Marathon at Memorial, November 2, 1996: Cal 56, Arizona 55 (4 OT)
by Ohio Bear on Nov 12, 2009 10:37 AM PST
63 comments
The year was 1996. Ohio Bear wasn't yet Ohio Bear. I was a 3rd year law student, living in the Bay Area, and a Cal Young Alumni season ticket holder. 1996 was the one and only year of the Steve Mariucci "era" at Cal. ("It's all of us against all of them," yada yada yada.)
Mooch's return to Cal was exciting for us Old(ish) Blues back then. Mooch had been the offensive coordinator during the latter part of the Bruce Snyder era, most notably the 1991 season when we went 10-2 and won the Citrus Bowl, our only New Year's Day bowl game since the 1959 Rose Bowl. Unfortunately, when Snyder bolted for ASU after that season when Cal jerked him around on a contract (Bob Bockrath dumb move # 1), Cal passed over Mooch for the head coaching job (Bockrath dumb move # 2) and hired Keith Gilbertson instead (Bockrath dumb move # 3). So when then-AD John Kasser hired Mooch to take over our program in 1996, there was a sense of optimism that he would bring the energy, enthusiasm, and success that was present at the end of the Snyder era.
via archive.southcoasttoday.com
The 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th Quarter is ours!
It started out well in 1996. We began 5-0, including a win at the L.A. Coliseum against 15th ranked USC. But then (inevitably?), the onset of collapse. For our first loss, we lost in gut wrenching fashion at WSU, 21-18, losing a fumble at the Coug 1 yard line in the final minute. Back then, the Curse of the Palouse was real. The following week, we lost a home game to Ucla, 38-29, despite Pat Barnes passing for a then-Cal record 435 yards. That game was yet more evidence of what many of us suspected to that point: the 1996 Cal Bears were all about offense; defense, uh, not so much.
(You think Cal fans slam Gregory these days? If the blogosphere had been alive back then, DC Tom Holmoe would have gotten the same treatment one hundred fold. Blown coverages in the secondary? Check. Tight end uncovered? We got that. Missed tackles? You betcha. Holmoe was so reviled by the Cal faithful that year that there was little chance he'd be considered for the HC job after Mariucci left...oh wait...FUCK!)
I coordinated the Pac-10's worst defense in 1996. For that, I became head coach in 1997!
So after 7 games, we were 5-2 overall and 2-2 in the Pac-10, with a home game coming against the Arizona Wildcats. We were in desperate need for a win. For that matter, so was Arizona. What transpired that day was epic.
Cal seemed poised to snap the losing streak. Arizona brought its 1990s "Desert Swarm" defensive reputation to Berkeley that day, but Cal didn't seem to care. The Bears rolled up 659 yards of total offense that day. Cal ran the ball okay (Deltha O'Neal, a running back at that stage of his career, rushed for 95 yards on 15 carries), but our passing game was our bread and butter. Bobby Shaw and Na'il Benjamin each went over 100 yards receiving that day, and Tony Gonzalez nearly hit a hundy.
And Pat Barnes was on fire. Barnes threw 5 TD passes through 3 quarters, helping Cal build a 35-21 lead going in the 4th quarter. Some in the crowd thought we had the game at that point. "The 4th quarter is ours," n'est-ce-pas? Besides, Arizona was primarily a running offense: they weren't gonna come back from 14 down in the 4th quarter. No way.
Single game passing record. Two weeks in a row, bitches!
via quarterback.debartolosportsu.com
Uh, yeah way. We made Keith Smith, Arizona's primarily running quarterback, look like Steve Young that day, especially in the 4th quarter. Smith ran for over 109 yards and passed for 418 more. Arizona scored twice in the 4th quarter on long TD drives, with the second TD tying the game with about 3 minutes left. To overtime we went, tied at 35.
We traded TDs in the 1st OT, our TD coming on Barnes 6th TD pass of the game (this one to Dameane Douglas). 42-all. Both teams missed FGs in the 2nd overtime, sending it to a 3rd OT. Another exchange of TDs (another Barnes TD pass for us) took us to a 4th OT, tied at 49.
Dameane Douglas caught 6 passes for 83 yards and 2 TDs in this epic.
As it had done throughout the OT periods, the Cal student section "shifted" to the side of the field that the teams were playing on. For the 1st and 3rd OTs, the south end zone was the battleground. That meant we in section QQ were a little more crowded than usual. Some fans were annoyed; I didn't mind. For the 4th OT, however, we in QQ had a little more room - the 4th OT was played at the north end.
Cal had the ball first in the 4th OT and scored on yet another Barnes TD pass (this one to fullback Marc Vera, his second of the game). 56-49 Cal. A defensive stop would win the game!
Uh, no. Arizona scored a TD, of course, to pull within 56-55. So the game would go on. Or would it?
Arizona lined up for what we all assumed would be the tying extra point. On to a 5th overtime we'd go. I was bracing myself for the humanity that would crowd us if the action shifted to the south end zone. But there would be no "9th quarter." Arizona Coach Dick Tomey decided to end this thing, right then. With a fake extra point! Arizona's holder flipped the ball backwards to the kicker, who sprinted as only a kicker can toward the right corner of the end zone. But Andre Rhodes, a Cal linebacker who also played on the field goal unit, sniffed out the fake and tackled the kicker well short of the goal line. The crowd was stunned. Did we just see what we thought we just saw?!?
I couldn't go another overtime. The horror! We needed to end it!
via wc.arizona.edu
The Bears have won! The Bears have won! I tried to give out one last yell in victory. Just about nothing came out. My voice was spent. The game ended just in time. I had left it all out there and had nothing left to give for a 5th overtime anyway. (It didn't stop me from reveling in victory, however.)
Later that night, I heard Pat Barnes being interviewed about his epic day on ESPN radio. Barnes ended up breaking his week-old record for passing yards in a single game, going 35 of 46 for 503 yards and 8 TDs. Cal football was 6-2 and relevant.
Alas, we wouldn't win another game that season. It would be Mooch's final win as a Cal coach, as we closed the season with losses at Arizona State, at Oregon, in the Big Game, and in the Aloha Bowl vs. Navy. The game would also help spawn a rule change in college football overtime: everyone goes for 2 after the 3rd overtime.
At that time, though, we didn't know all of that. We just knew the 8th quarter was ours!
The opinions expressed in a FanPost are, in every way, reflective of the opinions of every California Golden Blogs Marshawnthusiast. Moreover, they are reflective of every employee of SBNation, including Tyler "Blez" Bleszinski.
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Since it's Wildcat week, I thought I'd post this
Please share memories of this epic! Unfortunately, I couldn’t find video. Come to think of it, I don’t even remember if the game was on TV.
I looked up the reported attendance from that day: 35,000. No wonder the students had room to crowd us in QQ during the OTs! My, how times have changed.
I should have mentioned this was the first year of the NCAA’s college football overtime rule and the second overtime game Cal played that season. Earlier that season, Cal beat Oregon State (remember when we could do that?) 48-42 in 3OT, also at Memorial Stadium.
Praise be to Tedford!
by Ohio Bear on Nov 11, 2009 9:41 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
Awesome. Wish I was there and not 11 years old.
The Lack of Mack's Imposition Attacks My Disposition.
by Spazzy Mcgee on Nov 11, 2009 9:55 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
I wish I had been there and not [redacted] years old.
"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 Nov 11, 2009 10:29 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
I wish I had been born
STAY THIRSTY, MY FRIENDS
by Thoroughbred on Nov 11, 2009 10:44 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
This cannot possibly be true.
The #1 greatest threat to America: BEARS
by norcalnick on Nov 11, 2009 10:48 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Less awesome than you’d think…. 86 is where its at….
Undefeated in Southern California since Oct. 2009...
by CruzinBears on Nov 12, 2009 12:32 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Lol at your name. Where’s 33SwisherSweet?
In other words, Go Bears!
by royrules22 on Nov 12, 2009 12:53 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
33SS is gonna be pissed when he finds out someone’s impersonating him.
Heads will roll I tells ya!
Cal Football: It could happen!
by CalBandGreat on Nov 12, 2009 1:40 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Damn, born in 1985? I was finishing my freshman year. Getting my classes by filling out a card and putting it in a BOX outside of Dwinelle, pre-computers.
by BlackandOldGold on Nov 12, 2009 3:42 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
May you never run across rollonubears.
President Emperor Warlord Of The Sun!
www.CaliforniaGoldenBlogs.com
by TwistNHook on Nov 12, 2009 3:44 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Gold Star for you!
I was 11 and remember listening on the radio. Pat Barnes was my hero for a good long while. Since I only attended Big Games, I didn’t understand how students had enough room to move across the stadium during OT. Silly ignorant 11 year old Nick!
The #1 greatest threat to America: BEARS
by norcalnick on Nov 11, 2009 10:49 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
The whole 4th Quarter is Ours was another one of Mooch’s motivational techniques. I remember reading all the month-old newspaper coverage (mailed to be abroad by my parents) – and they all talked about Mooch’s ability to motivate the troops.
Andre Rhodes! I bet he benched more than Ross and Boateng. I remember he was a speciman, just totally yoked.
by LeonPowe on Nov 11, 2009 10:52 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
It was on TV in Arizona. I just watched it a little while ago as it’s one of my few games I still have on VHS. Tony Gonzalez was quite simply, a bad-ass in this game. As well as all the other receivers that were on that team. The fact that we hired the coordinator of the non-existent defense to run the ship still boggles my mind.
by suessbear on Nov 11, 2009 10:57 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
Looking back on it
That was a bad ass receiving corps we had. I mean, Demeane Douglas was our THIRD guy?!? Shaw, Benjamin, and Douglas each had speed. Benjamin had some dropsies during his career, but Shaw and Douglas were reliable pass catchers—good hands, both of of them. And then on top of that, we had Tony G at the tight end position. And with Pat Barnes at QB — a guy who didn’t throw many INTs — no wonder we had such a great offense on 1996.
The offense might have been even better had our starting RB, Tarik Smith, not been lost for the season in about the 3rd game of the year. He had started the season very well and prolly would have been a 1,000 yard rusher.
Praise be to Tedford!
by Ohio Bear on Nov 12, 2009 5:41 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
I remember they tried running the back-up but he really sucked in the first half. Can’t remember his name. Then they brought in Deltha and he did a nice job, but it was definitely a passing team. Makes me wonder how 2005 or 2008 would have gone down had we had a Pat Barnes or a Dave Barr. Both were very accurate and could throw well on the run. I also wonder what could have happened if 92-96 could have been Mooch instead of Gilby. I think Mooch would have bolted no matter what, but maybe the program would not have reached the 7th circle of hell if he had layed the groundwork first.
by suessbear on Nov 12, 2009 12:57 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
The running back you’re thinking of is Brandon Willis. He was a small scat back type. Good speed, but not the best runner between the tackles.
I regret that Gilby burned Barnes’ redshirt in 1993 (unnecessarily, in my view). Barnes and Cal would have benefited from Barnes coming back in 1997. Alas, he couldn’t. Mariucci left, and Justin Vedder was the QB. Having Barnes in 1997 would have made us a much better team because we still had good weapons at WR (Shaw and Douglas), but didn’t have a consistent QB to get them the ball.
Praise be to Tedford!
by Ohio Bear on Nov 12, 2009 1:21 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
I also believe Marcus Fields #4 made an appearance in that game at TB.
Cal basketball 2009: washing away the bitterness of Cal football 2009
by Calbear98 on Nov 12, 2009 1:48 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Please don’t mention Vedder. The memories are just too bad ;-)
by tmoran3020 on Nov 13, 2009 11:09 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
I remember reading about this game
As a first year law student at UVa, there was a brief blurb about this epicness in the Sunday paper. And I was thinking “crap, I graduated a year too early.” But no, I had seen two Big Game wins, I didn’t know who this Holmoe fellow was, so overall I think I graduated at just the right time. The only Cal game I saw on TV that year was the Aloha Bowl. I f’ing HATE the triple option.
Costs assessed against Twist
by CALumbus Bear on Nov 12, 2009 6:46 AM PST reply actions 0 recs
P.S. needs moar pix of Tony G!
but still rec’d
Costs assessed against Twist
by CALumbus Bear on Nov 12, 2009 6:55 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Did you know how awesome Ohio Bear would be when you were that first year law student? Were you thinking “Man I wish I was out there to see Ohio Bear and watch this football competition. In that order!”
President Emperor Warlord Of The Sun!
www.CaliforniaGoldenBlogs.com
by TwistNHook on Nov 12, 2009 7:53 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Let’s see, Ohio Bear went from being a Cal sports radio broadcaster to just another damn attorney. I’d say his awesomeness took a sharp decline for the worse from that point forward.
Costs assessed against Twist
by CALumbus Bear on Nov 12, 2009 8:03 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Great story! I felt like I was there, although in reality I was in my teens and living across the country.
by sec119 on Nov 12, 2009 6:49 AM PST reply actions 0 recs
Great story! I felt like I was there, although in reality I was in my teens and playing linebacker for Arizona.
President Emperor Warlord Of The Sun!
www.CaliforniaGoldenBlogs.com
by TwistNHook on Nov 12, 2009 7:54 AM PST reply actions 0 recs
Great story! I felt like I was there, although in reality I was in my teens and campaigning for Bob Dole.
by Kai on Nov 12, 2009 8:35 AM PST reply actions 0 recs
Great story! I felt like I was there, although in reality I was there too. The shifting crowd was an awesome thing.
by zoonews on Nov 12, 2009 8:58 AM PST reply actions 0 recs
So what happened to all the great guys from that team? From Barnes to all the receivers. The only I know of today is Tony G.
In other words, Go Bears!
by royrules22 on Nov 12, 2009 10:44 AM PST reply actions 0 recs
Just to name a few that I can think of from the 1996 team
Bobby Shaw played several seasons in the NFL, most notably with the Steelers and Seahawks
Demeane Douglas played 2 more seasons at Cal and then was drafted by the Raiders, was cut, and then signed with the Eagles, where he stuck and played about 3 years. He was later traded (?) to Kansas City early this decade, but had his career ended by a training camp knee injury. Douglas is one of my all time faves at WR for Cal: think Geoff MacArthur with more speed.
Na’il Benjamin, to my knowledge, did not play pro football.
Pat Barnes spent time with the Chiefs and 49ers for parts of 3 seasons. Barnes appeared in one game for the 49ers in 1999.
Tarik Glenn was an All Pac-10 offensive tackle for us that year. He was a first round pick of the Colts in the 1997 draft and was a staple at left tackle (protecting Peyton Manning) for 10 years until he retired (with a Super Bowl ring!).
Jeremy Newberry, I believe, also played on our offensive line in 1996. He was with the 49ers for several years.
Ryan Longwell was our kicker and punter that season. He’s still in the NFL (longtime Packer, now with Vikings)
Deltha O’Neal: obvi, a longtime NFLer.
Kato Serwanga played CB on our not so good defense that year. Kato was a decent player, though. He spent several years in the NFL, mostly with the Patriots I believe.
Marquis Smith, I recall, was also a DB on the 1996 team. He was later a draftee of the Cleveland Browns and spent a few seasons there.
Brandon Whiting was a D-lineman, and one of our better defensive players. Whiting played several years with the Eagles in the late 90s, early 2000s, and later played a season with the 49ers.
Matt Beck with a freshman linebacker on the 1996 team, if I’m remembering correctly. He is now a grad assistant on Tedford’s staff.
Praise be to Tedford!
by Ohio Bear on Nov 12, 2009 11:01 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Cool so a lot of them had productive careers. Interesting!
Surprising that Barnes didn’t do that great in the NFL
In other words, Go Bears!
by royrules22 on Nov 12, 2009 11:21 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Barnes, according to Sports Illustrated was completely immature.
The streets of San Francisco’s trendy SoMa district were alive with revelers, and one of them, a 22-year-old rowdy named Pat Barnes, was putting up his dukes in the middle of Folsom Street. This was no place for a street fight, nor was it an opportune time: The NFL draft was 12 days away, and Barnes, a standout quarterback for Cal last season, was recovering from a broken right wrist. Yet when older brother John initiated a round of playful boxing, Pat couldn’t resist.
A few hours and several beers later, at the nearby Up & down Club, the Barnes brothers were contemplating fisticuffs again—only this time it appeared serious. They were arguing with two other patrons, one of whom sidled up to Pat and explained why everyone present should “just chill.” The younger and soon-to-be-richer Barnes stared back blankly. “Dude,” he finally said, “you’ve got the worst breath I’ve ever smelled.” Some fast talking by John helped avert a brawl, after which Pat offered an explanation: "I was just going to pop him with my left hand.
I remember he and Dave Barr got into a feud because he borrowed $300 from Barr AND crashed Dave Barr’s truck and didn’t pay him back.
by LeonPowe on Nov 12, 2009 4:18 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Wow WTF?
In other words, Go Bears!
by royrules22 on Nov 12, 2009 4:37 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Serwanga was way better with the Patriots than he ever was at Cal. I remember him getting burned play after play in 1996 and 1997
Cal basketball 2009: washing away the bitterness of Cal football 2009
by Calbear98 on Nov 12, 2009 1:51 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
You think it might have had something to do with having Holmoe coach you?
In other words, Go Bears!
by royrules22 on Nov 12, 2009 1:52 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Don’t forget about Sekou Sanyika!
He wasn’t quite yet the beast he would become, but he played a significant part on the ’96 team. He was drafted by the Cardinals, played a few years, but injuries cut his career short.
CGB: Wasting Your Potential, Your Time, & Your Life Since 2006.
by BearStage on Nov 13, 2009 2:41 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
I was there man, I WAS THERE!!!!!
All 10 years old of me was there sitting in HH watching this epic offensive showing…
Bobby Shaw was one of my favorite Cal players of the 90’s (along with Deltha, Tony G, and various LBs)
I loved the Mariuchi invention of 4th qtr’s ours (and subsequently 8th qtr’s ours), but hated his bolting to the NFL and ruining of my trip to Hawaii for the Aloha Bowl…
The student section shift is another one of my favorite Cal memories growing up, and I wish it could still take place (unfortunately OTs and Cal don’t mix all that well these days) and with attendance at 50k+ I doubt it would happen anyway…
Anyways great post Ohio Bear, let’s bring it to AZ on Saturday and scrap out another win…
Undefeated in Southern California since Oct. 2009...
by CruzinBears on Nov 12, 2009 10:49 AM PST reply actions 0 recs
Hey, Cruzin: I made the trip to Hawaii for the Aloha Bowl, too!
Praise be to Tedford!
by Ohio Bear on Nov 12, 2009 11:04 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
4 hours on hot aluminum bleacher and a Cal loss, are all I really remember from the game…
But I remember the pre-game battle of the bands at the pep-rally, which was awesome to see, Navy band vs. Cal band was actually a good match up haha
Undefeated in Southern California since Oct. 2009...
by CruzinBears on Nov 12, 2009 11:23 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
I was in that band. Free trip to Hawaii for about a WEEK. Good shit.
by zoonews on Nov 12, 2009 3:33 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
I was there too!
I don’t remember a whole lot tho, so have absolutely nothing to contribute to this discussion.
Cal Football: It could happen!
by CalBandGreat on Nov 12, 2009 1:42 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
I carried Mooch after the game
What a great post to remind me of the greatest Cal game I attended in person (2003 Insight bowl a close runner-up).
I was a junior in 1996, and still remember everything vividly. Like CruzinBears said, it was ridiculousluy hot for a November in Berkeley, though by the end of the game I remember it was dark. After the game was the first night I went to Kip’s. That didn’t end well…
I also faintly remember renewed talk of the Rose Bowl after the game with some students. They definitely weren’t Old Blues.
I loved the Eighth Quarter is Ours chant.
How bad were our Gameday shirts back then? “It’s All of us….against All of Them” or something like that.
Cal basketball 2009: washing away the bitterness of Cal football 2009
by Calbear98 on Nov 12, 2009 1:46 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
Are you !-ing kidding me?
You had that ass clown Bob Bockrath as an AD too? Dude basically put Alabama on the road to ruin in the mid-90s in much the same way (ran off Gene Stallings, hired an utterly unqualified dupe in Dubose and stuck by him after he was caught tapping his secretary, switched to F-ing PEPSI in the stadium…seriously, the man has the reverse Midas touch. Everything he administers turns to feces.)
Still, when a grad student in Nashville, neck-deep in the SEC, has heard of Pat Barnes and seen him referred to as “Peyton Manning West”, something’s going right. At least Pat Barnes isn’t the spawn of the devil.
by VandyImport on Nov 12, 2009 2:37 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
haha great post
STAY THIRSTY, MY FRIENDS
by Thoroughbred on Nov 12, 2009 2:51 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Bob Bockrath was the Manchurian AD if there ever was one. If you’d told me that he was betting against Cal in every game, not a single eyebrow would have been raised. He was the Schleprock of AD’s.
by BlackandOldGold on Nov 12, 2009 3:46 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
We didn't have Bockrath very long
But in that brief time, he managed to (1) fail to retain Snyder, (2) hire Keith Gilbertson, (3) totally screw up the Lou Campanelli firing, and (4) set the basketball program back several years with the shortsighted hiring of Todd Bozeman to replace Campanelli.
It was like he came in, ransacked our place, and then bolted for Texas Tech to do God knows what to their athletic department. Apparently, he then failed upward to Alabama. Sometime after ’Bama, I heard that he ended up at a junior college in Arizona.
Praise be to Tedford!
by Ohio Bear on Nov 12, 2009 7:20 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Don’t forget his horribly misguided attempt to make student section tickets with seats and row numbers!
by LeonPowe on Nov 12, 2009 11:09 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
That was my freshman year. (I still have my “All of Us Vs. All Of Them” shirt from that year — i love all the cartoon mascots getting bowled over.) I remember that WSU game well, as that was my introduction to the agony of Cal football, a feeling I relieved for many, many years, and still get reminders of nearly every year.
But yeah, I was in Rally. And the upperclassmen in Rally told us, that despite the student section movement, we were not to go anywhere. Something about representing the University in those rugbies, IIRC. (It’s the same reason we tried to hold our ground as the Student Section swept over us at that year’s Big Game before somebody finally realized it wasn’t smart and got us out of the swarming crowd — I think I ended up on the field, but away from where the riot started.)
So I merely watched as humanity swirled back and forth through the student section. I also seem to remember the OT pattern being N, S, S, N, but it’s been a while and I could be wrong.
But I do remember the moment when the holder just kinda tossed it over his head. It seemed like they weren’t even trying. It was late, and getting dark, and I don’t know what would have happened had Tomey kicked that field goal and gone for another OT. And I remember being sad that I wasn’t down in the mob to celebrate.
But it felt pretty good. Little did I know that season would be the high water mark for my undergrad career and it would take coming back for grad school to see a Big Game win. Nobody was happier than me at the 2006 Big Game, when I realized that we’d won five in a row, and thus there were Stanford students in the crowd who had never seen the axe at their school in their whole undergrad careers, just like me. It was an odd moment, both being joyfully happy at their sadness, and yet sharing an odd commiseration.
And Tomey Rule FTW. :)
-kat
But I do remember that 56-55 score on the scoreboard as we walked out
Member of the Lost Tribe of Mooch
by katster on Nov 12, 2009 9:31 PM PST reply actions 2 recs
Rec’d for being in Rally Committee.
by Yes We Cannon on Nov 12, 2009 11:03 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Flagged for sucking up to your corporate masters!
President Emperor Warlord Of The Sun!
www.CaliforniaGoldenBlogs.com
by TwistNHook on Nov 13, 2009 8:01 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Yep, that was my freshman year too. To this day, my friends will still hold hold up 8 fingers every football and proclaim that the 8th quarter is ours!!!!
Does it bug anyone besides me that they still do that “4th quarter’s ours” thing? I mean, of anything to be retained from the Mooch era and actually become a tradition… that? It just seems weird because pretty much none of the students know where’s it’s from or really what it was even supposed to mean. Plus it’s just weird because it’s from a coach that was only here one year. Who knew that was long enough to start a random, basically unimportant tradition? SO weird.
CGB: Wasting Your Potential, Your Time, & Your Life Since 2006.
by BearStage on Nov 13, 2009 2:46 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
We should bring back Hit Squad!
President Emperor Warlord Of The Sun!
www.CaliforniaGoldenBlogs.com
by TwistNHook on Nov 13, 2009 8:02 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
But to bring back Hit Squad would require much blitzing, sacks and/or TFLs on 1st and 2nd down, followed by giving up an explosion play on 3rd and 20.
Praise be to Tedford!
by Ohio Bear on Nov 13, 2009 8:49 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
what's this?
In other words, Go Bears!
by royrules22 on Nov 13, 2009 10:02 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
In the late 90s, we had a bruising defense. And we called it the Hit Squad. We would chant HIT SQUAD HIT SQUAD! Girls say Hit boys say Squd!~
President Emperor Warlord Of The Sun!
www.CaliforniaGoldenBlogs.com
by TwistNHook on Nov 13, 2009 10:52 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs
Hit Squad
Andre Carter and Sekou Sanyika are gonna getcha…
It was so weird that in 1996 we were an offensive juggernaut with no D, then almost instantly when Holmoe was hired in 1997, our D improved and offense went to crap. Specifically, remembering the 100th Big Game in 1997 and a 20-19 loss to the ’furd due to some clock mismanagement by Vedder and Holmoe.
(grinding teeth)
Cal basketball 2009: washing away the bitterness of Cal football 2009
by Calbear98 on Nov 13, 2009 12:23 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Prior to Bear Insider becoming Bear Insider (It was still just the Scout site) someone posted an analysis in either 2004 or 2005 comparing Setencich’s defense over his Cal career to Bob Gregory’s. Fans were becoming increasingly irritated at the thought of methodically giving up small of chunks of yards and thought we should return to blitzing more. I was quite surprised in that Setencich’s defense actually gave up more yards/game than Gregory’s did. I would be interested to see the numbers with a few more seasons to look at. I don’t really care for Gregory’s style or scheme as it’s boring and demoralizing when the opposing offense doesn’t follow instructions and screw up by throwing a pick or fumbling. However, I remember the dreaded 3rd and longs of the 90’s as well. Both sucked. Just once, I’d like a defense that doesn’t allow yards of any kind and goes out and destroys people 85 Chicago Bears style. Our offense can keep scoring 35 and 40 point a game and the other team can have a field goal. Sort of the opposite of how our bigger games went this year. Oh well. I can dream.
by suessbear on Nov 13, 2009 4:25 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
You want us to score more points than our opponents? Heresy!
by Kai on Nov 13, 2009 5:38 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Cool story, Hansel. (no seriously, cool story)
www.californiagoldenblogs.com
by HydroTech on Nov 12, 2009 10:03 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
I was also at this game; I was a Freshman that year and was sitting in the student section. The things I remember most about the game:
The aforementioned “5th quarter is ours,” “6th quarter is ours,” etc.
The shifting of the student section from end to end.
Being hoarse and sunburned after the game.
Pat Barnes being God.
Thing C
by markdash on Nov 12, 2009 10:56 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
Sorry about that WSU game
I was watching it on TV and yelled out “Just don’t fumble it!”. My bad.
by tmoran3020 on Nov 13, 2009 11:18 AM PST reply actions 0 recs
The Tomey Rule
If I remember right, that was the 1st or 2nd season of the college OT. The next season the rule was changed to mandate going for 2 after OT #3. Who was on the competittion committee, you ask…..Dick Tomey!!! Apparently, he didn’t have the guts to keep going to a 5th OT, and tried the WORST.FAKE.PAT.EVER!! Because of that, he decided the rule should be changed….I guess it was just too much pressure. No pressure @ SJSU though when you get pounded by Nevada by 55 points. I guess that’s why we don’t play SJS anymore, better competittion from Nevada & Eastern Wash.
by Growwler on Nov 15, 2009 3:08 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
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