…and we’re back in the second half.

Another Cal drive that starts promising, but fizzles out before the endzone.  Longshore rather overthrows Jackson and Forsett can’t quite move the chains.  C’mon Bears.

Jordan Kay, however, puts another long field goal through the uprights.  Schneider who?

OK, so the offense came out slow in the 2nd half, but the defense is inspired, getting right in the face of the QB and keeping CSU from getting anything done.  They’re hitting hard and they’re hitting behind the line of scrimmage.  I love it! 

 CRAP!  Holding penalty on 4th and 2 turns a touchdown for Cal into a punting situation.  Crap crap crap

 D comes up big again with a sack and a fumble recovery, but the offense is stalling in the 2nd half.  The running game just isn’t getting anyway, and I can’t really blame Forsett.  The O-Line hasn’t been opening up very many holes, and even with our receivers, it’s hard to win a game without any running game…and as I speak, another big play called back by a penalty.  C’mon Bears, 4th quarter’s ours!!!

 Longshore overthrows another receiver.  Could the thin mountain air be causing his passes to sail further than intended?

 James Montgomery gets in the game, and Cal finally puts some distance between them and CSU.  Coincidence?  Probably.  Still, with all the hype Best is getting, people are overlooking Monty, and I think that would be a mistake.  27-14, Cal.

 And just as I finish talking about Montgomery, Best goes and inserts himself back in the conversation with a loooong touchdown run, putting on a clinic re: what happens when you don’t finish tackles.  Most impressive to me:  he not only made that run by outrunning tacklers, but also by running through guys in the secondary, something we weren’t sure he could do.  He’s not just a track star, fellas.  He’s a football player.  34-14, Bears.

 and that, folks, is textbook on how to come back from a big deficit:  deep bomb, recover the onside kick, deep bomb.  after the second touchdown, why the pooch kick, though?  Hopefully, the Bears can hold on to this one.  34-28 Bears.

 Whew!  Dodged a bit of a bullet there, as Cal’s offense manages to run out the clock.  Interesting, though, that as Cal needed a workhorse back to ice the game, its Montgomery out there instead of Forsett.  Is Forsett injured?  Just gassed?
  Not sure.  In any case, a rather ugly game, but Cal pulls it out.  Probably best that this game wasn’t on more televisions around the nation.  Still, as Michigan will tell you, a win is a win.  Speaking of Michigan, it’s time to turn to ABC, where Oregon is blowing out the Wolverines in the Big House.  UDub’s also up big on Boise.  Big day for the Pac-10.

In sum, Cal 34, Colorado State 28.  Go Bears!

A couple of Cal notes before the game begins:

- If you were watching Marshall keep up with West Virginia this morning, Marshall’s kicker may have sounded familiar to you.  He should.  Anthony Binswanger handled kickoff duties for Cal in 2004 as a redshirt freshman, but then decided to transfer to Diablo Valley JC.  Apparently, he ended up at a small private school in West Virginia.  Good for him?

- This didn’t make it into the roundup yesterday, but Jon Wilner of the SJ Merc tells us that Cal and San Jose State are talking about renewing their series, possibly as early as 2010.  Personally, I’m all for it.  Better them, with the local interest they would generate, than Louisiana Tech, whom no one knows or cares about at all.  Why the heck are we playing LaTech anyway?  I can’t think of a good reason.

 My favorite line from the opening of the broadcast, in reference to DeSean Jackson : "At California, they dial "1" for long-distance…"

 …and the first kickoff is out of the back of the endzone.  Gonna be a lot of that today.

 - One of the worst parts of being on some no-name network is the fact that we get third-rate TV talent.  It’s not even 11:30, and I’m already tired of Trev Alberts.

 - …and Cal gives one up early.  Great drive by CSU leads to 7 early points.  At this point, though, I’m not concerned.  How many times in the last few years has Cal given up the first score, only to get rolling soon after?  Minnesota last year would be a good example, but there are quite a few others.

 See?  That was easy.  Just give it to DeSean and he’ll make things happen.  We’re tied at 7.

The announcers keep going on about DeSean’s run and the poor open-field tackling, but there wasn’t a single player who got close enough to THA1 to tackle him.  He juked and moved in space so well that he was never in danger of being touched.  And he didn’t look like he was running at full speed! 

 NICE!  Huge interception in the end zone, set up by the pass rush, but he shoulda just sat down and taken the touchback.

 CSU’s got a decent offense, but they just don’t have much of a big play ability, so when they get into 3rd and long, there isn’t much they can do.

 And DeSean has more impact on the punting game without even touching the ball, forcing a bad punt from Colorado State.  Punt situations at Cal have become Must-See-TV.  My wife won’t even check on the sandwiches when the punter comes on the field.

 See?  Now Cal’s rolling.  Big-time catch by the tight end over the middle (seriously, do tight ends do anything else?), followed by the fullback punching in the score, and Cal’s up 14-7.  Go Bears!

 Ouch.  Nice tackle by Ezeff, low and at the legs like you’re taught, and it takes out CSU’s best player, TE Cory Sperry. Looks like his helmet hits Sperry’s knee.  Hopefully he’ll be OK.  That replay isn’t fun to watch.

 - CSU’s offense isn’t very exciting, but so far, it’s been pretty effective, sustaning long, boring drives.  We’re tied at 14, and Colorado State’s gotta be beginning to believe that they can pull the upset.  Time for the Bears to hit them right back.

 Last week, Jordan Kay did a nice job filling in for Tom Schneider, but with only PATs and a short field goal, he was never really tested.  His first test?  A 47-yard attempt, and he passes with flying colors.  Cal up 17-14, and will hopefully take that lead into the locker room at the half.