and goal….and we call 3 straight passes.  See what I just wrote above?  FIRE DUNBAR!!! HIRE ME!!  Why Marshawn (or even Forsett) didnt get the ball…I don’t know.  Embarrassing.  6-3 Bears.  Our offense is stagnant, and has been since October.  If you take away our interceptions and various DeSean punt returns, we havent scored much.  Pathetic.

2:32 - A Stanford fumble just lead to a Syd’Quan TD.  Pretty.  Very pretty.  But let me reiterate something:  GIVE THE BALL TO MARSHAWN AND DESEAN EVERY OTHER PLAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Ok I’m calming down now.  13-3 Bears. 

02:24 - just showed The Play on FSN.  Never gets old.  But Joe Starkey apparently has.  He looks like a ghost out there.   OK kickoff time.  Uf!  Great return by Stanfurd.  Pete Alamar, how you haunt me.  On a side note, how long before the Paris Hilton/Britney Spears threesome sex tape comes out?  Who’s gonna be the lead man?  My money is on Buddy Teevens.  He’s unemployed, right?

01:20 - First and goal Stanfurd. Incomplete.  2nd and goal.  and Touchdown…Hughes what the hell is going on??????  Damn.  Good throw.  13-10 Bears.  1:12 left, let’s see if Nate is the real deal here and can lead a nice 2 minute drill down the field.

00:26 - ok, Nate sucks.  The play-calling sucks.  They are taking into the half at 13-10.  Ugly. Ugly first half.  I really don’t like the play-calling thus far.  We’ll see how the second half goes. 

15:00 - It’s windy.  "Swirling" winds, which they have repeated about 10 times thus far.

12:10 - Zack Follett just blew up a play in the backfield, followed by a third down pass by Ostrander which leads to a first down.  Defense looks a bit shaky thus far. Cardinal is running the ball well.

10:40 - Pimentel just lit up Ostrander.  Announcers are referring to the 04 Game where Ostrander was continually punished and expressing pity towards him.  Big 3rd down now.  Ostrander proceeds to stand Bledsoe-esque for 15 seconds in the pocket and completes the pass…first down.  WHERE IS THE PASS RUSH???????  Stanford continues their best drive of the season.

07:25 - Sick catch by Evan Moore at the 2 yard line.  WAIT…he trapped it!!!! review it!! review it!!!!  thank you thank you…it’s being reviewed.  Seems clear that he trapped it to me.  These announcers are totally blind.  They keep repeating that it was "clearly a catch" - give me a break.  Total trap.  Let’s see what the refs say.

The refs get it right…announcers are shocked that it’s overturned.  Please. Ball is back on the 18 yard line.

07:18 - Huge sack by the defense.  4th down, the Tree is goin for it since the winds would probably effect a FG try.  SACK.  This is more like it.  Cal ball.  The D gave Stanford some hope (never good in a mismatch like this one) but pulled it out with the 3rd sack of the drive.

05:22 - Marshawn appears to be on his way to 800 yards for the day.  5 plays, 5 Marshawn runs.  Tedford is obviously thinking this his last chance to use the greatest Cal RB in 30 years at home in Berkeley….and right after I write this Longshore quickly throws 2 passes and now it’s 4th down.  50 yard FG upcoming…and it’s GOOD.  55 yards!!!!  Who needs Lynch when you have Schneider?  He woulda missed that kick had it been from 58 yards.  Squeezed it through the corner.

1:49 - Stanford has the ball again.  Stanford seems unable to get a play longer than 10 yards, which actually helps them, considering our D LOVES to bend and give up a lot of short plays.   

1:30 - PUNTING TO Desean….and nothing happens….the wind kept it away.  Shameful and cowardly by Stanford in this writer’s humble opinion. 

I’m sittin on the couch doing some stretches for the running diary for Cal v. Stanford High School.  By stretches I am referring to stretchable jeans, given the amount of beer and chips I plan to consume between now and the end of the game.  Looks cold over in Berkeley, I think I can see the nipples of the announcers through their jackets.  The spread is apparently 29 points in this one, although announcers (Joe Starkey on the radio and Barry Tompkins on FSN) are doing their best to convince us that in fact "anything can happen" and it’s a rivalry game so the records get thrown out the window…mmmm….maybe they havent watched a Big Game since 2001.  I have actually felt some pity for Stanford QB’s the past couple years.  Internal bleeding following these games has been a common occurence.  I can’t decide if I want a close game where we pull it out in the end to make it more watchable, or if 56-3 would be a sweet final score.  I’ll take the middle road:  final score will be Cal 35, Stanford 3.  Kickoff is approaching.  Be back after the first Quarter.