Oregon 15, Cal 13: Golden Bears Defense Dares To Shut Down Mighty Ducks, Punished With Loss
by Avinash Kunnath on Nov 14, 2010 1:47 AM PST
in California Golden Bears Football
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PrintSeriously, didn't the California Golden Bears know they were playing the mighty Oregon Ducks, the team that was brought on this Earth to do nothing but score touchdowns? Didn't Cal's front-seven know they would get run over by the mighty LaMichael James (who managed a grand total of 91 yards on 29 carries) and Darron Thomas (34 rushing yards on 16 carries)?
Apparently not, since Cal scored as many touchdowns on defense as Oregon did on offense, thanks to a particularly beastly play by Derrick Hill to strip Thomas at the goal-line that nearly tied the game (more on that later). Clearly such performances are unacceptable by the football gods (see Arizona game), and it was up to the special teams and offense to keep Cal from winning a game their defense dominated.
When it comes to our team in big games, the Cal defense appears to be Matt Cain, and the Cal offense are the Giants hitters not giving him any run support. And the Cal special teams are like the opposite of Brian Wilson--no one fears the Giorgio Tavecchio porn-stache. Those who had us losing this one because our field goal kicker false started himself (which I didn't even know was possible) are all dirty liars or Google super computers. It certainly is a new way for our Golden Bears to lose. It's something we've become particularly adept at over the years.
I'm not winning a World Series though. I fucking hate the football gods.
Brock Mansion not playing great was kind of expected--going 10 of 28 for 69 yards isn't very good. Donovan Edwards getting owned on the right side wasn't particularly shocking. But Marvin Jones, Anthony Miller and Keenan Allen all dropping makeable catches? Sort of expected, but Mansion threw some of these balls right in the laps of his receivers and they just couldn't come up with it. Mansion was not burning up anyone tonight, definitely not against Oregon's aggressive coverage schemes, but he did give his wide receivers plenty of makeable first down catches that they should have nailed down.
Other than Edwards, the Cal O-line played pretty well--I don't remember Mansion being pressured more than a handful of times. It makes you wonder why Brian Schwenke and Matt Summers-Gavin haven't been tag-teaming at the guard spots all season. Shane Vereen dominated the first drive that gave Cal a touchdown, picking up 112 rushing yards on 4.3 yards per carry. What was really tragic about this game was Vereen fumbling the ball deep in Cal territory and setting up Oregon's only offensive score of the game on a Thomas throw to Jeff Maehl. After the season and bad line he's had to play with, he didn't deserve to be part of the reason we lost. I can't imagine how bad he must be feeling right now. Dude's a warrior.
The playcalling was strange and didn't really put Mansion in an enviable situation. Cal attempted so many passes on first down as the game wore on when we were running the ball pretty well (4 yards per rushing attempt compared to Oregon's feeble 2.9), and we seemed to always find ourselves in second/third and long situations that we had about as much chance as converting into first downs as a Jehovah's Witness does at converting a Real Housewife from New Jersey. We operated out of shotgun too much and telegraphed the fact that we were going to pass, even on 3rd and medium when run or pass has a good chance of working.
I hated the two point conversion call after the Hill-why on Earth do you make Mansion attempt a play-action fade when he's shown no inclination of completing anything that isn't simple? Where were the rollouts to avoid pressure and the misdirection plays to get Oregon off-balance and help receivers gain separation? Andy Ludwig, this is the second time you've thrown up two-pair when Clancy Pendergast has put up royal flushes. I'm not happy with you, and you know what they say when a partner lets you down in a marriage. You bottle it in until you get the divorce you want.
Still, while the Cal offense didn't do great, I wasn't expecting them to score much in this one against a strong Ducks defense. The Cal special teams regressing into an amorphous blob of suck was exasperating. Cliff Harris returning a punt for a touchdown isn't too surprising if you've been watching him all season, but the punt coverage was nowhere to be found on that play. Not properly defending the Oregon two point conversion was even worse--instead of staying ahead or being tied at halftime, Oregon held the lead, and it changed the outlook of the game for the offense that needs the lead to be comfortable.
And our kicking woes are approaching historically bad levels--despite a pretty good effort on kickoffs, Tavecchio's leg strength seems to have decreased game-by-game when he's asked to put points on the board. It cost us against Arizona, it cost us against Oregon. Think about it. If we have even a Tom Schneider on our team, Cal is 7-3 right now with upsets over two of the top three teams in the conference and still in the hunt for Pasadena. Actually, don't think about it, because you'll end up drowning yourself in alcohol to numb the pain.
Oregon was pretty sloppy all game long. The Ducks committed 8 penalties for 62 yards, and concussed Marc Anthony on a pretty dirty play that should've gotten the receiver (Maehl?) thrown out of the game. I also enjoyed the Ducks fans booing a wobbly Anthony as he got helped off the field. In other news, I've now become a TCU fan, because I think their mascot is funky.
The Oregon right tackle held Mychal Kendricks on a few occasions. There was probably a block in the back on the Harris touchdown, and there was definitely a punt return interference on Jeremy Ross that was overlooked. There were also some questionable spotting by the officials that gave Duck ballcarriers favorable spots. Not going to say it cost us the game, but the Pac-10 officiating was its usually shady self.
For the record, I'm quite comfortable with Cal players "going down with injuries". Oregon's taking advantage of loopholes in the rules--keeping defenders off the field in terms of substitutions, so why can't Cal? Fight one strategy with another, no matter how ugly and horrid it looks. As I noted in the postgame thread, Oregon fans can boo all they want. If our nose tackles had helped us win the game with their cramps (real or fake) slowing down the tempo of the Ducks, I'd have built statues of them with my bare hands. They'd probably have been mini-Lego sets, like the ones you used to build dragons or something.
Speaking of which, the crowd at Memorial Stadium was incredible, perhaps the best since the 2007 Tennessee game. It wasn't as loud as those classic games back in the day, but it was way more intense, especially since Oregon never pulled away and Cal never gave up. There was no denying that the crowd had an impact on how the Ducks offense performed. The only thing that would've made it better is if one Cal student started rushing the field on every play to slow down Oregon's offense even further. If that had happened, I would've written an ode to each and every one of them. Actually, that's probably too hard. Maybe a haiku to each one. Something like "You are a True Bear / Sorry you got tased tonight / Roll On Golden Bear".
Again, the only thing more incredible than our crowd were these guys.
California
## Player Solo Ast Tot TFL/Yds FF FR-Yd Intc BrUp Blkd Sack/Yds QH
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
18 Mohamed, Mike 10 4 14 1.0/5 . . . . . 1.0/5 .
30 Kendricks, Mych 5 5 10 1.5/6 . . . . . . .
0C Holt, D.J. 6 3 9 0.5/0 1 . . . . . .
17 Conte, Chris 5 3 8 0.5/1 . . . 1 . . .
92 Guyton, Trevor 3 4 7 2.0/4 . . . . . . .
0A Williams, Steve 4 2 6 . . . . . . . .
23 Hill, Josh 4 2 6 . . . . 3 . . .
97 Jordan, Cameron 4 1 5 . 1 . . 1 . . 1
26 Hagan, Darian 4 . 4 . . . . . . . .
40 Tipoti, Aaron . 4 4 0.5/2 . . . . . . .
2 Anthony, Marc 2 1 3 . . . . . . . .
76 Hill, Derrick 1 2 3 2.0/13 1 1-0 . 1 . 1.0/12 .
11 Cattouse, Sean 1 2 3 . . . . . . . 1
91 Coleman, Deandr 2 . 2 . . . . . . . .
8 Moncrease, C.J. 1 1 2 . . . . . . . .
3D Hurrell, J.P. . 1 1 . . . . . . . .
7 Campbell, D.J. . 1 1 . . . . . . . .
15 Nnabuife, Bryan . 1 1 . . . . . . . .
95 Owusu, Ernest . . . . . . . 1 . . .
Josh Hill and Chris Conte breaking up four passes and adding 14 tackles, Cameron Jordan being a beast (five tackles, forced fumble, quarterback hurry, pass broken up), Mike Mohamed with 14 tackles with a cast on his hand, Kendricks and D.J. Holt combining for 19 more, Trevor Guyton with seven tackles and two tackles for loss, Steve Williams stepping up with six more tackles after being pushed into the premier cornerback slot, D. Hill with his big play...and all they get is a "Certificate of Participation." I hated those certificates when I was a kid. I win at being the best loser is what it means.
The Cal defense deserved the win. But when it comes to Cal football, deserve got nothing to do with it.
Anyway, thank goodness it's Big Game week. Otherwise this one would've stuck with me all year long. Instead it'll dissipate behind the guise. And then it'll resurface this offseason and haunt me until September. Because I am the ghost in the machine.
I'm drunk. I'm a Cal football fan. Such is life.
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Makes sense. I don’t think he was the only one, but Anthony was the only one who got noticeably injured.
Email: bearsnecessities@gmail.com
by Avinash Kunnath on Nov 14, 2010 2:22 AM PST up reply actions
Not two picks
He is saying that the one pick was by Tuinei, not Maehl. There was only that one during the game. Even as an Oregon fan I was pretty pissed that he did it, but we’re talking about one play and not several.
by netminder82 on Nov 14, 2010 10:21 AM PST up reply actions
Im watching the replay now. That was a fucking dirty play. Does UO run picks a lot of on offense? I don’t remember them running as many 3-4 years ago
Not as dirty as faking injuries ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8L-LmfYdCI&feature=player_embedded
Nothing dirty about a pick when you lead with the shoulder and hits in the chest (not head).
Isn't a pick illegal/dangerous?
Moatman – I’m a Duck and I’m pretty sure that a pick is offensive PI and can be a dangerous play. If a DB is running across the middle and has no idea it is coming, you could do some serious damage. I know that rub/pick plays happen all the time, but I’d say that Tuinei’s version was a pretty dangerous move.
If coach would have just put me in
I could have really been somebody…
I did go back and watch the video of the pick a few times and now I’m a little less convinced of the intent, but I thought VS had a good shot of during the game that made me wince when I saw it. If you watch it again on youtube though, you could clearly make a case for this being a crossing pattern gone wrong. Tuinei looks like he gets ready for impact by curling up; he doesn’t look much like a guy ready to make a hit.
Like I said though, I remember seeing it differently during the game itself.
Valiant effort by our boys. They did us proud considering the circumstances.
But can’t help feel a bit let down though due to a couple special teams gaffs and fumble losing us the possibility of knocking off #1. It’ll remain a game that I think we should of a won. Heck, I even heard, “Kevin Riley would of won that game” today.
He would have
but don’t say that on the Duck blog!
Beautiful write-up, Avi.
This one doesn’t hurt me at all.
I am DAMN. PROUD. OF. OUR. BEARS.
We all knew they were the better team coming in. But our guys didn’t back down. Watching the game, would you have known that the #1 team in the nation was playing an unranked team?
Now let’s go kick furd’s teeth in and keep the Axe.
GO BEARS!
Old Toothwrangler
by Kodiak on Nov 14, 2010 5:07 AM PST reply actions 1 recs
As usual....
totally with you Kod….I had to miss the game completely due to a conflict, but was getting the score on the phone..seeing those low numbers had me pumped, and reading Avi’s excellent summary confirmed what I guessed was going on…I have to admit when I saw the final score I prayed it was not down to a missed field goal, and my only very modest comfort was that it was not last second…but we played well enough to beat number 1…we were not embarrassed and certainly have to give effing Furd something to think about next week.
So I’m happy and pumped for the big game…give em the Axe, right in the neck!!!!
Roll on you Bears
"It's on the ROOF, oh yeah, one hundred PROOF, oh yeah....."
by TKE Prytanis 79 on Nov 14, 2010 7:30 AM PST up reply actions
This hurts a lot because we couldve won it. Even with our 2008 offense we couldve. But naturally Ludwig channeled his inner Holmoe-lite.
Man our 2007/6 offense wouldve blown these ducks out of the fucking water. It couldve been another 50+ win.
In other words, Go Bears!
by royrules22 on Nov 14, 2010 5:58 AM PST via mobile reply actions
Can you provide me a strong understanding of your criticisms of Ludwig?
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www.CaliforniaGoldenBlogs.com
Ludwig is the QB coach. Start with that.
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by CaliforniaEternal on Nov 14, 2010 11:19 AM PST up reply actions
More than the loss, this one hurts because—like the Arizona game—it just raises in sharp relief (yet again) how inexcusable the performances against USC and OSU were. Sure, any team is going to have some less-than-stellar games over the course of a season, but as good as the defense has played at home this year, as well as in Tucson, it had no business getting blown out so comprehensively by the Trojans and Beavers.
Oh yeah. Coach Tedford and Co. need to fix this offense. Now. This had all the makings of a Holmoe-era performance, except there was no Deltha O’Neal to conjure up a victory.
Go Bears!
by California Pete on Nov 14, 2010 8:08 AM PST up reply actions
It’s not the coach or the players, I think it’s the offense in general. Requires too many highly talented players to be a consistent winner.
"We lose to Stanford in many sports, but if you want to make a Cal team quit, bring a weapon."
--Coach Clark
and then asks said talented player to do too much (formations, moving parts, assignments, reads, feetwork).
The offense looks as off-kilter as one can look for the 10th game of the season.
Loved Tedford’s comments on “inexperienced” Mansion when he could have played him a bunch the past 2 years and, imo, would have been much less experienced. Enough experience that they could pick up a friggin 1st down, not burn hella timeouts, and not trip over your shoelace when you see the end zone in front of you.
"We lose to Stanford in many sports, but if you want to make a Cal team quit, bring a weapon."
--Coach Clark
Yah, if we had a decent passing game we win this. A couple key drops combined with Mansion being wild didn’t help.
I don’t think we would have won with Riley at the helm-he probably would have overthrown a couple of guys and gotten picked 2×.
I have to admit I love how the D played and that makes me optimistic for the Big Game-but we also need to complete passes if we are going to win the game
NO ALCOHOL CAN NUMB THIS PAIN
And our kicking woes are approaching historically bad levels—despite a pretty good effort on kickoffs, Tavecchio’s leg strength seems to have decreased game-by-game when he’s asked to put points on the board. It cost us against Arizona, it cost us against Oregon. Think about it. If we have even a Tom Schneider on our team, Cal is 7-3 right now with upsets over two of the top three teams in the conference and still in the hunt for Pasadena. Actually, don’t think about it, because you’ll end up drowning yourself in alcohol to numb the pain.
If there’s anything out there that’s going to numb this pain, it’s probably going to kill you.
The one stat that really matters showing how incredible we played is this: Oregon’s ENTIRE offensive production was 1 TD.
ONE TOUCHDOWN. Incredible. Same number of touchdowns OUR offense scored.
Still perplexed at how we lost this game. This one is gonna suck for a while.
Leg strength was not the issue on this kick. He kicked it way too hard and shanked it.
by Tedfordisgod on Nov 14, 2010 8:49 AM PST up reply actions
1. BEAT furd
2. I’m annoyed by ST in general. I do think the Az FG miss cost us that game, no question. I do think a 19 or 29 yrd FG should be automatic. But I’m not totally convinced we win this game if he makes it. Still no excuse.
3. I feel Mansion is still doing ok running the offense.
4. Beat furd
Kickers...
Even when Cal sucked, we’ve always seemed to have decent placekickers.
(Of course, it would also produce somewhat decent O-linemen, but I digress…)
Why has this team been subjected to the suckitude of Tavecchio and D’Amato for the longest time?
Has this team given up recruiting a decent kicker? Damn frustrating that two wins have been cost us by Giorgio — it’s almost as if we’ve have to trade that win last year against ASU for losses against Zona and the Ducks. :o(
"To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is
research."
Oregon has long had a history of cheap shots and marginally dirty players. Dickson was notorious for late and blind side hits, so the pick wasn’t a surprise.
The officiating was pretty bad, but not epically suck. The Oregon fans are a pack of d-bags, so again, nothing special there.
But the special teams …. good lord! Is a sacrifice in order? Perhaps some sort of ritual cleansing?
Still, even if Tavecchio makes that FG to give us a 16 – 15 lead, the ducks last drive probably results in points winning the game for them. Even worse, a huge, time consuming last drive to win in dramatic fashion with no time left gives all the duck fellators more reason to grovel at their feet for such a dramatic and important win. Feh.
It’s over, move on. If we play this way in the next game we keep the Axe.
Being an Old Blue means fearing any athletic success.
I like that analysis, they probably would have won on a last minute field goal; the result has it happened was actually preferable. But I still wanted the lead; once you have it, anything can happen. I’m so wiped out today, completely drained. Can’t imagine how the team feels.
Am I known as Cugel the Clever for nothing?
Really proud of this team for showing up huge (special teams aside). Just an amazing effort by the D. They really left it all out on the field. In fact, that’s my biggest concern, that this may have taken too much out of them. It’s going to be hard to move on and be motivated for the Big Game. I pray they can put this past them and concentrate on the task at hand. It’s very hard to get keep the level of intensity super high like this over two weeks, especially after a heartbreaker like this.
We’ll see. Go bears!
The Bear Will Not Quit
The Bear Will Not Die
Trying ot account for differences between road Cal and home Cal, I am still of the belief that Nevada Offense>Oregon Offense.
There were many plays that Oregon had similar to Nevada and Nevada just looked faster on them, notably Kaepernick. Thomas was fast, but there were many plays where Cal players (usually Conte) just closed so much faster.
Kaepernick would just glide down the field.
CGB's Jimmy Carter
www.CaliforniaGoldenBlogs.com
You’re forgetting about the Memorial Stadium warp speed factor that makes all our guys faster. Well that or the Prophet :-)
by HelloBowlesHall on Nov 14, 2010 8:35 AM PST via mobile up reply actions
Twist
is right. Not sure about all parts of the the Nevada team, but Kaepernick is way, way better that Thomas. What impressed in the Nevada game was not how good he was as a runner, but how accurate he was as a passer. We had good coverage on passes, and he still managed to throw it to the only place where it would be complete. Sigh.
Am I known as Cugel the Clever for nothing?
I’m not convinced Nevada Offense > Oregon Offense. The defensive game plans had some similarities but there were some big differences in the schemes ran last night. It was a great game plan but it was also great will power, heart, focus, determination, and desire on the defense’s part to execute the game plan.
Cal operated out of the 3-3-5 with 3 safeties for a good chunk of the night. Against Nevada, it was more 3-4 with 2 safeties and 4-2-5 with 3 corners and 2 safeties. Does personnel make that much of a difference? Yes. For instance, Cattouse would line up or cover the TE and kind of serve as an extra LB playing closer to the LOS but if Oregon went to 4 WRs, he would drop back and be used as a regular safety. Cattouse has the coverage skills to take on a TE and is big enough to fight off blocks. That’s a part of how Cal countered the hurry up offense and substitution problems that offense brings to a defense. +1 for Pendergast Cal was also playing with Mohamed and not Fanua/Mullins like against Nevada.
Big difference between ORegon and Nevada: Cal D was disciplined. Oregon’s longest run from the line of scrimmage was 13 yards. That tells me that Cal’s defenders were disciplined in maintaining their gaps. Keeping the nation’s leading rusher to just 91 yards on 29 carries and keeping his yards/carry average to less than half of his season average? Pretty damn good. If you look at Thomas’ rushing stats this year, he has done pretty well against all teams except ASU and Wazzu (Wazzu is kind of like whatever) and now Cal when he has kept the ball. To demonstrate this point (and I am disregarding sacks and scramble yardage here but for simplicity sake to make a point), Thomas had 117 yards on 15 carries against Furd and only 34 yards on 16 carries against Cal. Some other numbers: Kaepernick had 148 yards on 17 carries against Cal. Those numbers tell me that defending the QB is pretty important in defending a run option offense and Cal did a pretty damn good job of containing the QB. Also, for the most part, whoever Oregon would read on their run plays did good jobs of not biting. Not biting forced Thomas to hand the ball off and the defense did a good job of making sure they had just as many defenders as blockers at the point of attack. Biting combined with missed assignments against Nevada killed Cal.
Cal did a few other things with where they lined up guys, a few other personnel wrinkles, and pre-snap reads. I won’t comment in detail about these yet because I would like to know more about what down and distances they ran this stuff on.
Coverage was mostly man with 1 deep safety with some zone mixed in. Nothing different from what Cal usually does but defensive backs stuck to their assignments and forced Thomas to be accurate which he wasn’t. I saw very few coverage breakdowns and passes that were completed were earned. Very few gimmes last night. The matchup with Josh Hill and Maehl that went for a TD was unfortunate. I didn’t like that matchup from the start because of the speed difference and that one matchup proved to be a difference maker last night. Credit also has to go to the DL and LBs for providing pressure and making the DBs jobs a little easier.
Cal played great assignment football and won their matchups more often than they lost. One bad matchup hurt Cal in the end but with a short field due to the turnover, it’s hard to fault the defense there. I’m proud of the defense. And I’m proud of our fanbase for the first time in years.
At Cali49a
I’m not saying Nevada’s offense is better than Oregon’s, only that Kaepernick was a more accurate passer. Sure, the defense as a whole played much better vs Oregon, but the plays (at Nevada) where we were in the right defense, I saw Kaepernick make some deadly accurate throws, heart breaking (for Cal fans) because the defense was in the right position, but the throws were perfect. Didn’t see much of that quality from Thomas.
Side note: This Oregon team with Kaepernick as QB = unstoppable (horrible thought).
Am I known as Cugel the Clever for nothing?
kelly is a prick
I think the botched two point conversion and the dropped pass on the goal line were what really made the difference. The bears had a great drive up until that point and it was completely wasted.
Mansion has a cannon, hopefully it will get more accuracy and Tedford won’t get to his head.
Chip Kelly seems like a immature and insecure prick, I don’t think the interviewer asked unreasonable questions. I have for the most part thought that the ducks were team I could respect and actually like but now I want them to get a smack down. Kinda like a stanfurd U$C 2009 ’what’s your deal?’ type smack down.
FInally, I think the 9:25 last drive was a pussy thing to do. Strategic football I know but lame for a supposed powerhouse.
by pep_e on Nov 14, 2010 8:34 AM PST reply actions 2 recs
Kelly hated that game...
It’s because the SOB knows that he could be punished by voters looking for style points.
As one commenter (I think on the Yahoo boards) noted, a Cal win would have been a disaster for the Pac-10 nationally.
And, as such, it fuels conspiracy-theory that might explain why the refs were so giving at times to the Ducks.
But the conference’s reputation aside, a huge part of me wants Oregon to suffer for their sins in not blowing us out last night for the same reason we were made to suffer for not “destroying” Southern Miss in ’04…
"To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is
research."
Boy is the Pac-10 becoming loaded with hatable coaches, and Chip Kelly just might top the list. “Prick” only begins to describe his attitude toward the media (and us fans), and his tenure isn’t exactly off to a shining start when it comes to producing model citizens on or off the field. The uncalled illegal pick against Marc Anthony was one of the dirtiest plays I’ve seen on a football field in a long time.
I actually have no problem with Oregon’s final drive. Indeed, it was the most impressive part of the Ducks’ performance last night. Kudos to them. Otherwise, though, I find Oregon’s high-tempo offense to be virtually unwatchable: basketball on turf. (And I hate basketball.)
Going for two on the first TD of the game annoys me, too, but Cal not being able to stop it is even more annoying. At least Kelly got burned by his wreckless strategy to forgo punting in the 1st quarter. I think the Ducks might have won comfortably had they not gifted the Bears a short field and the momentum that goes with it.
Oregon will always be my second favorite university in the Pac, but I’m pulling for the Beavers this year in the Civil War.
Go Bears!
by California Pete on Nov 14, 2010 9:01 AM PST up reply actions 2 recs
I agree that the Ducks 9+ minute drive was really something. If our D gets them off the field, I am confident we win the game.
As far as Kelly, yeah, he’s a class-A prick, no doubt. But, like most of the Oregon D-Bags out there, he walks the walk that lets him be a complete prick. But that attitude he has is really something. Despite his best efforts it was clear to everyone, even the interviewer, that Kelly just wouldn’t give credit where it was due. Kelly may have stonewalled and deflected, but the fact that his bloated ego wouldn’t admit is that Cal outplayed Oregon and turned their high-octane super offense into nothing. It would have been a class move to admit (as every other coach in the conference does) that the other team played really well and was a tough opponent. Kelly didn’t do that. He’s a prick.
Being an Old Blue means fearing any athletic success.
the ducks have a long history of dirty plays
remember someone kicking our player in the back during the 06 beatdown?
www.californiagoldenblogs.com
The 1979 game!
Heck, I lived next door to Cal players Pat Brady and Tim Smith back in Norton in 1981…they used to go on how Oregon deliberately took out Daryl Skaugstad’s knees during that game…
"To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is
research."
YEAAAAAAAAAAAH
Chip Kelly seems like a immature and insecure prick
Yeah, man! Total JERK. He’s an affront to our honor!
FInally, I think the 9:25 last drive was a pussy thing to do. Strategic football I know but lame for a supposed powerhouse.
HOW DARE THEY MAXIMIZE THEIR CHANCES OF WINNING!
Finally...
Someone pointed out how ridiculous it is to criticize Chip Kelly for putting together a drive to kill the clock. It isn’t “lame” to do what gives you the best chance to win the game. I’m pretty sure you become a powerhouse by winning games, even the close ones, not taking idiotic risks so you look cooler.
Would you rather tell a potential recruit about the NCG you took your team to or the season where you came really close but lost it on a clock-killing drive where you decided to chuck the ball to make it a little more exciting?
by netminder82 on Nov 14, 2010 10:17 AM PST up reply actions
Wow
I came in here to congratulate ya’ll on your teams excellent effort, and maybe talk some x’s and o’s. Instead I find a whole pack of sore losers blaming the loss on everything from “dirty players” to “corrupt officials”. This from fans of a team whose players cheat in order to disrupt an offense they couldn’t cope with otherwise… I’m flabbergasted.
You stay classy, Bears.
You stay classy, Bears.
Awesome. This coming from the fans that boo down players, even ones that they intentionally injure.
You stay classy, Ducks.
by HelloBowlesHall on Nov 14, 2010 9:07 AM PST up reply actions
to disrupt an offense they couldn’t cope with otherwise
You did watch the game, right? You did see that we disrupted your vaunted Oregon offense just fine – to the tune of 7 offensive points.
Come back with some real material.
by HelloBowlesHall on Nov 14, 2010 9:18 AM PST up reply actions
I don’t think anybody here is blaming the loss on dirty players and I don’t see anybody calling the refs corrupt. Merely noting that things happened doesn’t equal blame. Pretty much everybody acknowledges that Oregon, on the whole, was the better team yesterday.
But if you want to play the martyr, be my guest.
The #1 greatest threat to America: BEARS
Get lost. No one here will ever respect a top to bottom dirty program. You actually think people will ever respect Oregon? You guys have got to be the most insecure fanbase.
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by CaliforniaEternal on Nov 14, 2010 11:23 AM PST up reply actions
Don’t you have an injured person to boo somewhere?
CGB: Quality is our Dignity; Service is our Lift.
by Spazzy Mcgee on Nov 14, 2010 11:35 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs
The effort wasn’t all that great, Oregon’s just over-rated as I’ve been expecting all year. In fact, I’m surprised they’ve done as well as they have to date.
"We lose to Stanford in many sports, but if you want to make a Cal team quit, bring a weapon."
--Coach Clark
Really? Really? Over-rated? I take that as an insult to our D. They are really good, for one night we made them look mortal.
Am I known as Cugel the Clever for nothing?
the d played great, the o & ST wasn’t great at all.
At the begining of the year I thought Cal would have a better shot at beating Oregon than USC and/or Oregon St. Leading up to the game I was expecting a Nevada-like beatdown.
Thomas looked like a RB trying to play QB.
I don’t think Oregon will win the MNC. They’ll lose, just like the Rose Bowl last year. They are shutdown-able.
"We lose to Stanford in many sports, but if you want to make a Cal team quit, bring a weapon."
--Coach Clark
Whoa. For real carp?
Email: bearsnecessities@gmail.com
by Avinash Kunnath on Nov 14, 2010 3:28 PM PST up reply actions
I’m more surprised at Cal’s ineptitude on the road this year than Cal nearly beating Oregon.
And if I could chose only 1 back on my All-Tedford Era team, it would be Shane Vereen.
If only he had JJ Arrington’s line.
"We lose to Stanford in many sports, but if you want to make a Cal team quit, bring a weapon."
--Coach Clark
I HATE OREGON FANS
Act like you’ve been here before.
Celebrating like you just won the Rose Bowl because you barely eked out a win against a .500 team? Bush league.
The Oregon dude in the section next to mine who got arrested for incessantly screaming in the ear of a 70 year-old man for the entire first half, then talked smack to the cops? Absolutely classless.
The guy in my section sitting by himself who turned around and yelled “that’s what we F*ing do!” at the end of the game? Totally bush league. He also booed when Marc Anthony went down when it was obvious he was seriously hurt.
The Duck students who tailgated on that grassy area above Bancroft west of Boalt and left 10 30-racks of beer cans and piles of trash just lying on the ground after they decided to go to the game? Fucking disgraceful.
Next year, I’m going to go to Eugene to dump a pile of trash on Phil Knight’s head, piss on the Duck mascot, and have tremendous hate sex with Chip Kelly’s wife.
by calbeers05753 on Nov 14, 2010 9:04 AM PST reply actions
Sorry, got a little carried away with that last paragraph. I have absolutely no intention of urinating on the duck mascot, dumping trash on Knight, or knowing Mrs. Kelly. Instant regret!
by calbeers05753 on Nov 14, 2010 9:11 AM PST up reply actions
I guess I don’t get how the dudes at ATQ are so cool, but the fans who show up in person tend to majorly suck. Every year.
by calbeers05753 on Nov 14, 2010 9:13 AM PST up reply actions
I guess I don’t get how the dudes at ATQ are so cool, but the fans who show up in person tend to majorly suck. Every year.
Oh great. Twist will never let you live this one down. As if Jared and Dave’s ego wasn’t big enough already….
--Dominic, Addicted to Quack
Autzen Stadium is where great teams go to die." - J. Brady McCullough, The Michigan Daily.
Are Oregon fans really THAT bad? And if so, is this a new thing?
Let me state the obvious first. ALL fan bases in sport include their fair share of douche bags. This includes Oregon. This includes Cal. This even includes those genteel folks down on the Farm. And when a team is winning—especially when they’re undefeated and ranked #1 in the country—the douche-bag factor becomes much more salient. So let me suggest that if there were indeed a bunch of dickhead Ducks on display last night, then that’s just the way it is, and it’s not really an indictment on Eugene, the state of Oregon, or a really fine University.
All that said, I do believe that fans do take on, at least to some degree, a collective personality that reflects their head coach. He’s the most visible fan himself, and his demeanor very much sets the tone, both for his players and for everyone in the stands and watching at home on TV.
So I ask the longtime observers of Oregon football this: Is Chip Kelly’s personality wearing off on you all? And if so, do people around Eugene see this as a bad thing? Or is it simply so great to be winning that you really don’t care what the rest of the conference thinks?
Go Bears!
by California Pete on Nov 14, 2010 10:39 AM PST up reply actions
I think it is selection bias
First let me declare I am a Duck
I think you nailed it when you said that all teams have a few bad apples in their fanbase. Heck, all large groups of people when randomly selected are going to have jerks. I think the mistake is in taking your experience with a few and suddenly applying it to the whole. Just think about what someone said regarding the guys at ATQ – they are a bunch of good guys with whom I think you have a good relationship. You’ve probably had more interaction with Duck fans there than in person, so why not assume that most Duck fans are good?
Nobody remembers the fans that don’t talk trash or spill a beer on someone. Nobody remembers the way opposing fans act after their team wins. I’ve seen and heard enough complaining about an opposing fanbase in my experience to figure out that it tends to be bred from a) losing a game or b) making the mistake of thinking they are ALL like the jerk in your row.
Good game yesterday. I feel for you guys after that loss. It’s a tough to watch one slip away like that and I would not want to be on the other end of it. Please don’t assume that your perception of Duck fans based on a few people is indicative of the whole.
by netminder82 on Nov 14, 2010 10:47 AM PST up reply actions
I agree with you. I was pregaming where there were a lot of Duck fans and they were all nice and cordial.
I would say based on my observations that your biggest asshole fans are drunk bandwagoners, college aged drunk kids, and 40 something year old drunk men who can’t let go of the fact that they were never athletes themselves and live vicariously through your sports teams or can’t let go of their fraternity days.
So, in short, our assholes are general assholes.
You give me bandwagon fans, drunk kids and old dudes who want to tell you about their days as a backup QB for their high school team, and I’ll show you a bunch of people I don’t want to party with.
One of the things that bugs me about SOME of the newer fans is that they haven’t experienced a truly down year. I’m only 27, so I didn’t truly suffer like some of the old-timers, but one good year of Jason Fife does a lot to humble a man.
by netminder82 on Nov 14, 2010 12:18 PM PST up reply actions
40 something year old drunk men who can’t let go of the fact that they were never athletes themselves and live vicariously through your sports teams or can’t let go of their fraternity days.
WHAT DID I EVER DO TO YOU?!?!?!?!
CGB's Jimmy Carter
www.CaliforniaGoldenBlogs.com
What about 51-year-old drunk women? Nobody ever talks about them!
How ya gonna keep 'em down on the Farm, after they've seen Berkeley?
Didnt you see the part where that guy said he was gonna have hate sex with Chip Kelly’s wife?
CGB's Jimmy Carter
www.CaliforniaGoldenBlogs.com
I thought he said Chip Kelly’s wife would hate having sex with him.
How ya gonna keep 'em down on the Farm, after they've seen Berkeley?
I think I speak for all woman kind when I say we’d all hate having sex with that guy…..whoever he may be.
CGB's Jimmy Carter
www.CaliforniaGoldenBlogs.com
Wait a minute. What are your credentials for speaking for all woman kind?
How ya gonna keep 'em down on the Farm, after they've seen Berkeley?
hey baby....
how you do’n….
Go Bears Go
by Rocksanddirt on Nov 14, 2010 6:34 PM PST up reply actions
a few bad apples
15,000 Cal fans would never boo an injured player like that. That was dispicable
www.californiagoldenblogs.com
Actually, during the 1980 Big Game at Memorial, yell leader Damon Moore had to get the student section to shut the hell up, because we cheered when the Cal D momentarily knocked John Elway silly and out of the game for a time that year…
"To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is
research."
Hell no! :o)
The following spring, Stanfurd came to Evans to play baseball, and Elway came on in relief. As he was warming up to pitch, he was doing his best Nuke LaLoosh imitation, all while the fans were chanting for him to kiss our “Peach”, because that Big Game loss the previous Autumn had cost the Furd a Peach Bowl bid. :o)
But I digress. Elway was one opposing player whom everyone loved to boo.
"To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is
research."
in my section (A) no, but I did see a fair amount of d-bags. In fact, I thought we were playing SC for a minute there.
"We lose to Stanford in many sports, but if you want to make a Cal team quit, bring a weapon."
--Coach Clark
All of that sounds pretty horrible but I think there’s an explanation for the beer cans on the ground. Tailgating in Eugene, there actually aren’t any trash cans and you’re encouraged to throw your empty bottles/cans on the ground because the local homeless will pick it up in no time. It’s an odd system but maybe these fans were just doing what they’re accustomed to up north.
Too bad Berkeley doesn’t have much of a homeless population.
Go Bears!
by California Pete on Nov 14, 2010 12:26 PM PST up reply actions
Had Tavecchio made that kick
we would have only won with that alone if the Oregon kicker is that much worse than Tavecchio (as in missing 3 FG attempts). You have got to shift some of the blames on the dropped passes and I also don’t get Tedford declining that holding penalty at the end (since the penalty stopped the clock).
by LEastCoastBears on Nov 14, 2010 9:19 AM PST reply actions
He declined it so Oregon would have two plays to make a first down, instead of three.
It was the only logical decision based on the amount of time left on the clock; if he hadn’t declined it, Oregon could have downed the ball three times to win. Because he didn’t accept it, Oregon had to get another first down to win. Which they did. Sigh.
by calbeers05753 on Nov 14, 2010 9:21 AM PST up reply actions
Penalty would not stop the clock and would have put it back to the previous down – 2nd I believe. That would have been game :-(
by HelloBowlesHall on Nov 14, 2010 9:21 AM PST up reply actions
I’m not going to bother posting this on AtQ, but to me, my one thought walking away from the game is that had Riley not been out, we would have won this game easily. I’m not blaming Mansion, its only his second start of his college life against the #1 team in the land, but Riley would have completed 65% of the passes, that would have opened things up for Shane, we would have been able to sustain several long drives, and this coupled with the stellar play of our defense, we would have cruised rather easily to victory.
So the Ducks ought to thank the Beaver lineman who destroyed Riley’s’ knee; its the only reason they won. (yeah I know they are also a good team too, just talking about this one game).
Am I known as Cugel the Clever for nothing?
i disagree. I don’t think Riley would have performed significantly better than Mansion. In fact, the two looked like the same player a bit, although Mansions passes had a bit more zip.
"We lose to Stanford in many sports, but if you want to make a Cal team quit, bring a weapon."
--Coach Clark
Is it sad that I miss the Frank Cignetti era already?
I, like Avi have grown tired of Ludwig. He has been at Cal for two years now and I haven’t seen much improvement from him. This is his second time he has went up against the Oregon defense and DC Aliotti yet I saw very little improvement from last years playcalling.
I thought the fade route on the two point conversion was a bad call for a kid who was just starting his second game at QB and throwing to a WR that has been plagued by the drops lately. It is obvious that Mansion is only locking into one side of the field and one WR, so why not boot the kid out to make his reads a bit more simpler (by simpler I mean, Mansion would only have to view half the field and would have two pass options, a TE in the flats and a WR) and also give him a run pass option.
The next time we run the Wildbear, Ludwig needs to tell the RB to hand off to the sweep option on the play, if only to keep a defense honest. I can’t remember the last time we handed off to the player on the sweep.
How about incorporating a bit of the pistol formation in our offense? Mansion is somewhat familiar with it since he ran it for the scout team. If nothing more it throws a wrinkle in our offense that teams may not be prepared for.
How about a few trick plays to take advantage of the Oregon defense aggressiveness?
Like the reverse to Jones that netted the first down? I don’t have a problem with our playcalling. Could have gone for a few more deep shots to keep Oregon from stacking the box, but with a guy making his second start I see why you lay off. I do have a problem with consistently killer execution. How many potentially game-changing drops have we had the past two years or killer false starts? I don’t know the coaching duties well enough to allocate blame, but something need to change.
Yes, like the reserve to Jones that we only ran once
so in the entire game, we did one misdirection play. I would have liked to seen a few more calls like that. A flea flicker would have been nice as the defense was crashing down on all our run plays.
How about some misdirection with KA? KA is probably our best playmaker, get him the ball as often and anyway you can.
I think a problem with getting the ball to KA was Mansion. He never looked at him. Most of the game he threw to the #1 guy (Marvin). Unless the play was designed for KA (like the screen play the got blown up), Mansion never really looked toward him.
I am not just talking about throwing the ball to him
how about a fly sweep, a reverse to Allen, line KA in the Wild bear, be creative to get him the ball in the running game.
Right.
I was just referring to you wanting to get him the ball “as often” as you can.
Yeah, I was talking more about in the running game
I saw that Mansion wasn’t really throwing to him much. The one time we tried to set up a WR screen the ball got swatted down by the DL.
I don’t think it was the Frank Cignetti era so much as the HOLY FUCK ALEX MACK era.
"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
the only terrible calls i remember was the pass play on the 2pt convo attempt and the run play to the left on 3rd down that eventually led to Tavecchio’s FG attempt at the start of the 4th Q. Go for the end zone or run Vereen to the right to center it (gasp!); don’t run a low risk run to the left.
"We lose to Stanford in many sports, but if you want to make a Cal team quit, bring a weapon."
--Coach Clark
Also, they are taking advantage of play reviewing system.
Nope
Both Cal and Oregon made substitutions. Unlike the NFL, there’s no rule about allowing substitutions only if one team does it. The fact is that most teams don’t have a lot of depth defensively and simply can’t afford to substitute players all the time – but this strategy doesn’t stop them from doing so.
You don’t need a huddle to substitute players.
Anyone know how long Ludwig is under contract for? Can we let him go after this season?
Also, the Online played pretty well yesterday, so what do we make of Marshall? Or should we just chalk this one up to Oline stepping up due to the magnitude of the game? This is all so confusing.
Suddenly, the “This is Cal football” tee shirt is making so much sense.
Regarding Marshall and OL; even a broken block is right twice a day
We have talent on the OL, it just they just don’t play up to their talent or are consistent.
I am not sure how long Ludwig is under contract but I hope Tedford cleans house on the offensive side of the ball, everyone but Gould should go. Marshall, Daft, and Ludwig, good bye.
I agree regarding Marshall, disagree on Ludwig, and frankly don’t know enough to have an opinion on Daft. How do you coach a receiver to catch the ball? This seems analogous to coaching how to run (as opposed to how to run routes etc.)
Am I known as Cugel the Clever for nothing?
What's your stance on Ludwig?
The only the things I’ll give him is that the QB’s he’s had at Cal up to this point have been less than spectacular. A great QB can change a lot. But the play-calling, especially on that 2-point conversion, was just bad. It seems after the first 15 (or so) pre-determined plays we run, we can’t get anything going and make bad (or no) adjustments to the defense.
Not to mention, every place he’s been to (as far as I can remember, Oregon and Utah) has wanted him gone. It’s become more obvious why this season.
And just to be clear
I know there were alot of dropped balls, so not all the play calling was bad. But sometimes Ludwig baffles me.
A great QB can change a lot.
How’s Jake Locker doing up at UW? Oregon’s QB will never step on the field at that position in the NFL.
Our offense has been in decay since 2004 and everyone in the Pac-10 has figured it out, except for our QBs. We need to ditch Tedford’s offense and run something else.
I completely disagree with this.
So Oregon should change their offense now b/c we’ve figured them out? No. better playcalling, better players (especially better QBs) make a big difference in a pro-style offense. Case in point: Andrew Luck.
There’s no explaining why Jake Locker hasn’t played well this year, and I don’t understand the jab at Oregon’s QB. He may not make it to the next level, but he is a good, and I’d say great QB. He may play in a simpler offense, but he still has to thrown the ball accurately.
Oregon has a great system and great play caller. I never said they should change their offense. Their system is great because you can plug non-NFL QB talent in and win games.
Stanford wins because of Harbaugh and Luck, but mostly because of Harbaugh.
Football in college is all about coaching. In the NFL the NFL is about 65% coaching and 35% QB play. There’s a reason Trent Dilfer has a Super Bowl ring.
You may not have said that, but by your logic, you implied it.
But again, what was Harbaugh before Luck? Not very much. Coaching, IMO, can only do so much. Players, especially a QB who can get your players the ball, is essential, in any offense. And personally, I’m not convinced Mansion (or this team) would be that much better in an offense similar to Oregon’s.
I’m still confused by your point though…so should we change the coaches or change the offense? I think the offense is fine. It’s the coaching (Ludwig/Marshall) that needs change.
Harbaugh has been a good coach before Luck
He went down to the Coliseum and beat the Trojans with Tavita Pritchard.
Before that he was a great coach at USD, where he turned a bad USD football team into a powerhouse in the Pioneer League.
I’m not saying Harbaugh isn’t a good coach. All I’m saying is that coaching can only do so much without talent. They may have beat USC, but how did they finish overall? 4-8. They may have been more competitive, but I think I remember them getting blown out more often than not (or at least not scoring more than 15-20 ppg).
4-8 with wins over SC and us in the Big Game
that was a really bad stanfurd team, Pritchard had to be one of, if not the worst starting QB in college football that season.
The fact that stanfurd won more than two games and was competitive was a huge step up from the year before with Walt Harris.
I think that the QB play is a huge factor in play calling. If you don’t trust your QB, you’re not going to think out of the box; you’re going to be doing your best to KISS and make sure he doesn’t make any stupid mistakes. What’s even worse is that in addition to the less than stellar QB play, he’s faced with under par play by the offensive line. It’s hard to call a double reverse when you don’t know for sure the defense isn’t going to be in the back field before the first reverse even happened.
Isn't Ludwig also the QB coach?
If so, then that is double fail for Ludwig. He isn’t coaching our QB’s up and he isn’t calling plays that put them in the best chance to succeed. As the QB coach, Ludwig should know their strengths/weaknesses as well as anyone and should be able to game plan around that.
“It was pretty loud,” Tavecchio said. “We don’t have a rhythmic cadence, but the snapper, the holder and I have a rhythm. It’s usually a couple of seconds after the cadence, but the ball came back a little bit later, and I jumped.”
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/ncaa/gameflash/2010/11/13/42897_recap.html#ixzz15HY8Z12O
Come on Tavecchio, no lame excuses:
U failed 2 midterms already
Final exam coming up in one week
MAN UP!
Cal attempted so many passes on first down as the game wore on when we were running the ball pretty well (4 yards per rushing attempt compared to Oregon’s feeble 2.9), and we seemed to always find ourselves in second/third and long situations that we had about as much chance as converting into first downs as a Jehovah’s Witness does at converting a Real Housewife from New Jersey.
I’m not certain I understand this criticism. You are concerned that Cal tried too many passes on first down. Now, I don’t have the numbers onwhether or not we tried runs or passes on the first down. But even if we assume that this is an accurate criticism, we ended up in second/third and long situations, because we didn’t execute. It was nto like we were throwing deep all the time. They seemed like really basic throws. There were a lot of execution problems on both sides of passes. Mansion had some rough passes and even bounced a few easy ones. But the WRs didn’t catch a lot of stuff, too.
Previously, people were complaining that we were too “run run pass” on drives. I don’t now if that was true, but I just feel like if we execute some of those pass plays better, it doesn’t matter what we call.
CGB's Jimmy Carter
www.CaliforniaGoldenBlogs.com
I can’t back this up, but I read an article on ESPN that actually showed that it was mathematically unjustifiable to run on first downs. The cost-benefit analysis between passing and running on first downs heavily favored passing.
The correct play to call on first down is the one that works. Passes can work. Runs can work. I didn’t have a lot of problem with the play calling. I mean I remember one pass that was Mansion turning to the left and throwing the ball to Allen on the sideline. Put Allen in space, great idea, right? See what he can do!
Mansion bounce passed it.
CGB's Jimmy Carter
www.CaliforniaGoldenBlogs.com
Forgive me if I'm not....
If I’m not the first to point this out but why is Gio even kicking that FG? Put in the damn endzone!! I didn’t trust this game to come down to him and I believe we had a first down on the 12 (correct me if I’m wrong) to get it in with our offense and failed. Sure, Gio botched it and that sucks. But if you have a weak link on your team don’t exploit it in the most crucial of situations.
By the way, Clancy is earning his paycheck. I knew he’d be hit or miss based on seeing so many football games he’s coached in (I live in AZ). But I think he’s found his groove and gosh darnit, I’m impressed with what he’s brought out of this unit (and I’m certainly not the first to point that out).
"I struck out Mike Schmidt in an exhibition game. Struck his ass right out."
- Morris Buttermaker
by BearOnTheBorder on Nov 14, 2010 10:27 AM PST reply actions
We tried to put it in the endzone. We didn’t. We took the opportunity to go up 16-15. We didnt.
Interestingly enough, what is going unnoticed here is that the quarter ended right before that kick. And Cal went from kicking into the north end zone to the south end zone….where all the Ducks fans were.
Mansion said here that noise was a problem:
http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindducksbeat/2010/11/oregon_football_cal_takes_unst.html
Holder Brock Mansion said the noise made by the Oregon fans in the end zone was a factor, too.
So, if the kick is on the other side of the field, perhaps the liklihood of success is greater, who knows?
CGB's Jimmy Carter
www.CaliforniaGoldenBlogs.com
I understand that there are variables that could have made a difference in Gio’s kick.
Maybe I should have made my point clearer which is that this is just as much to blame on the offense for not scoring as it is for Gio missing because (insert every excuse that will help you sleep at night).
This offense can score from the 12 (as futile as it has been at times this season) and Gio should also be able to make a FG from 29 yards away no matter what. I just believe there has to be a huge sense of urgency for the offense to not let the game rest on Gio’s shoulders and they failed.
"I struck out Mike Schmidt in an exhibition game. Struck his ass right out."
- Morris Buttermaker
by BearOnTheBorder on Nov 14, 2010 10:45 AM PST up reply actions
Is it just me or did Mansion take most of his snaps at shotgun?
Really weird and atypical of a Cal offense
In other words, Go Bears!
But I’d like him to start up close more often. It’s like we’re telling them we’re passing every time. And when we do go shotgun, I’d like it if we’d go 4 WR with Vereen in the back. Just sell out and get every playmaker on the field.
Worse, the receivers gain no separation from their defenders because they know a pass is coming. Leaves Mansion too few windows to throw into.
Email: bearsnecessities@gmail.com
by Avinash Kunnath on Nov 14, 2010 12:20 PM PST up reply actions
Good write-up
Good effort, D.
I hate Oregon fans. I cannot stand those pricks that visited Memorial Stadium. And I cannot stand that d-bag Chip Kelly.
8
some good tweets from last night
Some of our Ex players seemed to take a big interest in the game
Desean Jackson
In a DOGG FIGHT WIT OREGON!
CAL DEFENSE LOOKN REAL SOLID OUT THERE!
That field goal miss got me PISSED* off……
We needed 6 instead of this damn field goal
@SAMIEPARKER I kno u watchn da game !! It’s popn!!
Keep it close we gonna pull this off!!
We gotta get this win vrs OREGON
Let’s go CAL
http://www.youtube.com/user/HANDSOMElifeOFswing - Cal Football Highlights+ More Bay area sports
Forsett
t,Can you say upset #GoldenBears
Follet-
@J4hvidbest it’s a battle, d is ballin.. We have a strong drive going need to finish
about 18 hours ago via Echofon in reply to J4hvidbest
Reply Retweet
@J4hvidbest you Able to watch this cal game man
about 19 hours ago via Echofon in reply to J4hvidbest
Jahvid Best-
came up a lil short…. But now y’all know u can never count a california bear out! Always gonna put up a fight
about 18 hours ago via twidroid
Reply Retweet
Wow!…
about 18 hours ago via twidroid
@ZakarianFollett thats wassup we gonna get this one!
about 18 hours ago via twidroid
@ZakarianFollett na im checkin my phone every 5seconds tho!
about 18 hours ago via twidroid
deseanjackson10
We gotta get this win vrs OREGON
http://www.youtube.com/user/HANDSOMElifeOFswing - Cal Football Highlights+ More Bay area sports
by 4Ever Golden on Nov 14, 2010 1:29 PM PST up reply actions
GIORGIOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!
Inspiring and completing since1997 since2010!
Section A, as was the entire stadium, was rocking, last night. Would have liked to see more blue and less green, but I digress.
Clancy’s gameplan worked very well. I loved the man coverage on receivers and that DB’s were on WR’s. Huge difference from Gregory last year. It was a gamble, and if Thomas was better it could have blown this game up, but Cal was getting great pressure on those long-developing pass plays and managed to shut down a confusing and overpowering offense.
The loss on this game is on special teams and the offense. Let’s start with ST.
- Anger had a very poor game, by his standards. One of his few good punts was kicked to the right of him when his coverage was to the left thus the big return for a TD. I’m wondering if the funky punt coverage used (with the 3 deep blockers) is a good thing. In fact, I think it’s not. I’m not sure having 4 guys very deep (P + 3 blockers) is good for coverage.
- I love Tavecchio from a fan perspective, but the dude doesn’t have the mental game to make huge kicks. D’Amato anyone? Tavecchio can keep kicking off, but we need a placekicker.
Offense:
- shane fumble
- slow developing run plays (again)
- any completed pass play for positive yards and no penalties felt like a miracle.
- terrible 3rd down conversion
- drops
- overthrown deep balls
- too much e-w passing
"We lose to Stanford in many sports, but if you want to make a Cal team quit, bring a weapon."
--Coach Clark
I hate to be the guy to bring this up, but ...
Even though the defense was a monster yesterday and did everything possible to ensure a win, they allowed Oregon to go on a 9+ minute drive to end the game. If they get a stop on any of the 3rd or 4th and longs during that drive, we get the ball to end the game.
I know it’s awful to point it out, but the D needed to step up one last time and didn’t.
As much as the STs Alamared us and the passing game abandoned us, the defense also ran out of gas about 9 minutes too early.
Being an Old Blue means fearing any athletic success.
I agree and I think they ran out of gas. Cal didn’t need 2 to tie, 3 to win…they needed about 10+ to win.
Even with a stop, I had no confidence in Mansion running a 2-min offense to get them in FG range and Georgio making a kick under pressure.
"We lose to Stanford in many sports, but if you want to make a Cal team quit, bring a weapon."
--Coach Clark
by carp on Nov 14, 2010 3:04 PM PST up reply actions 2 recs
I disagree
with your assessment of Anger. He actually had a good game- the plan appeared to be kicking high and relatively short to prevent returns. And for the most part he did that, as there were lost of fair catches. He was sacrificing his yards per kick. It was his one “good” (ie. long kick) that allowed the return.
A Complete Change of Subject
The Cal women’s basketball team is now leading St. Mary’s 80-40 in the second half. This is pretty much the same St. Mary’s team that Cal barely beat 68-65 last year. Go Bears!
Now Back to Football
How ya gonna keep 'em down on the Farm, after they've seen Berkeley?
60% chance of rain in Berkeley on Sat. Supposed to rain on Friday, too. Go Bears.
Given the ‘meh’ year, I like the learning experiences from the Arizona and Oregon games this year. Wins would give the Bears a false sense of security and they have too many issues to iron out. It reminds me of when Billy Beane signs hella injury-prone players and then halfway through the season says, “if we didn’t have to use the disabled list 55 times…”
"We lose to Stanford in many sports, but if you want to make a Cal team quit, bring a weapon."
--Coach Clark
great fan base
I am an Oregon grad from 1984 and lived through the years of Duck football when we would drink and smoke in the parking lot until halftime and if the Ducks weren’t being blown out by then would go into the stadium. I am not sure that the Autzen stadium experience has been improved by the corporate crowd that dominates all successful teams [I suspect even Memorial] but I am impressed by the Cal fans and believe they had the greatest influence on last nights game.
Lots of folks have talked around this idea by pointing out the Bear’s home record but I have to give props to those folks who were at last nights game and stymied the Duck’s offense with the fabled 12th man on defense. I should also point out that Autzen has in the past ten years been mentioned as “the toughest place to play in the PAC 10” and we are rightfully proud of this fact.
That said, we Oregon fans are relieved and happy to get out of Memorial with a win and I hope Cal will put the wood to “furd” next week. I also should mention that this forum is among the most civil I have read today even accounting for the trashing of Kelly and our littering fans. Oregonians have trashed California [the state not the school] for years but now that I am stuck in NY I would give anything for the California weather and scenery.
BTW Is it still ok to hate USC and especially their three note band?
by wrooper on Nov 14, 2010 3:58 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
we can hate usc together
thanks for your remarks. We are a little sore about the Oregon fans booing our concussed player, and the unreasonable reaction that many duck posters have had to that, but it was a good game.
Autzen and Husky stadium are definitely the two loudest places to play in the Pac (I think Husky stadium is louder when they are fielding good teams, bu that is certainly not the case right now), but Memorial can be tough in certain games.
www.californiagoldenblogs.com
Lots of folks have talked around this idea by pointing out the Bear’s home record but I have to give props to those folks who were at last nights game and stymied the Duck’s offense with the fabled 12th man on defense.
If only they could show up (both in #‘s & quality) during the meh weeks like the ASU’s, Arizona’s, Oregon St’s, and Washington’s. We do well with USC, UCLA, Stanfraid, Oregon, and a big OOC opponent like Tennesee but the others are just so-so. It’s a tribute to the Ducks that you can actually get a Bay Area fan passionate about a football game.
I do agree, the 12th man helped fuel the d which played out of their shoes all day long.
"We lose to Stanford in many sports, but if you want to make a Cal team quit, bring a weapon."
--Coach Clark
Kelly
I forgot to mention that Kelly’s terse media stance seems to me to represent the frustration with the eastern media’s bias against the PAC10, not a big head
Cal fans drive like this: doop a doop a doo.
While Oregon fans drive like this: deet dah deet dah doo.
Cal Football: I loved them once and they broke my heart. Let that be a lesson to you. Never love anything.
Wow, you would think a game like this would bring out better in fans.
You’ve got some Duck fans throwing around accusations of dirty tactics with no evidence besides “I said so, if you disagree you’re an idiot” and trying to justify booing injured players.
And now we have some Cal fans complaining about Oregon going for it on 4th down (wtf? why is that wrong?) and about Chip Kelly’s interview demeanor (he’s an ass, but who cares).
It seems like everyone should calm down a little bit and enjoy the great game that we just witnessed. It was a fantastic game in an awesome atmosphere that was hanging in the balance until the end. Enjoy it.
by jali on Nov 14, 2010 5:55 PM PST reply actions 4 recs
Hear Hear.
Cal Football: I loved them once and they broke my heart. Let that be a lesson to you. Never love anything.
by CalBandGreat on Nov 14, 2010 6:49 PM PST up reply actions
Thank you for the post. There is ton to get pissed off about Oregon (especially the illegal pick). But complaining for the 4th down try, interview, 2pt conversion and their last drive is fucking ridiculous
In other words, Go Bears!
Roy, I don’t get the criticism of Oregon’s game-clinching 4th-quarter drive, either, because that was a freaking thing of football beauty. But I am someone who is on the hate-Chip-Kelly bandwagon, and here is why.
I just don’t like his style. I get that it’s his job to win games, and that he’s doing that job very, very well. I get that, and I respect that. But I don’t have to like it. There are plenty of people, players and coaches, in lots of sports who have a style I just don’t like, even if it works for them. And Chip Kelly is one of those guys for me.
I don’t like the arrogant way he disdains all the usual ways things are “supposed” to be done. I don’t like him dissing the media. I don’t like him going for it on 4th down or going for a 2-point conversion when conventional wisdom says the game situation just doesn’t warrant the risk involved. I don’t like his high-tempo offense that is so foreign to the way the sport is usually played. He’s doing it HIS way, and he doesn’t give a rat’s ass what anyone else thinks.
I can see how that style might be appealing to some. And I can also certainly see how successful he has been with it, at least so far. But it’s just not my cup of tea.
Go Bears!
by California Pete on Nov 14, 2010 8:56 PM PST up reply actions
Truthfully, if he was my coach, and unbeaten, I would embrace his style. He is the very definition of a “prick”. Not an A-hole, not a d-bag, just a prick. He’s serious about what he does, and is very good at it, and really wants to let you know that he is aware of this.
That doesn’t make him a bad guy by any means. He has none of the outsize bluster of Hairball for instance, none of “enthusiasm unknown to Mankind” BS that he employs.
But I have read this blog for quite a while, and I have read many comments to the effect that “Tedford needs to show emotion” etc. Chip Kelly, for all his supposed faults, lets you know exactly what he’s thinking. Tedford is more in the mold of Bill Walsh, to whom every single team he faced was a juggernaut, even if they were 0-8.
So really Bear fans, what kind of coach do you want? I for one can’t fault Kelly, it works for him and really its just a matter of style. Who cares? Just win.
Am I known as Cugel the Clever for nothing?
can i just say 300+ men should not be looking like they fell into a cauldron of ink used for highlighter pens.
"We lose to Stanford in many sports, but if you want to make a Cal team quit, bring a weapon."
--Coach Clark
Great Kudos (Excepting)
Transplated from Oregon and living here for decades makes one appreciate Cal football, particularly in the Teford era, and because finally, Oregon got both a1) win in Strawberry Canyon against what can easily now be said, is one of the finest defenses — and yet worst (understandably) passing offenses — in the nation and a 2) MAJOR wake-up call about how to play against go-fo-broke man on man defenses.
Since Kelly is smart enough to re-tool, rejigger and rejuvenate, I expect to see Oregon back scoring like mad the final two games on their schedule en route to the BCS game this season. Or, this year is a fluke for us long-suffering Duck fans. (We’ve had our ups and downs, too, ya know.)
But in the meantime, what more can you say about Cal’s defense, preparation, overall play than it was all in all magnificent and sure proof that if I can get scalper tickets next Saturday, I am going to be widely cheering for the Bears beat the arrogance out of Furd.
But, I take exception to the strategy of faking injury as if that is as classy as NOT booing when it is obvious that the injuries were not so real, as they were timely and opportunistic. Re-watch the game if you can and observe how strategically timed each injury was, and then honestly say that you welcome this aspect of counter-play in college football. If you still do, there is a good chance you didn’t actually graduate from Cal’s stellar academic program.
When you are nursing a nearly losing seasoa, it is no time to forget that this is still a game in which only the coashes are paid to win, and handsomely as we all know, but not at the expense of the pride and integrity to which they as coaches owe these “kids” not quite old enough to drink responsibly.
If Oregon had to fake injuries to win the BCS, I wouldn’t want them to have the title. I also, in repeated viewing, don’t believe Tulei actually intended to pick off the Cal defender. I have watched very Oregon game for years, and never seen that kind of cheap shot and don’t expect to. The booing is not right either, but fans can get ugly everywhere. At least we Oregon fans who live here show up and cheer widely and go home, as we have the three previousl years, with our tail between our legs and commending the job Cal did that day.
I didn’t hang my feathers too low Saturday night, but I felt like it before that final drive ended any chance of an a well-deserved upset. I certainly do congratulate, however, Cal on proving how truly good they are. Now if you can only buy a good QB, you might be the contenders you’re suppose to be.
In the meatime, I hope Cal fans appreciate Oregon for the year they are having and wish them luck representing the Pac 10. After last year’s post-season, our the Left Coast league can use a little encouragement and recognition as one of the best in the country.
yes, we know
If Oregon had to fake injuries to win the BCS, I wouldn’t want them to have the title. I also, in repeated viewing, don’t believe Tulei actually intended to pick off the Cal defender.
Cal was definitely faking injuries and all the cheap shots by oregon players in recent years are coincidental and/or accidental. Surprisingly, every Oregon fan that’s showed up here in the last 48 hours believes the same thing. Weird!
www.californiagoldenblogs.com
Please
Take the time to read the extensive discussion on this subject before making more blanket accusations against our players and our program without any conclusive proof. While we are reasonable and objective enough to acknowledge the possibility that perhaps two of the cramping incidents might have been partly tactical to some degree, it was ABSOLUTELY NOT AT ALL “obvious” one way or the other. I’m sorry that you can’t be objective and reasonable to acknowledge that they may have been legitimate. You guys won. Enjoy your victory, and who the hell cares if two guys cramped up or not.
Thanks for the kind words. Best of luck.
by atomsareenough on Nov 15, 2010 3:41 PM PST up reply actions
UO deserved that victory.. and will win the National Championship.
The Oregon Ducks football team is still in its quest for a National Championship and here’s a glimpse of the leadership tactics behind the team. http://waterthebamboo.com/blog/press/greg-bell-and-water-the-bamboo-featured-on-nbc-affiliate-kgw-live-7/
congratulations!
here’s a relevant place where you can post that: addictedtoquack.com. You must be a big Oregon fan, because you have twice as many posts there (2) as you do here (1).
www.californiagoldenblogs.com
We’re sending them so much traffic! I’m sure they’ll be quite happy.
by atomsareenough on Nov 15, 2010 3:33 PM PST up reply actions
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