Live from my couch…
…it’s the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl! 9:00 came earlier than expected this morning, but HydroTech and I are mostly awake and ready to roll. We’ve got some good news and bad news: The Tedford has said that Kevin Riley will play at least a series or two, in an effort to give him experience heading into open QB competition in the spring. Most of the fans have been clammoring for at least another glimpse of Riley, and it looks like they’re going to get. The bad? Jordan, Jackson, and Decoud will not start - but will play - after breaking an unspecified team rule. Tough to put a positive spin on that.
HydroTech: espn dude just hyped up 4 cal players having nfl potential: dj, hawk, forsett, and stevens
CBKWit: and they just claimed that the Hawk has "great hands." I love the Hawk more than almost anyone, but he definitely catches with his body, and he’s had some pretty critical drops in recent games.
HydroTec: Cal removed the names on the jerseys, just like Lynch took off his name off his jersey last year for the Holiday Bowl.
CBKWit: maybe the entire team is planning on going pro.
HydroTech: ESPN mentioned 20-25 mile an hour winds, which will make passing difficult. Chet Teofilo in for Mike Gibson, who’s had concussion problems.
HydroTech: running to the weak side on 3rd down, not behind tau’ufo’ou, and Teofilo sort of missed his block. Not a great play.
11:01 CBKWit: Nice block by AF on the line to take out two of our bears and spring Carney for a big game.
9:56 HydroTech - losing outside containment, third big run by AF to the outside.
8:55 CBKWit: We’re clogging the middle pretty well, but another outside run brings the TD. 6 (soon to be 7) nothing Air Force.
(Media Timeout) CBKWit: I just checked our Bowl Pick ‘Em, and HydroTech gave Cal ONE! confidence point. Not a lot of faith there, eh Hydro? It could be worse: the current leader picked Air Force. Karma’s a bitch, Valient Carpetbaggers.
(Warning: Actual Analysis!) 8:27 HydroTech: AF does a very good job running the triple option from shotgun to the same side that they run the initial FB dive. Most teams run opposite of the dive and thus it becomes a little predictable. But AF is doing a nice job mixing it up and making the defenders on both the strong side and weak side stay honest.
8:20 HydroTech - I sort of wish JT would have gone for it on the 4th down of the initial drive. It was a short 4th down. I know we were in our own territory, but I think it’s important to get the ball rolling and get the guys fired up.
8:17 CBKWit - I agree about the 4th down, we were moving it pretty well and I think we would have gotten it. Nice job by Forsett there to break a few tackles and turn a 2 yard gain into a 6 yard gain.
7:45 CBKWit - Nice job by Nasty Nate to recognize the strong side blitz and throw it to the vacated spot on third down.
7:05 HydroTech - nice to see JT call a play that throws the ball to a RB on a non-screen play
5:33 HydroTech - might have been PI on the pass to LC in the endzone. The defender got his left arm and looked to be putting some pressure on LC.
5:33 CBKWit - it was pretty close though, and I thought the AF db did a nice job of not hammering LC before the ball got there.
4:10 CBKWit - Oy, DeSa. The ball was there, maybe a split second late, but you’ve got to bring that in. Turnover on downs, AF ball.
4:05 HydroTech - Could have also ruled that he had possession and fumbled the ball.
4:05 HydroTech - props to JT for going for it on 4th and 13. It’s a long FG at best against a 20-25 mph wind. Going for it on 4th down is the right decision.
3:23 HydroTech - great "assignment football" by Brett Johnson to catch the AF QB behind the LOS.
2:05 CBKWit - nice tackle by AluAlu, he’s short of the first. 4th down. and AF goes for it at the 45, what JT should have done on the initial drive.
2:05 HydroTech/CBKWit - we wish DeSa had caught that pass on 4th down.
2:05 CBKWit - all of the bowl promos involve the military, as predicted. let’s see a hippie, or a nobel laureate
2:05 CBKWit/HydroTech - I don’t think Hydro wants this published, but it’s too true. "i’d almost give my left nut right now to have AF punt and not go for it on 4th down" Of course, they make it (barely!) and now they’re rolling again.
1st Quarter Thoughts - HydroTech - Cal O needs to sustain a long drive and rest our D which is getting gashed right now.
End of 1st quarter CBKWit - I’d say Cal needs to bring the safeties up to play the outside run - AF has tried twice to throw it downfield and it hasn’t been close, so let’s stop the pressing need (10 yards a carry on the outside) and force them to pass.
Hyrdo Tech - Also, a reminder to fans, "cut" blocks are legal. "Chop blocks" are illegal. I often hear a lot of confusion from fans when they face triple option teams who cut block a lot.
Start of Second Quarter, AF 7, Cal 0.
CBKWit - first play, big option gain to the outside. AF to score a TD very very soon.
14:45 HydroTech - AF is doing a great job with misdirection. If you watch the AF QB he does a lot of faking one way, and goes the other, or keeps going that way…. so tough to defend.
14:30 HydroTech - again, AF is running the triple option from shotty to the same side as the fullback dive.
14:10 HydroTech - Surprisingly, the time of possession stat is fairly balanced right now. About 8 minutes for AF and 7 for Cal. I thought it’d be worse. Cal O still needs to get a long drive going to spare our D.
14:10 CBKWit - AF is running a no huddle, so that stat is a little skewed.
14:05 CBKWit - Fuck. That was the highest, shortest kick i’ve seen in a while. AF recovers the kick, then breaks a 15 yard gain on first down. 14-0 AF, and you better believe it’s going to be 21-0 soon. Not good.
12:40 HydroTech - holding AF to a FG here will be a gift from God. nevermind. God hates us
12:15 CBKWit - If things don’t turn around soon, this live blog is going to get pretty ranty. I would say don’t live blog a blowout loss, but it’s actually kind of insulating me from the pain right now. Everyone, go start a blog now!
12:07 HydroTech - AF has run 25 plays, Cal has run 15. AF has 21 points, Cal has 0. This is going to be ugly.
11:50 CBKWit - and Riley returns! Cal faithful everywhere breathe a sigh of relief, as all of our troubles are over. After all, Nasty Nate missed three tackles on that last AF TD drive.
10:30 CBKWit - Riley eludes the rush and throws a pretty damn nice ball into the back corner of the endzone (on the run, no less!), where only DeSean could get it. Great play on the ball by DeSean. Cal is on the board! 21-7 AF
10:30 HydroTech - Well, good to see Riley in the game, I do think it is important for him to get more game experience so he can fully challenge NL next year for the starting spot. And what do you know, his mobility saves a sack and results in a fantastic TD bomb to THA1. And it’s good to see THA1 in the game so his mere presence can open things up for our offense.
10:25 HydroTech - I’m really relieved that Cal scored, but I wish it had taken more time off the clock to rest our defense.
10:15 CBKWit - Let’s see if that TD can fire up the D, but up the middle for 7 yards on 1st down is not a good start.
9:20 CBKWit - AF is short on 3rd down. It’s a short 4th down, but no way AF goes for it on their own 30.
8:28 CBKWit - delay of game! now I’m really sure they’re punting. and now they actually kick it. I can exhale.
9:20 HydroTech - notice that Bob Gregory blitzed the left CB on that 3rd down play? It left the WR uncovered. But a blitzing CB can be a surprise and help with outside containment.
8:10 CBKWit - well son of a bitch. Riley feels the pressure and scrambles for a first on 1st and 10. For Nasty Nate, that’s a sack or a throwaway.
8:10 HydroTech - well, if KR keeps playing this well and making things happen with his feet, we might never see NL again.
7:20 CBKWit - Bear Insider posters are salivating over this as we speak.
6:56 HydroTech - commentator dude is exactly right, Forsett needed to cut upfield and look for his cutback lane on that 2nd and 1 zone blocking run. That should have been a first down.
6:50 CBKWit - Riley sneaks for the 1st. I can just hear bear insider posters :"Nasty Nate would have fumbled"
6:42 HydroTech - good playcall calling the QB sneak on the 3rd and 1, a very safe play that is hard to defend when you only need one yard and there is only one defender immediately in front of you.
5:55 CBKWit - nice block by the RB (Forsett I believe) to pick up the blitz up the middle. Riley’s ball has some heat on it.
5:15 CBKWit - I’m shouting weird exclamations as "RemorseBruinBabe" reads "Real Simple" on the couch. Thanks Riley for revitilizing us!
4:20 HydroTech - lots of downfield passing when KR is in, something we don’t see a lot with when NL is in
4:10 CBKWit - HAAAAAAAWK HAAAAAAAAAAAAAWK HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWK! Nice touch by Riley on a critical third down for a TD 21-14 AF
4:09 HydroTech - I know JT said he would put KR in for a few drives this game, but the way Riley’s been throwing and running, I don’t see how JT can take Riley out any time soon. Although it did appear as if Riley did make a wrong read near the endzone on a throw which almost resulted in an INT. Like the commentators said, if the pass hadn’t been deflected the pass might have been intercepted.
3:55 CBKWit - Yeah, I was concerned that that near INT would rattle Riley and take some of the wind out of his sails. I was wrong. Riley is a confident dude.
3:53 HydroTech - Cal seems to be happy and more energetic all around on both sides of the ball now that we’ve put two scores on the board. momentum shifting?
2:34 CBKWit - I’d say it’s already completely shifted, but that 3rd and 10 conversion by AF is a killer. Hope we can stop them now.
2:08 CBKWit - That is quite a loud rendition of "Go Bears!" 10 minutes ago, I was hoping we could keep it within 30. It’s amazing how fast things change in college football, where emotion is such a critical element.
0:47 CBKWit - another penalty on 4th and less than a yard on AF, eliminating the fake punt option. Thank you, thank you.
0:39 HydroTech - I hope Cal can keep this momentum through halftime and the second half. I do remember a lot of games where Cal lost its momentum after halftime.
0:15 CBKWit - Nice metaphor for the entire season, I’d say.
0:06 HydroTech - JT should have called a timeout after the 1 yard reception by hawkins.
0:06 CBKWit - Sort of like the bungling at the end of the half in the UCLA game. I like being conservative with the clock so the opposing team can’t get the ball back, but there was less than 30 seconds on the clock. Call the TO!
0:00 HydroTech - wow, the hail mary pass hits Hawk in the shoulder?!?!?! Wow. Could have been a TD. Doesn’t really look like there was any PI although the defender on Hawk looked to be molesting Hawk a little.
0:00 CBKWit - Haaaaaawk! Oy, almost a TD on the hail mary. Still, great job getting back into the game by the Bears. Lets see if we can carry it over to the second half, with AF receiving to start the half.
0:00 HydroTech - actually, after looking at the hail mary pass again on the DVR, I do think there should have been a PI call. The defender on Hawk wasn’t playing the ball, and was pushing Hawk around like a school yard bully.
0:00 HydroTech - Still though, JT should have called a TO after Hawk’s 1 yard reception. That would have save 20 seconds or so and might have resulted in a field goal or touchdown.
End of First Half CBKWit - I have to give some pub to this comment by "RCZ" "I can only follow the gamecast from work. Could you guys mention it if Riley does the Sam Cassell "I have giant balls" dance?" RCZ, I have never seen this dance, so if you can find a youtube video and send us a link, we’ll keep you updated. By the way, can anyone think of a pro athlete uglier than Sam Cassell?
End of First Half HydroTech - If Riley starts for the rest of the game, performs very well, and Cal wins, I think that’ll be good and bad for JT. Good because Cal will have won and thus silenced the criticism that JT can’t right the ship and prevent the team from tail-spinning. But bad for JT because if Riley is such a crucial part of the win, then JT will take heat for not starting Riley over Longshore in the latter part of the season.
Halftime CBKWit - Am I the only one who loves it when Rece Davis refers to us as the "Sturdy Golden Bear"? An ESPN anchor knows our fight song - how awesome is that?
Start of second half
HydroTech - i’ll be honest, i’ve been making excuses for NL all season. I like him, I think he’s "adequate", and I sort of feel sorry for him for getting pulled, but I do think that Riley’s mobility might make up for any mental deficiencies that he might have compared to NL
CBKWit - yeah, that near INT brought to mind why Nate’s been starting all year (because of the experience), but Nate’s thrown a lot of back breaking picks, so I’d say that’s a wash
CBKWit - plus, Riley’s mobility so far has obviously been a boon. it’s not that Nate’s bad, but would he have eluded to pressure to throw that 1st td? would he have scrambled for that 1st?
RILEY PLAYING GREAT! oh yeah!
longshore eats babies!
Comment by bowbasaur — December 31, 2007 @ 11:42 am
Not sure if you guys knew, but Jordan, DeSean, and DeCoud would suspended for the first quarter for violating team rules. That explains why we suddenly have offense and can defend the run. Oh and that Riley guy too.
Comment by calpaladin — December 31, 2007 @ 11:42 am
Kevin Riley !! I knew you were good. You’re going to be Tedford’s best QB. Where have you been all season??? Things are looking up for next year!
Comment by Davidson — December 31, 2007 @ 11:46 am
I can only follow the gamecast from work. Could you guys mention it if Riley does the Sam Cassell “I have giant balls” dance?
Comment by rcz — December 31, 2007 @ 11:58 am
RILEY TO THE RESCUE!!!
THANK GOD!!!
P.S. Told you so.
Comment by Seth — December 31, 2007 @ 12:04 pm
RCZ, Riley prefers to do the fist pump. Much like Tiger Woods.
Comment by HydroTech — December 31, 2007 @ 12:08 pm
Seth, what are your thoughts on Riley’s almost-intercepted pass? As much as Riley has picked up the team thus far. If that pass had been intercepted, the game could be a lot different and maybe we all wouldn’t have huge hard-ons for KR. And NL wasn’t doing that bad before he came out. He was 5/8 and one of the incompletions was a drop. I do remember there was one overthrown pass to Stevens, but other than that, he was doing okay. But of course, I’m sure you’ll bring up the fact that Riley can scramble. Yes he can. Yes it helps. Is a mobile QB a necessity? Certainly not. Although it certainly helps a lot more college football than it probably does in the pros.
Comment by HydroTech — December 31, 2007 @ 12:17 pm
Dude, the I have giant balls dance - haven’t you guys seen Major League II?
Comment by calpaladin — December 31, 2007 @ 12:23 pm
Why don’t we save the NL/ Riley debate until after the game.
Comment by Ted — December 31, 2007 @ 12:28 pm
This is the best I can do: http://youtube.com/watch?v=RBQEmmgDl9I. Basically, Sam make a killer J and does the dance pioneered by the Japanese outfielder in Major League II.
Comment by rcz — December 31, 2007 @ 12:29 pm
Even the color guy (not Dan Fouts) has a man crush on Riley.
Comment by Ted — December 31, 2007 @ 1:03 pm
Hey guys…no one loves you more than I, but I’ve got a suggestion on the format of live blogging:
Maybe next time, you guys should do one small post on the front page and then all the live updates in the comments section. That way, its easier to follow. Otherwise, awesome job! I slept through the first quarter, so reading your comments brought me up to date! Nice!
GO BEARS!!!!!! =)
Comment by Jayne — December 31, 2007 @ 1:10 pm
Ted, Fouts has a man-crush on Riley because Fouts went to Oregon and Riley is from Oregon.
Comment by HydroTech — December 31, 2007 @ 1:11 pm
No I’m talking about the other guy, not Dan Fouts. He was talking about how he met Riley in the lobbying and how he was glowing. It was a bit much. Fouts loves all things Oregon.
Comment by Ted — December 31, 2007 @ 1:14 pm
*lobby not lobbying.
Comment by Ted — December 31, 2007 @ 1:16 pm
Jayne, good suggestion. We’ll implement that next year. Glad to hear you’re up and watching.
Comment by HydroTech — December 31, 2007 @ 1:16 pm
Ted, oops, sorry, mis-read your comment.
Comment by HydroTech — December 31, 2007 @ 1:17 pm
CB: I’m totally with you on the Rogers/Riley comparison. I hate to admit it (because I’ve been *such* a Longshore supporter all season), but damn, the kid looks good. Cal looks good. I’m lovin’ it!
Comment by Jayne — December 31, 2007 @ 1:22 pm
RILEY FTW!!!!!
Comment by Jayne — December 31, 2007 @ 1:36 pm
I had a brief crisis in faith but let me be the first to reiterate, TEDFORD IS GOD!
Comment by Ted — December 31, 2007 @ 1:37 pm
Say, this Riley kid is pretty good.
Comment by T. — December 31, 2007 @ 1:38 pm
Bob Gregory = Judas?
Comment by Ted — December 31, 2007 @ 1:50 pm
The Bears WIN!! All is right in the world! Happy 2008, you guys! =)
Comment by Jayne — December 31, 2007 @ 2:04 pm
All we ever needed was good solid play from our QB and presto, victory.
QB debate? Are you serious? I think any and all debate was resoundingly silenced today. If not you will never see the light.
The Air Force D was rushing Nate and getting pressure on him almost every play. Riley was never pressured where he couldn’t scramble away. Trying to minimize the positive effect this has on the offense is silly. Be it college or pros, a more mobile QB is better than a bumbling statue.
Riley ran the ball for a touchdown and a couple of good scrambles. Riley had great touch on the ball and the instincts of a veteran. No, there is NO QB debate. No rational one anyway. Why are you still resisting Hydro? No good can come of it.
Comment by Seth — December 31, 2007 @ 2:11 pm
All I can do is breathe a deep sigh of relief and say GO BEARS!
Comment by Will — December 31, 2007 @ 2:19 pm
I’m not resisting, Seth. I’m just playing a little Devil’s Advocate to balance out your biased Riley favoritism. It’s not that I’m disagreeing with everything you’re saying, but I think it’s important to look at both sides of the equation which I think you sometimes don’t always do. If Longshore was getting pressured and Riley wasn’t, then that’s the OL’s fault. So we can’t really fault NL then for not being as effective as Riley, can we? And Seth, you must be careful to make sure you’re not confusing my devil’s advocate arguments as my personal opinion. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever really published my personal opinion of who should be starting for Cal as QB. Most of my comments have been defending NL from unreasonable criticism (as opposed to reasonable criticism), and deriving the meaning of JT’s quotes on who should be Cal’s starting QB. From your comment, it sounds as if you believe that I believe that Longshore should be starting. Maybe I do, maybe I don’t. What I think doesn’t really matter, but only what JT thinks really matters. And that’s what I’ve been trying to figure out most of the time on this blog, what Tedford thinks. And since Longshore has been starting for the latter part of the season, and I’ve been trying to figure out what Tedford thinks, of course all my comments have been selling Longshore as giving Cal a better chance at winning than Riley. But like I said, that’s what I think Tedford thinks. My personal opinion may be different. It might not. For all you know, I could be on your side too and have been wanting Riley from day one too.
Comment by HydroTech — December 31, 2007 @ 2:26 pm
Regarding Air Force going for 2, I think it was NOT a mistake, and instead a good decision:
Had they gotten the two, recovered the onside, then scored, Cal would have to get a field goal to fie or TD to win. Without the two, even if they recovered and scored, Cal could still win with a field goal. Good call by AF, even if it didn’t work out.
Comment by calpaladin — December 31, 2007 @ 2:33 pm
Hydro, all of this double speak is perplexing. Why must you do it? Can’t you just come out and tell us what you really think? I mean, don’t you think you owe it to your loyal readers after a tough season? I think it’s time to man up and tell us, in clear and understandable terms, where you stand.
Who do YOU think gives Cal the best chance to win? And don’t use a bunch of fuzzy stats or intangibles, like Longshores supposed experience. Tell us all what your heart tells you. Who do you want to see start in 2008? I hope I am not asking too much.
Comment by Seth — December 31, 2007 @ 2:37 pm
Gameball goes to… Kevin Riley. Our offense sputtered until Riley took over. He led our Golden Bears with 269 yards and three TDs on 16-of-19 passing. Something a timidly aloof Longshore would never have orchestrated.
Riley is the solution to our QB wows. Has been for weeks. The real question that demands answering is WHY Tedford foolishly waited so long to play him! Well, why did he? Oh right, because Longshore gives us a better chance to win… Right? What a bunch of crap.
Riley for President 2008!
Crown him!
Comment by Oski — December 31, 2007 @ 3:08 pm
Alright, Seth. While I am already a man, I’ll tell you what I think. I honestly didn’t care who started for Cal. I know that sounds in-human and hard to believe but it’s true. Like I said, it doesn’t matter what I think. Agonizing over what I think and how it may differ from what JT may think doesn’t do anything. I’ve worked for the team, I’ve seen how JT teaches and watches the QBs. He watches every… single… pass. He knows so much more than we all do combined. If he thinks X player should start, then I think X player should start. Now while we often refer to Tedford as God on this blog (with joking sarcasm because we all know he isn’t and we’re not that big of a homer), he certainly isn’t god and infallible. He can make mistakes. He mismanages the clock at times. He might have made an error in starting Longshore for so long instead of Riley. Maybe. We’ll never know although we think we do. Riley could have lost those games too.
But there is a time when you may be starting the guy who gives you a better chance at winning, but he’s in a slump or things just aren’t working out and a change is needed. Maybe the guy’s in a slump, or maybe he just has a limitation. Maybe it’s both. Maybe it’s his arm strength, or accuracy, or experience, or maybe his lack of mobility. And there can sometimes come a time when a change, or a “spark”, as the commentators call it, is needed - even if the change doesn’t provide you with a better chance at winning. There comes a time when you have to go with that “spark” guy instead of the better guy. I think we saw that with Ayoob/Levy. And I think we saw that today. If Riley really was better, or gave Cal a better chance at winning, then why didn’t Riley start the bowl game? Longshore starting makes me believe that JT thinks Longshore still gives Cal a better chance to win. Without superior knowledge of Cal’s QBs, I defer to JT’s opinion. But the fact that JT was willing to play Riley (in the first half nonetheless!) despite starting Longshore suggests to me that JT realized it was time for that “spark” even though the guy who gives Cal a better chance at winning was starting.
So is Longshore better than Riley? I think that Tedford thinks so. Or at least he thought that *prior* to the bowl game. Of course, Tedford’s opinion might change after this bowl game result.
Now you wanted to know what my heart thought. What did my heart tell me? My heart thought that Riley was already better than Longshore after seeing the Oregon State game. My mind told me that my heart was being irrational, and that Riley couldn’t give Cal a better chance to win since JT started NL. And frankly, I had to believe my mind over my heart since it’s more likely that I’m wrong than JT is wrong.
Comment by HydroTech — December 31, 2007 @ 3:16 pm
That was the most complete performance by a Cal quarterback all year. Riley was only stopped by the clock at half time, by Forsett’s fumble, and by the clock at the end of the game. At this point I would be shocked if NL won the starting job back in the spring. Say what you will about the ankle, but there is no getting around his fourth quarter stats with or without an injury. He’s seems like a nice kid, but this is D-I college football and you don’t get to start just because you are a senior.
If we want to compete for a Pac-10 title, we need a new defensive coordinator. Gregory gives QB’s way too much time and he even made the back up from Air Force look decent. I’m watching Oregon cut USF to pieces with their redshirt freshman QB. We’re going to need a top notch defense to beat this Oregon team next year and the only way we’ll ever beat the Trojans is by out-coaching them. Tedford can handle that easily on offense but we need it on both sides of the ball.
Comment by Ted — December 31, 2007 @ 3:24 pm
CalPaladin, I see what you’re saying and I must change my position and agree that it was a good decision. But while going for two doesn’t hurt and can even benefit them, the benefits of going for two only occur IF they score on the 2-point conversion AND recover the onside kick AND score a touchdown AND there is time left on the clock for Cal to even mount a drive for a field goal to tie the game at 45-45. That’s a lot of ANDs. Certainly possible though, although a very low percentage of possibility. But as soon as AF had to burn a timeout it wasn’t worth it to go for two. The benefits of that one timeout were much greater than the benefits of a 3 point lead should AF score on the 2-pt. conversion, recover the onside kick, score again, AND there is time left on the clock for Cal.
Comment by HydroTech — December 31, 2007 @ 3:32 pm
Also, great job on the live blog guys. It would be great to see a few of them next year for road games.
Comment by Ted — December 31, 2007 @ 3:36 pm
Yes, indeed, it looks like we’ve got a QB competition to watch during the spring and summer…as in, who will be Kevin Riley’s backup to start the season, Longshore or Mansion?
I, too, have long been a Longshore apologist, and should he get on the field next year, I’ll have plenty of confidence in him. But he sure does look like QB2 after today’s dazzling performance by the Oregon wonder boy.
Go Bears!
Comment by California Pete — December 31, 2007 @ 4:16 pm
CalPaladin, Hydro,
Regarding the two point conversion, it was a poor call, and it was even worse that it cost them a timeout.
The “rule” is you don’t go for 2 until you have to. If you just kick the extra point and then Cal kicks a field goal, you’re only down by 8; if you can get another touchdown, you can then go for the conversion to tie. Conversely, if you go for 2 and don’t get it (which is what happened) and Cal kicks a field goal, now you’re down by 9 and it’s a two possession game. You’re toast.
Then, of course, burning the timeout was a separate mistake, especially considering they could still kick an extra point.
Comment by ragnarok — December 31, 2007 @ 4:23 pm
Not that I didn’t love Riley’s play today (other than the near-INT, virtually flawless), but I would like to point out that Longshore played pretty well, and he was hampered during his drives by missing two of his top receivers (witness the inexcusable drop by DeSa).
While I think Riley can win the job in the Spring, I also think a healthy Longshore will really push him.
Comment by ragnarok — December 31, 2007 @ 4:27 pm
@CalPaladin and HydroTech: The 2-point try by Air Force was stupid precisely because of all the ANDs you mentioned Hydro. What they should have done is gone for one. *If* all of those ANDs come to be, *then* go for the 2-point conversion. There was absolutely no upside to going for two at that point.
PS - Can’t wait to see what Riley does next year. GO BEARS!
Comment by Lance — December 31, 2007 @ 4:35 pm
Lance & Rags, okay, you guys convinced me. I’m a flip-flopper. Going for two was wrong. I believe Rags’ thinking is proper: you look at worst case scenario. Worst case is that Cal scores a TD - then the game is pretty much over. If not a touchdown, Cal scores a FG. And like Rags pointed out, AF would then need only 8 points to tie had they kicked the PAT. So okay, going for two was the incorrect choice. While CalPaladin brings up a good point, and probably figured out what the AF coach was thinking, the AF coach was probably thinking waaayyyy too far ahead. Just like Lance pointed out, there are way too many things that need to happen before that extra point from the two point conversion actually makes a difference.
Comment by HydroTech — December 31, 2007 @ 4:47 pm
Seth- never, ever stop being you. The Cal blogosphere would be a barren wasteland of rational thought without you!
Go Bears! It’s always good to win a bowl game, even if it is the Military Industrial Complex Wargasm Bowl. 7-6 seems a hell of a lot better than 6-7.
Unlike when I woke up this morning, I’m feeling fairly optimistic about ‘08.
Comment by joshiemac — December 31, 2007 @ 6:03 pm
I disagree on the two point conversion. There was no downside to it except for the fact that they stupidly had to call a timeout.
At best, they knew they had to score another touchdown. They needed to get a two point conversion at some point to win the game if Cal scored on a field goal. If Cal did not score on a field goal, a touchdown ties the game, and the extra point wins. If they were successful, then they would have been up by three. It was clear well before they were in position that they should have gone for the two. I was really surprised that the comentators were ragging on them. Remember, the time was under 4 minutes. And they are a running team. There is not going to be a lot of posessions left for either team.
The only question in my mind when they missed was whether or not they would go for the on side (more likely to make a field goal then) or not. I think that decision was made for them when they called the stupid timeout. If they had three remaining they would have kicked deep, and hoped to hold the Bears. But really, at that point, there was not a lot they were going to do anyway.
Comment by oski88 — January 1, 2008 @ 12:44 am
NL has confidence issues. I don’t think fundamentally he has major problems other than his tendency to stare at a particular receiver. His throws are all off when he lacks confidence, but there’s without a doubt he’s more than capable of throwing with pinpoint accuracy.
Riley is decent and can get pretty hot at times, but I think a healthy Nate early in the season would’ve beaten Riley yesterday. I don’t think Riley’s passes were all that spectacular. Additionally, I think the question is whether Riley’s lack of experience can beat Nate’s consistency issues and thus get him the starting job.
A lot of people were too critical of Nate, and as for the bowl game I don’t think he had a chance to prove himself. Our defense was total crap early game, and it usually takes a possession or two for our offense to get into gear anyways. Had he stayed in for 2 quarters things might have worked out better.
Comment by qwerasdf — January 1, 2008 @ 9:45 am
qwerasdf,
I’m not a Nate-basher by any means, but you might want to take a look at his fourth quarter performances his whole starting career. If I’m not mistaken, he’s thrown 1 TD and 12 INT’s. Think back to the Arizona game last year. The UCLA game this year and the Stanford (for God’s sake) and USC games this year. In the second half of the season, granted he was injured, we scored squat in the second half of every game and barely broke 20 points.
Riley, on the other hand, dropped six TD’s on a pretty good Air Force team in two and a half quarters. The kid can obviously play. As long as he doesn’t play he’ll never have experience.
I was actually at the game. The pre-game flyover by the B-1 bomber and two stealth fighters was incredible. I’m glad these guys are on our side, I’ll tell you. Also, during half-time, while I assume you had to listen to Mark May and Lou Holtz’s lisp, the Falcons released a real falcon for a fly-around the stadium. Awesome.
Comment by Pug — January 2, 2008 @ 7:20 am
qwerasdf: “I don’t think Riley’s passes were all that spectacular.”
!wtf!
dude, get off of Nate’s chub
Comment by dano — January 2, 2008 @ 2:21 pm
Let’s all step back for a minute and just be happy we even HAVE a quarterback “controversy”. When is the last time we would talk about such things. Heck, don’t forget Brock Mansion is waiting AND Kyle Reed transfered out due to the competition in the beginning of the season.
Despite our disappointing season its a good time for Cal Football don’t you think?
Comment by Oh Too Easy - paul — January 4, 2008 @ 2:26 am
oh really a nice coach live i liked it a lot…
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