What was the best and worst Cal football game you've attended?
by royrules22 on Feb 10, 2010 12:42 PM PST
90 comments
Here at CGB we have many posters who have personally witnessed the high points of California football (e.g. The Play) and the lowpoints (e.g. 2001). I figure it would be interesting to see everyone's viewpoints in what they thought was the best and worst Cal football game he or she attended. By this I do not necessarily just mean the outcome or the quality of the game played (though that certainly plays a part). Instead this is more subjective.
My opinions after the jump
The first game I attended was vs. Minnesota in 2006 so my answers will be from that era only.
The Worst
There's a lot of options for me here having seen some devastating losses. But by far this goes to Oregon State 2007. I'm sure I don't have to explain the circumstances behind this game for most of the folks but I will anyway. I was skeptical of Cal prior to the Oregon game. Even our win against Tennessee made me concerned and almost choking the game away at Colorado State or against Arizona didn't help. But after the Oregon game I (mistakenly) forgot about that and bought into the hype big time. So needless to say I ignored all the bad signs (including the very obvious one: Longshore's injury). I cheered like a madman when LSU's loss was announced (though I didn't participate in the "We're #1!" chant) and when Forsett broke free on the first play from scrimmage. In the back of my head I ignored the warning signs in Riley's first start, defensive struggles, the inability to score from the 1, etc. I was totally high on euphoria and the last minute drive by Riley and The Hawk did nothing to cool me down.
Of course then the infamous happened and I felt it all crashing down in a matter of seconds. Seeing the Oregon State players run to their fans made me miserable beyond belief. I think I was so frustrated with this game because I saw the signs and I chose to ignore it and instead got sucked into the hype train. That along with the fact that I knew we just lost our chance of a potential National Championship (and soon Rose Bowl) bid on what amounted to a dumb play by a freshman quarterback just made this the worst game I've been to. The last few minutes of the game was just amazing but the overall experience was downright terrible.
The Best
This is an easy pick for me because this game is what made me into a hardcore maniac Cal fan from a casual one. I'm talking about Oregon 2006. I went into this game with surprisingly low expectations (a product of the Tennessee blowout) despite destroying a ranked ASU team the week prior. We were going up against an Oregon team that just beat Oklahoma with a quarterback in Dennis Dixon that was literally on fire. Prior to the game Oregon fans boasted about how their few thousand fans would overtake Memorial and Tedford personally asked the fans to bring their noise.
So when on the first drive (and I think the first play) Dante Hughes picked off Dennis Dixon and Memorial erupted I knew I was in for a great night. The game itself was a one-sided thriller of epic proportions. It was the first time I saw the ESPN hanging camera that went up and close to a huddle and the mustard-yellow jerseys that I adore. And who can forget Longshore's amazing performance, Desean's punt return and TD catch, Marshawn's stiff arm and Forsett's manly performance.
But by far the best part of that game was the atmosphere. I can honestly say that I've never seen a better Memorial and a louder Memorial than that fateful day. The sound from the student section was almost deafening during the aforementioned plays. And to top it off Tedford personally thanked the fans for bringing it. This game more than anything made me into a true Cal fan for life. Therefore it has to be the best Cal game I've attended.
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Best: Oregon ‘06. That game was so loud and so full of energy from start to finish. It was so awesome to take down overhyped Dixon from play one, plus DJax punt return, plus Marshawn’s awesome TD, and little Forsett ramming it down their throats in the 4th Q.
Worst: Oregon State ‘07. Never has my heart been so broken. I don’t need to rehash. My friend texted me after the game: I am so sad.
Quantity AND quantity!
by Spazzy Mcgee on Feb 10, 2010 10:57 PM PST up reply actions
Best: Cal beat Oregon 42-41 to overcome 30-0 deficit in 2nd Q
Worst: UCLA 45 Cal 0 1977 I think. 8 interceptions. National TV (when there was only 1 game on per week). Losing out on a Rose Bowl. I’ve blocked it out of my mind. I just remember my father swearing a lot.
Goin' balls deep with Cal since 1972!
Ten? Like # of commandments? 10? X? Diez? TEN!?
Quantity AND quantity!
by Spazzy Mcgee on Feb 10, 2010 2:27 PM PST up reply actions
It was so not funny at the time. Just about every Cal possession ended in an interception. It’s amazing that U.C. Los Angeles only managed to score 45 points. Clearly they had an inferior offense.
Snobby Chick - Senior Division
Who’s laughing?
WHO!?
Quantity AND quantity!
by Spazzy Mcgee on Feb 10, 2010 3:18 PM PST up reply actions
So are you saying that it wasn’t the number of interceptions that was important, but the quantity?
Snobby Chick - Senior Division
AND the quantity!
Quantity AND quantity!
by Spazzy Mcgee on Feb 10, 2010 5:17 PM PST up reply actions
Best: 2006 Oregon Game too! It was my first year of Cal football, even though I was a Senior. The game was a day before my birthday and my friends lifted me up to get crowd surfed. Never been touched by so many hands within 2 minutes.
Worst: 2007 OSU and 2007 Big Game. OSU – I remember my friends and I just sat around Memorial Stadium after game still in utter disbelief what had happened. Big Game – Walking out of the game after losing, I ask my friend what bowl are we going to now and old furddie walks by and says “No bowl”. I didn’t have anything to say in return.
I’ve been going since infancy, but have blocked out much of my child hood (89-01) games due to poor quality of play and my stronger interest in playing catch in the south endzone tunnel during games.
Best(s):
02 Big Game
03 $C
09 Big Game
Worst:
07 OSU
2001 Take your pick
Things to Remember: Girls usually don't like it when you yell out "Beast Mode!" when switching to doggy style. - TFLN
I forgot to add 2 worst losses seen in person...
06 Tennessee – Nothing like spending 5 days in knoxville, only to cap it off by watching a Robert Meecham highlight reel play in front of 103,000 UT fans, all singing “Rocky Top” (though I got to meet Vinny Strang at a bar that night, which was a plus, we reminisced about him getting lit up harder than I’d ever seen on a PR attempt)
08 Maryland – Mmmmmm 90 degrees with 85% humidity in the sun, watching Cal get beat down, another great trip for the books…
Things to Remember: Girls usually don't like it when you yell out "Beast Mode!" when switching to doggy style. - TFLN
Went to Minnesota too!!!!!
I was fearing I was the root of all away game problems…
Things to Remember: Girls usually don't like it when you yell out "Beast Mode!" when switching to doggy style. - TFLN
I also plan on testing this theory in Reno too haha
Things to Remember: Girls usually don't like it when you yell out "Beast Mode!" when switching to doggy style. - TFLN
Yea I have somewhat the same problem
Losses: 2007 UCLA, 2007 Furd, 2008 USC, 2009 Oregon, 2009 UW (and 2009 USC if you count that I flew from Seattle to see game)
Wins: 2008 Emerald Bowl, 2009 Minnesota
In other words, Go Bears!
Yeah its hard to say what my overall away game record is, as of late it just seemed any long trips I went on resulted in a loss, but on the other hand Cal has won all the bowl games I’ve attended (minus Aloha Bowl ’96)
UT 06, MD 08, UW 09 are probably the most painful road games I’ve attended though
Things to Remember: Girls usually don't like it when you yell out "Beast Mode!" when switching to doggy style. - TFLN
by CruzinBears on Feb 11, 2010 10:50 AM PST up reply actions
Best: 1982 Big Game (duh)
Worst: There are just so many . . . But I think I have to go with Fire Starkey on this one – the 45-0 loss to U.C. Los Angeles in 1978. Last year’s Duck game is close, but the NCAA record 10 interceptions by Cal quarterbacks tips the scale in favor of the U.C. Los Angeles game. Plus, I was still young and optimistic about Cal football in 1978. That made it worse.
Snobby Chick - Senior Division
Hmm...
Best: 2007 Oregon… much better than 2006, as it was competitive and and thrilling and had such epic momentum shifts. Longshore at his best, DeSean highlight moves, and Forsett showing us how good he could be.
2003 USC; 2009 Big Game follow closely.
Worst: a lot to choose from. 2007 OSU, 2007 Big Game; 2009 Oregon (so awful) and to top it off…. 2004 USC… nothing was as big of a punch in the gut as that game.
I didn’t go to the 2007 game so I didn’t consider it but even if I had (or extended this to all games watched) I wouldn’t include it because it was such a bittersweet memory seeing as how the tackle on Longshore’s leg doomed our season in 2007 and 2008.
In other words, Go Bears!
If we’re going to include all games we didn’t attend, then pull up a seat, because we ARE Cal, after all.
I think listening to Pat Barnes fumble away our chance to win in the Palouse on the 1 yard line with no time remaining might be the absolute worst.
I threw my shoe at the television at the end of the 2004 USC game.
by atomsareenough on Feb 10, 2010 8:56 PM PST up reply actions
Worst NON-Game Moment
That morning in December 2004 when I woke up hungover looked up the new and realized…. Texas was going to the Rose Bowl.
One thought: “FML”
by CalBeer on Feb 10, 2010 2:48 PM PST reply actions 4 recs
Rec’d. That was the most depressing moment in my 40 years as a Cal fan — and that is saying a lot.
Snobby Chick - Senior Division
Yep, fuck Mack Brown-nose
Things to Remember: Girls usually don't like it when you yell out "Beast Mode!" when switching to doggy style. - TFLN
I cant wait till we play texas in a few years...
Even if we lose, I’m going to throw shit at Mack Brown as if I go to WVU… I fucking hate him.
Worst...
Tons to choose from…
2007 OSU (Yea, it sucked losing at the end…dream-like shocked state)
2009 OSU (Watching Best fall…game sucked)
2009 Oregon (Going nuts in the stands after we recover the 1st kickoff…and all downhill from there…and having to watch a group of 10 or so male duck fans 30 yrs+ do a group hug that lasted a little too long…)
2009 USC (Hmm..I felt I watched this before…last week even)
Best...
In game…Tennessee 2007…Follett’s hit and Desean punt return…I’ve never seen Memorial Stadium that jazzed.
by DavidsonBear on Feb 10, 2010 3:14 PM PST up reply actions
I should mention that my choice of Cal-OSU 07 barely edged out Big Game 07
Mainly because by the Big Game my expectations were already in the gutter.
In other words, Go Bears!
a quarterback in Dennis Dixon that was literally on fire
He really should have had that looked at.
President Emperor Warlord Of The Sun!
www.CaliforniaGoldenBlogs.com
Best:: Big Game 09, Tennessee 07
Worst: OSU 07 by far. I recall sitting down immediately after the final seconds ticked away with my face in my hands and remaining literally motionless for a good ten minutes. That walk home from the stadium was horrible as I had to deal with my stupid roommate trying to explain how ’it’s just a game maaaaan.’ I remember passing a frat along the way that was playing music as two oblivious coeds danced on the deck. I turned to them and screamed something like “stop fucking dancing, we lost!” and kicked their trash can as i stomped away.
I am Ted Miller
stupid roommate trying to explain how ’it’s just a game maaaaan.’
I hate when people do this. It makes it worse.
Quantity AND quantity!
by Spazzy Mcgee on Feb 10, 2010 5:18 PM PST up reply actions
Personally I was ok with OSU 2007. The comeback bid with the long touchdown by Hawkins was exciting, and after the initial shock of the ending wore off it seemed like an acceptable loss considering the circumstances.
Far worse for me: At UCLA the following week. Uggggh.
No it wasn’t acceptable. It was a stupid, stupid way to lose a game. While it wasn’t quite a national championship game, it was akin to Chris Webber calling the non-existent timeout. And we would have been #1 in the country, at least for a week, if we had won that game.
by atomsareenough on Feb 10, 2010 9:01 PM PST up reply actions
Nah, I don't think joffle is saying the last play was acceptable
Just that, minus our starting quarterback, that game was better for Cal than it had any right to be.
^ this.
i was at raleig…er “manny’s tap” for the game and brought a couple childhood friends along. the whole time before hand i was trying to explain to them how the Big Game was more important to me than any of the major sports championships/series (even the ’02 raiders superbowl run), and a close second behind the ’07 warriors playoff run. they just couldnt comprehend how 1 football game, that happens every year, could possibly mean that much…
by the second half, they started to believe it, but mike’s last int and the eruption throughout the bar afterwards shut them up for the rest of the night =)
—
i seriously wandered around campus after osu in 07 looking for kevin riley so i could punch him in his uterus. that was possibly the most depressing sports moment i’ve ever experienced. and i’m a raider/warrior fan
"I bet that Mike Conley could find Osama Bin Laden...if he was open."
The best was USC 2003, a game I’ve waxed poetic about on CGB on multiple occasions.
The worst game ever was OSU 2009. Watching a seemingly paralyzed Jahvid Best get attended to by firefighters for a half hour in a dead-silent stadium is the single worst sporting event of my life, and I sincerely hope it’s never surpassed.
The #1 greatest threat to America: BEARS
Wow....hmmmm.....i'm gonna go with BigGame 86 "win one for the zipper"
as best. only because i was drunk from the sunday previous through monday after the game. i’m told i spent some quality time with a number of people…and during pregame, in the band….i couldn’t hear the band the crowd was so loud.
worst….oh lord. any number of heartbreaking loses to chose from…it doesn’t matter.
Go Bears Go
Best: 2002 Big Game. To finally see a win after so many losses just made me so excited. Of non-Big Games, 2002 Baylor was a whole lot of fun, and 1996 Arizona was a blast despite the fact that game shouldn’t have been that close.
Worst: This is personal, but the 1998 Big Game. It was my third year of undergrad, I’d seen two Big Game losses, and Cal’s team looked like they should, for once, defeat those snobs from Palo Alto. Besides, it was my birthday…
we didn’t score a touchdown, and the final was Stanford 10, Cal 3. That one hurt.
I didn’t get to attend the next birthday Big Game, but the radio call dropped out on a second down with Stanford driving and when it comes back, all I have is “INTERCEPTION!” and I’m trying to figure out what happened before realizing the Prophet had made the interception and the Bears had given me an Axe for my birthday.
Member of the Lost Tribe of Mooch
by katster on Feb 10, 2010 7:17 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
Have a hard time narrowing either category to just one game
Best:
Cal 52, USC 30 (1991): An utterly enjoyable beatdown
Cal 38, Ucla 31 (1990): broke 18 game losing streak to Ucla
Cal 42, Oregon 41 (1993): Greatest. Comeback. Evair.
Cal 28, Oregon 27 (2004): Kept the Rose Bowl dream alive. After moving to Ohio and before my children were born, I used to travel out for at least one home game a year. This was the last of my annual trips, so that game holds a special place in my mind.
Worst:
San Diego State 33, Cal 9 (1995): Totally uncompetitive. Embarrassing. Was pissed I traveled to SD for that.
Stanfurd 38, Cal 21 (1991): That one hurt.
Stanfurd 27, Cal 25 (1990): So did that one. Good game, but has to go on the “worst” list for the pain.
I could go on and on, especially in the “worst” category.
I am a Vereenian.
Best 42-41 Cal vs. Oregon – The Miracle at Memorial
Worst – There’s been lots of bad, but Cal UW where Dave Barr got hurt and UW came back from about 14 down (21? 17?) with about 5 minutes (8 minutes? 10 minutes? 2 minutes? I am so bitter all the details have devolved into one muddled mess) to win. Recovering an on-side kick. Maybe 2. in the process.
I also went to the 1995 Cal SDSU game Ohio Bear references.
09 big game
has got to take it for me; just edges 07 Tennessee, which was my first home game as a student, and not a bad game to see Djax, Follett, and Best live for the very first time.
I’d put 02 UCLA up there; best Cal D performance I’ve ever seen, and I sat in the endzone where the late blocked field goal/goal line stand happened.
as for worst, gotta be osu07. for a moment i was just stood there unable to grasp what happened.
Best:
Big Game 02 – Hex against the ’furd over!
Tenn v. Cal – Self explanatory
SC v. Cal 03 – Triple over time? What?
UO v. Cal 06 and 07. Just exciting. So very exciting.
Worst:
Cal v. Tenn – Fly to across the country to watch this crap?
SC v. Cal 09 – The only home game that I wanted to leave at halftime.
OSU v. Cal 07 – So close, yet so far. Heart breaker.
2001 – Let’s just erase that from memory. Though I do remember some BYU chick that ventured into the student section to gloat getting hit by a flying burrito. That was pretty funny.
Oh wait, I just saw that CalBear81 posted that she went to it. Lucky gal.
by atomsareenough on Feb 10, 2010 9:03 PM PST up reply actions
Inever realized that was the 100th anniversary of something
President Emperor Warlord Of The Sun!
www.CaliforniaGoldenBlogs.com
Best: Cal-Tennessee, 07
The atmosphere was GREAT. Pac-10 vs. SEC, players getting spectators on the eastern side into the game, Pain Train nailing Eric Ainge, DJax’s punt return, Nate’s audible and subsequent quick TD to the Hawk, and Tennessee put up a fight. Great game to watch.
Worst: Cal-OSU, 09
Cal-OSU, 07, sucked for sure. When KR got tackled and the whole stadium looked up at the clock, when everyone realized there was no more time on the board, when everyone wondered, “WHERE THE FUCK ARE THOSE LAST FEW SECONDS!??”, when 60K Cal fans walked out of Memorial feeling like they’d been sucker punched… yeah, that sucked. But the game was exciting.
Cal-OSU, 09, didn’t have that redeeming quality. For the most part, I remember a feeling of futility. Then Jahvid went down and I didn’t care about the game anymore. All I wanted was to hear news that Jahvid was OK.
Man, that game sucked.
Best 5 games
USC 2003 (triple overtime – beat #3 – we all know the story)
UCLA 2000 (triple overtime – beat #13 46-38 and EVERYONE rushed the field)
Big Game 2009 (Just. Plain. SWEET)
Big Game 2002 (Because we finally WON the fucking thing..)
Insight Bowl 2003 (Awesome game, and we beat VT – a very solid ACC program)
Worst 5 games
2004 Holiday Bowl (Should have been the Rose Bowl – That was dissapointment #1. We lost it, and we lost it really badly, which was equally as annoying)
2007 Big Game (I wanted to never lose to them again – ever – it was the capping on a terrible meltdown)
2001 Washington (We lead 21-10 at the half, and had all the momentum… they scored three 2nd half touchdowns and we lost 31-28 in a game where we outplayed them)
2009 Oregon (we got murdered. Luckily, I wasn’t just in Oregon for the game, or else i would have felt just as deflated)
2005 UCLA (Maurice Jones-Drew had about 10000 all-purpose yards, and UCLA came back to win the game when we had the thing nearly sealed UGH)
came back to win the game when we had the thing nearly sealed UGH)
A terrible, repeating mantra for many generations of Cal fans I’m sure. Just substitute situations and years and respective players.
not even situations. it's all the same. just the names and numbers on
the jersey’s change.
imma go get drunk and drown my sorrows.
Go Bears Go
by Rocksanddirt on Feb 11, 2010 9:19 AM PST up reply actions
I'm only a freshman, so I'm basically picking from this past season's home games...
Best: 2009 Big Game
I was so tired of all the media hype about Gerhart and hearing about the Furd “fans” who were excited for the Big Game even though they couldn’t name anyone on the team besides Gerhart. I had gone to the Bonfire Rally the night before and gotten really hyped up. As for the game itself, the roller coaster of emotions throughout the game only made the ending even sweeter. Just when we were fearing another collapse, the PROPHET saves the day and the axe.
Worst: 2009 vs. U$C
Being young and naive, I had bought into the hype that this was the year U$C would go down… well, they did, but not early enough. I started getting my hate on when the band filed onto Underhill field to play in front of some party for U$C fans, and watching all the SoCal douchebags roam the streets of Berkeley with their lame Fight On hand signal. I can’t remember much of the game, except the opening drive interception and missed field goal at end of the first half, and watching half the student section leave after that.
A 10 year gap in attending home games leads to...
07 Tennessee as the best game I have attended. Had flown up from Vegas with a bunch of friends for this epic battle. Follett’s sack, DeSean’s return, Jahvid’s first game ever and Longshore playing solid are memories I won’t forget.
Honorable mention: 2003 Insight Bowl, 2009 UCLA, 1998 U$C (comeback from 31-10 deficit in the Coliseum, Marcus Fields with the winning score).
Worst: 07 Oregon State for the reasons everyone mentioned. I couldn’t get to Blake’s fast enough after that game.
Dishonorable mention: 04 Holiday Bowl (FU Mack Brown), 03,05, 07 UCLA games, 09 Poinsettia Bowl (no energy from Cal section)
Vereening off into the future....
I was at that 1998 U$C game too!!!!!
I will never forget it, because it was the game I learned a very importnt lesson from my mom. After Cal won she turned to me and my sister and said:
“See kids I told you, Trojans always pop under pressure.”
Very disturbing to hear as a 12 yr old, but hilarious non the less
Things to Remember: Girls usually don't like it when you yell out "Beast Mode!" when switching to doggy style. - TFLN
by CruzinBears on Feb 13, 2010 10:34 AM PST up reply actions
There are so many to choose from...
But I’m going to have to go with the 61-0 loss to USC (yes, oh yes — 61-0!) at the Coliseum in 1994 as the worst game I’ve witnessed in person. And you know how sometimes it’s just not enough to lose by 61 points? We bailed when it was about 49-0 and went to our car, which was blocked in the lot, of course, so we sat in the car and listened to the rest of the beatdown (you can see what’s coming, can’t you?). An hour later, once the lot had cleared enough for us to escape, sure enough: dead battery. FTW!
Games like that are why people get upset at the “Tedford sucks” mentality that sometimes surfaces. REALLY? I’ll be happy as a pig in shit as long as we cruise along above .500. Sorry, I’ve been wounded so my goals are low.
The best is probably a tie between Winning One for the Zipper in 1986 and the win over USC at Memorial Stadium in, I think, 1985.
by Scootie on Feb 12, 2010 9:25 PM PST reply actions 2 recs
Rec'd
’Cause it sounds like you need a hug
by atomsareenough on Feb 12, 2010 10:56 PM PST up reply actions
I was at that 61-0 loss. After a while it passed the depressing point and began to get fun again. I think the combination of the police arresting 10% of the Cal section, the other 40% going to try to bail out their friends, the drunkeness (the Coliseum sold beer then), the “next touchdown wins” and “it just doesn’t matter” chants, the breaking of the seats, the remaining fans being the Cal band, Rally Comm and about 10 (yes 10!) stupid fans at the end made it a lot of fun.
When the opening kickoff features Ryan Longwell slipping and kicking it 15 yards, you know you’re in for a long day.
I remember when Ryan Longwell was easily the best player on the team…
Things to Remember: Girls usually don't like it when you yell out "Beast Mode!" when switching to doggy style. - TFLN
by CruzinBears on Feb 13, 2010 10:36 AM PST up reply actions
Wow, did not even matter then for me, and still does not
I don’t know what all the depression over the 2007 Oregon State game is all about…backup QB making his start, season is still early on in the year, starting QB rehabbing (or so we thought)…the 2007 season was not even remotely close to being over after that game had ended. It was a disappointment, but all our goals were still there. Lots of teams still had to lose some games before it was all over. The 2007 team was still stacked with talent, and at 5-1, everything was still alright.
Until the next week happened. THEN doom started to settle in…
Really though, I’d take the 2009 Oregon State/2009 USC/2007 USC games as more ball breaking than the 2007 Oregon State one.
Best…2009 Big Game was great, but the 2006 Washington game has a special place in my heart. :)
Fiat Lux
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