Golden Nuggets: Nevada Week Press Conference

It's Tuesday, so we have another media luncheon today.  Nevada (obviously) was the biggest focal point, as the number one offense in the land takes on the number one defense in the land.  Tedford, Riley, and Holt talk about a variety of topics, but we'll take a look at the matchup of #1 offense vs #1 defense.  Here's a snippet of what Tedford said:

On whether he sees this as a bigger game for either Cal or Nevada, and the matchup of Cal's nationally No. 1-ranked defense against the Wolf Pack's top-ranked offense

"I think that matchup is going to be very challenging Their offense is very potent, led the country in rushing last year - [three 1000-yard] rushers. They're very, very good at what they do, very precise, very disciplined, and have the guys to do it. Their quarterback does an excellent job of running that offense and they're very explosive. If you don't stay in your gap and you don't tackle well in the open field, they can - you look at their scores from last year, there's a 70, there's a couple of 60s, there's a couple 50s on there. They can explode on offense very quickly, so it's going to be a major challenge for us to slow those guys down a little bit. As far as the game is concerned, I can only speak for us. It's a big game for us because it's this week's game. Every time we take the field it's a big. For them, I'm sure it's a big deal as well. Anytime you go like on a Thursday or Friday night, you watch TV on ESPN, you see how cranked up the campuses are and things like, so I'm sure it's going to be a pretty hostile environment."

DJ Holt talked about the matchup against the prolific offense.

On Nevada QB Colin Kaepernick and the challenges he presents

"Tackling. We have to execute and tackle. A lot of the plays get to the perimeter and he makes a lot of guys miss, so we have to swarm to the ball. Everybody has to do their job and give great effort. He might make one guy miss but he can't make the whole defense miss. If we just run to the ball, do our job and be physical when we get there, we should be fine."
...
On how aware the team is that Nevada is a very good opponent

"They're one of the top offenses in the country. I definitely remember them playing Boise State last year. They keep, they're really close to Boise State every year, Fresno State. They're definitely not a team to sleep on - like I said, number one offense in the country. So you definitely can't take an offense of that caliber, high of a caliber, lightly. You have to really execute the game plan and do your job so you don't get exposed." 

After the jump Cal opens as a 3-point favorite, Nevada's defensive coordinator prepares to defend a former foe, Jarred Price sets some lofty goals, women's volleyball continues its domination, and more.

Football

• Cal opened as a 3-point favorite over Nevada.
• BearTerritory.net previews this week's matchup against Nevada.  Price and the rest of the front seven hope to use their speed advantage over the large O-line of Nevada.
• Nevada defensive coordinator Andy Buh is all-too-familiar with the Bears.  He was an assistant coach at Stanford from 2005 through 2007. Buh, whose defense held an opponent (Colorado St) without a TD for the first time since 2006, says his defense has to keep the game in front of them to prevent big plays.  With weapons such as Shane Vereen, Keenan Allen, and Kevin Riley, Cal is expected to be a big test for Nevada.
• This Friday will feature a matchup between the #1 offense and #1 defense.  
• Cal had three players nominated for Pac-10 player of the week: Kevin Riley, Mike Mohamed, and Bryan Anger.
• The Friday game has caused the whole week's practice schedule to be shifted up a day.  This means the team practiced at full capacity on Monday.  Vereen saw limited action and Mohamed wore a boot as he rested his ankle.  Steve Williams will undergo surgery to repair a damaged ligament on his thumb.  He still has the chance to play Friday.
• Jon Wilner gave Cal an A- for the win over Colorado.  He says the defense earned an A+ while the offense earned a B-/C+.
• Cal moved up to 4th in the Daily Cal's Pac-10 power rankings.
• Jarred Price is aiming for the single-season sack record of 24.  He registered two sacks against Colorado and embraces his role as a pass-rush specialist. Zack Follett aimed for the same goal in 2008 and netted 10.5.
• Shane Vereen is trending downward on Ted Miller's Pac-10 Heisman watch.
• Quarterback Zach Cline out of San Ramon Valley High has become the first 2012 commit.  Tedford watched Kline defeat Archbishop Mitty, home of 2011 commit Kyle Boehm.