You don't think me stupid? Wait, don't answer that.

Do you think I don't hear what people are saying.  You don't think I know that Bruins Nation calls me a "shallow veneer of attempted comedy, making Karl Dorrell look like Jerry Steinfeld."  You don't think I know that Deadspin says I am an "old meme."  You don't think I know that OSU fans call me "slow." (BTW, that thread gets more and more awesome by the moment)

I suffer those slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, knowing that people come here for the analysis of HydoTech and calming ocean sounds of CBKWit.  But dammit, I want people to respect me!  So, I'm turning over a new leaf.  I am going to understand football!  I am going to do an in depth analysis of football.  Of our upcoming opponent, the Cougars.

This is Cougar week on CGB, right?  So, let's take a look at the Cougars:

Coach Paul Wulff:

Paul Wulff is the new coach of the Cougars.  He brings a lot of energy and excitement to the team, taking over for Bill Doba.  He was a Cougar when he was younger and you know what they say "Once a Cougar, always a Cougar."

Paul Wulff stays focused on his work via www.exposay.com

At QB, they have to replace Alex Brink, one of the greatest Cougars of all time. 

"Alex Brink during his freshman year for the Cougars." via fileserver.glam.com

So, they have replaced him with Gary Rogers.  Rogers is a senior getting his first chance at playing, but did poorly against Oklahoma State in the first game of the season.

"Gary Rogers tries to shed a tackle against OSU" via www.blogsmithmedia.com

Rogers has star receiver Brandon Gibson to throw to.  But Gibson had a case of the drops against OSU, which definitely hurt the team.  Cal fans are going to want to watch the SydQuan-Gibson match up on Saturday.  It shall be a good one.

"SydGOD, memorize this face for Saturday, you will be staring at it all day long."  via www.blogsmithmedia.com

Also, on offense, they have the mean, lean running machine Dwight Tardy.  If our linebackers were able to take care of Ringer and Co., they should be able to handle Tardy.

"Our linebackers should be able to handle this Cougar" via www.blogsmithmedia.com

And finally, Elizabeth Hurley.  She's one hot Cougar!

"Elizabeth Hurley!" via www.blogsmithmedia.com

So, there you go.  A new leaf.  Hope this gets me the deep and continuing respect I predict it will.  This is Cougar week at the CGB.  Hope you guys are enjoying it!

And, now, some links:

Carli Lloyd win's Pac10 VBall player of the week:

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. - California volleyball sophomore setter Carli Lloyd has been named the Pac-10 Volleyball Player of the Week for Aug. 23-Aug. 31, Commissioner Tom Hansen announced today. This is the 23rd time that a Golden Bear has been selected for the award; the first since Angie Pressey was honored for the week of Aug. 28, 2006.

Over the weekend, Lloyd earned tournament Outstanding Setter and MVP honors at the Cal Molten Classic as the Bears posted 3-0 victories against St. John's and UC Santa Barbara. She registered 66 assists (11.0 aps) and added eight kills in 12 attempts without an error. She also had 10 digs and five total blocks as she helped the No. 5-ranked Bears to a .347 hitting percentage.

Tedford quotes from the game:

On Washington State:
Washington State's defense plays very hard. They always have, that's no different this year. They play hard. Their offense, I think their quarterback is a talented guy. He's a big 6-7 guy who is very athletic. To me, he looks like Drew Bledsoe throwing the football. He's more athletic, he gets to the edge, they move him around. They do some things that way so he really has an ability to cause you problems because he can beat you with his legs as well. Then [wide receiver] Brandon Gibson, I think everybody knows that he can do. He's always had big games against us. Dwight Tardy is a very solid running back. They have big play potential. We have to do our best to slow them down. Then offensively, we're going to have to take advantage of every situation we can because they play very hard. <!-- STORY AD BEGINS HERE -->

Pia Halbig gets a rare invite for women's golf:

BERKELEY, Calif. - California sophomore Pia Halbig has been selected to represent Germany at the 2008 World Amateur Team Championship Oct. 8-10 at Grange Golf Club in Adelaide, Australia. More than 50 women's teams will be competing for the Espirito Santo Trophy.

"I am extremely happy to represent my country," Halbig said. "It's always been my dream to compete at the World Amateur Team Championship. It happens every two years, and only three people get to compete from each country. It is a great honor."

Info on the Cal rugby incoming class:

BERKELEY - A convergence of academic achievement, athletic potential and familial legacies at the University has led an unusually large class of 18 new student-athletes to join the California rugby program for the 2009 season.

"This class is larger than most we've had partly because so many of them are outstanding students," said head coach Jack Clark. "Cal is just the right place for them academically."

The incoming class includes what has shown over time to be a typical mix of crossover football players together with a smaller percentage of students with rugby-only pedigrees.

"Their challenge will be in becoming rugby specialists, as most of them have played rugby as a second or third sport. If they can learn to treat rugby as a study, they have a chance to excel," coach Clark said.

"Their immersion in year-round rugby training begins now."

Cal field hockey to take 3 game road trip:

BERKELEY - The California field hockey team (1-1) hits the road for three games this week. Including their 2-1 overtime loss to Drexel on Sept. 1 in Berkeley, the Golden Bears will have played five games in nine days this season through Sept. 7.

The Bears will open NorPac Conference play when they take on Longwood at 1 p.m. PT on Thursday, Sept. 4, Radford at 1 p.m. PT on Friday, Sept. 5, and Appalachian State at 7 a.m. PT on Sunday, Sept. 7, at Longwood's Athletics Complex in Farmville, Va.

Longwood will host the NorPac Conference Tournament Nov. 6-8 in Farmville.

Okanes has a Tuesday night update:

The Bears moved ahead toward Washington State today, feeling mostly good about where they stand after Saturday’s season-opening win over Michigan State.

“There were a lot of situations that came up,” Cal coach Jeff Tedford said at the team’s weekly press luncheon. “There was a lot of adversity in the game. There were a lot of ups and downs. I think you can learn a lot from those situations. I thought our team held together well.

“You know when you play a great team, there is going to be adversity. It’s not all going to go your way. So how you handle adversity and respond to it is critical. I think that the game the other night gave us that opportunity.”

There wasn’t a whole lot of big news Tuesday. The most notable development came when Tedford told our columnist, Gary Peterson, that Kevin Riley would once again start at quarterbackand this  time there were no plans to use Nate Longshore in relief. I don’t really characterize this as huge news because it’s simply not surprising.

That being said, it sure looks like it’s Riley’s team now. Riley is performing like a starting quarterback and acting like a starting quarterback. Just in his dealings with the media, you can see the confidence growing. Riley isn’t afraid to talk about any subject related to the team. He understands his role that a quarterback is somewhat of a mouthpiece for the team.

Okanes seems bummed no Cal player made Pac10 Player Of The Week:

If the award wasn’t limited to different phases of the game, Best may have had a better chance. HIs 277 total all-purpose yards were the best by any conference player during the opening week. But he was nominated for offense, so you have to throw out the 103 yards of kick returns he had against Michigan State.

Thompson had what was arguably the best game of his career with five tackles, three pass break-ups and a pivotal interception. But the stats don’t begin to tell the story. Thompson was a shut-down corner Saturday, made plays whenever the ball was nearby and helped out stopping the run.

Fuller article on Riley being full time QB:

BERKELEY — It appears it's now Kevin Riley's team at Cal.

Coach Jeff Tedford said Tuesday that Riley will start at quarterback in Saturday's game at Washington State and there are no predetermined plans to use Nate Longshore in relief.

"Kevin earned it last week," Tedford said. "Kevin played well enough to be the guy. I'm not a huge fan of going back and forth."

Riley, a redshirt sophomore, won the quarterback competition during training camp, but Tedford said the evaluation would be ongoing. Tedford decided before the season opener against Michigan State to give Longshore some playing time. Longshore, a senior who started the past two seasons, played two possessions, each of which ended in an interception. The second pick came deep in Cal territory and was returned for a touchdown.

"Nate made a very poor decision on the second interception," Tedford said. "The first interception was a defensive back making a great play. Unfortunately, there were a couple big plays that weren't positive for Nate. If the roles had been reversed, we may have changed our thinking (for Saturday's game)."

So, there you go.  Some solid links.  If you see any other Cal-related links, bring them over.  Especially if they relate to WSU.  It is not officially Cougar Week at the CGB!  Dump Away!  GO BEARS!