The media on redemption: 45-31

  

AP: “No. 12 Cal gets revenge vs. No. 15 Tennessee”

This celebration was a full year in the making the 12th-ranked Golden Bears, who scored one for the whole West Coast when they simply outscored the Volunteers in a redemptive win.

Jackson scampered 77 yards for his sixth career punt return for a touchdown, and Golden Bears avenged last season’s humiliating loss at No. 15 Tennessee with a 45-31 victory Saturday night.

Justin Forsett rushed for 156 yards and a score, and Nate Longshore passed for 241 yards and two TDs as the Bears racked up the most points scored against the Volunteers in 12 years to win the opening weekend’s only matchup between ranked schools.

Though both teams struggled on defense, Cal’s offensive creativity and athleticism were too much for its SEC foes. Once Jackson recovered his cap, he declared the Bears ready for a spot in the national title race in coach Jeff Tedford’s sixth season.

AP: “Cal carries Pac-10 banner, sticks it to SEC”

No. 12 California answered LSU coach Les Miles’ barbs with a resounding 45-31 victory over 15th-ranked Tennessee on Saturday night. …

Cal coach Jeff Tedford shrugged when asked about Miles’ remarks. “I don’t need to respond to his comments,” Tedford said.

His players did it for him. That Cal-Berkeley juggernaut left tire tracks all over the Vols’ white road uniforms.

ESPN: “Revenge golden for Bears in season opener”

Cal traveled the distance from “But, Tennessee,” to “Beat Tennessee,” fueled by big plays. The offense scored a lot. The defense scored once. And Tennessee punted once to DeSean Jackson, which, translated from the language of dumb football, means that the Bears also scored once in the kicking game.

California made big plays and Tennessee did not, which is usually an accurate way to describe any victory. All told, a raucous crowd of 72,516 fans could leave Memorial Stadium confident that their Bears deserve national attention.

CBS News: “Cal squashes SEC arrogance with mauling of Tennessee”

The mistake, Les, was including Cal in your list of Pac-10 patsies. The Bears have become an annual top 15 team under Tedford.

Contra Costa Times: “Cal gives nation reason to care”

Ranked 12th and climbing, Cal used its vast array of playmakers to take advantage of Tennessee’s Southern hospitality before a sold out Memorial Stadium crowd of 72,516.

Playmaker No. 1, DeSean Jackson, provided the thrill everyone expected, a 77-yard punt return for a touchdown. Quarterback Nate Longshore also got into the end zone. So did Robert Jordan. As did Lavelle Hawkins. Ditto Justin Forsett.

“It’s nice to have all those playmakers,” Tedford said. “Everybody was really involved in the game.”

SF Chronicle: “Jackson answers Tennessee’s bold talk with punt return TD”

Phillip Fulmer backed up his pregame talk, punting the ball to Cal’s dynamo DeSean Jackson. But Fulmer made that mistake only once. … Jackson [now] has six career punt-return touchdowns on 27 opportunities.

Tennessee punter Britton Colquitt kicked the next two punts out of bounds for an average of 29 yards.

LA Times: “Cal ‘Pacs’ a punch in beating Tennessee”

Cal tried Saturday to dispel stereotypes about the Pac-10 being a finesse-first conference. On the first series, linebacker Zach Follett made a jarring blindside hit on Ainge that dislodged the ball from the quarterback’s hand and led to a 44-yard touchdown return by teammate Worrell Williams.

Follett heard for a year how soft Cal was last season at Knoxville. This year?

“They folded,” Follett said of the Vols. “In the third quarter, their offensive linemen were taking a knee. So I never want to hear that again.”

Knoxville News Sentinel: “Can’t Bear to watch”

The big plays changed uniforms. So did the winners.

A year ago in Neyland Stadium, Tennessee used an arsenal of big plays to put a season-opening whipping on the California Golden Bears.

Saturday night on the other side of the Continental Divide, it was 12th-ranked Cal ripping off a couple of early big plays and making them stand up for a season-opening 45-31 victory over the 15th-ranked Vols.

Knoxville News Sentinel: “UT’s Karl impressed by Cal’s speed”

As far as skill-position players are concerned, Ryan Karl thinks Tennessee has seen the finest that 2007 will offer.

“Probably the best we’re going to play all year,” the senior linebacker said of Cal’s running backs, receivers and quarterback following Saturday night’s 45-31 loss. “They have better speed than probably anyone we’re going to play all year. All of them have that big-play potential.” … “They have great speed on offense,” Karl said. “It surprised me how fast they were.”

Ta’ufo’ou to play Saturday

The SF Chronicle is reporting that fullback Will Ta’ufo’ou “practiced at full speed Thursday and is expected to play Saturday.” This is excellent news for tomorrow’s match-up.

During a scrimmage on August 16, fullback Ta’ufo’ou sprained his MCL (knee), which was thought to sideline him for 3-6 weeks including the Tennessee game.

Media on Tennessee

#15 Tennessee vs. #12 Cal

ESPN’s Top 25 Overview:

This is easily the marquee game of opening weekend and Cal will have revenge on its mind. Last season, the Vols jumped out to a 35-0 lead in routing the Bears. This time Cal is at home, returning a veteran offense.

SI: “Bring on the Vols”

On Saturday, [Nate Longshore] from Canyon Country, Calif., will lead the 12th-ranked Bears against No. 15 Tennessee — the only matchup between ranked teams in Week 1. …

After getting blown out in Knoxville, Cal had a terrific season, winning 10 games and dominating Texas A&M in the Holiday Bowl. But, in discussing the Bears season, says Tedford, people seldom failed to mention the debacle that began it. Despite that low moment — indeed, because of it — the Cal guys I talked to are fired up to get another crack at the Vols.

USA Today: “Cal-Tennessee stands out in weekend of mismatches”

With the kickoff to the college football season full of mismatches… the one game to watch should be No. 12 California against No. 15 Tennessee in Berkeley (Saturday, 8 p.m., ET, ABC).

Cal coach Jeff Tedford says last year’s 35-18 loss at Tennessee was the worst game his team has ever played but Saturday’s game isn’t about revenge. “It’s redemption,” he says.

The stigma of last year’s blowout and the stereotypes perpetuated about West Coast football as a result, lingered the entire season, Tedford says.

Though a league’s strength can’t be judged on one game — Cal-Tennessee is the only match between a Southeastern Conference and Pacific-10 school in the regular season — a Bears win would be sweet for the Pac-10, especially after LSU coach Les Miles jokingly took a swipe at the league.

AP: “Cal aims for better start vs. Vols this time”

The Golden Bears have 16 starters back from last season, including eight on offense. The unit is led by junior quarterback Nate Longshore, who threw for 3,021 yards and 24 touchdowns as a sophomore.

“This is the first time that we’ve had a returning quarterback that played the previous season come back and start for us in our five years,” Tedford said. “Nate is a student of the game, he has experience now and really in all environments. Starting out last year at Tennessee was as tough a look as you’re going to get.” …

Both teams are picked to finish second in their respective conferences, Tennessee behind defending national champion Florida in the SEC East and Cal behind the top-ranked Trojans. … Tennessee is 2-6-1 all-time in the state of California, where it hasn’t played since a 30-24 win at UCLA on Sept. 6, 1997. The Golden Bears went 8-0 at home last year.

Yahoo/Rivals: “For openers, Cal-Tennessee tops list”

1. Tennessee at California
The only first week matchup of top 25 teams – Cal is 12th, Tennessee is 15th – is also a rematch of a beat-down from last season. Tennessee physically overwhelmed Cal 35-18 (it wasn’t that close) in Knoxville last season. This time, Cal gets its chance for redemption in front of its home crowd. Both teams feel they have legitimate championship aspirations, but the Bears must prove they’re tough enough up front to avoid another embarrasment. Meanwhile, Tennessee is unsettled in the secondary, which is especially worrisome when facing Cal’s explosive receiver DeSean Jackson.

ESPN: “Rematch with Vols has Cal fired up”

“We’re not out to make a statement for the Pac-10,” Tedford said. “We’re out to play our best that we can play. … If we had played our best and gotten beat like that, you can make that statement. We didn’t even come close to how we play.”

Tennessee comes to Berkeley with a question mark surrounding Ainge, who broke the little finger on his throwing hand… None of that matters to the Cal players or their fans, 50,000 of whom will be armed with megaphones on Saturday, courtesy of the athletic department. If the Bears beat the Vols, it will taste sweet no matter who wears the white uniforms with orange numbers. Even Tedford admitted as much.

“If we’re successful in this game, it will just validate that we’re a good football team,” Tedford said.

SI.com: “Cal’s sharp offense will prove too much for Tennessee”

Cal 34, Tennessee 28. The Bears actually do have bigger problems than hippies in their oak trees; namely, the fact that their defensive front seven only has two returning starters. But they’ll also be able to score enough points this year — powered by a trio of Longshore TD passes, and a solid outing from new No. 1 runner Justin Forsett — to overcome whatever offensive assault Ainge and Cutcliffe can muster.

NY Post: “Golden Opportunity’

Listen, Cal won’t be confused with Southern Cal anytime soon, especially on the depth chart, but the Bears’ starting offensive skill is comparable to the No. 1 Trojans’, and the defense isn’t bad either. Just ask Texas A&M, which was blasted by the Bears, 45-10, in the Holiday Bowl.

Tennessee, picked preseason No. 2 in the SEC East, is in line for a good season. But with Cal, Southern Miss and Florida on the slate the first three weeks, it could be a rocky start on Rocky Top.

Cal (-6) is the pick.

Jordan, Tennessee, Best

ESPN’s Bruce Feldman put up a piece on Cal and Robert Jordan with some interesting bits of information. Jordan, a cousin of Marshawn Lynch, is apparently also related to #1 draft pick JaMarcus Russell from LSU to the Raiders. (If you weren’t aware: earlier this month, a certain SEC coach, bashed the Pac-10 and the Bears in an often-repeated but ill-founded claim:

“I would like nothing better than to play USC for the [national] title,” Miles reportedly said in a speech to a heavily pro-LSU gathering in New Orleans. “I can tell you this, that they have a much easier road to travel. They’re going to play real knockdown drag-outs with UCLA and Washington, Cal-Berkeley, Stanford — some real juggernauts — and they’re going to end up, it would be my guess, in some position so if they win a game or two, that they’ll end up in the title [game].

This coach was LSU’s Les Miles.) So,

Russell was actually with Jordan when they learned about Miles’ comments… “[Jordan] said ‘J, what’s up with your coach?’ And he was like ‘Ah man, he’s a hothead don’t listen to him,'” Jordan recalled.

Predictably, Feldman talks about Cal-Tennessee next:

Jordan and a few of his Cal teammates though say they don’t feel any additional pressure to uphold the Pac-10’s honor in their big rematch against Tennessee in the season opener…

“I think about that game everyday, at every workout about how their crowd and their players were able to talk to us and all that,” Jordan says. “We do represent the conference, but really we’re playing for us. Last year we let ourselves down.

“We really weren’t focused on football. We let the media hype it up… Now we’ve got a veteran team. It’s not going to be like that. We’re going to keep fighting regardless. I’d be real shocked to have another outcome like that again. I don’t see how that could happen again.”

Said DeSean Jackson, Cal’s star WR-KR: “It is a little bit of extra pressure on us as far as how people think of the Pac-10, but all we can do is just play hard.”

Cal QB Nate Longshore, admits he watches the UT game, start to finish, all the time. “Everytime I watch it, I see something different,” he says. “It’s interesting to see the whole flow of the game and how turnovers affect teams and things like that in retrospect. Like instead of just going down and losing a yard, we try and make a play and they get to gang-tackle us and that builds momentum for them.

“There’s so much that you wanna do over, but at the same time you have to treat it like another game.”

The article ends with this about incoming freshman Jahvid Best:

A little debate about who is the fastest Golden Bear: Jackson or incoming freshman TB Jahvid Best, the player Longshore touted as the guy who is going to really surprise some people this fall.

“He is ridiculous quick,” Longshore said of the 5-foot-11, 182-pounder, who once won a Gold Medal in the 200m at the 2005 USTAF Junior Olympics. “He could beat DeSean in a race, no doubt in my mind. No doubt. He’s the fastest I’ve ever seen.

No GameDay on Sep. 1

ESPN has opted to take GameDay to Blacksburg for the East Carolina at Virginia Tech game instead of Berkeley on September 1 (reported in May). This decision was most likely prompted by the tragedy that occurred earlier this year.

Hopefully, we may have GameDay for our match-up with USC in November.

Tennessee, USC games to be on national TV

ESPN has picked up both the Tennessee and USC home games to be broadcast nationally on ABC’s Saturday Night Football. The Tennessee game will kick off the Saturday Night Football series. So, both are going to be 5pm night games – I can tell you now that the atmosphere is going to be electric.

If the trend continues from last year, the Bears will be coming out of the gates in the yellow jerseys. These seemingly have become the home/night jerseys of important games. Note that the Bears have not lost a game in the yellows, and I’m excited to see the streak continue. Here’s a release from Cal about the broadcasts.

Transportation for the Tennessee game

Just a heads-up about Bay Area transportation for the Tennessee game: the Bay Bridge will be closed in both directions all of Labor Day weekend (including game day on 9/1).

While this may be a big inconvenience for those planning to drive, they will run BART 24 hours a day for the weekend.

“WOODSHED BEATDOWN”

Yesterday’s Holiday Bowl was one for the ages and a defining moment of the Tedford Era at Cal. The Bears defied all critics and came together to form the juggernaut that the Cal faithful knew would show up to play, dominating all phases of the game and routing Texas A&M 45-10.

Here are the media rounds. Go Bears, and note you can’t spell shellacking without CAL.

AP: “Lynch runs for 111 yards, 2 TDs; Cal routs Texas A&M”

Cal (10-3) put an emphatic final touch to its second 10-win season in three years. …

“Cal played a great game,” [Aggies coach Dennis] Franchione said. “We were not up to the task. They controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.” … While the Golden Bears moved up and down the field, their defense came up big, too.

ESPN: “Bears’ Holiday Bowl win exorcises some demons”

The Bears pounded Texas A&M, outhitting the Aggies from the opening kickoff en route to an impressive and very emotional 45-10 victory … But Thursday’s performance was more about this team making a statement, proving — perhaps to themselves as much as the rest of the college football world — that they had the grit to go with all the glitz. … numbers don’t accurately show Cal’s dominance. …

The rout also provided a needed boost for Pac-10 pride, which really has taken a beating in the last week … beating the No. 21 Aggies won’t answer all the critics, but it sure was a great way to jump into the offseason.

San Diego Union-Tribune: “Grizzly bears”

Not only did Cal prove it could take a punch, it delivered a haymaker. …Whereas No. 21 Texas A&M (9-4) had been identified as the intimidator in this affair, boasting a bruising running game that ranked seventh-best in the country, it was Cal that assumed the role of tormentor. The Bears finished with 476 total yards and ran roughshod over a defense that just last month limited then-No. 11 Texas to seven points in the Aggies’ regular-season finale.

San Diego Union-Tribune: “Cal’s defense shows who’s boss”

The Cal Golden Bears were the ones playing the part of the physical opponent, bottling up the Aggies’ option game with blood-letting assignment defense in a 45-10 victory.

LA Times: “Cal makes point for Pac-10, beating Texas A&M 45-10”

It wasn’t the Rose Bowl, but it was a start. The No. 20 California Golden Bears, whose chance to get to Pasadena had veered off course in two of the past three seasons, made the most of their postseason opportunity…

SF Chronicle: “Lasting impression”

It was, in short, their most dominant postseason game ever, and one that will provide rebuttal for those whose minds still go back to the losses at Arizona and USC that sent them here.

SF Chronicle: “Win both convincing and entertaining”

Marshawn Lynch’s 111 yards and two touchdowns looked like classic Chuck Muncie. Justin Forsett’s 124 yards and a score on eight carries looked a lot like Lynch. Nate Longshore’s 235 yards on 19-of-24 passing looked like Pat Barnes circa 1996. DeSean Jackson was the spitting image of Geoff MacArthur in 2003.

Contra Costa Times: “Cal puts in extra hard work on this holiday”

After stumbling at the end of the regular season with only three offensive touchdowns in their final three games, Cal erupted for 476 yards of offense, including 241 rushing yards. …

“I’ve never seen a game where we outhit somebody so hard,” said Bears linebacker Zack Follett, who had two tackles for loss. “When you put this kind of beat-down on a great team like Texas A&M, it’s going to look good. Our future is awesome.”

Houston Chronicle: “Cal turns out the lights on A&M in Holiday Bowl”

The Bears punished A&M physically, hammering quarterback Stephen McGee on at least two occasions and then knocking running back Mike Goodson out of the game late with what appeared to be a knee injury. Cal dominated the Aggies’ offensive line, swarming to the ball to cut off running lanes. A&M couldn’t return the favor. … The Bears’ speed riddled A&M zones, with Nate Longshore having plenty of time to find open receivers in soft spots. …

The Bears outscored A&M 31-0 in the second half to break open a close game.

Dallas Morning News: “Holiday off: Cal routs A&M, 45-10”

Texas A&M’s porous pass defense, its downfall last year, resurfaced to haunt the Aggies Thursday night in the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl. The Aggies’ inconsistent passing offense, which they overcame much of this season, finally cost them against No. 20 Cal. No. 21 A&M suffered its first blowout loss of 2006, ending an encouraging year with a disappointing 45-10 defeat in front of a pro-Golden Bears crowd of 62,395 at Qualcomm Stadium.

San Antonio Express: “California smashes Texas A&M”

The Aggies upset Texas 12-7 on Nov. 24 in Austin, but Franchione’s first victory over A&M’s chief rival now seems a distant memory following Thursday’s shellacking against the Bears (10-3), the Pac-10 co-champions.

Tomorrow: the Holiday Bowl

vs.

The Holiday Bowl is tomorrow (Thursday), December 28 at 5pm Pacific time on ESPN. This is a big game against a big-time opponent, and hopefully the Bears are ready. On paper, Cal is a more talented team that should have the tangible advantages on the field. However, the Aggies are not a team to be overlooked and it will be a great challenge to defeat them.

I am excited to see how Coach Jeff Tedford has prepared the #20 Bears to face #21 Texas A&M and their option offense with a 275 pound running back. It should be a great match-up to watch but I see the Bears getting it done with a close win. With three (Oregon, ASU, UCLA) out of six Pac-10 teams losing their respective bowl games, it is also imperative for the conference that Cal wins tomorrow.

The Contra Costa Times‘ Jay Heater has some optimistic words about the match-up:

My guess is that Cal’s offense is about to resurface. I think the players are very excited to be facing a traditional college football power and one that just beat Texas. Put DeSean Jackson and Marshawn Lynch in front of the national spotlight, and I would imagine that good things are about to happen. Quarterback Nate Longshore looks confident and happy, and I think he is going to bounce back with a big game.

In a way, the 2006 season is over. This game really is about 2007, even though Cal has some very talented seniors who will be leaving. But this is the lasting image that national press will get of Cal going into next season. Will it be of a team that couldn’t live up to the hype of national title contender, or will it be of a team that fell a little short against USC and went ahead and buried one of the Big 12’s top teams.

Meanwhile, Scouts, Inc.‘s take on the game is similar to predictions posted earlier:

Texas A&M is entering the Holiday Bowl on a high after its win over rival Texas. The Aggies ground game is good enough to chew up the clock and keep Cal’s playmakers on the sideline. A&M does not play very many one-sided games and will present a tough obstacle for a talented Cal team. If the Golden Bears don’t get big plays from their playmakers this game could be the exclamation point on the Aggies fine season. In our opinion, though, the Golden Bears are too balanced and too explosive for the Aggies to keep up in the end. Prediction: Golden Bears 31, Aggies 24

The media on the Holiday Bowl

Opinions are mixed, but everyone says it should be close.

ESPN’s Bruce Feldman: “Picks: Texas rolls past Iowa; Cal wins Holiday shootout”

Cal 38, Texas A&M 35: Lots of dangerous skill talent on display in a bowl that always seems to be entertaining. I’m expecting a big show from the tailbacks on both sides, but in the end look for DeSean Jackson to take over.

Scout/CFN: “Mr Pac-10’s Bowl Picks”

This one is a bit tough to pick. While I definitely believe that Cal won’t lay the egg here that they did two years ago, I’m just not sold on them being all that great, especially after three straight lousy performances. A&M seems to be peaking, and while bowl games are always a crapshoot, I think that they’re the slightly better team here. Texas A&M 31, Cal 28

ESPN’s Pat Forde: “Dashing through the bowl season”

The important information: This is an intriguing game between two teams looking for a springboard to a potentially big season in 2007. A&M coach Dennis Franchione got his credibility boost by upsetting Texas to end the regular season. Cal is still looking for one. …

The pick: Cal 30, Texas A&M 26.

USA Today’s Erick Smith: “Weekend Forecast”

This is one of the better non-BCS matchups of the bowl season. Both teams should produce a lot of offense as the Holiday Bowl continues its tradition of entertaining matchups. California 34, Texas A&M 28.

FOXSports/CFN: “Fearless Prediction: Holiday Bowl”

Texas A&M struggled all year against the nastier passing offenses and doesn’t have enough of a pass rush to throw the Bear passing game off, so expect a big day from Longshore. Cal isn’t physical enough to handle the nasty A&M offensive line and the pounding of the ground game, so expect a big day from Lane. When in doubt, go with the better running game. …

Fearless Prediction: Texas A&M 24 … California 23