Back when he was ours, Aaron Rodgers marched into the Coliseum against perhaps the best defense in college football. He proceeded to complete 23 straight passes and shred USC for almost the entire game, but couldn't quite the Bears over the hump. He left Cal fans believing they were the best team in the country, even in defeat.
Now as the leader of the Green Bay Packers, he finds himself in football's biggest game after an impressive postseason run that included near-perfect performances against the Eagles and the Falcons and a gritty win against the Bears. He now gets his second chance to beat the best defense in the country in the Pittsburgh Steelers, and this time, with the whole world watching, he'll get a chance to prove that his team is a champion in more than just name.
When Rodgers left, Desmond Bishop became our defensive stalwart and our fiery leader to hold together things on talented but undermanned units. He racked up over 200 tackles in two seasons and was every bit as valuable on defense as Rodgers was on offense, making big, momentum-shifting plays to put Cal in position to win. He's now known as the guy who shoestringed his Cal roommate DeSean Jackson to save the Packers in the playoffs, and will have to play the game of his life to stop the likes of Ben Roethlisberger and Rashard Mendenhall.
Rodgers and Bishop were on the two greatest Cal football teams of the past decade, and Cal football hasn't been the same without them. Tonight is their chance to bring back the glory days.
For more Xs and Os, read up on Bishop will have to do to stop the Steelers offense, and what Rodgers will have to do to beat the Steelers defense.