What's the Worst Cal Football Ownage You've Ever Witnessed?
by Avinash Kunnath on Sep 26, 2009 10:20 PM PDT
in California Golden Bears Football
Email
PrintTo keep on discussing Cal-Oregon (I have no idea why you'd want to), click here for most postgame chatter. One of us will have something more detailed tomorrow afternoon, when our hangovers have subsided.
Is this the worst loss in the Tedford era? Probably. The only thing that comes close to this in terms of FAIL is the Tennessee game, and even that we probably should've forseen the struggles (talented but inexperienced team on the road in a totally crazed environment).
But I know a lot of our commenters have seen worse. Much, much worse. I mean, come on guys. In your decade of experience with Keith Gilbertson and Tom Holmoe, there must be a dozen games worse than this. Let's keep things in perspective and realize that losses like these were commonplace for Cal fans a decade or two ago.
What's the most embarrassing Cal football defeat you remember watching? I'm not talking about nail-biting stakes through the heart like Riley at the goal-line or Longshore throwing a pick-six, I want one-sided games where Cal was down 30 points after one quarter or something of that like. I want total, complete, ineptitude. I know none of us are happy with our coaching staff today, but remember, these games are anomalies in the Tedford era.
Spill everything from your House of Golden Horrors. This is purging time.
80 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Though this one may not be the worst, it is particularly embarrassing. When WSU was losing by 60 to everyone last year it was bad, but not especially embarrassing because they were the doormat of the Pac-10. Same with Cal during the Holmoe era. It was expected for them to be that bad so they mostly shrugged and went to their next scheduled beating. To be #6 and get manhandled so thoroughly on both sides of the ball is painfully embarrassing. We were incompetent out there and totally undeserving of our high ranking. That so many people expected us to perform so well and that we played like that is quite embarrassing. The combination of very high expectations with the manner in which we lost makes this one of the most embarrassing defeats ever. Is it THE most embarrassing ever? Probably not, but we’ll see if anyone remembers back to something even worse than this.
Whose domicile? OUR DOMICILE!
Hmm. Maybe I should’ve stuck with pure ownage as the theme and eliminated embarrassing.
Email: bearsnecessities@gmail.com
by Avinash Kunnath on Sep 26, 2009 11:01 PM PDT up reply actions
I’ve personally witnessed some bigger shellackings before. USC 2001 (oh god that was bad) and USC 2005 stick out in my mind. That said, it’s hard to find a game when we were ranked so high and had so much hype and got absolutely crushed.
The Tyrant Boy-King Is Returning!
www.CaliforniaGoldenBlogs.com
What happened at USC 2001? That was Carroll’s first season right?
Email: bearsnecessities@gmail.com
by Avinash Kunnath on Sep 27, 2009 12:00 AM PDT up reply actions
I dont remember all the details, but we scored like a TD first and then USC scored something like 55 unanswered points!
The Tyrant Boy-King Is Returning!
www.CaliforniaGoldenBlogs.com
Something like that. AND it was raining and depressing. Of course, beatings by Illinois and BYU to open that season were also particularly awful.
So, basically, you gotta Go Bears!
It was USC 55, Cal 14. On senior day for Cal, if I recall correctly. I think SC had a successful onside kick to start the 2nd half, too, to add insult to injury.
Praise be to Tedford!
cal kicked off to start both halves
…we even screwed the coin toss that day. Wrong response to refs gave $C the choice for both halves. The Holmoe teams were just poorly coached overall.
The game against Oregon this past weekend was just an embarrassment of poor execution and bad scheming. Not the wost loss, but the most embarrassing.
I actually think the 2005 ‘SC game was pretty close. Not on the scoreboard, obviously, but that Cal defense gave the Trojans all it could handle for much of the day. Unfortunately, Leinart had what may have been the best game of his career, and Ayoob had his worst—which is saying a lot on both counts. Cal’s turnovers and USC’s ability to convert fourth downs made a close game a lot less close.
Go Bears!
by California Pete on Sep 27, 2009 8:35 AM PDT up reply actions
I disagree. We had a mediocre defense up against their sick offense and we had a painfully one-dimensional offense. We ran Marshawn again and again and again and again. USC knew we couldn’t pass. Ayoob’s first pass was like 15 yards off target and picked. It was sad.
That was a terrible, terrible game and, coincidentally, I believe, the only game I’ve ever watched NOT from my usual perch, sitting in the Blue Zone instead. I take all blame.
The Tyrant Boy-King Is Returning!
www.CaliforniaGoldenBlogs.com
Did Cal have a chance to win that day? No. But I still contend that was the stiffest challenge that USC offense faced all year. The Bears limited the Trojans to just 35 points. Only three other teams held USC under 40 that year, and all three (ASU, Notre Dame, and Texas) did at least something on offense to help their defense’s cause.
USC’s 434 yards of total offense against Cal was their second lowest that year; they only gained 390 against Washington but still managed to put up 51 points against the Huskies. The Trojans that year failed to gain at least 500 yards only three times all season. They had three games over 700 yards, and another two over 600.
Cal ran the ball pretty well against a USC defense stacked against the run, gaining more than five yards a carry. But the lack of a pass offense (13 for 23, 132 yards, 4 interceptions) made victory out of the question. I firmly believe that with a senior Aaron Rodgers on that team, an undefeated Cal plays Texas in the Rose Bowl. The Cal defense that year was that good, and the only missing link was the quarterback. I’ve said it many times before: I don’t blame Rodgers for entering the draft after 2004, but it was nonetheless a decision that dramatically changed the face of Cal football. The more years pass by that Cal does not get over the hump, the more frustrating the lost opportunity of 2005 becomes.
Go Bears!
by California Pete on Sep 27, 2009 1:35 PM PDT up reply actions
I remember the Steve Levy drive at the end being kind of cheering, though.
"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
Holiday Bowl 2004, guys? I mean, it wasn’t quite the shellacking this was, but it was plenty embarrasing.
2004 Holiday Bowl. Enough said.
More embarrassing, more costly, more time to stew over the future of the program (a whole offseason).
Anyone saying this is the worst loss EVER in the history of the program is just saying that because their emotions are on a hair trigger. God, get over yourselves already.
The Bears have a week to work this loss into their skulls and get the game plan back on track. Oregon got a shock in their opener in Boise St. and look how they responded today.
"Today's weather, excessively violent with a chance of dismemberment. Tune in later for our 5-day forecast!"
~ Three Dog - Fallout 3
by Swamphunter on Sep 26, 2009 11:49 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
There are excuses for the TTU game. Injuries to our starting WR’s. Emotional let down from not getting the Rose Bowl bid. This game, what’s the excuse? I do think that game, in addition to this, is on the short list.
It'll be just you, me, and Peter Nincompoop.
Bawwww... excuses.
Excuses are just that. Excuses. The truth plain and simple is that we lost, both then and now.
We lost then on a bigger stage to an opponent that had direct ties to the other team that shafted us out of the Rose Bowl. Today, we can pick ourselves back up because we have a game next week (a big one at that), we did not back then and allowed ourselves to stew and create the wretched hide that was Ayoob.
"Today's weather, excessively violent with a chance of dismemberment. Tune in later for our 5-day forecast!"
~ Three Dog - Fallout 3
by Swamphunter on Sep 27, 2009 12:06 AM PDT up reply actions
At least we scored a TD in the 2004 Holiday Bowl
Point Plankn!
by CalBandGreat on Sep 27, 2009 9:54 AM PDT up reply actions
I can’t say I felt embarrassed at the ‘04 Holiday Bowl. Extremely, bitterly disappointed, yes. Embarrassed? No. That team was 10-1 going into that game and had proven its worth. And, truth be told, there was a part of me that expected a loss just because of what I believed the, what’s the word I’m looking for here….., um, circumstances, would do to the psyche of our team. That game was a shocking collapse, but nowhere near the embarrassment I feel about yesterday.
Praise be to Tedford!
Big game 1991 probably sucked. Not sure if it was embarrassing.
It'll be just you, me, and Peter Nincompoop.
It sucked. And it was embarrassing. But it was still possible to leave the stadium thinking Cal was the better team. I can’t say that this morning.
Go Bears!
by California Pete on Sep 27, 2009 8:36 AM PDT up reply actions
trying to think of embarrassing losses...
You know, I’m racking my brains, through four years of Mooch and Holmoe that I witnessed, trying to think of bad losses, and nothing really stands out as embarrassing. But then again, it was a Holmoe team. We were expected to lose. So most of the losses coming to mind were of the gut-wrenching ‘fuck, we could/should have won that’ than out and out embarrasments, y’know?
The real thing coming to mind is the Aloha Bowl loss to Navy, but I don’t really recall that as embarrassing.
I mean, geez, embarrassing in the Holmoe era was cheating, and still losing.
-kat
I mean, geez, embarrassing in the Holmoe era was cheating, and still losing.
Rez’d for depressing, soul-wrenching truth.
Going 4-7 is bad.
Fielding academically ineligible players to get to 4-7 is worse.
The fact that 4-7 was the second-best finish in the He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named Era is just plain athetic.
CGB: Wasting Your Potential, Your Time, & Your Life Since 2006.
As a joint bear-bruin whorish abomination I can enumerate some soul-crushing Dorrel losses and 59-0 BYU loss last year.
As far as feeling the worst, I think I’d go 2004 HB, then today. I don’t think the consequences of today are that severe on the season, other than dashing whatever tiny dream for an undefeated season there might have been.
At the same time I can remember 2003 Cal-USC, 13-9 UCLA over USC, and the 2004 Big Game. All of which I attended to tremendous glee.
I am a horrible bruin-bear crossbreed.
This was the most embarassing loss. Period.
Especially after that first half where we had what… like 10 chances inside their territory and kept fucking up?
Just plain terrible
by dingosean on Sep 27, 2009 3:40 AM PDT reply actions
Tennessee was MUCH WORSE than Oregon, but...
The chants of…
"
S – E – C !
S – E – C !
S – E – C !
S – E – C ! "
10 years from now people will still remember the inauspicious debut of Syd’Quan Thompson versus Robert Meachem.
Monterrio Hardesty versus the entire Cal linebacking corps… wrap him up!
35-0, the collective sigh of relief of Cal fandom and ultimate sign of sportsmanship when Phil Fulmer sent in the second-unit sometime in the middle of third quarter.
At Tennessee, Cal was OWNED in every conceivable way and if the Vols had wanted, I don’t doubt they could have put up 70 points that day. The team was swallowed up by the atmosphere, shocked to the core and it was reflected in their play to a true national, primetime audience on network television. I came away from that game believing that the SEC had bigger, faster, stronger— BETTER— players, and could not see how Cal might possibly win one game out of 10 against the Vols.
Were Cal to get another shot at Oregon tomorrow, I can see them winning the game. We still have more experience and better talent. Yesterday, Cal was hit hard and they quit. Cal was out-schemed, out-hustled, and folded under pressure. The difference between Oregon and Tennessee being that the latter was almost predestined for failure. At Autzen, Cal had its chances to re-write the script. What if Josh Hill had taken a knee upon recovering the fumble? What if Verran Tucker caught that pass? What if Tucker had shut his trap and not gotten the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty? All things under Cal’s control. Would scoring more points or making catchable passes (thus keeping the defense honest) have had a meaningful impact on the direction of the game? You bet.
The bottom line is that while Tennessee was certainly more damaging and embarrassing, Oregon might have been more disappointing, personally. As you all know by now, I have previously posted stats where Cal has been near the very top among BCS schools in not getting blown out under the Jeff Tedford era; there’s a degree of pride that goes along with “The Bear Will Not Quit, The Bear Will Not Die” mentality, as a Cal fan and Cal alum. We may not be USC, and (thankfully) we ain’t Washington State, but one thing I can almost always expect from a Tedford-coached team is playing 60 minutes of hard-fought ball. A little bit of that went out the window yesterday. It was certainly deflating. I have always believed that (well-paid college) coaching staffs deserve a healthy degree of criticism when warranted, and that blame or finger-pointing should be directed away from student-athletes whichever way possible. But if there’s one thing I absolutely cannot stand is when players simply give up— and that much was unbelievably clear watching the fourth quarter. Where’s the fight, where’s the self-respect?
by ttgiang15 on Sep 27, 2009 4:49 AM PDT reply actions 5 recs
Yes, Cal appeared to quit yesterday sometime during the third quarter, which frustrates me to no end. On that we agree.
But my perception of Tennessee 2006 and Oregon 2009 is the opposite of yours. I was cautiously optimistic we’d bounce back from the loss in Knoxville because the team fought hard in the first half but was shell-shocked by the atmosphere on offense, featuring a very young quarterback, and defense simply got burned by a couple of big plays, which then got the ball rolling.
That wasn’t the case yesterday. Cal had a veteran quarterback, and the offense appeared to be handling the noise and the atmosphere quite well. Likewise, the defense was giving up big plays, but was instead being systematically taken apart.
Maybe it was a just a bad day—a really bad day—but I’m having a hard time believing this morning that Cal has coaches and players that are any better than average, and I certainly don’t believe Cal would beat Oregon if they played again tomorrow. Not even in Berkeley. Let’s face it: the Ducks are the superior football team this year.
Go Bears!
by California Pete on Sep 27, 2009 8:46 AM PDT up reply actions
Agreed. Against Tennessee we just plain got ambushed early and put in too deep of a hole to crawl back out of. But we still competed and got some TDs, even if a win was out of reach.
In this game, we just plain gave up. We had no adjustments, no answers. This is the most pathetic loss in quite some time. I don’t even count the Holmoe/Gilbertson era losses, since we knew we sucked for most of those years. We had no expectation of winning. With this team, we are loaded with talent and experience, and we should expect to win each game. That doesn’t mean we will win every time, but truly great teams should at least be competitive. The most disturbing thing here is that except for about 5 minutes at the start, we were not competitive, not in the least.
Agreed on the giving up
I was remembering your stats about us not getting blown out often while I was cheering on Cal from the stands in Autzen. And then I noticed people like Syd just giving up. And then I thought to myself why should I stand up when Oregon is on D and yell if the players don’t care. And then I sat down and I’ve never felt worse in a sports game before.
In other words, Go Bears!
by royrules22 on Sep 27, 2009 7:12 PM PDT up reply actions 5 recs
rec'd
I was remembering your stats about us not getting blown out often while I was cheering on Cal from the stands in Autzen. And then I noticed people like Syd just giving up. And then I thought to myself why should I stand up when Oregon is on D and yell if the players don’t care. And then I sat down and I’ve never felt worse in a sports game before.
I still cheer and make noise when Cal is blowing out an opponent deep into the fourth. I still jumped up and down and yelled when USC was on defense in the 4Q when Cal was down by however many points in 2005. I’m willing to look like an idiot so long as the team competes. When they don’t, it’s hard to justify doing anything for them.
And then I sat down and I’ve never felt worse in a sports game before.
I just said the same thing at the end of Avi’s post on the O-liine. Maybe you had to be there at Autzen to feel that low. But anyone wearing Blue and Gold had to somehow, sometime, get out of that stadium, and feel the barbs as they exited. Not fun. I will say that later that evening, as we visited some of Eugene’s sports bars, the Duck fans were, by that time, somewhat sympathetic. Most were as surprised by the outcome as we.
This one hurts the worst…..the Cal Bears looked as bad, if not worse, on defense as on offense. And the lack of any adjustments after halftime was an insult. Nice going, coaches. Ask me when I plan on organizing another away game visit.
Bear danger
"Running away can activate the bear's hunting instincts and lead to it perceiving the human as prey. Finally, if a bear does attack, the usual advice is to curl into a [[fetal position]] so as to shield vital organs and appear non-threatening."
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
So, when do you plan on organizing another away game visit?
(We decided on the drive home that we’re never going to another away game unless, in some alternate reality, at some future date, Cal were to play a game in Pasadena during the month of January.)
So, when do you plan on organizing another away game visit?
never. I would have to get talked into going after drinking a swimming pool of Kool-Aid at the perfect pH, and even at that, would still only become a follower…would never organize or lead a party again.
Counting Big Games?
Funny u should mention that….my son, one of our Autzen survivors, asked that before the game. And, on the ride home, listening to the Stanford score over UDUB……I may go…maybe, if only to see Cal fans outnumber Furds in their own stadium. But, I will not organize it. No fkn way, ever. My disgust with Gregory will pass….but my hate for those rich RED kids runs deep and long…..just like our fight song. CAL Bears have been hating Furds for over a hundred years, and, wtf,,,,,this feeling is already less painful than it was last Saturday and Sunday. Anyone got Kool-Aid?
Bear danger
"Running away can activate the bear's hunting instincts and lead to it perceiving the human as prey. Finally, if a bear does attack, the usual advice is to curl into a [[fetal position]] so as to shield vital organs and appear non-threatening."
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
At least a Stanfurd trip’s much easier to organize (cheaper too, depending on where you are).
I just wanted to be clear that this past Saturday didn’t throw people off the one game that means more than others during the regular season. The last thing I want to see is a Big Game where Stanfurd has the advantage.
by Yes We Cannon on Sep 28, 2009 4:01 PM PDT up reply actions
The last thing I want to see is a Big Game where Stanfurd has the advantage.
Now that the dust has settled, Furd is in 1st place, w the Quackers….omg…and, if we don’t win this Sat, it wll all be over for us. On the othe hand,,,if we DOwin,,,,,hmmmm……
Bear danger
"Running away can activate the bear's hunting instincts and lead to it perceiving the human as prey. Finally, if a bear does attack, the usual advice is to curl into a [[fetal position]] so as to shield vital organs and appear non-threatening."
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
‘sc 2001. Abso-friggin destroyed by the toejams. They put 55 pts on us and were just handing off to their waterboys by the 3rd quarter. To make things worse, there was a monsoon during the game and it was just miserable. It’s the only game that my grandfather ever left early from in over three decades of going to home games.
But y’know, yesterday’s loss was worse than the whole Holmoe era. During those days, we didn’t have much talent, couldn’t coach ‘em up, and were typically out-schemed and out-adjusted on game-day. But, we never quit. You could take a sort of macabre pride as a Bear fan that though we might epically suck, we were gonna bleed all over your footwear. Justin-friggin’ Vedder, for crying out loud. Kyle Boller probably lost a decade or two out of his life with all the hits he took his first three years.
Now, we know we’ve got good players. And we’ve got good coaches. And we just plain got our collective ass(i) kicked. It’s up to the coaches to put our players in the right position to be successful and to prepare them. The players need to go out and execute. I saw poor planning and poor execution. We looked lost, overwhelmed, and broken. It was especially disappointing because I still believe that we’re better than what we showed.
That said, everyone wrote off Oregon after their embarrassment at Boise and I guess we can assume they figured things out since then.
We have plenty of games yet to be played. Ultimately this one just counts as an L like any other loss.
by Kodiak on Sep 27, 2009 8:08 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs
1994 @ USC
We dedicated the game to Paul Joiner, a great LB who was paralyzed in a car crash during the offseason. He actually showed up to the Coliseum in his wheelchair. Then the Bears promptly went out and lost 61-0. I actually went to that game and stayed at a friend’s place that had no TV or alcohol. Horrible, horrible weekend.
As for this year, we just have to hope we bounce back like the Ducks did after Boise St. Granted, USC is MUCH tougher than Boise St., but we have to do it. If we lose, Bears are in hot water. Lose to UCLA, and I will have a lot more free time on my hands this fall. The only silver lining I can see is that this game is early in the season and Oregon looks like it will be a good-great team. If we were #6 in the nation in November and we had a loss like this, it would be the end of the season. So, we have a chance to climb back. Not saying it will be easy, but the opportunity is there.
by KikiRevenge on Sep 27, 2009 8:53 AM PDT reply actions 2 recs
Tennesee was pretty bad
Personally l, my experience wasn’t too bad since I was at Neyland and sampled a vide variety of the local whiskey. Still, if I was at home watching the game on TV, like I was yesterday, I would have thrown something at the tv. Perhaps yesterday was worse because the Bears sucked so bad that I was pretty apathetic towards the fourth quarter.
"it's like an alarm clock, WOOT WOOT!" -Bubb Rubb
by secret ASian man on Sep 27, 2009 8:59 AM PDT via mobile reply actions
2008 Arizona
Ok, maybe it wasn’t the same degree of sheer phail everytime we got it across the 50 yard line, but the Arizona game stuck with me for a long time. They just ran it down our throats last year. That was a game I was fully expecting to win.
But let’s look at the bright side guys, if we had won, we would have been all conflicted and unproductive for a week sweating over the USC game. Now we can actually do our work, and enjoy the game on Saturday since we can now expect to lose (which is the habitual, and comfortable, position for most of us).
Final thought—Oregon was flat out incredible. Their defense swarmed, their offense looked unstoppable. I think we got beat by a very good team—reminiscent of Texas Tech right before they went on to become national BCS contenders for the next 3 years. It just sucks that we always have to be the turning point in other teams’ dynasties.
An underrated one is the 1992 Purdue game. Coming off a great season ranked pretty high, head to Purdue and just get worked 41-14. A bad omen for the Gilbertson era. Also, looking back on 2001 is horrifying – 6 losses by 28+ points.
I think Tennessee was worse than this one, just because it was nationally humiliating, and because at this point we are getting used to it.
As a rare fan who cares as much about basketball as football, the 2002 loss to Arizona in Tucson was incredibly embarrassing as well – we had a real chance to win the conference is we won that game (unlike yesterday’s game, which was the Pac-10 opener after all.) We get down 10 points in like a minute, 20 at the half, and only then do they go on a 30-4 run. Yes, we were down like 50 in a game to win the conference.
by Tedfordisgod on Sep 27, 2009 10:30 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs
Iono the 35-10 game against USC was pretty bad
We had the #25 defense that year so we actually stopped Reggie Bush. Under 100 yards right? I say that’s a feat.
But Ayoob threw more interceptions than completions. Our defense kept us alive. We had only 3 points until Levy came out and threw a beautiful pass against SC’s 2nd string? 3rd string? defense in the 4th Q? LOL.
It was the fact that we threw so many interceptions that it hurt. It was like Leinhart was getting his completions AND Ayoob was throwing to SC. None of our receivers caught crap… LOL.
Tennessee was pretty bad too. Seeing Nate getting sacked time and time again or just having to throw the ball away. People just kept asking “What’s with our O-line?” “Can they protect at all?”
by dmo580 on Sep 27, 2009 11:28 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs
1965 Notre Dame at Berkeley
First Cal game for me as a freshman. Cal lost 0-49 on National TV. I still root. Still watch, but I rarely drink the KoolAid.
The painful part about this game was that there wasn’t really any “key” moment we can point to to explain the change of the game nor any other real excuses. We were completely and systematically dismantled. Oregon was the better team on the field in pretty much all aspects of the game. Definitely one of the most embarrassing losses I’ve witnessed since becoming a Cal fan. Not as bad as the Holiday Bowl against 2004 when we were all crying bloody murder for not being put in the Rose Bowl (even if there were injuries that might have helped explain some of it).
Definitely put a huge damper on my weekend… but like everyone else here posting on CGB, I’ll be back for more pain next week.
We looked passable for a few minutes at the beginning (forced the kickoff fumble, got a FG). Then Josh Hill decided not to protect the football when he recovered the fumble. I thought that was a key turning point early on, but Oregon then proceeded to rip us apart.
All aboard the Jahvid Best rickshaw!
by rollonubears on Sep 27, 2009 1:14 PM PDT up reply actions
Oregon basically handed us the game in the 1st quarter with penalties, fumbles and great KO returns. Had the offense performed anything like it has in the previous games, we could have been up 3 TDs.
But inexplicably, we just handed it back to them, and they took it.
The thing that is so tough about this one is that it will take a looong time to get any national respect back, with polsters and recruits.
A win over USC would be just the thing, but it’s hard to see it after such a complete faceplant.
GOLD OUT MOZAMBIQUE!
UCLA 45, Cal 0 (1978)
Cal had started the season 2-0 in the Pac-10, UCLA was 3-0. It was the nationally televised game of the week on ABC, and the Goodyear Blimp was in Berkeley for the game. This was huge in an era when there was only one nationally televised game each week, and there were only three blimps in the entire country. Cal’s quarterbacks set what was was then, and for all I know still is, an NCAA record by throwing 11 (yes, that’s “eleven”) interceptions in a single game. The guy sitting behind me in the student section summed it up by saying, “well, there is one good thing about this game: Cal has re-established its reputation as an academic institution.” The Roger Theder era had begun.
Dishonorable mentions:
(1) San Jose State 27, Cal 24 (1981). Another Roger Theder special. Not only did Cal lose to San Jose State, at Memorial Stadium, but they did it in a humiliating fashion. Cal was behind the whole game, but came back to score a touchdown to tie with a few seconds left. Cal also got a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty for excessive celebration. On the ensuing kickoff, Cal’s special teams somehow forgot that the kickoff was coming from the 20 and, instead of kicking deep, the kicker squibbed the ball. SJS fell on it around the 30, sent in its kicker, and won the game with a field goal. Watching San Jose State students engaged in wild celebration at Memorial Stadium was horrible beyond description.
(2) The 2004 Holiday Bowl, of course.
(3) Yesterday’s game, which was made worse by having driven 700 miles and spent something like $400 for the privilege of watching it in person. As we were leaving stadium after the game, the Oregon fans couldn’t have been nicer to us. Condescending bastards.
by CalBear81 on Sep 27, 2009 5:03 PM PDT reply actions 5 recs
As someone who’s traveled a long way to witness some very disappointing losses recently, I feel particularly bad for anyone who made the trek up to Oregon this weekend. Suck-tacular.
So, basically, you gotta Go Bears!
Yea it did suck
Thankfully all Oregon fans were gracious. I mean what else could they do to make my day worse? Woke up at 3AM, went to bed depressed at 10:30pm. 10hrs driving both ways. One fucking terrible football game.
This game tested my will in staying ‘till clock hits 0:00. I did stay but that had more to do with the fact that the shuttles to dowtown Eugene didn’t start leaving ’till after the game.
And for the first time in my life I heard the “OVERRATED” chant and the “goodbye” song chanted at me.
sigh…
In other words, Go Bears!
the worse
(3) Yesterday’s game, which was made worse by having driven 700 miles and spent something like $400 for the privilege of watching it in person. As we were leaving stadium after the game, the Oregon fans couldn’t have been nicer to us. Condescending bastards.
The Duck fans, as we slowly trudged their verbal gaunlet, were jeering appropriately to the four of us parading in shame to the bus parking. And, leaving in the end of the 3rd did nothing to lessen the blow….our bus stood there till the bitter end…..within earshot of the noisey crowd celebrating another TD, or, whatever. During quiet, restful times on the long car ride home, one of us would blurt out some disasterous Cal
play or another, and, we would all agree, and the discussion would quickly fade into a small murmur of profanities….then, nothing for a while. Until, miles down the road, a similar out burst from another in the group….and again, all would agree….then, silence.
This one was, by far, the worse.
Bear danger
"Running away can activate the bear's hunting instincts and lead to it perceiving the human as prey. Finally, if a bear does attack, the usual advice is to curl into a [[fetal position]] so as to shield vital organs and appear non-threatening."
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Totally Agree
I was at both games. 1978 Loss was much worse. Stadium was in serious empty mode by 1/2 time. And it was at home.
I live in Portland now, and have had to endure regular taunting (in the minority as many Duck fans were humbled by the game against Boise State) after this game.
But one game, however ugly, does not a season make.
by PunchCards4Ever on Sep 28, 2009 2:48 PM PDT up reply actions
It was the worst for me
But still with such high expectations and such ass kicking as we received I can’t see anything being worse.
In other words, Go Bears!
1929 Rose Bowl
Even the oldest of us weren’t born for this one, but If we’re talking about most embarrassing loss in school history, how do you top losing the Rose Bowl 8-7 on a safety set up by your own player running 66 yards in the wrong direction?
Pretty embarrassing. But that was us embarrassing ourselves, not the other team.
Email: bearsnecessities@gmail.com
by Avinash Kunnath on Sep 27, 2009 6:37 PM PDT up reply actions
Yesterday wasn’t us embarrassing ourselves?
by Tedfordisgod on Sep 27, 2009 6:38 PM PDT up reply actions
Well…it was a toxic mix of both.
Email: bearsnecessities@gmail.com
by Avinash Kunnath on Sep 27, 2009 6:39 PM PDT up reply actions
It seems to me that the only losses a team should be embarrassed about are the ones where they embarrass themselves. If a team loses, but plays its best, then it can just acknowledge that the other team was better that day, and move on. The embarrassing losses are the ones where the team itself does the embarrassing things. That covers yesterday, the 1929 Rose Bowl, and far too many other Cal losses. But some of the huge losses I’ve seen over the years to teams like USC and Washington weren’t really embarrassing. Cal did its best, but just didn’t have the kind of talent that the other team had. Maybe the program should be embarrassed for poor recruiting and lack of administration support, but the players had nothing to be embarrassed about in those games.
For me, it was 1995 season opener
at San Diego State. For reasons that are not clear to me in retrospect, there was some optimism in what was the 4th (and final) year of the Gilby era. We opened the season at SDSU, which wasn’t supposed to be a very good team that year. I decided to make the road trip down to SD. I witnessed an uninspired, inept, pathetic performance. SDSU dominated us. It was embarrassing. We lost 33-9, with our lone TD coming late in 4th Q in garbage time. I fumed the entire drive back home to SF.
Maybe in the grand scheme of things, losing a season opener during a horrible time in Cal football history doesn’t seem like it belongs on this list. But as far as personal experiences go, that still remains the worst I’ve ever felt as a Cal fan attending a game (in the “wow that was embarrassing” sort of way).
The following week, we lost our home opener to Fresno State, 25-24. I attended that one, too. It marked the 2nd year in a row we opened our season 0-2 with two losses to WAC opponents. (Yes, SDSU was in the WAC back then.) Great times, the Gilby era.
Praise be to Tedford!
by Ohio Bear on Sep 27, 2009 9:39 PM PDT reply actions 2 recs
2005 @ UCLA.
That was just painful. I felt sick after that game.
MJD and his five touchdowns, and another classic Cal breakdown. Ugh.
CGB: Wasting Your Potential, Your Time, & Your Life Since 2006.
The worst Ownage
Not a single game … there are too many lopsided Cal losses to consider.
No, the worst ownage has to be the long (long long long long long) losing streak to Ucla from 1972 – 1989.
Horrible.
On ATQ I'm known as JSoCal Oski
It's spelled J-etc
by SoCal Oski on Sep 28, 2009 9:32 AM PDT reply actions 3 recs
Getting it all out . . .
These may not be the worst or most embarrassing losses in Cal history, but in the interests of trying to purge the horror of 40 years of Cal fandom, here are some miserable games that haven’t been mentioned above:
1979 vs. Michigan – Cal has a chance to upset highly-ranked Michigan at home. Cal dominates the first half and leads 10-0 at halftime. Cal fumbles the opening kickoff of the second half and Michigan goes in for a touchdown. We lose 14-10.
1979 Garden State Bowl – Cal gets to its first bowl game in 20 years against Temple. Cal is heavily favored, and the Cal fans smirk at the idea of playing the lowly-regarded Owls. Temple scores on its first three possessions to go ahead 21-0 in the first quarter. Cal makes a try at a comeback, but is never really in the game. We lose 28-17.
1981 vs. Washington – Cal scores two touchdowns in the first minute of the game, to go up 14-0. Can this be the year we finally beat those dam Huskies? Nope. We lose 27-26.
1985 at Washington State – Cal is ahead 19-0 with 7 minutes to go in the fourth quarter. We lose 20-19.
1988 at Oregon State – We lose 17-16 in the last minute of a game that lasts 61 minutes. Joe Starkey is going insane on the radio screaming about the extra minute, but the Cal coaches never notice.
1990 vs. Stanfurd – Cal allows Stanfurd to score 9 points in the last 12 seconds to win 27-25. I actually think this was a more horrible loss than Saturday’s loss to Oregon. It was not as embarrassing nationally — we were not ranked and there was no national television. But it was Stanfurd (!) And we had the game won. We totally screwed it up. In our own stadium. And then we had to listen to the taunts of thousands of Stanfurd fans on the way out. Yeah, that was worse – for me, anyway.
1991 at Stanfurd – Cal’s best season in decades, while Stanfurd had a poor year. We go into Big Game 9-1, looking at the possibility of the Fiesta Bowl or Sugar Bowl, and a chance to redeem ourselves for the prior year’s debacle. But Cal plays like idiots, handing the game to Stanfurd on a raft of personal foul and unsportmanlike penalties. We lose 38-21, and once again have to walk to our cars to the taunts of the Stanfurders. We settle for the Citrus Bowl (which wasn’t too shabby, really).
I omit the Holmoe years. When your team just completely sucks, and you never have any hope, your heart doesn’t get broken. You just exist in a state of constant depression.
by CalBear81 on Sep 28, 2009 12:05 PM PDT reply actions 2 recs
Rec'd
Damn, that must’ve hurt to go through all of those.
Email: bearsnecessities@gmail.com
by Avinash Kunnath on Sep 28, 2009 12:14 PM PDT up reply actions
1990 vs. Stanfurd
OMG……I thought I had enough therapy to forget that one….I’ll get even with you, CalBear81, for bringing that one up again…..yea, almost threw away my season tickets the following March….
But, I still didn’t feel as bad on that Saturday as I did 2 days ago. For one thing, I was never this high, in all my years of fandom, as I was these last few weeks on Cal Kool-Aid. I was even arguing for Cal and Ted And Jahvid on Utopia and other national blogs…..AND, getting help and support from other CFB freaks around the country….not necessarily Cal fans, either!
So, I was higher up on the rollercoaster on this one, than any you can pick. I hate to join the “glass-half-empty” naysayers who have sat in the same seats around me much longer than i have had mine, but…..well, I guess that’s why Old Blues are who they are. They still come.
Bear danger
"Running away can activate the bear's hunting instincts and lead to it perceiving the human as prey. Finally, if a bear does attack, the usual advice is to curl into a [[fetal position]] so as to shield vital organs and appear non-threatening."
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
GoldenBlogs' FAQ and Community Guidelines
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
FanShots
Quick hits of video, photos, quotes, chats, links and lists that you find around the web.
Recommended FanShots
Recent FanShots
I recorded the entire last out as Cal clinches the first ever PAC12 Softball Title! It was also a...
Pac-12 On SBN
Pacific Takes (Pac-12) NORTH AddictedToQuack: (Oregon)
UW Dawg Pound: (Washington)
CougCenter: (Washington State)
BuildingTheDam: (Oregon State)
Rule Of Tree: (Stanford)
CaliforniaGoldenBlogs: (Cal)
SOUTH
BruinsNation: (UCLA)
ConquestChronicles: (USC)
HouseOfSparky: (ASU)
Arizona Desert Swarm: (Arizona)
TheRalphieReport: (Colorado)
Block U: (Utah)
Golden Bears Football Schedule
| Fresno St. | Sat 09/03 | W 36 - 21 |
@
Colorado
|
Sat 09/10 | W 36 - 33 |
| Presbyterian | Sat 09/17 | W 63 - 12 |
|
@
Washington
|
Sat 09/24 | L 23 - 31 |
|
@
Oregon
|
Thu 10/06 | L 15 - 43 |
|
USC
|
Thu 10/13 | L 9 - 30 |
|
Utah
|
Sat 10/22 | W 34 - 10 |
|
@
UCLA
|
Sat 10/29 | L 14 - 31 |
|
Washington St.
|
Sat 11/05 | W 30 - 7 |
|
Oregon St.
|
Sat 11/12 | W 23 - 6 |
|
@
Stanford
|
Sat 11/19 | L 28 - 31 |
|
@
Arizona St.
|
Fri 11/25 | W 47 - 38 |
|
@
Texas
|
Wed 12/28 | L 10 - 21 |
