At Least I Wasn’t There
(Post one of millions)
“What a lousy week to get sick.” I thought as my parents picked me up to take me home.
My tumultuous stomach gave out on me early Saturday morning, and I realized I was not going to make it to Homecoming. I knew this was punishment for my nine-hour blogging experiment last Saturday, which had sent me into perpetual crap mode the entire week (anyone who’s been reading knows this). I needed to get home and rest. I figured this might be the best time to do it. Turns out it was, of course in the worst way possible.
But I’m not one to count out that the queasy feelings in my body might have had something to do with bad omens. And these bad omens might have saved my life. Because I’m sure if I was at Memorial, I’d probably be dead or incapacitated right now. My heart would have exploded into smithereens somewhere on the walk back, or I would have started just flailing and hitting random fans and security guards on the way to an asylum.
So those are the two things that I have going for me tonight. Not being dead and not being locked in a mental institution.
Fuck me.
Coming Home Again (Cal-Oregon State Soliloquy)
One historic month has ended. Will another one follow?
Avenging Neyland and Tucson, surviving Fort Collins, conquering Autzen, growing and learning from all the mistakes–this is what the California Golden Bears accomplished this September. But October brings new challenges and new demons to exorcise. Every step to this team’s goals becomes harder and darker, and you just have to dig in and hold tighter, race faster, block harder, tackle stronger. Ride your skills as long as you can; let your heart take you the rest of the way. Dick Button couldn’t have phrased it any better.
We have already won two big games this year. But there are still many challenges ahead, with the meat of the Pac-10’s defensive stalwarts rising to challenge us. such as winning at the Rose Bowl for the first time in Tedford’s reign (UCLA might be roughened up, but strange things happen in the Rose Bowl). Or defeating what looks to be a very strong ASU squad, who will do their best to turn on the fireworks in the desert and bring more roadspun agony from the Arizona desert.
But that’s in the distance; this week brings OSU, a team that, to the common fan’s eyes, wouldn’t seem to give us trouble. Yet of all the Pac-10 teams, the Beavers have had the greatest deal of success in Memorial the past six years, taking the last three games from our homefield, the last two in especially heartbreaking fashion. In a year of taking chips off our shoulders, Oregon State is the latest pest we must swat.
So while it’s been fun looking ahead these past two weeks to what could be, it’s time to focus on the present, on the Beavers, to start making the dreams of the future reality.
(Note: I will not be posting Saturday, so consider this an open thread for the game and other college football/Bears-related action. If you haven’t commented on this site already, you’ll need to comment sometime tonight if you want your remarks to show up.)
Industrious Beavers (A Look Into Oregon State)
Cal fans know just about everything we want to know about our Golden Bears, but sometimes we forget to check the other side of the coin and see what’s there. And this week brings the team Tedford bizarrely struggles with the most at home. Vols, Rams, Bulldogs, Wildcats, and Ducks have all been previewed here with the team’s loyal fans, and this week I discussed Oregon State football with those who Bleed Black and Orange.
The road team has dominated these games in the past, and Oregon State has won its last several times in Strawberry Canyon. What does Mike Riley do so effectively in his road trips that has frustrated the Bears in the past?
I wish I knew the answer to this question, because usually the Beavers do not perform that well on the road. I do know that the Beavers have dominated on the ground in the wins so that means that the offensive line has done a good job as well as the running backs.
In the most recent game in Berkeley it was the defense that played really well as they forced five turnovers and generally looked faster than Cal. The scary thing is the Beavs only scored 23 points to win, so it was the defense that won the game for OSU.
…
I also think Cal overlooks the Beavers frequently for whatever reason….a lot of Beaver players get extra motivated there also since many have roots in the area.
Sean Canfield has been completing the ball pretty well, over 127 of 193. But over 10% of those completions end up in the arms of the opponent (13 INTs on the year). Is there a QB controversy brewing in Corvallis, or is it just some minor issues that will be worked out on the playing field?
Action Jackson Preview, Week 7
There will be no liveblogs this week or for awhile, partly because it’s Homecoming Week and I’ll be out and about, partly because last Saturday’s nine hour festa threw me into such a funk I’m still trying to register my surroundings. So I’ll quickly go over this weekend’s festivities outside of Cal, and recap it sometime next week.
Believe it or not, there are big matchups happening outside of Berkeley–not like ours is terribly big on a national scale, but whatever. Here’s the brief rundown, all times PST.
Thurs.
#21 FSU (4-1) at Wake Forest (3-2), 4:45 ESPN. I can’t even take this game seriously. FSU’s last three road games: at BC, at Va. Tech, at Florida. They will lose two of these games and spoil the BCS hopes of the other. Classic 21st century Seminoles.
(EDIT: I am watching the first quarter before switching to the NLCS. You know the game is in great shape when the most exciting part is the punts.
Apparently Wake won this thing. It’s nice to have the Seminoles out of it again.)
Fri.
#16 Hawaii (6-0) at San Jose State (3-3), 5:00 ESPN. After this, Hawaii has one more road game, four more at home (Boise St. and Washington aren’t going to be cupcakes though). So if an upset’s going to happen, it needs to come now–terrible defense of the Rainbows against terrible offense of the Spartans. Should be a crapfest.
Sat.
Georgia Tech (3-3) at Miami (4-2), 9 AM, ESPN. AVOID AVOID AVOID AVOID.
#18 Illinois (5-1) at Iowa (2-4), 9 AM, ESPN. Big upset at home last week for the Illini, and now some big national prominence. Going on the road against a sagging Hawkeye team. Surely, Iowa has no chance? Hmmm…
Kent St. (3-3) at #3 Ohio St. (6-0), 9 AM, BTN. Let-down game? Me hope so.
#23 Texas (4-2) at Iowa State (1-5), 9:30 AM, FSN. I predict slaughter.
Watch OSU-Cal Online
If you’re still looking for a way to catch Saturday’s action because of lack of cable or sports bar or friends, you can try your luck with the online feed. Since the game is on Versus again, instructions from the Cal-Arizona game apply–it’s TVUplayer time. Click here and follow instructions on how to get Saturday’s action.
Who Do You Hate More, USC or Stanford?
I did notice on the Bear Insider that there was mixed joy and trepidation to the fact that Bears fans would root on Stanford, even under the amazing circumstances of Saturday night. Unsurprisingly, many of these fans came from the Holmoe era, where Stanford was consistently on top and arrogantly flaunted the Axe, and their fans turned unbearable. I can’t really blame them; if I were one of them I’d probably just wish for an earthquake to swallow up the Coliseum.
It’s an experience foreign to many of the younger students ensconced within the Tedford era, although I do know healthy hatred of Stanford still remains within the general student body. But USC has occupied many a Bears heart with Cal’s rise to national prominence, with USC blocking the door to the Rose Bowl and the BCS, and their insufferable, idiotic fanbase taunting Cal fans the entire way.
The dynamic is similar to many of the compelling rivalries in sports (Colts-Pats, Sox-Yanks), although we can’t really call it a rivalry until Cal wins a meaningful game against USC. It hasn’t happened yet. But this might be our best chance out of the best five. Until then, the Trojans mock and fill many Golden Bear fans (including myself) with general loathing. Hence why Saturday night was one of the happiest of my life.
I pose the question to you Bears fans (we will exclude UCLA from this discussion, and return to it next week)–where does your anger lie? Do you find more joy from Cardinal suffering or Trojan meltdowns? Or do you take equal happiness from both?
Some mostly unedited responses from Bear Insider fans follow after the hop, in case you want help crystallizing your thoughts.
Oh, THIS is why USC Lost
[youtube J3ZM9vztKNw]
Good Lord. It’s one level of douchery to steal OUR PLAY, dress up in bermuda shorts and generic blacks (are those manipulated Steelers unis?) and re-enact it to mock the losers of said play. It’s another complete level of douchery for the University of Hollywood, of pageantry and spectacle and Song Girls, to reduce one of the greatest college football plays ever into a slapstick sideshow of degenerates running into each other. You’d have at least thought they’d have done it while the Stanford band was marching on the field during their performance–it would have been a little devilish, but hey, the Cardinal marchers did mock O.J. Simpson. Tit for tat. You should be above this maudlin crap.
The football gods took notice of your tomfoolery, USC. Your vapidness was noted. Your punishment was apt. Keep picking at the deeper hole in your soul my child.
EDIT: Now here’s a great example of how you should leverage the Play for entertainment. USC, take notes from Michigan State about how to do this baby right (and you just can’t ignore crazed Starkey on all of this either; what you kids did was half-assed).
[youtube p8ZniCWFJlI]
No coincidences it was the Spartans who helped take down Troy. Ah, historical antecedents, how we love you so.
Action Jackson Recap (College Football, Week 6)
So much to talk about and so much time. I know this is about 48 hours late, but I decided to get violently ill yesterday and did not regain consciousness until the wee hours of Monday morning (oh thank you, West Coast Pizza, I keep on forgetting why I quit you in the first place). Nevertheless, after ingesting an unhealthy stream of ten college football games in twelve hours, I think it’d be best to relay my incoherent ramblings from Saturday (morning, afternoon and night) into digestible sentences.
First off we must go straight to the story of the weekend:
[youtube TgrQHcA7hfA]
The LSU reaction of the Stanford score was also golden. If anyone was still doubting the power of SEC crowds, just watch this (and keep in mind the Tigers were still LOSING–they remember what ‘SC did to them four years ago):
[youtube 0N1iUV-yIIY]
Onto the biggest storylines.
The fall of Troy: If it took a majestic wooden horse to bring down the mightiest fortress, then Jim Harbaugh might very well be Odysseus (although I don’t think Odysseus ever asked his warriors to wash their hands). The Trojans had been riding and touting their stockpiles of talent, platoons of running backs, their supposedly impregnable defense. All were exposed during that fateful 4th quarter, when both ran into a feisty and determined Stanford squad that refused to go down.
Admittedly USC was banged up, and Booty was throwing with four fingers. But it’s clear that this is a different team than the ones that cruised to five straight Pac-10 crowns. The game-calling has been predictable and lazy for at least the last two years, which makes you wonder how much of a difference Norm Chow’s departure has made. Pete Carroll reminds me far more of the guy who bumbled his way out of the NFL than any offensive sage that I remember.
Also, the players from the 2002-04 seasons are almost all gone. That team learned to win, grew and excelled at it–the current incarnation of the Trojans seems far more entitled (Booty and his teammates’ form of postgame coping is telling) and believes that their mere presence at games will get them the W. The warning signs were there with OSU and UCLA last year–the Stanford game blew it wide open. The attitude will have to change. And fast. Or Troy will be burning by the last days of autumn.
Les Miles’s testicular fortitude: The Pac-10 has ragged on Les Miles all year, but he was the man on Saturday night. Five-for-five on fourth down conversions, LSU managed to barely hold onto #1 (and received a few gifts with those Florida turnovers). The very young Gators, who managed a gutsy performance in Death Valley before finally succumbing, just could not overcome their inexperience.
As ballsy as Miles’s moves were on Staurday, it’s hard to see LSU requiring gambles to go undefeated, especially in the SEC. There were chinks that were exposed, especially against the secondary and deep ball. Florida proved this with a dominating first half. The letdown game is at Kentucky next week, and Kentucky is pretty much an upgraded version of Florida on offense (a real passing QB in Woodson, unlike Timmy Te-boy and his airmails off his receiver’s helmets). That’s followed by a home date with the Earthquakers from Auburn and the Nick Saban game at Alabama. If they go unscathed through that, they should be in a BCS game. The SEC Championship would determine their place.
Keep in mind though, this is not the 2003 Tigers. And even they lost a game on their way to a BCS crown. The power of Les Miles can giveth like it did yesterday, but can also taketh away.
The power of Ron Zook: Illinois, Illinois…Big Ten champions? Is that really a possibility? They looked mighty convincing in their win over Wisconsin (although the Badgers just might suck, it doesn’t discredit their victory). They can chalk up their win to their monstrous run game, which is 5th in the nation and just ground the Wisconsin defense into a pulp. You can thank the effective option package of the tailback Mendenhall and the QB Williams. And you can’t really go wrong with a QB named Juice, can you?
Remember Illinois’s only loss came to Missouri, which seems pretty bad until you realize Missouri is ranked #11. Yes, Missouri. Top that with their victory over Penn State and the Illini’s date with Ohio State might be our Big 10 title date. Being that some Ohio State fans seem to enjoy their trips to the public library (NSFW), I’m rooting for Illinois. It’s the year of the perennial underdog my friends.
Conference recaps after the jump, starting with the wacky Pac.
Ask the Readers: Biggest Remaining Challenge for Cal
USC’s loss has thrown everything out of whack. Which game will be the toughest for the Bears to win now?
Is it still USC? ASU, with their fast start to the season? UCLA (we always struggle in the Rose Bowl)? A trap game perhaps (OSU or Wazzu)? The letdown after the USC hype at Husky Stadium? Or could it possibly be the Big Game, with the now resurgent Cardinal?
Vote in the sidebar and leave your thoughts in the comments.
What This Weekend Meant to Cal
Very little.
As much fun as the Stanford-USC game was, it hasn’t changed much about where the Golden Bears lie. The Bears were 5-0 before Saturday, they’re 5-0 afterwards. The fate of our team didn’t lie in John David Booty’s broken finger, it rests on how quickly Nate Longshore can nurse that high ankle sprain back to 100%. The only thing that could’ve meant anything was Karl Dorrell being fired, since facing UCLA with a competent coach gives me the jitters. But he looks safe for now.
It’s true that we’re in territory that even Tedford hasn’t touched since he got here: Pac-10 favorite. Or are we? Are there really things as favorites anymore?
Michigan losing to App. State reinforced that every team is vulnerable. Stanford beating USC rammed that point home. No one is safe. The future is long. One week is an eternity. Cal cannot worry about what LSU does, or whether another contender below it falters, or whether UCLA gives up 48 points in its bye week. Focus must be placed in the present, on Homecoming and the Beavers. To look beyond is to invite disaster.
If there is one bright thing about USC’s loss, it’s that the possibility of a let-down game has significantly diminished. With all the perennial contenders getting upset left and right, USC-Cal was quickly shaping up to be the game of the year. The march to the showdown in Memorial would have been pumped up nonstop, and we all know what looking ahead did to Cal last year (not that I expected a repeat of the debacle, but it’s nice to eliminate the situation altogether before we get through October). If the Bears lose a game over the next four weeks, it’s because they weren’t the better team on the field that given Saturday. Period.
And we’re expected to win these games now. We’re #2. I noticed. I’m sure Tedford noticed too. And Cal might have had circumstances of fortune with teams plummeting out of the top 5, only to see teams like South Florida and Boston College supplant them. Through it all, the Golden Bears have yet to let their guard down, and have passed their big tests against Oregon and Tennessee. But challenges await over the next three weeks before the stretch run. Every game must be played with greater resolve than the one before it.
These upsets are omens–beware the future and the past. The future will betray you, the past will burden you. Live in the moment. Doing anything else can doom your chance to claim your place in history.
Because as the Cardinal proved, let your guard down, and even the mighty can be struck down.
