A couple loose ends that I wanted to quickly discuss. 

 

Firstly, everybody is talking about Jeff "God" Tedford’s (PBUH) recent quotes about his unwavering commitment to Cal.  If you haven’t seen them, the link is here.  He says he is 100% committed to our California Golden Bears.  Many have seen this as a sign that he ain’t going anywhere.  I wish I was as optimistic.  Right now, with recruiting in full swing and crucial days upon us, it would be suicide for him to say anything else.  Tedford (PBUH) is too smart to say anything else.  I really really really really really wish it meant that He isn’t going anywhere.  I doubt He is going anywhere this year or perhaps even the next (before His son, who may or may not be Jesus, graduates from high school). 

 

But after that, who knows?  I wish I were as optimistic, but Tedford (PBUH) doesn’t want to ruin the recruiting class for this year or the next by saying something publicly that would give massive aid to other schools.  You know already they say things like "Why go to Cal?  Tedford (no PBUH) is just gonna jump ship at the best offer."  But I REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY hope that the optimists among us are right and I am wrong. 

 

Also, over at http://www.thebandisoutonthefield.com/, SportsNation’s Cal SportsBlog, they just posted a video of the goalpost being taken down after Big Game 2002.   What a true joy to watch.  If anybody else has any other YouTube videos from Big Game 2002 or any other games from that era, it’d be great.  Nonetheless, I was shocked at how quickly one’s memory alters perception.  I distinctly remember watching the goalpost topple to the side.  And I remember seeing that gentleman all of a sudden be super high in the air.  But it seemed like it took him FOREVER to slide down.  And there was this period of time where people gasped and thought he was to be injured.  Watching that video, it took about 2 seconds. 

 

I know, I know, it’s nothing of any real import.  But I just thought it was interesting to watch the video from perhaps the greatest moment of the Tedford era so far.  Perhaps only beating USC to go to the Rose Bowl (which hopefully we’d win) can compare with FINALLY ending Stanford’s drought.  Perhaps.

 

GO BEARS! 

Hi, I’m back.  I haven’t written in a while, but have I got a doozy for you.  I managed to procure a signed copy of the 2006 Cal cheerleader calendar (which can be YOURS for the low, low price of $18), unfortunately I don’t have any pictures or anything that I can use as reference material.  So that will come tomorrow.  Of course, you should always support your favorite university’s dance team, because they could really use the money.  Get yours today!

Also, Marshawn will not be charged with sexual assault.  Not to make this a point of social commentary, but do these things ever work?  I mean, unless your name is Pac-Man Jones or you’re a member of the Cincinnati Bengals, these things don’t stick.  I don’t really want to call her a liar, but given what’s said in the article, it’s pretty clear she made most of it up.  And telling the truth helps.  I know it’s a novel idea, but it generally works.  Just like in the Duke case.

Checking in once again on our two Cal Bears at the Senior Bowl, here we have Todd McShay’s breakdowns by position (insider account required), where Daymeion Hughes checks in at no. 2 among defensive backs and Brandon Mebane gets nary a mention.  On Hughes, McShay says:

"(Leon) Hall is still the most complete cornerback prospect in this class, but his lack of elite speed has been exposed at times this week. He is the only surefire first-round pick of the group. Hughes was turning heads prior to suffering a midweek hamstring pull that sidelined him the rest of the way."

I’m not sure why Hughes is behind Hall - I mean, he only outintercepted him by 5 (8 to 3) over the course of the season, played in a much more pass-happy league and obviously he made a much smarter decision in attending Cal over Michigan.  And Hall has the same questions about his speed that Hughes does.  Who knows.  At least Hughes will still probably go in the first.

As for Kiper’s complete roster evaluations (also requires insider access), he says,

Hughes: "Great anticipation, hands, instincts. Speed question. (late-Round 1)"

Mebane: "Hard worker. Strong. Good leverage. Pushes pocket. (Round 2 or 3)"

I guess we’ll see how Hughes runs, but the general consensus places Hughes as the second cornerback selected, with Mebane going later in the first day.  And Scouts Inc.’s evaluation of Desmond Bishop isn’t as glowing as one might assume given his production in college, with him being ranked the 9th best prospect at his position.  He also carries flags for lack of ideal speed (an estimated 5.0 in the 40 isn’t very good) and bulk (although 6′2", 240 hardly seems small).  Overall,

"Desmond had a breakout season as a first-year transfer in 2005 and continued to improve as a senior in 2006. He has proven to be an instinctive playmaker with good size and toughness versus the run. Unfortunately, he will not be able to overcome his marginal speed in the NFL like he did the past two seasons playing at Cal. He projects as nothing more than a reserve tackle-to-tackle run-stopping inside linebacker with no value on passing downs, which is why Bishop will slip to the final few rounds of the 2007 draft."

Yikes.  Sounds like a poor man’s Jeremiah Trotter to me.  Anyway, none of our other seniors are projected to be drafted at all, as evidenced by Scouts Inc’s total lack of write-ups for any of them.  So long Steve Levy, we hardly knew ye; so long Joe Ayoob, and good riddance.

Back again tomorrow with the calendar write-up.

Well, there you go.  The Berkeley hippies win again.  A judge has issued an preliminary injuction regarding the stadium project, halting contruction at least until a trial can be conducted, and that’s only if Cal wins.  From there, due to the football schedule, construction couldn’t actually begin until next year.

The dirty hippies in the trees will cheer this as a victory, and it does mean that the trees will stay standing for at least another year, but for all the publicity they’re getting, I’d have to say they have very little do with the outcome of this case.  In my (non-legal) opinion, the Berkeley City Council (and Panoramic Hill Association) always had a stronger legal leg to stand on; earthquake safety is a big, important issue in California, and I’m sure the judge wants to fully examine it.  The hippies can sit in the trees for as long as they want, but only the person actually keeping them standing is a judge sitting comfortably on a bench in Oakland.

I think what angers me most about this whole mess is the relative ease and swiftness with which Stanford renovated their stadium.  I’ve never been envious of their money, or the education which they supposedly provide (or the connections that they most certainly provide), but I am certainly jealous of their relative autonomy.  Being able to throw up a stadium in 9 months because you’ve got the will, the money, and the authority is something Cal will never have.

I love Cal, but I could never live in the city of Berkeley again, and it’s politics like this that are the exact reason why.

In the annals of recently Cal football memory, there are 4 home games that really stick out to me (plus 1 that probably would if I had been able to attend).

UCLA 2000

Stanford 2002

USC 2003

Oregon 2004 (which I was unable to attend, so I cannot really speak to its atmosphere).

and now Washington 2006

 

UCLA 2000 was an amazing game.  A breakdown with stats and recaps can be found here, here, and here.  Cal overcame a huge day out of UCLA WR Freddie Mitchell’s hands (whom Mitchell would later thank) to win in 3OT, 46-38.  The articles don’t seem to note the last play of the game.  In 3OT, Cal went first and scored a TD plus the 2PT Conversion to go up 8.  Then, on UCLA’s 4th down play on their possession, Corey Paus threw to the endzone.  I happened to be standing a mere few feet from whichever Cal player it was that deflected the potential touchdown grab.  That was clearly the highlight of that frustrating year.  A year where we seemed to blow many a lead in the 4th quarter (including that UCLA game where they tied it up in the 4th).  By then, the 4th quarter was no longer ours.  And the Hit Squad had few, if any, hits left. 

 

 

I don’t think I need to write all that much about Big Game 2002.  And honestly I remember very little about the game itself.  Igber ran well.  We won 30-7.  The weather wasn’t particularly good.  An objective observer would probably say that it was a boring game.  But memories from the past two years (and 5 before that) were hard to shake.  The year before, hoping in vain as Boller heaved hail mary after hail mary trying to snag that last touchdown in Stanford Stadium.  And the year before that, as we valiantly tied the game up in the 4th qtr (Ok, maybe the 4th qtr was ours), only to have our hearts shattered with the sudden death OT loss.  That loss from 2000 still pains me to this day.  The few years before that, our Big Game losses had been the appetizer to the Big Game Loss Riot where hours of hard work by the maker of The Tree was ruined and the the police finally took their riot gear out of storage. 

 

But that time, we all just stood there.  I swear it was almost silent as thousands and thousands of fans were just plain stunned by what had been so close and then cruely taken away.  There were even some people around me crying and the Daily Cal ran a photo of some painted fans crying.  Big Game 2000 is why beating Stanford no matter how historically terrible their team may be is a true joy and pleasure.

 

So, Big Game 2002 means a lot more than just two mediocre teams beating up on each other with no Bowl plans in sight (especially since we had been sanctioned with the loss of Bowl priveleges).  That objective observer would have been dead to rights wrong as to the excitement of the game.  Also, that Big Game starred the World’s Greatest Wave.  Because when thousands and thousands of fans get bored, what do they do but the wave?  Over and over and over and over.  I swear that was the only thing to stop our offense that day.  Even the linemen wanted to do the wave!

 

And you sure can’t do well with linemen doing the wave.  

 

 

So, yeah, Big Game 2002, everything about that is legendary.  The cathartic celebration.  The tearing down of the North goalpost to use as a battering ram against the security guards at the South Goalpost.  The carrying of the goalpost down to Sproul.  Boller crowd-surfing.  Full band break off.  The axe.  The axe! 

 

 

USC 2003 is also fairly self-explanatory.   Sometimes people forget how early in the year that was.  It was like the first Pac-10 game of the year.  It was in late September.  It was a really hot day, but the game ended in darkness.  Rodgers was injured and Reggie Robertson actually lead us to victory.  Frederickson missed two kicks before hitting his game winner.  I wandered around the field after we had rushed it chanting "Vio-lence!  Vio-lence!"  Many people actually forget that.  This was one of the most important victories of the Tedford (PBUH) era, putting us on the map.  Supposedly, Marshawn was in attendence and it put Cal on his radar, so thank Tedford (PBUH) for that.  The only problem is that we’ve been more or less living off of this game since. 

 

When I was at Cal, we had yet to beat Stanford and we were living off of Big Game 1982.  Almost 2 decades earlier, but still we endlessly went on and on and on about how great Cal was because of The Play.  USC 2003 still remains, several years later, the most nationally impressive victory of the Tedford era.  Since then, our most impressive game national performance includes our close loss in 2004 to USC.  H-Bowl this year has washed some of the stink of our national label as "Unable to Match Hype" off.  Hopefully, next year we can completely shed that label by beating Tennessee or USC (or both!). 

 

While Oregon 2004 and UDub 2006 might not have the national panache that beating USC does, they still have more localized lures for Cal fans.  Oregon has tormented us a lot in recent years, beating us far more than USC had.  And UDub is helmed by the man responsible for the Big Game torments of the late 90s.  Now, as I noted earlier, I was not at Oregon 2004, so I cannot speak to that.  But this year, I did suit up for another exciting day of California football.  And by suit up, I, of course, mean try to wear as little clothing as possible.  Because that day was HOT.  I got dehydrated from the standing for hours on end and the obscene heat.  But damnit, us Cal fans are tough, we perservere.  As seen in these photos, the student section was packed and the energy and electricity kept some of the more tired among us going.

 

 

 

 

Gotta support the team!  And Cal fans were doing it.

 

Here are the game stats and recap from the game.   

 

The heat wasn’t the only brutal thing in this game.  Our offense, for most of the game, was brutal.  Especially in the first half.  We did not score a single point until really late in the 2nd quarter.  Schneider hit a FG to make it 10-3 as we went into the 2nd half.  Luckily for the offense, the D was playing like a man possessed.  They picked off Bonnel, who was far more mobile than advertised, not once, not twice, or even thrice, but five times (also, four, which is a very impressive pick by Follett).  Every D player was trying to get in on the act.  Nobody wanted to feel left out.

 

 

"Throw it to me, Carl.  I want one, too!!!" 

 

"Outta the way.  This one’s mine!" 

  Unfortunately, even with all these myriad opportunities for the offense, it was still struggling.  Longshore had decent numbers at the end of the day, but seemed off at times throughout the course of the game. 

 

Coming out of halftime, Cal, down 10-3, really needed a boost.  Luckily, they got it in the form of one Marshawn Lynch.  Not sure if you’ve heard of the guy.  He’s good.  Pretty good.  Pretty, pretty, pretty good.  I remember reading LT’s scouting record coming out of college and a lot of it was "Marshawn-esque."  "Similar to noted Oakland Tech Freshman RB Marshawn Lynch."  And supposedly, he was in a frenzy before the game.  He carried the Cal flag up the March To Victory.  Then, when he saw UDub disrespecting the Cal on the field, he started yelling about how they had to reclaim the Cal and generally acting with a high level of dervishosity. 

 

And let me tell you, you don’t want to piss off Marshawn.  It will only give fans a LOT to cheer about. 

 

 

"MARSHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWN.  Moreover, MARSHAAAAAAAAAAAAWN!"

Marshawn was 21 for 150, with 2 Touchdowns and an average of 7.1 ypc.   On the first Cal drive of the 2nd quarter, Marshawn was involved in every offensive play save the actual touchdown (which went to an oddly ineffective Justin Forsett).  Marshawn had a big run.    Then, he had a big catch.

 

And that was just the set up for one of the most amazing runs I have ever seen.   A halfback option to the right, he found nobody to throw it to.  So, he tucked it in and ran down to the 2 yard line.  He somehow ran through a mess of UDub D players (with a great block by Longshore).  You have to see the video to believe it.  This is why Reggie Bush’s scouting report read something like this:

 

"Receptive to free houses.  Also, Marshawn-esque."

Here are a few photos of Marshawn in action (albeit perhaps not on that drive). 

 

"Bye-bye!" 

 

"Straight up the gut!!!!!!!!!" 

 

 "Only 3 men trying to take me down!  You gotta be kiddin’"

 

He couldn’t get it in on the play, so Forsett, who averaged 4.1 fewer yards per carry than Marshawn, got the TD run.  Good for him.  Let’s hope it carries over well to next year.  Two more Schneider FGs put Cal’s score at 16.  Unfortunately for Cal, a Carl Bonnel 9 yard TD run put UDub’s score at 17.  With Isaiah Stanback out, people predicted that Bonnel would be more of a pocket passer.  Also, that we would win going away.  However, Bonnel was very mobile, continuously dodging the pass rush.  And the game was REALLY REALLY close.  As we entered the latter parts of the game, Washington was up 17-16.  This set up the excitement at the end of the game.

 

With Cal down by 1 point near the end of the game, Cal’s offense finally ressurected itself for another great drive.  It started with less than 7 minutes left in the game and last 5 full minutes.  Longshore went 6 of 8 on the drive with a big 20 yard strike to Marshawn.  That was the largest play of the drive, mostly comprised of 10 yard passes to a variety of targets.  And then from the 17 yard line, Marshawn pulled another trick out of his hat.  The go-ahead TD!  Or so we thought at the time.  Forsett scored on a run to get the 2 point conversion.  That video should be watched the audacity of the call.  Straight up the middle.  And Forsett has to spin around breaking a few tackles to score.  Gutsy, gutsy call.  Clearly, Dubar didn’t make it.

 

This made the score 24-17, exactly a TD difference.  The 2 PT conversion was incredibly important as we would later find out.   So, with less than 2 minutes, UDub took over needing a TD to tie the game.  They had it at at their own 22.  And in 1 minute and 46 seconds, they managed to get to the Cal 40.  Normally, not a bad drive.  But in the situation it was a terrible dink and dunk offense.  They converted 3 4th downs, each one more painfully depressing than the last.  And then it was all down to 1 last play.

 

The hail mary.

 

Oft used in cinematic circles, in real life, it’s less successful than Pauly Shore’s newest idea BioDome II .  The name itself recals the absolute desperation of the play.  Honestly, off the top of my head, I can only think of 1 other time that it worked, the Doug Flutie time.  Over 20 years ago.  

 

We were ready to party.  We just needed the official end to the game after an unsuccessful hail mary, right?  Wrong, because unbelievably, incomprehensibly, incomprelievably, they converted it.  Cal fans might want to watch only to see such a moment of crazy luck.  Bonnel scrambled around long enough to heave a massive pass down the field.  3 Cal defenders converged in mid-air hell bent apparently on knocking it even further up into the air.  Something called a Marlon Wood caught the ball off the deflection and, getting tackled, fell into the endzone.  Similar to the end of Big Game 2000, the entire student section stood there stunned.  I was literally as slack-jawed as a Ryan Appleby.  Stunned.  The UDub section was going crazy. 

 

After the kick, the game was tied and we were going to overtime.  After the initial shock wore off, I had a good feeling about OT.  Our offense was showing up finally and Washington’s needed a fit of amazing luck to do anything at all.  When the student section was able to rouse itself from its gaping-mouthed slumber, we rushed forward down stands towards the endzone where all the action was.  All the fans were packed in there mingling with the band members, similar to the end of regulation in the UDub b-ball game.  There, the intensity grew to a fevered pitch as we were all cheering on our beloved Golden Bears.

 

On the 2nd play from scrimmage, Marshawn did what he does best, score.  Even with 2 sprained ankles, he managed to garner 22 yards for the Touchdown.  It was off a deep pitch, too, so it was more like 26 yards for the Touchdown.  He sliced his way through the defenders, juking a few of them with some quick leg moves.  Marshawn is so amazing, because his legs never stop moving.  And on this run, he pumps them a few times in different directions (while still running forward at full speed) to confuse the defenders.  Truly amazing. 

 

Then, our defense took the field.  We needed to stop them.  Hold them down!  They got a few good offensive plays off, before Cal crushed them for a key 5 yard loss.  Watch the Cal D players swarm to the running back.  Killer instinct!

 

And then, on the next play, pure joy, pure bliss, pure ecstacy, pure love, pure happiness, pure Tedford, PURE VICTORY!   That day was a day for #10, because Desmond Bishop jumped the route to seal the victory.  Though if you look closely, you’ll notice that Bishop actually got caught from behind by an O-Lineman who seems to be twice as big.  A minor problem, really.  We were going CRAZY.  Such joy, such excitement.  A blowout is great, but nothing can match the feeling from an incredibly close game like that.  The highs, the lows.  And I’ll remember this game EPICALLY more than any of those blowouts we had earlier in the year. 

 

Of course, then, Marshawn took himself to the next level of awesome coolishness.  Claiming that he a)wanted to ghostride the injury cart and/or b)he wanted to pick up Bishop who was so tired he had just been caught from behind by the human version of a killer whale, he started driving the injury cart around the field.  It was GLORY! 

 

I don’t have the greatest camera or even the best location, but I tried to take some photos of the post-game celebration.  Below in the earlier Marshawn post, I posted a great photo of him ghostriding the injury cart.  But here are what I could get:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And here is video of the whole event.  Some professional, some amateur, none by me.  I like the ones where Oski is crowdsurfing!

MARSHAWN!

MARSHAWNMARSHAWNMARSHAWNMARSHAWN! 

MAAAAARSHAWN!

MARSHAAAAAAAWN!

M-A-R-S-H-A-W-N! 

 

Watching those videos again was awesome!  Loved it!  And this final video is of a highlight reel of the game set to some sort of rap music.  I guess it’s what the kids are listening to these days.

MAR TO THE SHAWN! 

"The 5th Quarter’s Ours!"

 

What an amazing game.  This post took forever to write, but was worth it.  Although it definitely had some lows, the highs were the highest all year and will never be forgotten.  As UCLA 2000, Stanford 2002, USC 2003, and Oregon 2004 before it, it will be put into the pantheon of great home games.  GO BEARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Ok, so I don’t feel much like talking about last night’s game.  Maybe tomorrow.  I’ll just say this:  you’re not going to upset a top 5 team while getting absolutely nothing from your senior point guard.  Not gonna happen.

Anyway, I’m instead going to finish my review of the Holiday Bowl that I began here.  So, here’s part II:

So, the Holiday Bowl game doesn’t actually begin until 5pm the day of, but that doesn’t mean there’s no reason to get up early.  Bright and early back at the team hotel is a Bear Backer Breakfast.  Sure, it’s only a continental breakfast, but bagels always taste better when they’re complimentary (and by complimentary, I mean you’ve already donated hundreds or even thousands of dollars, so the least we could do is put out some croissants and orange juice.  Go Bears!)

Beginning at 10am, it’s the country’s largest balloon parade!  No, seriously.  San Diego’s answer to the Rose Parade featured 32 giant balloons, as well as both universities’ marching bands and numerous high school marching bands from around the country, and with over 100,000 people in attendance, you could say it’s kind of a big deal around here.  Marching  past San Diego’s beautiful waterfront, it’s definitely worth seeing, and worth staying around afterwards for a Cal-A&M Battle of the Bands.  Good fun was had by all.

Still, maybe the best part of the parade is Wienerschnitzel’s Wiener Nationals Championship dachshund race.  That’s right, it’s a wiener dog race, the national championships of which are held every year before the Holiday Bowl in San Diego.  Wiener dogs are always fun to look at, racing or not, and as a dachshund owner, I especially love going down there to see it.  Even if my dog can’t race, he sure loves meeting all the other dachshunds afterwards.

The parade over, it’s time to head over to the stadium to begin tailgating.  Serious tailgaters will arrive at the parking lot hours ahead of time.  Gotta get hyped up for the game, and all that beer isn’t going to drink itself.

I, however, got myself a ticket to the Cal Alumni Association’s official tailgate.

More expensive, sure, but in my opinion, totally worth it.  Around $45 gets you in and buys you unlimited food and drink.  Yup, unlimited beer and wine, so the earlier you get there, the earlier you can get your drink on.  Setup, takedown, food preparation - all taken care of.  Just show up and take as many burgers as you want.

Plus, you get free entertainment in the form of this random rock cover band.

 

Not too bad, I guess, but I like this band much better.

 

 Tailgate over, it’s time to head into the stadium.  You all know the Cal Band, and they performed up to their usual standard.  Next came the Aggie Band.

Now, the Aggie Band fancies themselves a military band, complete with buzz cuts and homophobia, and their show was a reflection of this.  Basically, they performed a 5 minutes drill, where they lined up in a big block and marched down to the end of the field while playing their fight song.  Then, they marched back.  For a grand finale, they marched to the middle of the field, stood, and finished playing their song.  It was very precise, very well done, and absolutely the most boring marching band show I’ve ever seen.

Of course, San Diego is a military town, so you can’t have a bowl game without a fly-over, some Navy guys parachuting in, and a ridiculously huge American flag covering the entire field.  It truly embodied the pageantry and excess of the American experience, and was overall pretty cool.

You all saw the game.  The first half went OK, especially after we spotted them 7 on their first possession, but I certainly wasn’t feeling secure at halftime, even with the lead.

Now the halftime entertainment, that was something else.  First, we got each school’s band out to do a performance.  Cal was great, A&M was boring (I think it was the same as their pregame show, except that they marched in diagonals).  But that wasn’t it.  No, not by a longshot.  Here’s how I think the organizational meeting for the halftime show went:

Show Organizer : Sir, what do you want to do about the halftime show?
Bowl Official : Hmm.  Well, what sort of things normally go into halftime shows?
SO : Well, there can be marching bands, perhaps with teams of flag girls.  Or girls dancing to rock music.  Or we could do a fireworks show, maybe with some flames shooting from the ground.
BO : Yes, yes, that all sounds good.  Go with that.
SO : Which part, sir?
BO : Oh, all of it.
SO : All of it?  Sir, that won’t make any sense.  Half of those ideas cancel each other out!
BO : What?  No, make it work.  That’s your job.  Now excuse me, I’ve got to go pick up my fancy red blazer from the dry cleaners.

So we ended up with a huge hodgepodge of sensory overload.  Flag girls and flames and rock music and ridiculousness.  Not only did it not make any sense, but I felt bad for the high school marching bands (there were maybe 40 on the field, some from as far away as Pennsylvania) who came all this way, only to stand and play on the field, despite the fact that no one could hear them!  The music over the sound system was so loud, I don’t know  if the flag girls could hear them.  I still couldn’t tell if they were actually playing anything, or just faking it cause they were bored of standing there.

The second half went much better, as the Cal defense shut out A&M, while our offensive line continued to bitch-slap the opposition until they allowed a freshman third string running back to score a touchdown by running straight up the middle.

Still, one thing bothered me.  Now, I can understand how this whole enterprise is driven by money, so the constant ads everywhere don’t really bother me.  The timeout contest to throw footballs into a giant Dr. Pepper can for money didn’t bother me (the crowd booing him when he failed to get a single football in the can bothered me a little).  But when an A&M player got seriously injured and was writhing in pain on the field, the referees called an injury timeout, as they should.  Now, bowl organizers, repeat after me: this is not an appropriate time to blare another endorsement ad over the loudspeakers.  The guy is seriously in paid.  A little respect please.  C’mon, San Diego, stay classy.

Well, anyway, we won the game by a lot, and everyone left to go drink more beer in celebration.  Cal had organized an after-party, but you had to buy a ticket beforehand, and I don’t plan for parties after the games, cause whether I feel like partying or not often depends on whether we win or lose.  I much prefer just finding my way to some tacos and margaritas (hey, we’re in San Diego, you gotta try some Mexican food while you’re here) to celebrate.

So, that’s the bowl experience in a nutshell.  As longtime Cal fans can tell the younger folk, they don’t necessarily come along every year, so you gotta enjoy them when they do.  Hope to see y’all out there for the next one.

The LA schools are visiting Haas this week, something that usually brings out the best (worst?  let’s call it ‘most passionate’) in Cal Basketball fans.  Sure, we may get up and scream when a top-ranked Arizona or Oregon come to town, and we’ll always have special reasons for wanting to see out boys take down Stanford, but there’s something about the LA schools that makes our fans get, well, personal.

Maybe it’s because many of us are from Southern California (I’m not, but many of my friends are), or most of us probably thought about going to one of those schools (I got into both UCLA and USC, and really thought about going USC - what a mistake that would have been!).  At the very least, a lot of our high school friends went there, and we’d love to show them what a poor decision they made.  It’s a rivalry thing.  If Stanford is the private school on the hill, and our hatred of them is the hatred of the class struggle, then UCLA is the big crosstown rival, and our hatred of them is the hatred of the family feud, us against them, brother against brother (BTW, Joe will always be my favorite Shipp).

The LA schools get our blood up like no other.  There’s no more Steve Lavin (he of the greased-back hair and teams with wasted potential) to kick around any more, no more Henry Bibby and chants of "Your-son-hates-you! Clap Clap ClapClapClap", no more Jason Kapono and his ridiculous headband (I remember his senior year, the entire Bench was decked out in mocking headbands - upside-down, of course, just to make the point clear), but the hatred still lives.  I’ve never seen an angry mob form quite so fast as when Matt Barnes decked Shantay Legans - if he hadn’t been ejected, the Haas crowd might have done it themselves - and I haven’t seen a funnier stunt than last year when Rally-Comm duped USC’s Gabe Pruitt into thinking he had a hot date after the game, then shouted out his phone number - full description here.

I hate LA for a number of reasons.  I hate the smog and the sprawl that goes on forever.  I hate how there’s no center of culture, and how public transportation is essentially useless.  I hate the Dodgers and the Angels, and I really hate that damn Rally Monkey.  I hate how the city is so damn sprawling, I have to drive through it to get to San Diego.  I hate how the San Diego freeway doesn’t go to San Diego at all.  I hate how half of all movies take place in LA because screenwriters are too bereft of imagination after living in LA for five years waiting tables.  And remember the subway at the end of ‘Speed’?  I still don’t know where the hell that is.  Did they just make it up?

Most of all, I hate UCLA and USC, and it’s hard to hate teams that aren’t any good.  Rest assured, these teams are good.  Both come to Haas with national rankings, and we’ll be fortunate to get a split out of this weekend.  But I’ll be cheering on my Bears just the same.  Oh, how I miss Steve Lavin…

As Tightwad Hill so eloquently put it, it’s UCLA week.  The national champ runner up comes to town, bringing with it the coolest foreign player name since Gadzuric.  Just a few weeks ago, I crossed this off as an easy loss, but now who knows.  An assuredy spirited rivalry, it doesn’t take much for these two teams and fanbases to become filled with passionate rage.  Some focus on The Streak, a 50+ game losing streak by Cal at the hands of these UCLA Bruins.  Others focus on the legions of bandwagon UCLA fans, who couldn’t even pick out Yaounde, Cameroon on the map.  I mean, c’mon!??!!?  But for some the animosity stems from something stretching back further than the early Kennedy administration:  the fight song(s).

 

For those with Golden Bear allegiances, it’s Big C.  For those who sacrifice tasty, young children to the  bloody altar of Wooden, it’s Sons of Westwood.  The names might be different, but many might have noticed that both schools have eerily similar fight songs.  The only real difference is that UCLA’s horn lines are a bit more legato if you know what I mean and I think you most likely don’t.  Frankly, staccato is where it’s at, bitches.

 

But most probably have no idea why, how, which, when, why, or even how both schools seemed to get a similar fight song.  Some have been known to even wonder what both schools seemed to get a similar fight song.  And those people are idiots. 

 

Well, basically, UCLA stole our fight song over almost 60 years ago.  They already "sampled" our colors and mascot (though why their neutered it makes no sense, especially considering they later gave it what I can only assume is an absurdly horny girlfriend).   They even stole our Shipp (he was ours, dammit!).  So, taking our fight song certainly wasn’t that far away.  To shed some light into yet another reason why Maurice Jones-Drew’s singlehanded slaughter of us in 2005 was so painful, I turn to the Cal Band Alumni Association History Project on Big C, found here.

 

 

“Big C” is traditionally the first song of the pregame to which the Band marches its signature Flying Wedge formation, and it is unquestionably the most famous and controversial Cal Song. “Big C” was written in 1913 by Harold P. Williams, with words by Norman Loyall McLaren. It was written to commemorate the large cement C built “on our rugged Eastern foothills” in 1905, and also as a result of the Daily Californian’s annual song competition. In the Fall of 1913, the competition was stiff; but the Rally Committee managed to narrow the field down to two songs, “Big C” and “Stanford Jonah.” “Big C” took the prize and “Jonah” won the next year.

The controversy around the song has its roots in the “All University Weekend,” an annual event which began around 1948 and lasted into the 1960s. This event was a double header football game that pitted Cal against UCLA and UC Davis against UC Santa Barbara. The games were played alternately in Berkeley one year and in Los Angeles the next year. Bands from all four of the schools would perform together in one giant, combined halftime show. In one of the last “All U Weekends,” F. Kelley James, then Associate Director of the UCLA Band and alumnus of the Cal Band wrote an arrangement of “Big C” for the combined halftime show.

Afterwards, UCLA kept using his arrangement of “Big C,” adding its own lyrics and renaming it “Sons of Westwood.” The UCLA Band began playing it regularly as the new fight song. James Berdahl, then director of the Cal Band, was incensed over what he felt was a violation of the sanctity of Cal Songs. A bitter exchange ensued between Berdahl and James for the next several years concerning the legal and ethical grounds under which “Big C” was appropriated. The matter came to a head in February 18, 1969, when Irwin Coster, working on behalf of the UCLA cause, received official word from the Copyright Office of the Library of Congress that “Big C” had never been copyrighted, and thus it was in the Public Domain. Public Domain status meant that only adaptations and arrangements of the song could be copyrighted, so UCLA had every legal right to “steal” the song. Some regents and UCLA administrators thought it quite reasonable that this “little sister” of Cal maintain “Sons of Westwood” as an affirmation of the University of California’s solidarity. However, ardent students and alumni at Cal were never happy with the situation, especially Berdahl, who continued to fight for the abolition of “Sons of Westwood” through the remainder of his tenure as director. Ironically, uninformed people recognize “Sons of Westwood” as UCLA’s song due to their successful football program and exposure on televised games and wonder why Cal plays UCLA’s fight song so much.

 

 

 

 DAMN YOU, TURNCOAT F. KELLEY JAMES!  May Tedford smite you and turn your wives into pillars of salt.

 

There was supposedly a Cease and Desist letter sent from Cal to UCLA, but I cannot find it online.  If anybody knows where to find it, that would be cool. 

 

UCLA’s regional insecurities have put a sour taste in our mouth for decades longer than we here at The California Golden Blogs have even been alive to have mouth in which a sour taste might be put (not a run-on sentence!).  As our focus turns to the two teams meeting in valiant battle, I just wanted to bring attention to one of the lesser known, yet still as important, reasons to dislike UCLA.  May Tedford shine His light down upon our basketball team to lead them to victory over our southern baby brothers.

Bye bye Dunbar, we hardly knew ye.

Cal Offensive Coordinator Mike Dunbar has been hired for the same job at Minnesota - a lateral move at best, though I’d see it as a small step down.  Clearly, Dunbar and Tedford never really meshed, and it didn’t help that Nate Longshore was exactly the wrong kind of quarterback for his schemes.  I have a feeling that Tedford isn’t too broken up about the move, as now he can hire someone else without having to publicly admit the mistake he made with Dunbar by firing him after one season.  Not that he’ll admit as much; he’s much too classy for that.

Overall, I’m pretty happy to see him go as well.  Not that I think Dunbar can’t coach - he clearly has demonstrated that ability in the past - but I think it was a union of offensive styles and personnel that just never worked out.  I wish him the best of luck, and hope Cal shuts down his offense when we visit in 2009.

OK, Tedford, there’s your mulligan; let’s hire the right guy this time.

Now, we all know that Marshawn will go in the first round of the upcoming NFL draft, but he may not be the only Cal player taken before the first round is over.

As noted by ESPN, here’s some of the buzz coming out of the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama:

The defensive player that impressed us the most was Cal cornerback Daymeion Hughes. The 5-10, 192 pounder displayed outstanding agility and instincts throughout practice. There wasn’t a receiver on the team, including standouts such as Jason Hill (Washington State), Rhema McKnight (Notre Dame) and David Clowney (Virginia Tech), who could shake Hughes in one-on-one drills. While it’s important to put everything into perspective this week, I think it’s safe to say that Hughes showed better man-to-man cover skills this afternoon than Michigan’s Leon Hall, who is widely considered the top cornerback prospect and a potential top-15 pick in this year’s class.

Yeah, he’s got big-time skills, but we knew that already. The rest of the nation is only beginning to learn.

A final thought: the decision to stay in school or leave for the NFL is often tough for college juniors, and I know Hughes thought about leaving after last season, but I think we can all look back and say this is a classic case of ‘good thing he stayed for his senior year.’

<Update 2007.01.24>  ESPN’s Todd McShay seems to agree with me, as he has both Cal players going in the first round in his latest mock draft.  He has Marshawn going at #16 to Green Bay (to be reunited with Aaron Rogers), and Hughes being taken #22 by Dallas.  Go Bears!

 

Our hero and yours spoke today in an ESPN chat that once again showed why we should all take him as our role model.  The transcript, please:

 Marshawn Lynch: (1:06 PM ET ) Hello!

---

Paul (Augusta): Marshawn Some people have you as the first back off the board this April. what are your thoughts on where you’ll be drafted?

 Marshawn Lynch: (1:07 PM ET ) Wherever I am taken I will be very happy. I just hope to be successful wherever I go.

---

Mark N. (New York, NY): Do defenders tug on your braids when you break through their tackles?

 Marshawn Lynch: (1:07 PM ET ) Nah. I haven’t had no one pull on them yet.

---

Mark N. (New York, NY): Marshawn - congrats on another great season. How are your ankles feeling? Will you be participating at the NFL Combine?

 Marshawn Lynch: (1:07 PM ET ) Right now I don’t know if I will be participating. My ankles are 100 percent though.

---

chris( berkeley CA): what was your favorite thing about playing at Cal? thanx for an amazing 3 years and congrats.

 Marshawn Lynch: (1:08 PM ET ) The friendship I made within the team and with the staff members here.

---

7th Grader(Seattle): who do you think will win Bears or Colts?

 Marshawn Lynch: (1:08 PM ET ) That’s tough. I’m a Raider fan. It doesn’t matter to me who wins. I like Addai so I’ll say the Colts.

---

Zach (Everett, MA): Good Afternoon Marshawn, I am a High School running back, (Everett High) I was just wondering, do you have any tips for a young and upcomming running back?

 Marshawn Lynch: (1:09 PM ET ) You have to stay true to the workouts and make sure you hit those books. Those books are key to your future. All the talent in the world won’t help you if you don’t have those books.

---

Josh (Myrtle Beach): What skills are you working on improving most this week, and leading up to the draft?

 Marshawn Lynch: (1:10 PM ET ) I’m trying to improve my whole game. Running, blocking, catching. Every aspect of the game. Strength. Everything.

---

Dan Omaha,Ne: What team do you really want to play for?? Who is your favorite all-time back??

 Marshawn Lynch: (1:10 PM ET ) Barry Sanders is my all-time favorite. I’ll play for any team that wants me.

---

Jared (Knoxville, TN): Remember your visit to Knoxville? Ever face a defense like Tennessee’s in the Weak-10?

 Marshawn Lynch: (1:11 PM ET ) They were one of the best defenses I saw this year for sure.

---

Mark (MA): hey Marshawn, do you think people on the East coast will begin to respect the Pac-10 more now that they are successful in bowl games year in and year out?

 Marshawn Lynch: (1:11 PM ET ) Yes, I think people have been sleeping on the Pac 10 but we had a great year and people are starting to pay attention. We are going to wake college football up.

---

Mike (Blacksburg): Why didn’t you go to Virginia Tech?

 Marshawn Lynch: (1:12 PM ET ) Cal was close to home. I had two family members attending the school with me and a busload of friends.

---

Mike (Villanova): Marshawn, between, the visor, the mouthpiece, and the Cal uni, I’d have to say you were the coolest lookin’ player on an NCAA field this season. holla.

 Marshawn Lynch: (1:12 PM ET ) Thanks, Mike, I appreciate that.

 Marshawn Lynch: (1:13 PM ET ) They stripped me of my color visor though!

---

Kevin (Napa): How has Coach Tedford helped you as a player to be prepared for the transition to the pro-game?

 Marshawn Lynch: (1:13 PM ET ) They did a wonderful job preparing me for the NFL. Just a great job.

---

Matt : Two Harbors: Do you pay much attention to online "Mock Drafts"?

 Marshawn Lynch: (1:13 PM ET ) I don’t look at them.

---

Lee Kanas: Hey Marshawn, in April will this be your first time coming to NYC?

 Marshawn Lynch: (1:13 PM ET ) Never been to NY.

---

Ryan (Medford,MA): Who was your biggest mentor growing up Marshawn?

 Marshawn Lynch: (1:14 PM ET ) I would say my mother.

---

Marc (Lake Worth, TX): Barry Sanders is my favorite all-time back, as well. How do you think your game compares to his?

 Marshawn Lynch: (1:14 PM ET ) I can’t compare myself to him. Not even close.

---

Phil Baker (Menomonie, WI): What do you think Brett Favre will do? Stay or Retire?

 Marshawn Lynch: (1:14 PM ET ) I don’t think he will retire. He has too much fight in him.

---

Greg(Boston): Is it easier or harder preparing this week knowing you will have more money then you’ve ever seen in your life in just a few short months?

 Marshawn Lynch: (1:15 PM ET ) It is a lot of pressure. When you know that, you can put more pressure on yourself. But if you didn’t have the drive before, money won’t change that.

---

Oski - Berkeley: Have you spoken with Aaron Rodgers recently?

 Marshawn Lynch: (1:16 PM ET ) I haven’t talked to him.

---

Mark (Kalamazoo): Marshawn, do you play EA NCAA college football? If so, what team do you play?

 Marshawn Lynch: (1:16 PM ET ) I play with LSU usually. Xavier Carter!

---

Bill (CT): Would you like a chance to replace Tiki in New York?

 Marshawn Lynch: (1:17 PM ET ) I wouldn’t mind that at all. I’ll go anywhere!

---

Mike(kuwait): What NFL team fits your running style the most?

 Marshawn Lynch: (1:18 PM ET ) Whatever offense you put me in I will adapt to it!

---

Greg(Boston): you seem like a pretty humble, down to earth, nice guy, how do you turn it into playing with such fierceness on the field?

 Marshawn Lynch: (1:19 PM ET ) I am a chill back kinda dude. But on the field it’s all different. It’s time to go to work when you get on the field.

---

Mike (NJ): How much has Jeff Tedford helped you in your career?

 Marshawn Lynch: (1:21 PM ET ) I’ve talked to him briefly but he told me whatever I do to give 100 percent.

---

Eric (Pasadena, CA): Marshawn, As a Raider fan, What do you think of Kiffin being the new Head Coach?

 Marshawn Lynch: (1:21 PM ET ) I bleed black and silver. I’m with them 100 percent.

---

Frank (Irvine, CA): Physically, are you ready for the NFL? What about mentally?

 Marshawn Lynch: (1:22 PM ET ) If I’m not ready now, I surely will be by the end of my training.

---

Mike (Oakland, California): How will growing up in the lovely city of Oakland affect your professional career and life decisions? How does it feel to be the best running back from Oakland Tech (above Ricky Henderson)?

 Marshawn Lynch: (1:23 PM ET ) I wouldn’t say I was the best! Just to be associated with Oakland in a positive way feels great.

---

Andy (Los Angeles, Ca): How does it feel to be a Cal legend?

 Marshawn Lynch: (1:23 PM ET ) I ain’t no legend!

---

Hyphy101: Marshawn will you be the first player to do tha Thizz dance in the endzone?First,I do like this….

 Marshawn Lynch: (1:24 PM ET ) (Laughing) I don’t know man. We’ll see.

---

Ricky(Florida): Hey Marshawn…I just gotta know…how does it feel to be in a video game?

 Marshawn Lynch: (1:24 PM ET ) It doesn’t feel like much. I don’t trip off it much.

---

E-40 (Tha Bay): You finna get hyphy in the L or what?

 Marshawn Lynch: (1:25 PM ET ) That’s what we do man.

---

Matt (Oakland, CA): Marshawn, what do you aspire to do outside of football?

 Marshawn Lynch: (1:25 PM ET ) Yes, I want to go back to school and get my degree.

---

Willie (Portland, OR): So who’s laid the hardest hit on you in your career?

 Marshawn Lynch: (1:27 PM ET ) I’d have to say Joe Maningo.

---

J.T. Mississippi: Marshawn, good luck in the NFL. Are there any things that come with being an NFL player that make you worry?

 Marshawn Lynch: (1:30 PM ET ) I’m not worried. I’m very confident about everything.

Thanks for the questions! Keep solid and stay true to Pole Biz! B-I-Z baby!

 

What can we take from this?

1.  Marshawn doesn’t care where he goes, because he knows he’s could take even the Detroit Lions to the Super Bowl.
2.  Marshawn’s so fast it’s impossible to get ahold of his braids, unlike Edgerrin James and Ricky Williams, who cut theirs because people were grabbing them.
3.  Marshawn’s ankles are finally 100%, and he doesn’t feel the need to embarass every other NFL prospect by blowing them all away at the NFL combine now that he does have two working ankles.
4.  Marshawn really loved everyone he met at Cal.  AWWWWWWWW
5.  Even seventh graders who stumble into the wrong chatroom love Marshawn.
6.  Marshawn knows the value of a good education.
7.  Marshawn is making more progress than you are towards becoming the perfect human being.
8.  Marshawn loves Barry Sanders.
9.  Marshawn is willing to play for any team that will CTC.
10.  Tennessee fans are insufferable jerks.
11.  Don’t sleep on the Pac-10.
12.  Everyone wants to know why Marshawn isn’t a bigger part of their life.
13.  Marshawn is the baddest looking player on the field at all times.
14.  Tedford’s done a better job of preparing him for the NFL than he has with his quarterbacks.
15.  Marshawn has no need for mock drafts.
16.  Marshawn has never been to the Big Apple - because he IS the big apple.
17.  Marshawn’s mother is probably the Virgin Mary.
18.  Marshawn can’t compare himself to Barry Sanders, because he’s already better.
19.  Brett Favre is an attention whore warrior.
20.  Marshawn keeps things in perspective.
21.  Marshawn doesn’t do a very good job of keeping in touch.
22.  Marshawn plays with LSU?!?!?!?
23.  Marshawn doesn’t want me to buy his jersey.
24.  Marshawn has taken the advice of Bruce Lee - he will adapt to whatever situation he is in.
25.  Marshawn knows when it’s time to get down to business.
26.  Marshawn always gives 100%.
27.  Marshawn loves the Raiders.
28.  Marshawnimania is ready to run wild all over the NFL.
29.  Marshawn is the best thing to ever come out of Oakland - and that includes MC Hammer.
30.  Marshawn isn’t a legend, he’s a deity.
31.  I have no idea what the Thizz dance is.
32.  Marshawn finds it unsatisfying being RB #10 of Cal in NCAA Football.
33.  Marshawn is going to hyphy in the league or something.  Yeah.  Word.  Your mother.
34.  Marshawn is going to go back and get his degree to prove that even deities know the value of a good education.
35.  The hardest tackler in the world is JOE MANINGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.
36.  Man, whatever happened to that guy?  Sounds like a subject for another post.
37.  Marshawn is very confident.
38.  I also have no idea what the Pole Biz is.

I think we can all agree that that was very informative.  Thank you Marshawn, and I pray to God (your Father) that you don’t go to the Giants.  Go Bears. 

I don’t know how many of you actually saw the basketball game Saturday night at Oregon (given that it was on Comcast Sports Net, I’d guess not too many of you), but if you missed it, you missed a pretty good game.  Not Colts-Patriots good, but still pretty entertaining.  You may have also missed an important step forward for these Bears.

No, Cal did not win the game.  But there’s no shame in losing to the 9th ranked team in the country on the road.  What’s important is the way in which they lost.  Cal, with a smaller lineup that only nominally runs 9 deep (only 7 guys played more than 9 minutes, and 4 played 30 or more) not only hung with these Ducks, playing at their typically blistering pace, but they took at 8 point lead into halftime.  And it wasn’t like the Ducks were asleep and letting the Bears win.  No, for 20 minutes at least, Cal looked like they could hang with any team in the country.  They were hitting their shots, playing tough D, and outrebounding their taller opponent.

Of course, the second half didn’t go so well as Cal started to tire.  Passing lanes opened up on defense, and shots that went in in the first half were just off the mark in the second.  However, unlike the DePaul game a month ago, when Oregon went on a run, the Bears didn’t fold like a cheap lawn chair.  They fought back, kept the game close, and won the rebounding battle for the third straight game.

This coming week, Cal gets UCLA and USC at home, and both are going to be tough games.  I can’t imagine Cal would be favored in either contest, but I feel better about this week than I did before Saturday.  Cal is a good team; not a great team, but a good one.  They shoot the ball very well, both from the line and beyond the arc, and they’re starting to make up for in hustle what they lack in size.  And now, they’ve shown that they can hang with a better team on the road.  Do that often enough, and upset wins will follow.

Since Mark Schlabach and Stewart Mandel have redone their early top 25 rankings for the year, I guess I will too.

Schlabach’s Top 25:

1.  USC
2.  Michigan
3.  West Virginia
4.  Wisconsin
5.  Oklahoma
6.  Virginia Tech
7.  Texas
8.  Florida
9.  California
10.  LSU
11.  Louisville
12.  Arkansas
13.  Rutgers
14.  Ohio State
15.  Texas A&M
16.  Georgia
17.  Penn State
18.  Nebraska
19.  TCU
20.  Auburn
21.  Tennessee
22.  Boise State
23.  UCLA
24.  Wake Forest
25.  Alabama

"Why: Despite losing Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year Marshawn Lynch, the Bears return a plethora of skill players on offense. DeSean Jackson is a big-play threat at receiver and punt returner. Quarterback Nate Longshore was much-improved in his first season as a starter, and Justin Forsett and freshman James Montgomery are in line to replace Lynch.

Why not: For starters, the Bears open the 2007 season against Tennessee and must fare better than in the ‘06 opener against the Vols. Cal must replace all its key parts on defense — tackle Brandon Mebane, linebacker Desmond Bishop and cornerback Daymeion Hughes. The transition will be easier if the NCAA grants another year of eligibility to cornerback Tim Mixon, who missed all of 2006 with a knee injury."

Weren’t we 9th, and Tennessee 21st, to start last year?  That didn’t work out so well.  That said, these rankings make quite a bit more sense to me, because they seem to take into account the fact that LSU and Florida are breaking in new QBs and shouldn’t be in the top 5 because of that fact.  Do they have that potential?  Yes.  But there are too many questions there.  As far as how we managed to move up in Schlabach’s rankings even though Marshawn left, that’s almost entirely due to the fact that the teams that had been ahead of us were hit hard with players of their own leaving early.  Ohio State, I’m looking at you! 

Mandel:

1.  USC
2.  LSU
3.  Florida
4.  Louisville
5.  West Virginia
6.  Michigan
7.  Wisconsin
8.  Texas
9.  Ohio State
10.  Virginia Tech
11.  Auburn
12.  Oklahoma
13.  Rutgers
14.  Boise State
15.  Penn State
16.  Arkansas
17.  Tennessee
18.  Nebraska
19.  Georgia
20.  Boston College
21.  South Carolina
22.  California
23.  Alabama
24.  UCLA
25.  South Florida

"Who’s back: QB Nate Longshore, RB Justin Forsett, WR DeSean Jackson.
Who’s not: RB Marshawn Lynch*, LB Desmond Bishop, CB Daymeion Hughes.
Skinny: Jeff Tedford’s powerful offense won’t miss a beat even without Lynch, but the defense loses nearly every key starter, including All-America Hughes."

Again, I don’t feel like the parts that we lost on defense last year are irreplacable.  After all, we were 90th in the country in total defense at 367.7 yards per game (8th in the Pac-10), and 44th in scoring defense at 20.1 ppg (4th in the Pac-10).  Obviously, Hughes and his 8 interceptions will be missed, as he probably prevented at least an average of 2 points a game on his own via those turnovers, but can the defense give up less than 367.7 yards a game, even with Bishop, Mebane, and Hughes gone?  I’d like to think so.  90th is pretty abysmal.  The point, our defense just wasn’t that good last year to begin with.

Basically, I don’t think we should be as high as 9th,  but I don’t think we’re down below the likes of Boston College and South Carolina either.  As I said before, somewhere between 12-15 seems appropriate to start next year, although I do believe if Longshore matures as quickly as previous QBs under Tedford, we have the potential to be much better than that.