Golden Nuggets: Todd Howard Channels His Inner Beast Mode to Secure an Interview with Cal

Jim McGill of BearInsider posted this incredible story on Todd Howard's journey just to get an interview with Cal. The more I read about this guy, the more excited I am that he is our new D-line coach. If he can instill this drive and determination into our players, the Cal defensive front will be unstoppable.

"It's blizzard weather up there in Eastern Washington," said Howard. "I was supposed to fly in for the meeting on Thursday afternoon.

"I couldn't get out at 6:30. I couldn't get out at 10. I couldn't get out at 3:30. Everything was cancelled so I asked about Friday but the earliest flight out on Friday was 5 pm.

"So I called Cal and said, 'Why don't I drive to Portland. I know I can catch a flight out of there and get to Oakland.'

"They said, 'Are you willing to do that?' And I told them, 'Yes, I am.'

"I left Pullman, Washington Thursday evening in a blizzard. I almost turned around 4 or 5 times. I couldn't go more than 20 miles an hour. I was out on the roads alone, no one out there. With the adrenaline going, I was holding on tight with both hands.

"I had blowing snow coming at me and I'm driving on ice. It took me almost ten hours to get from Pullman to Portland but I made out of sheer determination and was able to get up and catch that flight and go interview. "

This quote is the cherry on top of this fantastic story.

"You look at what I did at UCLA, I can recruit, too," said Howard. "You can go down the list. I got Owa, from Oregon, Cassius Marsh, Brandon Willis from South Carolina. In my head-to-head battles with Tosh, I won quite a few.

After the jump Demariay Drew commits to Cal, men's basketball moves up in this week's edition of bracketology, and a pair of Cal ruggers join the US National 7s team.

Football

• Demariay Drew has re-committed to Cal. The versatile athlete will play safety for the Bears.
• Marvin Jones will play in the Senior Bowl.
• Faraudo has an insightful conversation with Todd Howard.

Basketball

• Cal sits atop ESPN's Pac-12 power rankings.
• The Bears sit at 35th in the RPI rankings (the only Pac-12 team in the top-60).
• The Bears climb up a few spots in this week's bracketology (and finally surpass the 12th-seeded Lobsterbacks). Stanford is among the last four in while Arizona and Oregon are among the next four out. Lunardi's in-depth analysis gives Stanford, Arizona, and Oregon a 45%, 30%, and 20% chance, respectively, of making the tournament.
• The women's team won its sixth game in a row with a 60-55 win over Washington State.
• Gottlieb and Clarendon spoke at the post-game press conference.

Rugby

• Former Cal ruggers Blaine Scully and Colin Hawley have become the first Cal alums to sign contracts with the U.S. National 7s team. Funded by the US Olympic Committee, they will train full-time at the Olympic Training Center in San Diego.