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You might not realize it, but we actually have two of the best quarterbacks in the nation are facing off this Saturday:
When Cal (1-5, 0-3 Pac-12) plays Oregon State (5-1, 3-0) on Saturday, two of the top five passers in the country will be on the field.
Bears quarterback Jared Goff ranks fourth among FBS quarterbacks with 339.3 passing yards per game. The Beavers’ Sean Mannion leads the country with 418.5 yards per game and 25 touchdowns.
Goff has never met Mannion, a Pleasanton native who graduated from Foothill High in 2010, but he has followed his career.
"He’s had an incredible year," Goff said. "He’s putting together almost a Heisman year."
While the two quarterbacks are dueling it out this weekend, their fathers, both San Rafael high school alums, will be watching from the stands.
So, who is going out there to watch the fireworks?
Some more links!
Cal is one of three Pac-12 teams with two players listed on CBS Sports’ rankings of the top-100 college basketball players in the nation.
Senior Justin Cobbs is No. 74 and freshman Jabari Bird sits at No, 93.
Is it an oversight. Or an insult?
Over the past five years, Cal has had the best winning percentage in the Pac-12 under Mike Montgomery. During that time, the Bears have been to four NCAA Tournaments and one NIT. They also return four starters from last year's team that lost to Syracuse in the Round of 32.
Yet when people discuss top contenders in the Pac-12 for the upcoming season, most don't mention Cal.
Why?
No one really knows.
"I guess we're not sexy," Montgomery said with a chuckle earlier this week. "For whatever reason, what we've done here doesn't get a lot of buzz. It's been overlooked. We've been one win away in each of the past two years from winning three consecutive Pac-12 titles. We've screwed it up though. We've lost some games we shouldn't have. We've got to eliminate that moving forward."
The Bears should again be right in the mix for a league title.
Cal returns four starters -- Justin Cobbs, Tyrone Wallace, David Kravish, and Richard Solomon-- from last year's team that won 21 games. This team will miss last season's Pac-12 Player of the Year Allen Crabbe (now with the NBA Portland Trail Blazers), but there are plenty of options to replace him at shooting guard. Freshmen Jabari Bird and Jordan Mathews both come to Berkeley with a strong scoring pedigree, and 6-6 veteran Ricky Kreklow will play a key a role after being injured for most of last season.
Also, we got this media alert in the emails:
WHAT: The Allstate Tailgate Tour, a unique and interactive fan experience visiting college football stadiums across the country, is heading to Berkeley, Calif., this week as the Golden Bears take on the Oregon State Beavers onSaturday, Oct. 19.
From creating signs in support of the Golden Bears to participating in games for a chance to win tailgate items, fans can take part in a variety of family-friendly activities at the Allstate Tailgate Tour.
At the tour, fans will also be invited to enter the "Allstate Ultimate Road Trip Sweepstakes," where one grand prize winner and three friends will receive a VIP trip to the Allstate® Sugar Bowl® in New Orleans, where they will have the chance to watch the game with college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit, followed by a trip to the 2014 VIZO BCS National Championship™ in Pasadena. The grand prize winner will also take home a 2014 Buick Enclave.
WHEN: 4:30pm-7:30pm PT
Saturday, Oct. 19, 2013
WHERE: Maxwell Field
(corner of Piedmont Ave. and Stadium Rim Way) California Memorial Stadium
76 Canyon Road
Berkeley, CA 94704
Will there be a change in attitude after the UCLA game?
It didn’t produce a victory, but Cal’s players and coaches saw a change in the team’s attitude and resolve midway through the UCLA game they hope will spark a change in fortune the rest of the season.
"We came together in the middle of the game and definitely felt the unity," freshman quarterback Jared Goff said. "I think the confidence level was a little shaken early in the year, but it’s back to where we want it to be."
Cal lost 37-10 at UCLA, dropping to 1-5 on the season, 0-3 in the Pac-12. But after after falling behind 17-0, the Bears fought back to within 17-10 before the unbeaten Bruins gradually pulled away.
"There was definitely a different mentality on the sideline. He’s definitely right," said slot receiver Richard Rodgers, echoing Goff’s remarks. "Toward the middle of the game we came together and started clicking a little bit.
Even more links!
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