Saturday’s scrimmage and April 14

Cal has an official release about last Saturday’s scrimmage. It includes notes about quite a few of the up-and-coming players. For more details and analysis, Scout has a very nice write-up about the scrimmage as well. Take a look.

Meanwhile, the end of spring practice on April 14 is still open to the public but no longer scheduled as a scrimmage. While disappointing, my guess is that many of the players are worn out or injured.

2007 season schedule released

The final schedule for the 2007 season was released Friday. The Bears will host 6 home games next season, including games against Tennessee, Oregon State, and USC, all expected to be in the top 25 in the preseason national rankings.

2007 California Football Schedule
Sept. 1	Tennessee
Sept. 8	at Colorado State
Sept. 15 Louisiana Tech
Sept. 22 Arizona
Sept. 29 at Oregon
Oct. 6	BYE
Oct. 13	Oregon State
Oct. 20	at UCLA
Oct. 27	at Arizona State
Nov. 3	Washington State
Nov. 10	USC
Nov. 17	at Washington
Nov. 24	BYE
Dec. 1	at Stanford

Also, Spring practice begins on March 12, while the Spring Game is scheduled for April 14.

Stanford head coach Harris fired

Today, Stanford head coach Walt Harris was fired by the university.

Harris’ team was devastated by injuries this season and finished with the most losses in school history and the worst record since an 0-10 mark in 1960.

The Cardinal have struggled mightily since Tyrone Willingham left for Notre Dame following the 2001 season. They have not had a winning season in five years under Buddy Teevens and Harris.

Maybe they will hire a coach to pull their program out of the gutter. However, it will be a hard sell to anyone who wants to win.

Team, players get feature articles in media

ESPN’s Ivan Maisel has written a feature article (“Cal offense piling up points, yuks“) about the Cal team and its unique, fun chemistry. The article is currently on the front page of ESPN’s college football site.

The newest comedy club in the East Bay is open weekdays at Memorial Stadium. The performers go on the road a few Saturdays in the fall. The room usually seats 11, and your host, the quarterback of the No. 10 California Golden Bears, is Nate Longshore. Welcome to the Comedy Huddle.

It’s good to see the the guys have fun winning out there. There’s been quite a few more articles in the media about various players in the past week as well, many of which are out of SoCal.

Contra Costa Times:

• Cal QB passes test of strength (Longshore)
• Cal’s Hawkins sets himself an imposing goal: perfection (Lavelle Hawkins)
• Golden Bears have a Hawaiian connection

Los Angeles Times:

• He’s the Lynch-pin of California’s offense (Marshawn Lynch)
• He’s not so tough (Erik Robertson)
• Quite a catch for the bears (DeSean Jackson)

Los Angeles Daily News:

• In the driver’s seat (Marshawn Lynch)

Bye week checklist

With this well-deserved midseason bye week, the Bears have a chance to rest, adjust, and improve. Coach Jeff Tedford said:

The bye week definitely is coming at the right time… We need to refresh, recharge our batteries.

While Cal is off to an excellent start this season, there is room for improvement at this point. Here is a bye-week checklist:

• Recuperate: 8 games in 8 weeks since September 2 has left the Bears banged up. Marshawn Lynch needs to let his two bum ankles heal to be 100% for UCLA and USC, as Justin Forsett does a good job in Lynch’s place but does not have his game-breaking power. Nu’u Tafisi (knee) and both sides of the line could use some rest as well. QB Nate Longshore was sick last week and at times seemed to still be affected during the Washington game.
• Work at quarterback: Longshore has played well overall this season, but has struggled in the last two games against WSU and Washington. While Longshore was clutch in the fourth quarter against the Huskies, many of his passes were out of reach earlier in the game. If he returns to form and establishes a confident rhythm with the receivers, the Bears should be able to dominate the future competition.
• Receiver hands: The number of dropped balls in Saturday’s game was alarming. In order to keep drives alive, the receivers need to hang on to the ball.
• Team focus: The Bears, especially on offense, seemed somewhat lifeless in the first half of Saturday’s game. The team needs to focus on playing all four quarters, regardless of the opponent.
• Build fan enthusiasm: Memorial Stadium looked and sounded equally lifeless until the game was on the line. Fans should return to Oregon-game form to help fire up the Bears and make a difference in the game.

These are only a few issues among many positives for Cal football. A 7-1, 5-0 in conference start is definitely up to expectations.

More praise, hopes for Cal from around the nation

Coming off Oregon and heading into Washington State, Cal is a hot topic for pundits around the nation. Many are already looking forward to the showdown on November 18 at USC’s Coliseum. Here are a few tidbits:

ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit:

I think Nate Longshore is playing with as much confidence as any QB out there. And you knew it was a matter of time with his ability and with Jeff Tedford’s offensive scheme. And DeSean Jackson is one of my favorite players in the country. Not only does he have freakish skills, but he has a rage and desire to take the ball to the house everytime he touches the ball that I love. For those of you not on the west coast, do yourself a favor and check out No. 1 on the Cal Bears. The guy is as an explosive player as there is in the country. And whatever you do, never talk trash to the guy and try to bully him. See Oregon for an example.
…
My top 5 right now [for the Heisman] are Troy Smith, Brady Quinn, DeSean Jackson, Adrian Peterson and Calvin Johnson.

ESPN’s Bruce Feldman: “Midseason Hot 100 list”

16. Daymeion Hughes, California, CB: Tall corner has 5 picks and a Pac-10 high 9 PBUs.
22. Marshawn Lynch, California, RB: The Pac-10’s leader in all-purpose yards at 142 per game.
32. Nate Longshore, California, QB: The Bears’ big gun has thrown 17 TDs and just 5 INTs while completing 65 percent.
37. DeSean Jackson, California, WR-KR: Double threat, he is averaging 127 total yards per game.

Sports Network: “Look out America, here comes California”

With USC struggling to win games each week, California has overtaken the Trojans as the most talented team in the Pac 10.

SI‘s “Top 10 Remaining Games” (#3):

The Golden Bears kicked off the year in embarrassing fashion, suffering a 35-18 shellacking at the hands of Tennessee. But since then Cal has looked fabulous in five straight blowout wins. While the Trojans are undefeated, they have looked far from dominant. Can Cal knock off USC and end the Trojans’ four-year streak of Pac-10 titles?

ESPN: “Bears looking to challenge the Trojans”

Well, the Bears still may be a new national power. After five consecutive dominant victories, they’ve re-entered the nation’s top 10 and appear poised to challenge USC for the Pac-10 title.
…
What’s next: Perhaps a Rose Bowl? The Bears can win every remaining game on their schedule, including a Nov. 18 visit to USC.

ESPN’s Beano Cook:

The Golden Bears could win the Pac-10…all they have to do is beat USC! They probably regret playing the Tennessee game. That defeat may keep them out of the championship game.

California love

Cal’s rout of Oregon has suddenly thrust the team back into the national spotlight, and the media is finally again giving the Bears some well-deserved recognition. DeSean Jackson covers SI.com’s college football home page with a link to this quick blurb:

Pete Carroll should be looking over his shoulder, because a rejuvenated Cal appears set to end USC’s Pac-10 domination. The Bears looked like top-10 imposters while being ripped by Tennessee in the season opener, but have rebounded by scoring 40-plus in five straight games, including a win over Oregon. This isn’t just Jeff Tedford‘s latest scoring machine; Cal can play D, holding Ducks RB Jonathan Stewart to 25 yards. Watch out Nov. 18, USC.

ESPN’s Mark Schlabach (who attended the game in Berkeley) had only great things to say about Cal:

Q: Hey Mark, tell what you think of Cal football. Did you enjoy the atmosphere and the scenery?
A: I did very much. My first trip to [Berkeley] was well worth it. Stadium is old, but like the classic feel. Loved the hills overlooking the stadium. Traffic wasn’t too bad. People were nice. Crowd was louder than expected. Cal really surprised me with how well they’re playing, especially after I saw them play against Tennessee. Longshore playing very well. DeSean Jackson is very good. Defense better than expected.

Q: Mark, did you see DJax’ (Desean Jackson’s) punt return against [Oregon]? Wasn’t that amazing? Is he the fastest and most exciting player in CFB? If not, then who else and what do you think of Cal’s Rose Bowl/Natl title hopes?
A: he’s very, very fast. amazing cut back across the entire field. looked good on td catch, too.

Q: Cal has not won at Wash State since 1979, given how WSU played USC so tough at home two weeks ago, what are the chances for WSU over Cal this Sat?
A: Cal is playing very well right now. Was surprised how much Cougars struggled at Oregon State on Saturday night. Both teams play decent defense. Cal’s very, very good on offense right now. Would have to go with Bears.

Q: Why is DeSean Jackson’s name not being mentioned more when it comes to Heisman contention? He has scored more touchdowns than the other wide receivers that are being mentioned, and might be the most explosive player in the nation right now.
A: I’d say he’ll be a favorite next year if he keeps doing what he’s doing. Receivers have to return kicks to win the Heisman and he does it as well as anyone.

Marshawn Lynch and Nate Longshore also made Schlabach’s Top 5 lists at their respective positions.

Even ESPN’s Bruce Feldman is warming back up to the Bears after ripping them on September 3.

Cal lights up Oregon, rushing for 235 yards despite losing star TB Marshawn Lynch to injury…

Thinking about the Pac-10-SEC friction: I’ll buy that Arkansas clearly is a much better team with a healthy Darren McFadden than the one that got blasted by USC on opening night, but I think in the same spirit Cal is, too, now that QB Nate Longshore has settled into the offense…

O-line takes another hit: RT Smith out 3 weeks

The injury-plagued offensive line took another hit during Saturday’s game, as right tackle Scott Smith sprained a ligament (MCL) in his knee. Smith’s injury does not require surgery but he will not be available to play in the next three games.

Depending on the return of left tackle Andrew Cameron, either Mike Tepper (who filled in for Cameron but has practiced at both RT and LT) or Mike Gibson (who filled in for Smith following his injury on Saturday) will play in Smith’s absence.

Media bandwagon jumps ship

In spite of all the preseason hype, the media has immediately jumped off the Cal bandwagon after this one poor showing in Tennessee. Here’s ESPN’s Bruce Feldman:

I feel so foolish. I bought into this whole Cal-is-a-powerhouse business. Fell for the Jeff Tedford could make any QB into a star, too. Got sold that the Bears could lose all those supposedly great O-linemen and not miss anything. That David Cutcliffe couldn’t even hold a clipboard next to Tedford. And now after seeing the Bears fall behind 35-0 in their 35-18 loss to Tennessee and sifting through the Deleted Items bin of my e-mail to find the missive from that Cal diehard that came in late Friday night talking about how all of us media folks still aren’t giving the Bears defense their due, I have seen the light.

Cal is like that girl you convinced yourself was so perfect, but then something happened, and suddenly it all became clear. You broke up. It stung, but you realized all her faults, all the ones that you can’t believe you didn’t notice before. Fact is, Cal hasn’t beaten anyone in the last three years. The Bears’ big statement game was its close loss to USC in 2004. They griped about being left out of the BCS mix that season and then were lit up by Texas Tech in the Holiday Bowl. Last season, they weren’t much better than a middle-of-the-road Mountain West squad.

After seeing a Tennessee offense, which ranked 101st in the nation in scoring last season, post 35 points in a little more than two quarters, I doubt anyone will take Cal very seriously again for a very long time. Overreaction? Maybe. But I think if the Bears could knock off USC, they probably still would not get back into the top 15. And of course, this blowout has big-picture meaning. Whenever folks talk about the Pac-10 being soft, this Cal-Tennessee game will always come up first. It will live in infamy out here on the West Coast.

Sure, USC crushed Arkansas again, but truth is, no one, not even Pac-10 haters, have the gall to question the Trojans’ legitimacy. But it’s that next batch of the Pac-10’s supposed heavyweights that never seems to hold up their end.

I just hope the team steps up to the disrespect and plays with a huge chip on its shoulder the next eleven games. Cal fans need to have a short memory about this game as well, and be there to support the team at home against Minnesota.

More notes from fall camp

The SF Chronicle has another report from training camp. They describe the defense doing well, a mean false-alarm scare from Marshawn Lynch, and an update on punter Andrew Larson, a junior-college transfer. They also report that the offensive line is looking good.
For more information on Larson, here’s an article in the Oakland Tribune about the new transfer and how he got to Cal.

In other news, freshman defensive tackle Mike Constanzo suffered a sprained right knee and will be out for four to six weeks. Due to this setback, he’s most likely redshirting his first year. Unfortunately, the defensive line is looking thinner than what we expected.

To avoid ending on bad news, the SF Chronicle ran an article yesterday about offensive lineman Scott Smith, detailing his success as an athlete, student, and outstanding member of the community. Take a look.