After another disappointing season, Cal fans (and players) are stuck waiting until the next year when they have the potential to turn things around. Several young guys have embraced leadership roles for the next year, but it's probably going to take more than good leaders to churn out a successful season.
An argument can be made that Cal hasn't fully recovered from that 2-6 finish in 2007. The Bears were a solid 9-4 in 2008, but their recruiting class that year wasn't as highly regarded as those of previous seasons. The same could be said about their incoming freshmen in 2009.
The Bears began the 2009 season ranked No. 12 in the country, and although they registered a couple quality wins, they went just 8-5, with all five losses being lopsided.
That brings us to this year. Cal entered the season with low expectations that turned out to be accurate.
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"I definitely feel like I'm ready to put it all on my shoulders," safety Sean Cattouse said. "I know there are a lot of guys that feel the same way. Everything I do on and off the field, I just want to be a complete leader, a complete football player for this team."
Quarterback Brock Mansion, whose starting spot is far from guaranteed after guiding the Bears to a 1-3 record over the final four games while filling in for injured starter Kevin Riley: "I'm going to lead with my actions. I'm not going to do too much talking because that doesn't get you very far. I'm just going to take it upon myself to do what it takes to move us to the next level."
After the jump we get a preview of the Memorial Stadium renovations, Tavecchio earns recognition, women's basketball wins the Colliers International Classic, and several other sports enter postseason play.
Football
- Cal assistant AD Bob Milano talks about some of the changes that will be made to Memorial Stadium over the next 20 months. The goal is to make it feel like a new stadium while retaining the sense of history and preserving as much tradition as possible.
- Giorgio Tavecchio was named the CFPA placekicker of the week.
- Scout looks back on the highlights and lowlights of the 2010 season. They also look ahead to next season for NFL hopefuls as well as next year's returning team.
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Jon Wilner gives Cal's performance against Washington a D. It's the same story once again: the offense couldn't do anything to take advantage of the D's generally excellent performance.
- Emerson Murray is this week's guest for Faraudo's 20 Questions. Murray talks about his ideal 1-on-1 matchup, the highlight of his short career, and some tidbits of his life as a youngster.
- Boyle's team cruised to an easy 82-49 victory over Portland State to win the championship game of the Colliers International Classic. Cal started off with a 13-2 run and never looked back.
- Boyle was pleased with the effort all weekend, particularly after the dismal loss to New Mexico.
- After Saturday's loss to Stanford, the top-ranked Bears bounced back with a 10-9 win over third-ranked UCLA. Cal finished third in the MPSF tournament.
- Host of the NCAA Championship tournament, Cal will play Loyola Marymount on Friday and either USC or St Francis on Saturday. If the Bears win both games they'll take home the national championship.