2006 California Golden Bears Season, Game Recaps, Scores and Reviews
Dec. 28
Holiday Bowl
California 45 ... Texas A&M 10
California dominated, but it wasn't with its normal flash and
dash. The ground game pounded out 241 yards averaging 7.5 yards per
carry while running away with the second half scoring 31 unanswered
points. Up 14-10 after halftime, the Bears got a Marshawn Lynch's
second touchdown run of the day and a four-yard scoring catch from
Lavelle Hawkins on fourth down to go up 28-10 into the fourth. Texas
A&M, taken out of its normal offense playing in catchup mode,
struggled to move the ball while the defense couldn't stop anything
the Bears wanted to do. Justin Forsett and Bryan Schutte added late
touchdown runs, while Nate Longshore ran for a one-yard score in the
first quarter to go along with his touchdown pass. A&M started off
the scoring with a 19-yard catch from Chad Schroeder, but only
managed a 32-yard Matt Szymanski field goal the rest of the way. Player of the game ... California's offensive line,
tackles Andrew Cameron and Mike Gibson, guards Erik Robertson and Noris Malele and center Alex Mack for paving the way for 241 rushing
yards and not allowing a sack. Stat Leaders: Texas A&M- Passing:
Stephen McGee, 17-26, 177 yds, 1 TD Rushing: Mike Goodson, 13-62. Receiving:
L'Tydrick Riley, 4-52 California - Passing: Nate Longshore,
19-24, 235 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Justin Forsett, 8-124, 1 TD Receiving:
DeSean Jackson, 5-81 Notes & Thoughts ...
Any question about the Pac 10's toughness now? Well, yeah, but
California certainly proved it could manhandle a good run defense
pushing Texas A&M all over the place. The O line opened mile-wide
hole after mile-wide hole, and Marshawn Lynch and Justin Forsett
sped through into the Aggie back seven time and again. The game
proved a Jeff Tedford team can be about more than finesse. ... A&M
was able to move the ball relatively well, but couldn't close and
showed little pop in the passing game in comeback mode. Stephen
McGee was efficient and Mike Goodson, before he was injured, and
Jorvorskie Lane ran well, but this game was about the defense and
its inability to come through with a stop. ... Does this loss erase
the A&M win over Texas? No, but it ends things on a sour note and
might get Aggie fans grumbling again about Dennis Franchione. While
this 9-4 season wasn't a fluke, the team has to prove itself all
over again next year. ... This is the type of win for Cal that
should push it into preseason top ten status, and with QB Nate
Longshore, most of the offensive line, Justin Forsett and DeSean
Jackson returning, many will put the Bears in the top five.
Dec. 2
California 26 ... Stanford 17
It wasn't Cal's best game, but it was able to get four Tom
Schneider field goals, including the final two scores of the game to
squeak by. Lavelle Hawkins caught a 32-yard touchdown pass and
Syd'Quan Thompson picked up a fumble for a 15-yard score. Stanford
stuck around helped by an eight-yard Richard Sherman touchdown catch
and a 51-yard Evan Moore scoring play, but the offense only finished
up with 269 total yards. Zach Follett and Desmond Bishop combined
for 20 tackles for the Bears. Player of the game ... California WR DeSean Jackson
caught seven passes for 127 yards Stat Leaders: Stanford- Passing: T.C.
Ostrander, 15-31, 204 yds, 2 TD Rushing: Anthony Kimble, 12-45. Receiving:
Richard Sherman, 6-81, 1 TD California - Passing: Nate Longshore,
14-31, 217 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Justin Forsett, 11-75 Receiving:
DeSean Jackson, 7-127 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
Pac 10 champions?! Well, co-Pac 10 champs after USC lost to UCLA,
and that means the world to a program that's still trying to find
national respect even after all the wins over the last few seasons.
The offense hasn't been its explosive self for the last few weeks,
and even in a rivalry game, to struggle so much against a bad
defense like Stanford's has to be concerning this late in the year.
There's too much talent to only gain 344 yards.
Nov. 18
USC 23 ... California 9
USC clinched the Rose Bowl (at least) breaking open a close
game by shutting out Cal in the second half while getting a 49-yard
field goal from backup kicker David Buehler, a brilliant 25-yard
touchdown catch from Dwayne Jarrett, who held on despite getting popped,
and a 37-yard Steve Smith scoring grab to put it away. Cal only managed
275 yards of total offense scoring on a Brandon Mebane stuffing of C.J.
Gable for a safety and a six-yard touchdown catch from Lavelle Hawkins.
USC forced three turnovers and didn't lose any. Player of the game ... USC RB C.J. Gable ran 19 times
for 91 yards Stat Leaders: USC- Passing: John David
Booty, 18-31, 238 yds, 2 TD Rushing: C.J. Gable, 19-91. Receiving:
Steve Smith, 6-88, 1 TD California - Passing: Nate Longshore,
17-38, 176 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Marshawn Lynch, 20-88 Receiving:
Marshawn Lynch, 5-21 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
The one thing Cal was supposed to be able to do was keep up in any
sort of a shootout against USC. Since the game turned into a
defensive struggle early, the offense should've been able to unleash
the weapons to just get something on the board in the second half.
DeSean Jackson was erased from the gameplan, while Marshawn Lynch,
warrior that he might be, just never got on track. It was yet
another disappointing big game performance, but a ten-win season is
still possible by beating Stanford and winning the bowl game.
Nov. 11
Arizona 24 ... California 20
Arizona scored 21 second half points with Chris Henry running
for two short scores and Antoine Cason picking off a tipped pass for
a 39-yard score. Cal had one last shot driving deep into Arizona
territory, but Ronnie Palmer picked off a Nate Longshore pass to
seal the win. DeSean Jackson was the story of the first half with a
95-yard punt return for a touchdown early in the first and a 62-yard
catch in the second on the way to a 17-3 Cal lead. The Wildcat
defense held in the second half finishing with three interceptions
and keeping the high-octane Bear offense to 356 yards. Player of the game ... In a losing cause, Cal WR DeSean
Jackson caught six passes fro 131 yards and a touchdown, returned a
kickoff 26 yards and three pounced 128 yards with a touchdown. Stat Leaders: Arizona- Passing: Willie
Tuitama, 17-34, 202 yds Rushing: Chris Henry, 25-57, 2 TD. Receiving:
Syndric Steptoe, 6-68 California - Passing: Nate Longshore,
17-36, 250 yds, 1 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Marshawn Lynch, 16-102 Receiving:
DeSean Jackson, 6-131, 1 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
The defense was the issue and the concern in recent weeks, but it
was the breakdowns on the offense that killed the Bears against
Arizona. A big Marshawn Lynch run was called back due to a penalty,
there were seven penalties overall, three interceptions, and no
forced turnovers, but the team still had a shot late to pull out the
win. Now that the BCS title dreams are kaput, the focus has to
quickly turn to the Pac 10 title, which is still available with a
win over USC and everything to work out the right way in the final
week. The national title was a long shot anyway; getting to the BCS
would be a tremendous success.
Nov. 4
California 38 ... UCLA 24
Cal got outgained 516 yards to 433
and controlled the ball for long stretches, but the Bears hit the
home runs early with Nate Longshore throwing three touchdown passes,
including two to Robert Jordan, while Marshawn Lynch scored on
24-yard pass and a four-yard run. DeSean Jackson put the game out of
reach on a 72-yard punt return for a touchdown. UCLA got short
touchdown runs from Pat Cowan and Chane Moline with the big play
coming in the fourth on a 70-yard Chris Markey touchdown run. The
Bruins ended up netting -7.5 yards per punt. Player of the game ... California QB Nate Longshore
completed 20 of 24 passes for 266 yards and three touchdowns and ran
twice for 17 yards Stat Leaders: California- Passing: Nate
Longshore, 20-24, 266 yds, 3 TD Rushing: Marshawn Lynch, 20-81, 1 TD Receiving:
Robert Jordan, 5-6, 2 TD UCLA - Passing: Pat Cowan, 22-40, 329 yds,
2 INT
Rushing: Chris Markey, 20-136, 1 TD Receiving:
Chris Markey, 6-63 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Most of America will see the highlights
of the UCLA win and notice the explosion of DeSean Jackson and the
phenomenal moves of Marshawn Lynch, but what everyone will miss is
the play of the defense ... it stunk. Even though it stiffened when
it had to and only allowed ten points when the game was still in
doubt, there were way too many long UCLA drives helped by several
third down conversions and way too many yards allowed. Whatever. Cal
is all about the big play and the explosion, and as long as the
machine is humming and hitting home runs, this is as dangerous as
any team in the country.
Oct. 21
California 31 ... Washington 24 OT
In a wild finish, Washington forced
overtime with a 40-yard Hail Mary that bounced around into the hands
of Marlon Wood for a score as time expired. On Cal's overtime
possession, Marshawn Lynch, on two gimpy ankles, ran for a 22-yard
touchdown run, and then LB Desmond Bishop picked off Carl Bonnell to
seal the win. Lynch gave Cal the lead with a 17-yard scoring run in
the final two minutes before the Huskies went on their miraculous
drive, but the Cal offense was held mostly to field goals with Tom
Schneider hitting from 21, 29, and a bomb from 50 yards out. The
Huskies got two touchdown passes from Bonnell as well as a
seven-yard scoring run, but he threw five interceptions. Player of the game ... California RB Marshawn Lynch ran
21 times for 151 yards and two touchdowns and LB Desmond Bishop made
16 tackles, forced a fumble, made 3.5 tackles for loss, and sealed
the win with an interception Stat Leaders: California- Passing: Nate
Longshore, 21-36, 291 yds Rushing: Marshawn Lynch, 21-150, 2 TD Receiving:
Lavelle Hawkins, 6-99 Washington - Passing: Carl Bonnell,
17-31, 284 yds, 2 TD, 5 INT
Rushing: Louis Rankin, 22-88 Receiving:
Anthony Russo, 3-91, 1 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... The Bears needed to be pushed around a
little bit. Washington did a nice job on both sides of the ball to
keep the Cal machine from exploding, but in the end, Marshawn Lynch,
Desmond Bishop, and the rest of the Bear playmakers were able to
shine through. The
key against UCLA in two weeks and against USC in mid-November will
be to not rely on the big play and to not have problems dinking and
dunking its way to long scoring drives. Nate Longshore won't have
time to throw against the Bruins like he had against the Huskies, so
the quicker he can get the ball in the hands of the stars, even if
its for a short to medium gain, the better.
Oct. 14
California 21 ... Washington State 3
California got two touchdown runs
from Marshawn Lynch and a one-yard Nate Longshore sneak, and the
defense and special teams came through with big plays to get the
win. A blocked punt led to a two-yard Lynch run, while the D stuffed
Washington State's Alex Brink on a fourth down sneak on the one. The
Cougars were only outgained 353 yards to 350, but only managed a
25-yard Loren Langley field goal. Player of the game ... California RB Marshawn Lynch ran
25 times for 152 yards and two touchdowns Stat Leaders: California- Passing: Nate
Longshore, 17-31, 176 yds, 2 INT Rushing: Marshawn Lynch, 25-152, 2 TD Receiving:
Robert Jordan, 6-56 Washington State - Passing: Alex Brink,
19-35, 227 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Derrell Hutsona, 3-88 Receiving:
Brandon Gibson, 8-130 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Cal showed it could win when it's not
dropping haymakers getting timely offense and some key plays in all
phases to come out of Washington State with a win. Nate Longshore
was efficient, but he threw two picks and couldn't find anything
available deep, while it was up to Marshawn Lynch and his bum ankle
to carry the offense.
The Bear corners did a decent job keeping the Cougar star receivers
under wraps even though Brandon Gibson caught eight passes for 130
yards. There shouldn't be any problems against UCLA or Arizona over
the next two weeks as long as there aren't any turnover fests.
Oct. 7
California 45 ... Oregon 24
California had few problems with
Oregon as DeSean Jackson broke the game open in the second quarter
with a weaving 65-yard punt return for a touchdown to go along with
a 36-yard touchdown catch for a 28-3 lead. Oregon came back late in
the first half with a three-yard scoring run from Jonathan Stewart,
but the Cal offense didn't led up as Nate Longshore threw his third
touchdown pass of the game and Justin Forsett ran for a 23-yard
score in the second half. The Ducks couldn't keep up the pace, but
got two second half touchdown passes from Dennis Dixon to make the
final score look better. Player of the game ... California RB Justin Forsett ran
27 times for 163 yards and a touchdown Stat Leaders: California- Passing: Nate
Longshore, 14-26, 189 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Justin Forsett, 27-163, 1 TD Receiving:
Lavelle Hawkins, 3-41 Oregon - Passing: Dennis Dixon, 20-38,
263 yds, 2 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Dennis Dixon, 11-45 Receiving:
Jordan Kent, 6-113 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... The blowout of Oregon might have been
the most impressive win yet in the Jeff Tedford era. It was a
complete performance with the running game, passing attack, special
teams and defense all playing well. The only negative was an injury
to Marshawn Lynch that doesn't appear to be too serious, but was
enough to keep him out in the second half. DeSean Jackson showed why
he might be the Pac 10's best game-breaker, while Justin Forsett
staked a claim to being the nation's best No. 2 running back. This
was the performance is the one that'll get Cal back in the national
spotlight and set the tone for the November game at USC.
Sept. 30
California 41 ... Oregon State 13
California rolled as Nate Longshore
threw four touchdown passes including two to Marshawn Lynch on the
way to a 31-0 first half lead and a 38-6 advantage before the
Beavers got in the end zone on a five-yard Yvenson Bernard scoring
run. Lynch also added a 15-yard touchdown run and Tom Schneider
connected on field goals from 37 and 42 yards out. OSU's highlight
was a 58-yard bomb of a field goal from Alexis Serna at the end of
the first half. Player of the game ... California RB Marshawn Lynch ran
17 times for 106 yards and a touchdown and caught three passes for
59 yards and two touchdowns Stat Leaders: California- Passing: Nate
Longshore, 22-31, 341 yds, 4 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Marshawn Lynch, 17-106, 1 TD Receiving:
DeSean Jackson, 7-74, 1 TD Oregon State - Passing: Matt Moore,
18-27, 187 yds
Rushing: Yvenson Bernard, 17-74, 1 TD Receiving:
Brandon Powers, 7-53 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Everything's clicking and it still
seems like the Bears are just scratching the surface. The offense
rolled for 483 yards on Oregon State moving up and down the field at
will with Nate Longshore and the passing game rounding out into
midseason form. It's all stemming from the strong play of the
offensive line, which has improved by leaps and bounds since the
Tennessee game. The defense didn't allow any big plays and did a
great job of keeping Yvenson Bernard and the Beaver running game in
check. It'll have to be even better next week against Oregon.
Sept. 23
California 49 ... Arizona State 21
California got huge plays on both
sides of the ball going on a 34 point run in the first half on four
Nate Longshore touchdown passes and an 80-yard punt return for a
score from DeSean Jackson. The defense got into the act in with two
interceptions for scores highlighted by a 47-yard play by Daymeion
Hughes with just :26 left in the first half. Arizona State put up
414 yards of total offense and got two Rudy Carpenter touchdown
passes, but five turnovers proved too costly. Player of the game ... California CB Daymeion Hughes
made ten tackles and two interceptions taking one for a score Stat Leaders: California- Passing: Nate
Longshore, 18-26, 270 yds, 4 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Marshawn Lynch, 17-124 Receiving:
Robert Jordan, 5-83 Arizona State - Passing: Rudy Carpenter,
16-36, 177 yds, 2 TD, 4 INT
Rushing: Ryan Torain, 24-191, 1 TD Receiving:
Nate Kimbrough, 4-44 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
The rest of the college football world
has dismissed Cal after the Tennessee loss, but don't be fooled;
this team is really, really good. Everything clicked on both sides
of the ball against Arizona State showing off the frightening speed
in the running game, the explosiveness in the passing game, and a
huge day from the defense. This was an aggressive, hard-hitting
defense against the Sun Devils popping Rudy Carpenter over and over
again. Now it's about consistency. If the Bears keep playing like
this, watch out Oregon and USC.
Sept. 16
California 42 ... Portland State 16
Cal was able to pull most of it starters in the second quarter
on the way to 41-16 halftime lead highlighted by a 30-yard
interception return for a score from Daymeion Hughes and two Nate
Longshore touchdown passes. Marshawn Lynch only ran six times, but
he tore off a 71-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Longshore
closed out the first half with a 27-yard touchdown pass to DeSean
Jackson before giving way to Steve Levy and Joseph Ayoob in the
second half. Player of the
game ... Cal QB Nate
Longshore threw for 225 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 15-of-23
passing.
Stat Leaders: Portland State- Passing: Rob
Freeman, 12-17, 119 yds, 1 TD Rushing: Kelena Ho'okano, 10-57 Receiving: Tremayne
Kirkland, 4-24, 1 TD Cal - Passing: Nate Longshore, 15-23, 225 yds,
2 TDs, 1 INT Rushing: Marshawn Lynch, 6-112, 1 TD Receiving:
DeSean Jackson, 5-103, 1 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Cal did
what it way supposed to do to Portland State getting many of the
backups enough playing time to get a little preparation for the Pac
10 schedule ahead. The Bears simply had way too much speed on both
sides of the ball for Portland State and was way too explosive
cranking out 502 yards of total offense. The nine penalties for 103
yards were too many, but that's nitpicking. This team appears to be
prepared for the upcoming shootouts with Arizona State, Oregon,
State and Oregon.
Sept. 9
California 42 ... Minnesota 17
Minnesota started out the scoring with a one-yard touchdown
run from Alex Daniels, and then the Cal passing game exploded with
four Nate Longshore touchdown passes in the first half with three
going to DeSean Jackson. The Gophers were able to temporarily break
the run with a 99-yard kickoff return for a score from Dominic Jones
after Jackson's first score, but it wasn't nearly enough to stop the
onslaught. Marshawn Lynch finished things off for the Bears with two
short touchdown runs in the second half. Player of the game ... California WR DeSean Jackson
caught seven passes for 113 yards and three touchdowns Stat Leaders: Minnesota- Passing: Bryan
Cupito, 21-33, 243 yds, 2 INT Rushing: Alex Daniels, 24-78, 1 TD. Receiving:
Matt Spaeth, 3-58 California - Passing: Nate Longshore,
22-31, 300 yds, 4 TD
Rushing: Marshawn Lynch, 27-139, 2 TD. Receiving:
Lavelle Hawkins, 9-125 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
The Bears can breathe a big sigh of relief. The Tennessee game is
now in the past, and the offense showed it can be explosive and
unstoppable showing no problems against the Minnesota defense both
by air and land with 231 rushing yards and 300 passing. QB Nate
Longshore was sensational on third downs; Minnesota simply couldn't
get the ball. DeSean Jackson was unstoppable in single coverage, and
Marshawn Lynch was tremendous once the offensive line started giving
him a little room. The run defense faced one of the best lines and
the best running games it'll deal with all season, and it came
through with a huge performance.
Sept. 2
Tennessee 35 ... California 18
Tennessee shocked Cal jumping out to a 35-0 lead on four Erik
Ainge touchdown passes and a 43-yard scoring run by Montario
Hardesty. The Vols got big play after big play with Robert Meachem
scoring from 42 and 80 yards out and Jayson Swain scoring on a
50-yard play. Cal finally got on the board late in the third
quarter, .but it was way too little, way too late. Joe Ayoob stepped
in at quarterback for the Bears and threw a 40-yard touchdown pass
to DeSean Jackson and ran for a one-yard score. Player of the game ... Tennessee WR Robert Meachem
caught five passes for 182 yards and two touchdowns Stat Leaders: California- Passing: Joe
Ayoob, 9-22, 187 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Marshawn Lynch, 12-74. Receiving:
Marshawn Lynch, 5-22 Tennessee - Passing: Erik Ainge, 11-17,
291 yds, 4 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Arian Foster, 17-69. Receiving: Robert
Meachem, 5-182, 2 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Well
there goes that. Cal had two concerns coming into the Tennessee
game: cornerback and offensive line. The secondary missed way too
many tackles and gave up way too many big plays, and the offensive
line got no push whatsoever against the Vol front seven. Cal
should've been able to run for more than 64 yards. With Minnesota
and its running game up next, the 216 rushing yards allowed against
UT will be a big concern all week.
There's no East Coast media bias when it comes to college football,
but there's an ignorance. After all, is anyone outside of the
Pacific time zone able to get Pac 10 games on TV? How many writers
and fans are going to stay up for the late night games after a full
day of other big college football battles?
The fact of the matter is that outside of USC, it's hard for most to
have any clue what the Pac 10 is doing, but there continues to be
this Cal football program that makes a lot of noise and is very
interesting. But no one ever gets to see it play.
There was some national respect a few years ago for being the last team
before Texas to beat USC, and then ESPN cranked things up another
notch by going on and on about how good Aaron Rodgers and the rest
of the Bears were after a loss to the Trojans. Once again, though,
no one actually watched Cal football until the Holiday Bowl loss to
Texas Tech, and by then the SEC, Big Ten parts of the world felt
like they were right all along to not respect the rumor that was the
Bears.
Heck, J.J. Arrington ran for 2,000 yards and barely got more
than a "hey, that's neat" from the Heisman voters. Last year, Cal
exited the national consciousness with an early loss to UCLA on the
way to a respectable 8-4 record, but 2005 was a mere transition
season to this year when all the parts should come together when the
program finally shows the world how good it is.
There are
few teams with more speed among the starters with an array of talents
that would litter the All-America lists if it played in one of the other
BCS conferences. DT Brandon Mebane, CB Daymeion Hughes and LB Desmond
Bishop will be among the best in the nation at their respective
positions, and RB Marshawn Lynch deserves Heisman consideration from day
one.
The quarterback situation will sort itself out with Nate Longshore ready
to steady the four-man race, Lynch and Justin Forsett combine to form
one of the nation's top tailback duos, and the receivers are among the
fastest in the country.
The defense will be a sack machine with too many good ends for one team,
Mebane an all-star in the middle, and one of the best linebacking corps
in the nation. The slight concerns are on the offensive line and at
safety, but those won't turn out to be any big deal as the season goes
on.
So now it's up to the college football world to pay attention. The
opening day game at Tennessee will be a make-or-break game for national
respect, but even a loss shouldn't mean anyone should dismiss this
potential Pac 10 champion. Head coach Jeff Tedford has assembled a
potential monster going into his fifth season and it'll be one of the
nation's most fun teams week in and week out.
Hopefully, everyone will finally be watching.
The Schedule: The
opener at Tennessee to start the season will be the high-profile
battle everyone will focus on, but the following week's game against
Minnesota should be just as entertaining. The Pac 10 slate starts
off nasty playing Arizona State in what might be an elimination game
in the title race followed up by at Oregon State, Oregon, and at an
improved Washington State. However, if Cal really is as good as
expected, being unbeaten going into the late season road trip to USC
should be a distinct possibility.
Best
Offensive Player: Junior RB Marshawn Lynch. He won't have the same
great line he enjoyed last year, but he should still be a threat to
flirt with the 2,000-yard mark. If he can stay healthy, watch his
draft stock soar with his combination of size, quickness and
production.
Best
Defensive Player: Senior DT Brandon Mebane. The 306-pound senior
is one of the best interior pass rushers in America and will be the
rock of the defensive front seven. He has a chance of taking over
where Oregon's Haloti Ngata left off as the nation's best tackle.
Key
player to a successful season: Sophomore OT Mike Tepper. The line
should be fine, but only two starters return with the loss of C
Marvin Philip and T Ryan O'Callaghan particularly hurting. Tepper is
6-6, 334-pound talent who should make a big splash this season if he
can stay healthy. He needs to be a rock in pass protection to keep
Nate Longshore, or whoever is playing quarterback, healthy.
The
season will be a success if ... Cal wins the Pac 10 title. It's
time to take that next step up. It might be asking a lot to win the
championship with a game at USC to worry about, but the Bears are
good enough to dream big.
Key
game:
September 2nd. at Tennessee. The Vols might still be reeling from
last year's disaster, but if Cal can go into Knoxville and come up
with a win, that would set the tone for the entire season and might
finally get the rest of the nation to start going out of its way to
watch what should be one of the nation's best teams. A loss to
Tennessee and fans will dismiss the Pac 10 as that conference that
plays past their bedtimes.
2005
Fun Stats:
- Fourth quarter scoring: California 115 - Opponents 56
- Penalties: Opponents 82 for 670 yards - California 69 for 620
yards
- Interception return average: California 26.1 yards on 15 picks -
Opponents 3.4 yards on 17 picks
The Last Time Cal…
…played in a bowl game…2005 (Las Vegas Bowl vs. BYU)
…missed a bowl game…2002
…pitched a shutout…2005 (Arizona)
…was shutout…1999 (Nebraska)
…scored 50 points…2005 (Washington)
…went undefeated…1937
…won a conference title…1975 (Pac 8)
…had a 3,000-yard passer…1996 (Pat Barnes)
…had a 1,000-yard rusher…2005 (Marshawn Lynch)
…had a 1,000-yard receiver…2003 (Geoff McArthur)
…had a first-round draft choice…2005 (QB Aaron Rodgers)
