Golden Nuggets: Post-Big Game Reaction

Post-Game Articles

• The Big Game Novel is out, and Nam talks about all the emotions that went through the final minutes of the game.

How do you try to capture the emotional scope of what happened on Saturday, when you’ve always insisted other games matter more than it – and when you’ve never understood what it could mean to this fanbase until you finally got the glory of standing at the Stanford 50 yourself? How do you even write about a game that was set to close a full decade of heartbreak, of futility, of disappointment, of emptiness, and suddenly, miraculously, didn’t; a game that played out so identically to too many before it, with Stanford getting ready to grind down the clock and put the game away, like they did in ’17 and ’18; a game that had many, myself included, praying to the gods of past and future to see something, anything, but Stanford getting ready to grind down the clock and put the game away again; a game that answered those prayers in the most torturous, wonderful fashion imaginable, beginning, as all things have under Wilcox, with a stop to force a field goal; a game that boasted a rarity under Wilcox, with a flawless 2 minute drive and unforgettable gallop into the end zone; a game that ended, as almost all things have under Wilcox, with a gutsy, Evan Weaver-led, team-created stop; a game that cemented Chase Garbers’ legacy as the Streak Breaker and Axe Liberator; a game that branded Nikko Remigio as the Redeemed; a game and win some of us have never seen us win in our entire lives as Cal fans, alumni or otherwise; a game that ended with thousands, streaming out, faces familiar and foreign cheering, cathartic, chaotic, emoting and embracing each other on the field of the rival because where else could this one end but there; a game that surely, instantly, immediately, became the kind we will tell our kids we were lucky enough to be there for?

• Take a look at UCLA, who have already been eliminated from bowl contention.

Pre-Game Articles

• This article about the adversity Alex Netherda has overcome is one you must read.
• The Rally Committee’s efforts to update the Bonfire Rally in the changing climate was noticed by the New York Times. Read about the new Bonfire structure! Also check out Cal Athletics’ interview with the current chair.

Post-game press conferences were posted in this article. More to come on Wednesday! See you at the Axe Rally!