Golden Nuggets: Keenan Allen Shines in Debut As Cal Routs UC Davis

Keenan Allen was the subject of most of the post-game press conference.  He was the talk of the town today and he will continue to attract attention this year and in future years at Cal.  Here's what Tedford said about his budding star:

On WR Keenan Allen: 

"He's a joy to be around. You saw today that he is a very good football player; I think he is a better person than that even. He is always bright eyed and has a great attitude. He made a big impact today, but he is the type of guy that if he catches two balls in the game he is happy if we win the game. Besides being a great player he is a great person and great to be around. After the penalty (unsportsmanlike conduct) he came up and said `Coach, I'm sorry for that.' He has a lot of confidence in his ability, but he is very low key about it and he loves playing the game.

"He made some big plays today. The one that he cut back across the field, he was actually supposed to throw the ball, and he pulled it down and made something out of nothing. He can do just about anything; he is a great athlete. He has great size and the speed to go with it. He is a strong runner for being that big. In the open field he can make people miss and that is a great combination. Even the one he laid out for he almost caught; that was amazing effort for that ball. He can make people miss in the open field. He is not going to come down with any arm tackles. He is 210 pounds and has very strong legs and excellent hands. Having him with Marv (WR Marvin Jones) is nice, you have two 6'3" guys who can run, it makes us pretty solid there." 

And here's what Allen had to say:

On his first collegiate touch: 

"I was a little bit nervous. I knew it was coming to me because the defensive back was off a little bit. I just tried to make a play with it and get as much as I could."

On the end-around touchdown:
"It was supposed to be a pass. The person I was supposed to throw it to was covered, so I just looked for a run. I saw a bunch of people going to the right, so I cut it back and found my blockers and got behind them."

On playing in his first collegiate game:
"I've been waiting for this day for a long time. The fans were great. They're really dedicated." 

After the jump coaches, players, and journalists praise Allen's performance, Tedford eclipses Pappy Waldorf's win total, and more.  Highlights and a full-game torrent included.

Football

• CalBears.com has highlights from angles not seen in the television broadcast.  Want to watch the game in its entirety? Go here for all the information you'll need.
• Rivals recaps the game with a healthy mix of quotes from the post-game press conference.  Despite a few hiccups from the team, Tedford was quite pleased with the overall performance. Having played against Allen in camp, Mike Mohamed was not surprised by the freshman's performance.  In fact, he expects Allen to continue performing at a high level all season. Marvin Jones was filled with joy after the game, saying "having [Allen] on the other side of me is glorious. I can't put into words how appreciative and happy I am." Davis coach Bob Biggs is disappointed with the loss, but not with his team's performance.  He knew his team would be outmatched and he's glad his players had experience against a team of Cal's caliber.  Biggs also praised Tedford's sportsmanship for dialing down the offense in the second half.  The Sacramento Bee recaps the game with a focus on UC Davis.
• Is Keenan Allen exactly what the Cal offense needs to succeed this year?
• The win was made much more memorable as Jeff Tedford passed Pappy Waldorf as Cal's all-time leader in wins during the modern era.
• Uncle Ted was impressed with both Riley's performance and the debut of Keenan Allen.  In fact, he was so impressed that he awarded Allen one of his coveted helmet stickers for week 1.
• Jon Wilner mentioned Keenan Allen as one of his way-too-early potential winners of his newcomer of the year award.