Cal may have found a way to put a few more butts in the seats (or more subscriptions to watch the stream) for this weekend's matchup against Presbyterian: highly acclaimed running back Brendan Bigelow will see the field for the first time.
Bigelow, the Bears' heralded freshman out of Fresno, was resigned to redshirting the season after a disappointing training camp in which he discovered it takes a little longer than he thought to recover from multiple knee injuries. But after standing on the sidelines at Candlestick Park and watching the Bears play Fresno State in their season opener, Bigelow decided it was time to get on the field.
Now, after a strong week of practice in which he discarded the tentativeness that plagued him during camp, Bigelow is in position to see some playing time Saturday when the Bears host Presbyterian College at AT&T Park.
"I was giving up a little bit, but I shot back up," Bigelow said. "After the Fresno State game, I realized I really wanted to play. I love the game of football. I started running real hard. I just really started working."
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But not playing for almost two years took its toll on Bigelow, who was hesitant to really cut it loose during training camp and was also adjusting to wearing a bulky brace on his knee....
"Physically, it looks like he's made the turn as far as being able to run full speed and cut," said Cal coach Jeff Tedford, who added he's planning to get Bigelow some playing time Saturday. "He feels comfortable doing it."
After the jump the AD makes Cal-Presbyterian available to all, tickets to the game receive a major discount, and a Pac-12 officiating coordinator admits the late hit call against Guyton was a blown call.
Football
- Since Cal is playing an FCS team, there is no spread this week.
- Cal-Presbyterian will be streamed live, but you must have an All-Access pass ($7.95) to watch.
- If you're in the Bay Area, it's not much more expensive to attend the game. TravelZoo has $20 field view and $30 sideline tickets for the game.
- Who are the Blue Hose? JO gives us some facts about Presbyterian.
- Tedford said Brendan Bigelow will play this weekend against Presby. Tedford also mentioned that Pac-12 officiating coordinator Tony Corrente said the late hit call against Guyton was a blown call.
- Bruce Jenkins writes that the combination of Andrew Luck and Zach Maynard means the Bay Area will be home to some spectacular and entertaining quarterback play this fall.
- Jon Wilner gives the Bears' performance against Colorado a B. They earn an A+ for winning on the road, but Hansen and Richardson's career days, Cal's mediocre running game, and the blocked PAT offset the dramatic win.
- Bryan Anger, Zach Maynard, and Anthony Miller were named honorable mention Performers of the Week by the College Football Performance Awards.
- Cal-UW will be televised on Comcast Sports California locally and Fox Sports Net outside the Bay Area. Kickoff is at 12:30pm.
- The women's team has entered the national rankings. The Bears are 25th in Soccer America's rankings and 16th in TopSoccerDrawer.com's rankings.
- Giorgio Tavecchio was not the only one who benefited from the thin Colorado air. Joanne Lee hit a hole-in-one during the second round of the Ptarmigan Ram Classic. After round two of play, the Bears are in fifth place (out of 19) and fourteen strokes behind the leader.