This Saturday was a chance at redemption for the Golden Bears, and we took full advantage of it...not. USC is clearly a good team, maybe not the dominant Trojans of years past but they aren't missing anybody from last year's defense. Those guys are straight up fast and what we saw against Oregon two weeks ago was apparent again on Saturday, our line is overmatched when we're up against a speedy defense. Jahvid Best was contained for the second straight week, and our once potent running game has all but disappeared. This has forced the Bears to rely upon Kevin Riley's right arm, and that's just a horrible idea.

Riley has really blown his chance at becoming the guy at Cal. He led an impressive first drive only to make a poor decision and throw it into the back of the end-zone to Taylor Mays, and from there it was over. He missed guys by miles, a wide open Shane Vereen on a trick play, and every deep ball was nowhere near our WR. I understand that you can have a bad game, miss some open guys, but this is inexcusable. You're not a Pac-10 QB for a ranked (or once ranked) team if you make the kinds of throws he has in the past two weeks. Riley was 15-40, yes that's not a misprint, for 199 yards and countless missed opportunities. He's been nothing short of horrible the past two weeks and I'm really not sure what to do. My gut reaction is to call for Brock Mansion, but let's be real, we're really not sure what that means and it’s a knee-jerk reaction at best. It reminds me a lot of when we were all calling for Kevin Riley when Nate Longshore decided to go off the deep end. But Riley wasn’t the answer; all we knew was that we didn’t want Longshore anymore. All I know is that Riley proved, again, that he's not a legit QB that we can rely on. Against teams like Oregon and USC, we need more than Jahvid Best, especially when they're stacking the box like they did and he’s a non-factor.

It wasn't all Riley, but he did play a huge role. The defense got carved up by Joe McKnight and we failed to pressure freshman QB Matt Barkley (and let his huge oversized ego continue to inflate). Special teams gave up a punt return for a TD, and we just could not get the ball down the field for the second straight game. Maybe this is the toughest part of our schedule and we'll be able to rebound, but these past two weeks really hurt. UCLA and Stanfurd are good teams, Oregon State is not one to sleep on, and the Arizona schools are no gimmie. Either we pick it up during this bye week or we're done. To say the least I’m very disappointed that we failed to even compete in these past two games. It would be one thing to lose, but these were dominating performances in which we barely put up a fight. Tedford needs to get something going with these guys or it’s going to be 2007 all over again.

HEAD COACH Jeff Tedford
On how he expects his team to respond this week after its loss last Saturday at Oregon
"I expect that they'll respond well. There's a lot veteran guys on this team that understand that that's one game, and it's really important that we put that behind us, that we learn the lessons from that game and that we move forward. Obviously to move forward against SC, you're up against a great football team, and so it's really important that we don't spend time looking backwards, that we focus on what's ahead."

On whether it's better to follow up last week's loss with an opponent like USC as opposed to another, more lightly regarded team
"I don't know. After a game like that, you just really need to focus on yourself. It's not so much about the opponent. You need to focus on execution and making plays and so on and so forth. It's really about us not playing very well the other day and Oregon playing really well. We need to focus on what we do and try to execute."

On whether Oregon demonstrated how to limit Jahvid Best by stacking the box against the run and if that will put more pressure on the passing game
"A lot of people stack the box, but yeah, there's no question that you have to be balanced and you have to be productive in the passing game. The difference was last week, we didn't make a lot of big plays. We had some guys running deep, open, and didn't get them the ball, and didn't protect the passer very well. That's key, that where it starts, is protecting the passer. There's no question that we need to be effective in the passing game."

On whether QB Kevin Riley took a step backward in his development at Oregon
"No, he had some pressure on him and we just missed on a couple of guys. There were some balls that he threw a little bit early and just overthrew them because he had to get rid of the ball early, but I think that's a good game for [his development]. That's a tough place to play. It's very loud there, very hostile, they played great, but any experience - Kevin has enough resolve and enough confidence to work hard and keep going. I wouldn't say he took a step back. He had a rough game but I wouldn't say that's going to shake him forever."

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

JUNIOR QB Kevin Riley
On the players' attitude following their loss at Oregon
"Just watching film, they outplayed us and won, but we saw how many chances we had, just one player away, one chance away, one second. You've just got to learn from it. You can't think about it and let it go into the next game. So we're going to come out, new attitude, and play our game."

On balancing learning from the Oregon game and putting it behind him
"It's nice to have that much experience on this team. You know, we've been through losses before and a bunch of guys on the team are from the team a couple of years back when we went on that downward spiral, so we've learned from it. You've just got to come back and you can't think about it. The game's over with, we got beat and we got beat down. You've got to just go out there and play, and I think SC players know we're going to be ready to play and they know it's going to be a fight for four quarters."

On what he learned from the Oregon loss
"Technique, things that you did wrong. Working on steps, if I can get the ball out quicker on some throws, or just hold it a little bit longer - little things that make the game difference."

On whether more-experienced players are propping up the less-experienced players
"Absolutely. The younger guys, it's probably the worst loss of their life, me included. You start thinking about that when you haven't been there before, when you haven't lost before, when you have high hopes to win the Pac-10 and a possible national championship. Winning the Pac-10 is not out of the picture at all, so the older guys who've been through it will talk to young guys and tell them to just forget about it. You learn from, you move on. That's all that you can do."

On whether it's any easier to move on knowing who this week's opponent is
"I think so. If we come out thinking about last week, the same thing's going to happen. You've got to be ready to play and we will be."

On balancing the big picture of the Pac-10 race with the immediate needs to fix things for this week
"One game at a time. Looking at the Pac-10 and what they've done so far, every game's going to be a fight. Every team is improved from last year and this is another stern test for us. This game will show a lot of who we are and how we respond, and this will show us for the rest of the season what we could do."

On the load Jahvid Best has carried and whether he'd like to contribute more through passing
"Absolutely. I think we'll mix it up. We'll go with how the defense looks, how they're playing and just go from there."

Content from: http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/Sept_29_Jeff_Tedford_and_Kevin_Riley_Press_Conference_Quotes/1269137

For all those Ducks fans out there, congrats. You whipped our tails and proved to everyone why you were ranked in the pre-season and deserve to be talked about as a Pac-10 contender. Jeremiah Masoli reminded everyone why he was on the cover of SI, and reminded himself that he could actually be an effective QB. Here's a big welcome back to Ed Dickson, the pro-caliber TE who caught 3 TD's against a horrible Cal defense.

As for the Bears, really?! WTF? You looked AWFUL, didn't put up a fight, and looked like you quit once you knew it wasn't going to be your day. I am used to being a disappointed Cal fan, but I cannot remember another time where I was straight embarrassed after a performance. Gut-wrenching losses, over-hyped expectations, yes, those are all normal feelings. But the sheer embarrassment that I am feeling after this game might stay with me for awhile.

Obviously we were over-hyped, again, and the voters returned us to normalcy by dropping us from #6 to #24. We now stand at 0-1 in the Pac-10, our dreams of a National Championship are done, and Jahvid Best's Heisman candidacy is over unless he runs all over USC this weekend. Kevin Riley looked like he did last season, bad. With USC coming to town we have an opportunity to rebound quickly, even though this is not the USC of years past, it's still a huge game that can clear our memory. One thing is for sure, Oregon is good and they're a legit contender. They have one loss, to a highly ranked Boise State team, and two victories over ranked teams (Utah & Cal).

That's all I've got for now, but this loss hurts and we showed everyone on national TV why we are routinely overrated.

That's right folks, Duck hunting season comes early this year as the #6 California Golden Bears take on the Oregon Ducks and their winged uniforms tomorrow at 12:30PM PST at Autzen Stadium in Eugene.

The Bears are coming off their first road game against the Golden Gophers, and the Ducks salvaged their season after an impressive victory over #18 Utah. By now we all know what happend to Oregon in the opener agains Boise State, but they have made strides to move past the LaGarrette Blount issue. Oregon's vaunted offensive attack has been quites subdued this season as QB Jeremiah Masoli has yet to pass for a TD and ranks last in the Pac-10 with just 126 ypg through the air. The Ducks rely heavily upon Masoli's legs and the running backs to score points, so it will be an interesting matchup for a Cal team that struggled a bit against the air attack last week but held steady on the ground.

In terms of the Bears, all they need to do is let Jahvid Best loose and we'll run all over the Ducks' defense. Another solid outing from Kevin Riley and we'll be OK, the biggest thing is to take these guys out early so the hyped crowd at Autzen becomes a non-factor. The weather is supposed to be good, so that takes out the rainy advantage for the Ducks. I like our chances to push our record to 4-0, but let's not get caught looking ahead to USC.

That's right Pete, I'm just as confused as you are! You read it here on Friday that all the media hype surrounding the Washington-USC game was just that, hype, and the Huskies really had no chance to defeat the Trojans. Well, I stand corrected. I was wrong in that presumption, as the Washington Huskies shocked everybody (especially Husky fans) by knocking off #3 USC last Saturday 16-13 on a last second field goal by Erk Folk. Jake Locker led an impressive fourth quarter drive down the length of the field to set it up, and the place just went bananas once the kick sailed through the uprights. Let's keep in mind that Washington had just broken their massive 15 game losing streak the week before against a dreadful Idaho team, so this isn't exactly a Stanfurd or Oregon State upset. This was a full-blown, you were the worst team in the country last year and still have the same players, upset. They frustrated a young and inexperienced Aaron Corp into a 13-22, 110 yard and 1 INT performance while forcing at least 2 fumbles from the running attack. This week we've been immersed in the "what would have happened if Matt Barkley played" conversation, but it wasn't just Corp struggling. His defense allowed Locker to go the length of the field, and Joe McKnight and Stanley Havili both put the ball on the ground so there is plenty of blame to go around. A good chunk of the blame should go squarely on the shoulders of Pete Carroll, who despite all his coaching wizardry, loses one of these games every year.

But let's not make this whole story just about what USC didn't do, because a lot of it had to do with what Steve Sarkisian, Nick Holt, and the Huskies did. Jake Locker played a great game, the defense held a very talented USC offense in check, and they didn't make any game-killing mistakes. My hat is off to you Washington, you thoroughly embarrassed me on my first game prediction for my new blog. But hey, I guess the Huskies needed to be right more than I did, after all, I didn't lose 12 games last season :)

I know, I know, so I'm a few days removed from the end of the game but give me a break. The Bears certainly gave me a little bit of a scare last Saturday. I turned on the TV bright and early at 9AM, hoping that the Bears were a little more awake than I. I was pleasantly surprised when Jahvid Best led the Bears to an early 14-0 lead and I figured we'd just roll through the Golden Gophers from there. Well, then Eric Decker decided to become the biggest pain in my ass this season. Decker found holes all over the field in Cal's zone defense and made our competent secondary look like a bunch of fools. I have seen Syd'Quan Thompson overwhelmed in only one other game, and that was his first start as a true freshman at Tennessee. He and Darrian Hagan were getting rolled by Decker, albeit in zone coverage, but seriously, this guy seemed to be open on every play. This all could have been avoided if safety Sean Cattouse's leveling hit took Decker out of the game, but that guy is tough as nails.

As I digress, the Bears were up 14-0 early and then the Golden Gophers scored on a Decker TD to bring it to 14-7, after that the Cal offense stalled a bit until Jahvid's 3rd TD to put us up 21-7. At this point I'm thinking we'd weathered the storm, but then Minnesota scored right at the end of the half to bring it to 21-14 and they got the ball to start the 3rd.

The 3rd quarter was when I almost had a heart attack. Jahvid Best, who was KILLING the Gophers, was on the sideline most of the quarter while we were notched in a 21-21 tie on the road. Why? You tell me, because I can't understand it. Shane Vereen is a very good running back, but let's get one thing straight: he's not Jahvid Best. That being said, I think its clear that Jeff Tedford sees those two as equals and almost has a carry share chart that he's watching, like a pitch count (for the season Best has 53 carries, Vereen 30). Yes, it is important to keep Best healthy and fresh for the long season, but when we're tied during the 3rd quarter on the road during an undefeated season, that's the time to put THE guy back into the game.

The playing time of Best aside, the Bears' air attack looked to be stagnant again until Kevin Riley finally started hitting some receiver. Sacramento native Jeremy Ross stepped up once Nyan Boateng went out with a broken foot, but the catch of the game goes to TE Anthony Miller. He made a miraculous one-handed grab that surely would have been picked off had he not gotten a paw on it during a crucial drive. That catch led to a Best TD run, his 4th of the day, and the Bears took the lead for good at 28-21. The defense, which had been on the field the entire second half, got a crucial INT to stifle the Gopher response, and then Best added to his career day with his 5th and final TD to give the Bears the 35-21 victory.

BEASTMODE game ball goes to the front-runner in the Heisman Trophy race, RB Jahvid Best. Seriously, is there anything this guy can't do? He rushed for 130 yards and 5 TD's, all while sitting out the 3rd quarter. He was Cal's offense in this game. If we can ride Best to the Rose Bowl I'm going to make Drake's "You da you da best" my theme song forever!

The first road test of the season is upon us, let's hope we're as prepared as Bill Murray to take down some gophers!

Quick Keys to the game:

1) No Hibernating Bears: The Cal team has historically been slow to start on the road during early morning games and this one kicks off at 9AM PST so they better be ready to roll and not have a Maryland-esque performance.

2) Defense stays quiet: For all the talk surrounding the Bears prolific offense (111 points in 2 games), the Bears' defense has not gotten any pub and they've only allowed 20 points thus far. With lock down corner Syd'Quan Thompson the secondary is in good hands, and the new linebackers have proven extremely capable. We need another solid performance from this group to keep the Bears on the right path.

3) Get the ground game going early: Let Jahvid take the wind out of their sails early so that we can have Kevin Riley droppin' bombs to Marvin Jones and Nyan Boateng later. Getting Best and Vereen off to a good start is always a positive indicator for a Bears victory.

4) Special Teams: There have been several special teams plays throughout my Cal road experience that have proved costly/important to victory, one of them being Maurice Jones-Drew's punt return for a TD in the Rose Bowl back in '05. That play, and a fumble on our part, led to another loss on the road in LA. We need to be solid in this phase of the game, and if Syd'Quan can break off a punt return like those of DeSean Jackson in days past, it could be a game-breaker.

Much has been made of this week's matchup between the no-longer-horrible Washington Huskies and the best team money can buy, U$C Trojans, but I'm not buying it. Listen, I watched the Trojans barely escape the Horseshoe against a capable Ohio State team, but that was not a great Ohio State team and they really shot themselves in the foot for the most part. Terrelle Pryor is not a pocket QB, and forcing him to be one is just going to exacerbate his inaccuracy as a passer. I understand that Matt Barkley's performance on the final drive was impressive, but up until then he looked just like another QB trying to figure out what to do. I'm not buying all the hype around this guy...yet; plus, he may not even be the starter anymore after Pete Carroll's decision was leaked earlier today that Aaron Corp is getting the start on Saturday against the Huskies. I know we live in an era of extremely short memories, but let's not forget that Corp beat Barkley for the starting job in the spring, only to lose it after cracking his fibula. Corp may be a bit rusty as he's been out for a few weeks recovering and has yet to play a game this season, but he's talented and much more mobile than Barkley. I'm looking at this as a bad thing for Washington, as Corp will come out guns-a-blazin' and try to remind everyone why he was a Parade All-American and the guy at QB for the Trojans. Plus, Washington's defense isn't exactly scaring anybody after allowing 349 yards through the air to the "vaunted" Idaho Vandals.

The hype surrounding this game is media generated, as always, due to the fact that Washington is now led by former Trojan offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian and their defense is run by former Trojan D-coordinator Nick Holt. Add a healthy Jake Locker to the mix, and the offense seems to be able to put up points. The Huskies may have some success with Jake Locker using his legs and hitting some open receivers, but the defense will get shredded by U$C's stable of running backs led by Joe McKnight and Corp should find little resistance in the Huskies' secondary. Before putting Washington on blast, let's give credit where credit is due; the Huskies are a much better team than last year after giving LSU a run for their money in the opener and finally winning a game last week against Idaho. However, this is still U$C and Washington, so don't expect any headlines to come from this game on Saturday.

U$C is a talented football team, they just look a little more vulnerable than usual. Is Washington going to be the team to take advantage of that? No effin' way.

This is why he's being talked about with Colt McCoy and Tim Tebow for the Heisman, and why Cal is #8 in the country right now. Before viewing, I'd like to warn all of my Pac-10 colleagues that this video may be painful for you to watch. Especially you Stanfurd, Washington, & WSU grads. The rest of you, enjoy the silky smooth moves of da Best:

California dismantled an overwhelmed Eastern Washington team last Saturday at Memorial Stadium, although it was a bit too close for me as I walked into the stadium. Upon entrance (I really had to fit in one more game of beer pong so I missed kickoff, again) it was 7-7. Fortunately for the Bears, Jahvid Best and Kevin Riley opened up the scoring floodgates and things began to spiral out of control quickly for the Eagles. Best showed off his stupid fast speed by rushing for 144 yards on 17 carries while making the Eagles defense look like they were stuck in sand.

There were some definite broken ankles as Best continued to prove he belongs in the Heisman race, adding rushing and receiving TD's to his impressive yardage totals. The key thing for Jeff Tedford will be saving this guy for the season while still giving him enough opportunities to make some national headlines. I think thus far Tedford has managed the situation very well; Best is injury prone and Tedford has limited him to 27 carries overall thus far, getting Shane Vereen and Covaughn Deboskie-Johnson involved to keep Best fresh. I'm all for Jahvid making a push for the Heisman, but let's be real, unless the Bears are in the National Title hunt and defeat U$C he's not going to unseat Tim Tebow or Colt McCoy. Furthermore, the only way the Bears ascend that high in the polls is with a healthy Best in the backfield.

That being said, Best will need help and thus far Kevin Riley looks much improved over his up-and-down performances from last year. He's finally the guy after beating out Brock Mansion and with Nate Longshore graduating he doesn't have to look over his shoulder anymore. Riley has looked solid in the first two games, benefitting from more experienced receivers in Marvin Jones, Verran Tucker, and Nyan Boateng. With Best forcing Maryland and Eastern Washington to load the box, Riley has been able to throw for 446 yards and 5 TD's. The most important statistic thus far in this early season however is the number 0; as in no INT's or fumbles. With the Bears staunch defense, not turning the ball over will be that much more of a killing blow to our opponents.

This Saturday the Bears get to prove their road hibernation trend is over, as they go on the road for the first time and face a hard-nosed Big 10 team in Minnesota. The game will be played in their new stadium on campus, so expect some rowdy Golden Gophers fans to wake the Bears up if they're still in their west-coast slumber. I'm anxious to see how the Bears fare on the road and show up for an early game. Kickoff is at 9AM on the west coast, so make sure you get your mimosas out early so you can enjoy the Bears going BEASTMODE on the Gophers!