Bears’ defense stands firm in 21-3 victory over WSU

In their first win in Pullman stadium since 1979, the Bears’ defense shined on an uncharacteristically low-scoring offensive day. Despite three trips into Cal’s red zone, WSU was limited to scoring only one field goal. Marshawn Lynch also played well, rushing for 152 yards and 2 touchdowns on 25 carries. Special Teams also came up big, blocking a first quarter punt that set up one of Lynch’s touchdowns.

Some Recap Articles:

• AP/ESPN: “Lynch, Cal breaks Martin Stadium curse”
• Contra Costa Times: “Sack leader can’t get past Cal line”
• Daily Cal: “Defense Takes Over to Ensure Victory for Cal”
• Los Angeles Times: “California Puts and End to Streak”
• San Francisco Chronicle: “Cal bumbles, fumbles — but wins”
• Scout.com: “Cal vs. WSU: Offense Struggles, Defense Excels”

During College Gameday Recap, Analyst Desmond Howard‘s Top 5 picks included Cal at #4, just ahead of USC:

To me, Cal is the most impressive 1-loss team in the country, and they’re playing great football.

Today, Washington State

Our predictions for today:

Eric’s prediction: 49-21, Cal.
Steve’s prediction: 38-14, Cal.

And, if you can’t make it up to Memorial Stadium, here are your listening options:

Radio:

• KALX Radio (90.7 FM, Berkeley)
• KGO Radio (810 AM, San Francisco)
• KKGO Radio (1260 AM, Los Angeles)
• KKGO Radio (540 AM, San Diego)
• KESP Radio (970 AM, Modesto)
• KNRO Radio (1670AM, Redding)

Online:

• Online KGO stream
• Online KALX stream

Saturday’s matchup at Washington State

The Bears head up to Pullman, WA to face the Cougars tomorrow. Here are some thoughts about the matchup:

ESPN’s Bruce Feldman: “Picks”

No. 10 Cal 38, WSU 34: The Bears are the hottest team in the Pac-10, but my hunch is that the Cougars’ potent passing game will give Cal some problems. The Bears have struggled against the pass quite a bit this season (ninth in the Pac-10 in pass D), although I think some of that is a reflection of them being so far ahead of some of their teams. Thing that has me sold: Wazzu’s passing attack keeps it close.

Scout.com‘s “Mike and Jay’s College Picks”

California has climbed back into the top ten after demolishing Oregon last week (as well as crushing one of my upset picks), and looks to continue airing it out against the Cougars. On paper, this doesn’t look too intriguing, but we’re all aware of how WSU can surprise people, and it certainly helps that Cal hasn’t won in Pullman since 1979. Also, if you ignore the 40-14 loss to Auburn (yeah, I know, can you really ignore a 26 point loss?), the Cougars have made a pretty good showing this year, mostly thanks to their defense. They sure gave USC a scare a couple of weeks ago. I think California gets a scare, here, but ultimately pulls out the victory. Look for the Golden Bears to trail early on, and maybe even at halftime, but ultimately win this one by 10.

SportsTicker: “California looks to keep rolling at Washington State”

However, Cal has lost 10 straight meetings in Pullman, including a 51-20 setback in the last one, in 2001.

Washington State (4-2, 2-1) rebounded from a tough, 28-22 loss to Southern California with a 13-6 triumph at Oregon State last weekend. The only touchdown came on a 29-yard pass from Alex Brink to Jason Hill in the third quarter.

ESPN‘s “Lies, damn lies and statistics”:

40: Wazzu will be challenged to keep that run alive against a Cal offense that’s clicking on all cylinders. The Bears’ 45-24 romp over Oregon marked their fifth straight game scoring more than 40 points. That’s a school record.

27: In order to slow down the Golden Bears, the Cougars will need to figure out a way to stop DeSean Jackson. Jackson has scored a TD from at least 27 yards out in all six of Cal’s games this year. That includes a 36-yard TD reception and a 65-yard punt return last week against the Ducks.

Scout.com‘s “Mr. Pac 10’s Week 7 Picks”:

This could be the best game of the week, especially given how well the Cougars have played of late. Ever since their week one blowout loss at Auburn, Wazzu has really turned it around and played at a much higher level, especially in their close loss to the Trojans two weeks ago. If they can replicate that performance, they definitely have a shot.
On the Other Hand:
Even in (arguably) Wazzu’s best game of the year, they still lost by six points. And truth be told, in the last couple of weeks Cal has played appreciably better than USC, which isn’t at all a good sign for the home team.
Bottom Line:
Maybe this game will be close, but it’s much more likely that it’ll be a relatively easy win for the Bears.
Cal 34, @ Washington State 14

Cal responds to criticism, will offer live broadcast in Memorial

Great news to Cal fans in the Berkeley area: Cal Athletics is working on offering a live video feed of the WSU game from their scoreboard in Memorial Stadium on Saturday. Audio from Joe Starkey’s radio broadcast will also be fed through the stadium’s PA system as well.

Seating will be open and free for all Cal fans, so it should be an exciting and new viewing experience different than our living rooms. Unfortunately, our ideas for a barbeque/party probably won’t be permitted:

All seating will be open in the stadium, however, fans are encouraged to bring food and drinks as concession stands will not be open. There will be no alcohol allowed and field access will also be prohibited.

Cal reminds fans that this will be the Washington State scoreboard feed; “Go Bears” cheers are strongly encouraged despite any contradictory scoreboard messages coming from Pullman.

As a reminder, kickoff will be at 2pm. I will update this as more information is available.

No-TV outrage for WSU gains steam

The outrage over missing television coverage for the Cal-WSU game this Saturday is beginning to go national. SI’s Stewart Mandel talks about it in his column, blasting the Pac-10’s leadership for its poor administration.

Why is Cal the only top 10 team that won’t be on TV this weekend when it plays Washington State? — Chris, Lincoln, Calif.

When I first saw this, I assumed Chris was complaining that Cal wasn’t on national TV. But no. Believe it or not, in an age of 700 cable channels, many of which are foaming at the mouth to show even the most obscure live sporting event, a college football game between two Pac-10 schools, one of them 5-1 and the other 4-2, will have not a single television camera present. And for that, Bears and Cougars fans can thank their fine conference leaders.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: As a sports entity, the Pac-10 is right up there with the Big Ten, SEC and everyone else. As businesses, however, the Big Ten and SEC are Wal-Mart and Target; the Pac-10 is the mom-and-pop shop down the street. The Pac-10’s bizarre loyalty to Fox Sports Net over ESPN (supposedly because of the better time slots) kills the conference’s exposure. This coming weekend, you’ll be able to watch as many as five Big Ten games from anywhere in the country. You’ll be able to watch three SEC games. You’ll even be able to watch Louisiana Monroe at Troy. Depending on your satellite package, you could theoretically watch 28 college football games. But you will not be able to watch the No. 10 team in the country play an important conference contest.

Props to Chris in Lincoln and Mandel for shining some light on the issue. Hopefully this kind of negative press will apply the pressure to the Pac-10 leadership to do a better job with these matters. Thanks to Ken over at Bear Territory for this tidbit.

WSU game to go untelevised

Unfortunately, the Washington State game will not be televised on Saturday despite Cal’s best efforts to get it on air. Washington State was apparently unwilling to move their game an hour (it is their homecoming) to have Comcast broadcast it. Jon Wilner at the Mercury News has more details on his blog.

Looks like this will be another radio game. I believe this is also the second time this season that Cal is the only top 25 team game without any TV coverage. Thanks, Pac-10, for screwing up another one.

Washington (10/21) game picked up by FSN

Fox Sports Network has picked up the Washington at Cal game a week from Saturday. Kickoff is slated for 12:30pm.

The game at Washington State this Saturday has not yet been selected to be televised. Apparently, the teams are in talks with Comcast to get the game broadcasted and we’ll find out the verdict later today.

Bears dominate Ducks 45-24 in blowout victory

Cal returned to national television last night in a statement game, showing audiences around the country the real Bears. Memorial Stadium was sold-out packed, emotions were high, and the crowd roared with deafening noise. Oregon’s powerful offense was crushed by the Bears’ defense, as they were shut down on the run and struggled in the air to avoid interceptions (quarterback Dennis Dixon was picked off three times).

Meanwhile, Cal dominated Oregon offensively and on special teams. Despite losing Marshawn Lynch to injury early in the game, the Bears had no trouble dismantling Oregon passing or on the ground with Justin Forsett. WR/PR DeSean Jackson returned another punt for a breathtaking touchdown. The 45-24 result is hardly representative of the whooping Oregon received, primarly due to Coach Jeff Tedford‘s class (he did not run up the score) but also some terrible officiating by the now-infamous Pac-10 referees.

A few recap articles:

• AP/ESPN: “Longshore continues to shine as Cal thumps No. 11 Ducks”
• Contra Costa Times: “Cal’s ‘O’ rolls: Injury to Lynch doesn’t stop Bears”
• Daily Cal: “What a Win! Bears Pound Oregon in Front of Packed House, Extend Winning Steak to Five”
• Los Angeles Times: “Cal Sets the Gold Standard”
• Sacramento Bee: “Bears quack some heads: Cal overpowers Ducks, rolls to fifth consecutive victory”
• San Francisco Chronicle: “Cal in a runaway: Only one offense shines despite predictions of a shootout”
• San Jose Mercury News: “Golden touch: Cal, dressed for success, routs Oregon 45-24”
• Scout.com: “Cal’s Convincing Win Over Oregon 45-24”

Cal’s impressive victory also has turned heads back to Berkeley, and the Bears are receiving some attention that was there during the preseason but lost after Tennessee.

Sporting News’ Tom Dienhart: “Cal could be nation’s No. 2 team”

And so it went on this night during a — What else? — thunderous 45-24 Cal victory over Oregon. It was a showdown that would determine who is the second-best team in the Pac-10. But, who am I kidding? Given another unimpressive USC win (this time over Washington), this was a showdown to determine who was the best team in the Pac-10.

And it wasn’t even close. It’s Cal…

How good is 5-1 Cal? More on that later. This much I know for sure: The team I saw whip Oregon has to be as good as any squad in the nation not named “Ohio State.” It has to be.

Sports Illustrated’s Stewart Mandel: “Five Things We Learned This Weekend”

That the national title race is down to nine contenders. They are: Ohio State, USC, Michigan, Florida, West Virginia, Texas, Louisville, Tennessee and Cal. Why these nine? They are the only remaining teams (besides Boise State) that elicit enough confidence to suggest they could win the rest of their games. Obviously, most of them won’t (especially considering USC-Cal, Ohio State-Michigan and West Virginia-Louisville play each other), but if you had to bet your life savings on the matter, you’d be smart to stay within this pool.

ESPN’s Mark Schlabach: “Rejuvenated Bears dismantle Oregon”

The Bears were the team that everyone away from the Left Coast seemingly forgot. But they had won four consecutive games since losing to Tennessee, scoring 40 points or more…

Still, that winning streak wasn’t enough to erase the deflating loss at Tennessee… But by the time the sun had set Saturday night behind the picturesque hills that hover over this classic college football setting, it was clear Cal has something the Ducks — and possibly every other Pac-10 team besides USC — still lacks. Defense.

And the Bears sure have enough offense to go with it.

Predictions for today’s game

Most analysts are predicting a relatively high-scoring but close outcome for today’s matchup. Statistically, Cal and Oregon are nearly neck-to-neck in every category. Both have excellent coaches and great personnel. And, in the past few years every game has been down to the wire. However, with Oregon on the road at Cal, the Bears should emerge victorious.

Here are a few predictions:

Sites:

• ESPN’s Bruce Feldman: Cal 41, Oregon 35
• Scout.com’s Mr Pac-10: Cal 38, Oregon 31
• Scouts, Inc: Cal 38, Oregon 31
• The Sports Network: Cal 34, Oregon 31
  

Blogs:

• TedfordisGod: Cal 43, Oregon 24
• Bear Territory: Cal 38, Oregon 31

Finally, our thoughts:

Eric’s prediction: 38-27, Cal.

Steve’s prediction: 41-38, Cal

More buzz for Saturday’s showdown

Things are still buzzing about Cal in anticipation of Saturday’s conference matchup against Oregon. First of all, there’s a few general-interest articles to read. The AP has a feature article about well-deserving Daymeion Hughes, talking about his successes on the field and his art major. The Daily Cal has an article describing the relationship between Coach Jeff Tedford and Oregon head coach Mike Belotti. ESPN also talks about both teams’ “hangovers” (Tennessee, Oklahoma) that they are overcoming in this game in a great article.

Next, here is the ABC coverage map for Saturday night. The game is receiving national attention from most of the country, most importantly both the West and East coast. Having exposure on the East Coast will be good, considering it seems that most people out there haven’t seen a Cal game since the Tennessee letdown.

Finally, here is a run-down of some more thoughts about the game (I’ll be adding more as it comes out):

ESPN’s Bruce Feldman: “Picks”

No. 16 Cal 41, No. 11 Oregon 35: I love the Ducks’ skill talent and the fact that Oregon has given up just one sack this season, but I’m playing a hunch here. Nate Longshore is rolling now and he has plenty of speed on the outside. And I have a feeling that this is the week we realize how much the Ducks miss Haloti Ngata as Marshawn Lynch reintroduces himself to the nation and ends up being the RB everyone is talking about Sunday morning (after Garrett Wolfe, of course). Oregon is only ninth in the Pac-10 in rushing D. It has surrendered three straight 100-yard rushing performances.

Thing that has me sold: Marshawn Lynch.

Scouts, Inc.’s Todd McShay:

Q: Todd, which team, Oregan or Cal, has the best chance to knock off USC?

A: They both travel to LA for the game, which does not bode well. But if I had to pick one of the two I would go with Cal. Tedford has beaten USC in the past and he has the defensive speed to match up better than Oregon. As good as Oregon has been, Cal seems to be improving by leaps and bounds each week. Oregon has good offensive weapons with QB Dixon, RB Stewart and WR Williams, but Cal has a more explosive bunch with RB’s Lynch and Forsett and WR’s Jackson and Jordan. If Longshore continues to improve between now and Nov. 18th, I think Cal would have the better shot.

ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit:

Q: Oregon-Cal seems like such a toss-up to me. Can you help me pick a winner in this one and why?

A: Well, Oregon’s defensive line concerns me with the injuries they’ve sustained. The injury to Cole Linehan puts even more pressure on the inexperienced interior. I think they’ll have a hard time shutting down Cal’s running game with Marshawn Lynch. I think Oregon’s best chance will be the combination of Dennis Dixon to Jaison Williams and the running of Jonathan Stewart to not only outscore Cal but to eat up as much clock as possible to keep the ball away from Nate Longshore and the Cal offense. I don’t think Oregon’s defense can stop Cal. I think they’ll have to win in a shootout or keep the ball away by winning time of possession. I like Oregon in that game. Ball control and a balanced attack.