Last offseason weekend. Let's watch old football! Cal-USC 2003, going on RIGHT NOW on Comcast Sports Bay Area!
I'm bored, so I'm liveblogging the game. Gotta practice for this season anyway.
EDIT: Now that I've watched it, quick thoughts about the game after the jump.
- Aaron Rodgers was just as impressive in the first half as he was during the whole of the 2004 game. I'd argue if he didn't get injured, Cal would've won that game a little more comfortably than triple overtime. The Bears were on the verge of a three possession game before the ankle injury; he threw a pick on the very next play, and then the worst INT of his life in the third quarter.
- People say Tedford and Cortez's gameplan versus USC in 2004 were their best (and the execution just came up a little short); I'd say the gameplan was just as good here. Other than that Tatupu pick-six, it went according to plan. Which goes to show you the gap between those two teams--everything nearly went perfectly and the Bears still needed triple overtime to get the upset.
- Leinart looked really really bad. Other than one or two series, he was throwing balls all over the place. It's hard to believe he became one of the sharpest quarterbacks in Pac-10/college history over the next two seasons, or whether Bob Gregory's defenses really muddled his thought processes (he had a very tough game in 2004 too).
- Credit to the Cal defense. One of the best games I've ever seen Gregory's crew perform. I'd put it up there with Oregon 2006 and USC 2004 (or almost any game in 2004), perhaps even higher because Cal was a notably inferior team than the BCS-bound Trojans.
- Mike Williams was a beast. BEAST. I shudder to think what he could've done with a more talented Bush, Leinart and White in 2004. Thank goodness [for us, not for him] he hired an agent.