Golden Nuggets: Bears FINALLY Win in LA

by Berkelium97 on Oct 18, 2009 5:00 PM PDT in Golden Nuggets

JO has a variety of interesting notes following the post-game press room.

–Cornerback Syd’Quan Thompson left the game with a hip pointer. No word yet on his prognosis.

–Kicker Vince D’Amato suffered a shoulder injury in the second quarter during a kick return.

–Game time temperature was 100 degrees!

–Jahvid Best’s 93-yard TD run was the third-longest ever at Cal. The longest? Bill Power went for 98 yards against Oregon State in 1951.
...
–Although the Bears took busses down to Pasadena, they took a charter flight back home.

–Cornerback Darian Hagan had five tackles and three pass break-ups.

–Linebacker Mychal Kendricks didn’t start for the first time this season, partly because he didn’t practice during the bye week with a shoulder injury. Defensive coordinator Bob Gregory also liked the way D.J. Holt had been practicing at that position. Kendricks estimated he saw about 15 snaps.

–The masterminds behind Tedford’s ice bath at the end of the game? Wide receiver Nyan Boateng, nose tackle Derrick Hill and recruiting coordinator Kevin Parker.

After the jump we have recaps from both perspectives, bowl projections, post-game press conference quotes, a video of a major mental mistake the defense made, and more. Tomorrow I'll have recaps of the rest of the weekend in Cal sports.

Tedford and Riley earn of Ted Miller's helmet stickers for their bye-week work together to improve Riley's accuracy.
Bruce Feldman predicts a Cal-Georgia Tech Emerald Bowl and Mark Schlabach predicts a Utah-Cal Poinsettia Bowl.
Post-game quotes from Tedford and Neuheisal.
Rob Calonge has a good recap of the game.
The LA Daily News wonders why the UCLA defense disappeared at times. LATimes thinks the Bruin Bandwagon has melted into "a messy mass of overheated and very pliable goo."
After seven years of losing in LA and especially after the losses against USC and Oregon, Tedford seemed thrilled with the win. Best called the win "a pivotal moment" and said many of the guys were "shocked" when on Friday the normally quiet Ludwig lit into them about the need to get going on offense.
Monte Poole is still wondering what type of team Cal is. He wouldn't be surprised if they finish 7-5 or 8-4.
Marvin Jones had a great day in front of several friends and family members.
Mychal Kendricks backed up his talk from earlier in the week with a game-sealing interception.

Lastly, thanks to Spazzy McGee for posting this earlier. Praise be to Tedford we didn't give up a TD to the wide-open Paulsen while we had only ten men on the field.

Cal Bears play defense with just 10 guys (via TouchedTheAxeIn82)

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Trivia

Kurt Streeter, he of the “messy mass of overheated and very pliable goo” at the LA Times, was a tennis star at Cal back in the ‘80s. I’d like to say the relatively recent addition of Streeter to the Times’ payroll has made the Sports section more readable. But I can’t.

There is one exception, though. Streeter wrote a fantastic feature about the brave and dignified battle of a local marathoner—as beautiful a man as I’ve ever met—against terminal skin cancer. It’s still well worth a read.

Go Bears!

by California Pete on Oct 18, 2009 5:24 PM PDT reply actions

Praise be to Tedford we didn’t give up a TD to the wide-open Paulsen while we had only ten men on the field.

Not too surprising. By the team’s own admission, the Bears had been playing “10-man football” for the last two games, so they ought to be pretty good at it by now.

Go Bears!

by California Pete on Oct 18, 2009 5:26 PM PDT reply actions 4 recs

Hahahaha rec'd

Email: bearsnecessities@gmail.com

by Avinash Kunnath on Oct 18, 2009 5:35 PM PDT up reply actions

wow

we must have had 10 guys on the field for that whole series. how could it be that NOBODY on the sidelines picked up on it??

by atomsareenough on Oct 18, 2009 10:14 PM PDT up reply actions

It was hot

by Kai on Oct 18, 2009 11:48 PM PDT up reply actions 2 recs

Like I said over on Bearinsider

I don’t really see what the big deal is. We don’t usually cover the TE anyway.

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. What happens in California makes the world go round.

by Spazzy Mcgee on Oct 19, 2009 1:00 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs

We could make it back to Pasadena

According to my spreadsheets, if Cal wins every game left on the schedule, we have a shot at the Rose Bowl still. SC should be able to conquer the rest of the schedule, and with some luck, might find itself in the NCG. If Oregon loses to Arizona and Oregon St, then we’d be second in the conference with a (10-2, 7-2 Pac-10) record.

Low expectations…high hopes. Right?

by Stochastic on Oct 19, 2009 3:21 AM PDT reply actions

interesting

I’d be shocked if oregon dropped both osu and zona. Maybe one of those. And I can’t see texas of florida losing in a place it gets $c to the title game.

But we live in hope.

Go Bears Go

by Rocksanddirt on Oct 19, 2009 6:44 AM PDT via mobile up reply actions

Or Alabama.

by CaliforniaCMB on Oct 19, 2009 9:41 AM PDT up reply actions

If I understand the tie-breakers correctly, Oregon (or USC—b/c I wouldn’t count the Ducks out of the BCS championship game just yet) needs to lose three times for a 10-2 Cal team to claim a Rose Bowl berth. Either that, or there would need to be another team to lose just two games in conference to make it three-way tie for the second place.

Possible? Yes. Likely? No. And for me personally, I have stopped caring about the Rose Bowl. The whole point of our Pasadena obsession is that it represented a conference championship. While I was as bitterly disappointed as anyone by the snub in 2004, I really would prefer that Cal’s next trip to the Rose Bowl be something other than a nice consolation prize for finishing second, yet again, behind the Trojans.

Go Bears!

by California Pete on Oct 19, 2009 8:32 AM PDT up reply actions

Seconded.

I really would prefer that Cal’s next trip to the Rose Bowl be something other than a nice consolation prize for finishing second, yet again, behind the Trojans.

by Yes We Cannon on Oct 19, 2009 8:49 AM PDT up reply actions

while I don't disagree, i'm still down with a RoseBowl or other Jan 1 game.

Go Bears Go

by Rocksanddirt on Oct 19, 2009 8:56 AM PDT up reply actions

Yeah, there are some people that have been waiting for that game…for a while now. To some it might be a consolation, to others it would the ultimate prize.

by CaliforniaCMB on Oct 19, 2009 9:42 AM PDT up reply actions

I don’t get the obsession with Jan 1. The notion of a Jan 1 bowl game is outdated. We absolutely should aspire to a BCS bowl game, of course, but a secondary bowl on Jan 1 is not necessarily a good thing. The Emerald Bowl last year, for instance, had the 9th highest viewership in the bowl lineup. Ahead of the Cotton Bowl on Jan 2. Ahead of the Outback Bowl on Jan 1. Ahead of the Liberty Bowl on Jan 2. The Gator Bowl (Jan 1) just barely beat it (one spot ahead), the Champs Sports Bowl (Dec 27 like the Emerald Bowl) was the next spot up….

by Missing Barry on Oct 19, 2009 11:05 AM PDT up reply actions

Out of curiousity. Is it possible for USC to go elsewhere besides the Rose Bowl if they don’t make the NC game. In other words, is it possible for one of the other major bowls to invite them (since they are so tired of going to the Rose Bowl, pffft)?

Alternately, what I’m really asking is if the Rose Bowl can choose to invite either Pac-10 rep if there are two?

by YleeXOtee on Oct 19, 2009 2:03 PM PDT up reply actions

I believe the rule is that the winner of the Pac-10 conference and the winner of the Big-10 conference are committed to the Rose Bowl. The only exception is if one of them is in the National Championship game.

by CalBear81 on Oct 19, 2009 2:06 PM PDT up reply actions

I don’t know exactly. I do know the other BCS bowls forced the Rose Bowl to accept a non-BCS conference team in the near future, though that might only be in place of a Pac-10 or Big-10 winner that’s in the NCG…

by Missing Barry on Oct 19, 2009 2:57 PM PDT up reply actions

Our biggest problem is our bowl payouts are weak, but that can’t really be fixed. It’s a supply/demand issue, and the truth is between where the bowls are located in general and the weak traveling on the part of Pac-10 fans, the Pac-10 just isn’t as big a ticket as some other conferences.

by Missing Barry on Oct 19, 2009 2:59 PM PDT up reply actions

Rose Bowl picks the Pac-10 champion under the BCS contract. So they’d probably have to win 9-10 games to get picked by any of the other major bowls and Oregon MUST beat USC. Otherwise the Trojans would go to the Rose Bowl unless they were invited to the National Title game, and then the Rose Bowl has carte blanche to pick anyone.

Email: bearsnecessities@gmail.com

by Avinash Kunnath on Oct 19, 2009 7:37 PM PDT up reply actions

Right!

It’s college football, anything can happen.

by CaliforniaCMB on Oct 19, 2009 9:40 AM PDT up reply actions

Oregon AND USC would have to lose 3 games. Not gonna happen.

dboneisloose

by HolmoePhobe on Oct 19, 2009 9:48 AM PDT up reply actions

Okay, excluding their match up (let’s say USC wins), say neither team loses again. Does SC have a chance at the NCG, maybe Oregon getting picked for another major bowl happen?

by CaliforniaCMB on Oct 19, 2009 1:15 PM PDT up reply actions

I’d be quite happy to make it to the Holiday Bowl.

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. What happens in California makes the world go round.

by Spazzy Mcgee on Oct 19, 2009 10:45 AM PDT up reply actions

Even that requires some rather good luck. Either Oregon OR USC loses 3 times or one of those makes the NatChamp game. Seems unlikely.

President Emperor Warlord Of The Sun!

www.CaliforniaGoldenBlogs.com

by TwistNHook on Oct 19, 2009 11:33 AM PDT up reply actions

Idnt the Holiday below the Alamo now? Or does that take effect next year…

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. What happens in California makes the world go round.

by Spazzy Mcgee on Oct 19, 2009 1:16 PM PDT up reply actions

Next.

by Yes We Cannon on Oct 19, 2009 1:22 PM PDT up reply actions

It’s not out of the question for the Pac-10 to send 2 teams to the BCS if Oregon wins out and USC finishes 10-2. I just finished a post on this in the DBD, and I think I minded all my ps and qs therein.

"Let me tell you a story. I was a political prisoner for two years. The instant I was released I ran to McDonald's. I had a Big Mac and a Coke.

It was fantastic."
-Toyama Koichi, US Presidential candidate from Japan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGZqOkeYbB0

by AERose on Oct 19, 2009 7:29 PM PDT up reply actions

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Golden Bears Football Schedule

Fresno St.	Sat 09/03	W 36 - 21
@ Colorado The Ralphie Report	Sat 09/10	W 36 - 33
Presbyterian	Sat 09/17	W 63 - 12
@ Washington UW Dawg Pound	Sat 09/24	L 23 - 31
@ Oregon Addicted To Quack	Thu 10/06	L 15 - 43
USC Conquest Chronicles	Thu 10/13	L 9 - 30
Utah Block U	Sat 10/22	W 34 - 10
@ UCLA Bruins Nation	Sat 10/29	L 14 - 31
Washington St. CougCenter	Sat 11/05	W 30 - 7
Oregon St. Building The Dam	Sat 11/12	W 23 - 6
@ Stanford Rule Of Tree	Sat 11/19	L 28 - 31
@ Arizona St. House Of Sparky	Fri 11/25	W 47 - 38
@ Texas Burnt Orange Nation	Wed 12/28	L 10 - 21

Pacific-12 Conference Standings

(updated 1.2.2012 at 11:12 PM PST)

North	Conf		Overall
	W	L	W	L
Oregon Ducks Addicted To Quack	8	1	12	2
Stanford Cardinal Rule Of Tree	8	1	11	2
Washington Huskies UW Dawg Pound	5	4	7	6
California Golden Bears California Golden Blogs	4	5	7	6
Oregon St. Beavers Building The Dam	3	6	3	9
Washington St. Cougars CougCenter	2	7	4	8

South	Conf		Overall
	W	L	W	L
USC Trojans Conquest Chronicles	7	2	10	2
UCLA Bruins Bruins Nation	5	4	6	8
Utah Utes Block U	4	5	8	5
Arizona St. Sun Devils House Of Sparky	4	5	6	7
Arizona Wildcats Arizona Desert Swarm	2	7	4	8
Colorado Buffaloes The Ralphie Report	2	7	3	10