Cal Struggles, But Manages First Win at Memorial Stadium

The Cal Bears certainly didn't put on a great performance. But the fans who came out to their game got to see quite a show.

Keenan Allen returned a punt 69 yards for a touchdown (after fumbling it), Isi Sofele ran for 104 yards and a touchdown as Cal beat Southern Utah 50-31. The Golden Bears didn't play too well, but they dominated in the second and fourth quarters.

Cal led just 20-17 after the third quarter, but they managed to put up 30 points in the fourth. Allen returned the punt for a touchdown, and Marc Anthony had a pick-6. Oh, and reserve running back Daniel Lasco ran for a 77-yard touchdown.

After trailing 3-0 after one, Cal did well in the second quarter. Zach Maynard struggled, but Sofele and wide receiver Chris Harper helped ignite the offense. Cal led 20-3 and it looked like that would be the score at halftime.

But, Southern Utah went for a Hail Mary on the last play of the first half. Quarterback Brad Sorensen heaved a pass, and SUU receiver Cameron Morgan tipped it. He brought it in with one hand and gained possession, completing a spectacular play and scoring.

Unfortunately for the Thunderbirds, it didn't matter. Cal picked up their first win at Memorial Stadium, although I'm sure coach Jeff Tedford isn't happy.

Why? Because if the Bears play like this against Ohio State next week, they won't be going home happy.

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Cal Bears Football: 4 Bold Predictions for the Golden Bears in 2012

The Cal Bears have always been a good team. However, they haven’t been a great team in a long time.

Under coach Jeff Tedford, Cal has reached and won numerous bowl games. They even claimed a share of the Pac-10 title in 2006. However, they’ve never played in a BCS game and they haven’t played in the Rose Bowl since 1958.

No one is expecting Cal to reach a BCS bowl. Most people think the Bears will be good, but not great (again). Tedford and the Bears aren’t okay with that, but they’ll have to do a lot (add other Cal article link here) to get to a BCS bowl. That probably won’t happen, but success definitely can happen.

Here are four bold predictions for the Golden Bears in 2012.

Keenan Allen Will Be Invited to the Heisman Trophy Ceremony

Keenan Allen was one of the only bright spots in 2011 for the Bears.

Cal finished 7-6 and reached the Holiday Bowl, but they didn’t get much (if any) national media attention during the regular season, and they didn’t beat any great teams. Allen played very well and displayed his pass-catching and athletic talents, but not many people were watching.

This year, more people will be watching.

Allen caught 89 passes for 1,261 yards and six touchdowns in 2011. His numbers were great, but not Heisman-worthy. However, he will have an improved quarterback and will be targeted more. As long as Allen gets open, he will get a lot of receptions.

And it’s not only his hands that make him so good. Allen is very athletic and can run for a ton of yards after the catch. He can lay out for a ball, catch passes in the run, make adjustments to bad throws, break tackles and provide the big-play threat Cal needs.

The Golden Bears will play Ohio State on September 15, and the game will be televised. Then, on September 22, Cal plays USC. Lots of people will be watching both games, and if Allen shows the world what he can do, a lot of attention will be directed towards him and the Bears.

People would notice Allen’s spectacular performance. If he plays like he did last year and more people play attention, expect him to be in New York as a finalist for the Heisman Trophy award.

Zach Maynard Will Be a Much Better Quarterback

Zach Maynard wasn’t terrible in 2011, but he definitely wasn’t consistent.

Maynard threw 12 interceptions and failed to throw for 3,000 yards in 2011, while completing just 57 percent of his passes. His footwork had flaws and his accuracy wasn’t good, which caused a lot of the picks. If he didn’t have Allen in the receiving corps, Maynard’s stats would’ve been even worse.

However, his problems are fixable. Allen is a great receiver, and Maynard will target him often. As long as Allen gets open, Maynard will throw the ball to him. He isn’t consistent, but he has the potential to make a great throw.

An offseason of work should help improve Maynard’s consistency, accuracy and decision-making. He has a year of experience under his belt, so expect “rookie mistakes” to be eliminated. Maynard will make better reads in 2012, so as long as he’s accurate, his stats will improve and Cal’s record will too.

Cal Will Have a Great Defense

Cal lost Trevor Guyton and Mychal Kendricks to the NFL, but they still have a good defense.

Marc Anthony and Josh Hill headline a Cal defense that is inexperienced but has lots of talent. Anthony and Hill are both great corners, and both can cover top receivers, knock down and intercept passes, and stop the run.

The Golden Bears also brought in some promising recruits. Raymond Ford and Damariay Drew will add more speed and run-stopping ability to Cal's secondary, and they could make a big impact towards the end of the season when Cal takes on high-scoring teams like Washington and Oregon.

There are some great offensive players in the Pac-12, especially at the wide receiver position. Markus Wheaton of Oregon State, Robert Woods and Marquise Lee of USC, Marquess Wheaton of Washington State and DeAnthony Thomas of Oregon. However, Cal has enough talent to shut down these stars.

And, if their young players can make immediate impacts, the Golden Bears will have a great defense once again.

The Bears Will Win at Least Eight Games
Cal had a winning record in 2011, but that was still a disappointment.

The Golden Bears were very inconsistent and played horribly at times. They dominated Utah and nearly beat Stanford, but they also struggled to beat Colorado and got blown out by UCLA. You never knew what to expect from the Bears.

Part of that was due to Maynard. The quarterback was very inconsistent, but luckily, he will be better this year. Hill and Anthony headline a good secondary, and the Golden Bears have lots of talent on defense.

Cal has some tough games on their schedule. They have to play USC, Oregon, Ohio State, Washington, Stanford and other tough teams. However, Cal is a well-rounded and underrated team that could be taken lightly by stronger opponents. If the Golden Bears show up and play well consistently, they will win a lot of games and pull off some upsets.

Which is exactly what they'll do when the season starts.

This article was originally published on Bleacher Report.

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Big Ten Officials' Bad Week

Here is one of the controversial plays from Saturday's Indiana-Iowa game. Receiver Terrance Turner scores a touchdown that would have given the Hoosiers a 28-14 lead, but the score is nullified by the replay official.

The reversal helped the Hawkeyes rally for a 42-24 victory, and although Indiana coach Bill Lynch didn't raise a stink afterward, others were doing it for him.

Bob Kravitz of the Indianapolis Star wondered if fans should direct their anger "at an inept group of officials who took 14 IU points off the board with bogus calls on obvious touchdown passes?"

He added: "If IU fans thought they got pick-pocketed at Michigan, this felt more like the Brinks robbery."

(Continue to The Wiz of Odds)

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South Florida Ends Downward Spiral

Bashed by the Bearcats and pounded by the Panthers, the South Florida football team was in a downward spiral.

After its usual 5-0 start, it looked for all intents and purposes like yet another unexplained downward turn into Big East oblivion. It happened in 2007 and again in 2008 and it looked like the bad dream would resurface this season.

Then last Friday, on national television, USF quarterback B.J. Daniels picked up his team with his arm and his legs. He piled up 336 yards total offense, outdid West Virginia's team total and got his team out of the depths of a downward spiral with a 30-19 win.

(Continue to Running with the Bulls)

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The Revolution Was Televised ... on ABC

1453. 1644. 1917. And now, Halloween 2009.

Like the Byzantine, Ming and Romanov empires, all good things must come to an end. Such was the case for the Trojan Dynasty that has ruled the Pac-10 since 2002.

In retrospect, it was easy to see that this was a rebuilding year for USC. It lost most of its defensive stalwarts, including an entire linebacking corps that went among the first 38 picks in the NFL draft. It lost its star quarterback, who now hot dogs it for the New York Jets. It even lost its offensive coordinator to a rival Pac-10 school.

But because it's USC, it was assumed that it'd go on like business as usual ... until Saturday night, when the Oregon Ducks formally pronounced the fin de siecle with a resounding quack.

(Continue to BCS Guru)

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So What's Wrong with Georgia?

And What’s with Georgia?

With a little help from our good friend Lane Kiffin, Florida is the 2009 SEC East Champion. Pencil in your trip to Atlanta.

As for the win that put us there, I’m really starting to wonder if Georgia hasn’t entered the realm of unhealthy obsession of all things Florida. How in the world does it make sense in a season that you are 4-3 to break with a hundred plus year tradition and wear black helmets for the first time? Against a team you are solid double digit underdogs, at that. I thought the black helmets looked very cool, but now they are just a further symbol of Georgia’s futility against Florida. Why not save that for a better year in a game that, you know, mattered?

(Continue to Saurian Sagacity)

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Todd Bounces Back in Auburn Win

Chris Todd throws pass against Ole Miss (AP Photo/ Butch Dill)

I was wrong.

There, I said it, but don’t tell my wife.

Before Auburn played Ole Miss, I wrote that the Tigers should bench starting quarterback Chris Todd in favor of backup Neil Caudle if they stood any chance of upsetting the Rebels.

Well, Auburn head coach Gene Chizik and offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn stood by their man and he delivered. Todd wasn’t great, but effective, completing 12-of-22 passes for 212 yards and a touchdown in the Tigers’ stirring 33-20 Southeastern Conference victory that snapped their three-game losing streak.

(Continue to Rue's Rant)

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Oregon's Job Is Not Complete

Oregon dominated the Trojans 47-20. The Ducks got a Freshman QB in Matt Barkley at home, but so did Ohio State, California and Notre Dame. Oregon did what they were supposed to do and that was beat a USC team that is inexperienced and trying to find their way.

This was a very impressive win by the Ducks. Oregon’s Chip Kelly is in his first season as the head coach and he accomplished what Jim Tressel, Charlie Weis and Jeff Tedford who are coaches with much more experience could not do and that is defeat the Trojans when you have them at home. USC was ranked #5 in the BCS and this victory should result in Oregon climbing up the BCS Standings.

(Continue to Inside the Pac-10)

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SEC Overreacts to Official Bashing

Instead of recognizing the inferior quality of its officiating, the Southeastern Conference adopts a bunker mentality.

Earlier this week, SEC commissioner Mike Slive played the role of bully, warning that any coach who criticizes the referees will now be subject to a fine and/or suspension. He must have been so proud of himself.

We're constantly amazed how sports leagues can get away with squashing the first amendment rights of its employees, how they can exist in a vacuum above the law.

(Continue to Bob Birge's Irish Eyes Are Smiling)

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Mike Gundy: Who's Your Daddy?

Mike Gundy may be a man now (at least he thinks so), but part of his everyday challenge is very much the burden foisted upon every boy the world over - making his daddy proud.

Gundy's daddy, metaphorically speaking, of course, is T. Boone Pickens, a Texas oil man. A man who's given over a quarter of a billion bucks to the Oklahoma State athletic program. A man whose name graces the Cowboys' brand-spanking new stadium.

And Gundy has no better opportunity to please his (sugar) daddy than this week.

(Continue to BCS Guru)

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Can Notre Dame Catch Michigan?

Here's something for Notre Dame fans to sink their teeth into:

On Wednesday, the NCAA officially began its investigation of the (sc)UM football team regarding allegations that coach Rich Rodriguez and his staff surpassed the allotted mandatory workout hours (Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis never will be accused of over-working his troops because that would mean pushing back his dinner reservation, which is why his getting fired would be the worst thing for the South Bend economy).

Let's suppose the violations are so egregious that Michigan has to forfeit all its win under Rodriguez, who is in his second season in Ann Arbor (three last season and five so far this year).

That means that Michigan would lose at least eight victories, and Notre Dame would jump back over the Wolverines into its rightful place as the winningest program in NCAA history, at least in terms of winning percentage.

(Continue to Bob Birge's Irish Eyes Are Smiling)

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Magic City Classic Takes Center Stage

Alabama A&M players celebrate their 2008 victory in the Magic City Classic (Photo by Joe Songer/Birmingham News)

Back in the day, the moniker “Football Capital of the South” was appropriate for Legion Field.

The stadium on the west side of Birmingham, just a few miles from downtown, was the site of the Iron Bowl, the annual in-state Civil War battle for braggin’ rights between Alabama and Auburn, for many years.

Alabama played all of its marquee home games, such as USC, Notre Dame, Penn State, and Tennessee at the Old Gray Lady on Graymont. Auburn and Tennessee regularly met each other there. In fact in 1968, there was a doubleheader featuring Auburn against Tennessee and Alabama against LSU that attracted more than 137,000 spectators to Legion Field.

In its infancy, the SEC Championship Game also was played at Legion Field.

(Continue to Rue's Rant)

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Slater Turns Tuskegee into Powerhouse

Willie Slater makes only a fraction of what Nick Saban makes ($4 million a year) to coach college football, but he’s proving Saban isn’t the only coach in the state of Alabama to turn a program into a national contender.

While Saban’s exploits in three seasons at the University of Alabama have been well chronicled since the Crimson Tide lured him away from the Miami Dolphins at the end of the 2006 season, Slater’s accomplishments at Tuskegee University have flown under the radar.

In his first three seasons at the helm of the Golden Tigers, Slater, 53, compiled a 32-3 record, captured the 2007 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) national championship with a 12-0 record, won three consecutive SIAC championships and twice was named SIAC Coach of the Year.

(Continue to Rue's Rant)

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Weekly Rankings, Iowa No. 1

Not too many changes this week. We've got two 8-0 teams, but Iowa is way ahead of Alabama right now. Why? It's not because the computer isn't factoring in their close calls - my program does contain margin of victory. So let's take a look at what they've each done, going from their best win to worse.

Iowa: @ Penn St (187.16) 21-10, vs Arizona (123.44) 27-17, @ Wisconsin (94.56) 20-10, vs Michigan (58.62) 30-28
Bama: v VA Tech (137.10) 34-24, vs S Carolina (126.39) 20-6, @ Ole Miss (82.29) 22-3, @ Kentucky (48.37) 38-20

Iowa: @ Iowa St (58.54) 35-3, @ Michigan St (12.30) 15-13, vs Arkansas St (-60.94) 24-21, vs N Iowa (I-AA) 17-16
Bama: vs Arkansas (-10.03) 35-7, vs Tennessee (-22.71) 12-10, vs Fla Intl (-154.44) 40-14, vs N Texas (-154.88) 53-7

(Continue to The National Championship Issue)

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Another Blown Call Benefits Florida

Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen is livid about a blown call in Saturday night's game against Florida, the second week in a row the Gators have benefited from errors by a Southeastern Conference officiating crew.

Florida linebacker Dustin Doe was ruled to have scored on a 23-yard interception return with 8:25 remaining in the fourth quarter, but replays showed that Doe was stripped of the ball before crossing the goal line by Mississippi State receiver Brandon McRae.

Doe's touchdown was upheld after being reviewed, giving Florida its second touchdown in 33 seconds and a 29-13 lead. The Gators won, 29-19.

(Continue to The Wiz of Odds)

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Thoughts on Alabama's Quartet

With all four of Alabama’s Football Bowl Subdivision teams on television Saturday – plus some other games of interest – my remote got a workout. It was still smoking Sunday morning from all the channel surfing.

I want to share with you what I learned from my channel flipping.

* Alabama's massive nose tackle Terrence “Mount” Cody might not have great leaping ability, but when he gets penetration with a big push on a field goal attempt he doesn’t have to. That’s how he was able to block two field goal attempts in the fourth quarter to preserve the Crimson Tide’s narrow 12-10 victory against the Tennessee Volunteers and the Tide's perfect season.

(Continue to Rue's Rant)

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Tide Will Rise in Defensive Battle

The annual college football game between Alabama and Tennessee used to be dubbed “The Third Saturday in October” because from 1928 through 1994 the game was always played on that date, except for 1943 because of World War II. But when the Southeastern Conference expanded its schedule, the game started winding up on the fourth Saturday in October. This will be on the fourth Saturday in October for the ninth time in the last 14 years when the Tide and Volunteers meet in Tuscaloosa at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Despite tradition being shoved aside, there’s still something special about the Alabama-Tennessee football rivalry. This year’s game has the added luster of Alabama (7-0, 4-0 SEC) being ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press poll. So, the Vols (3-3, 1-2) can make their season by knocking off the Crimson Tide.

(Continue to Rue's Rant)

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A Big House Divided

There's a disconnect in the family.

Rich Rodriguez is deep into his second season as Michigan coach, but a group of former players continue to express their dissatisfaction with his hiring, which broke the Bo Schembechler lineage.

That group, which supported the hiring of former Schembechler disciple Les Miles as coach, may never be happy. They continue to express displeasure over Rodriguez's first team that finished 3-9, ending Michigan's bowl streak of 33, and an investigation that was launched into alleged misconduct regarding NCAA practice rules.

Then there is Lloyd Carr, the former coach who hasn't publicly supported Rodriguez and his staff.

(Continue to The Wiz of Odds)

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Shaky 'D' Overshadows Clausen's Season

We've been reading this week how Jimmy Clausen would have jumped up the list of Heisman Trophy contenders had he pulled off that comeback against Southern California.

It's funny, but we never thought of Clausen as a Heisman candidate, and that's probably because were so annoyed with a defense that still can't stop anybody.

Yes, the Irish made a spirited rally against the Trojans last week, but here's the bottom line - they allowed a freshman quarterback to put up 34 points. They gave up two many easy drives, as USC - at times - sliced through Notre Dame's defense like it was butter.

(Continue to Bob Birge's Irish Eyes Are Smiling)

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Can KU Hang with Oklahoma?

Sam Bradford will not show up on the field for Oklahoma Saturday in Lawrence. The question is: Will the KU defense?

Ever since the remarkable 2007 Orange Bowl season the KU defense has been questioned. It was the easy scapegoat for the 8-5 campaing last year, and again this season after the Jayhawks gave up 70 points in the first two Big XII contests.

The 'Hawks defense has yielded 26.3 points per contest since defeating Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl. That number isn't terrible until you hold it up under the microscope and do some comparing. If you throw out non-conference games through that stretch, the KU defense is allowing another 10 points per game. Also, during its Orange Bowl run the Jayhawks only gave up a stingy 16.1 points per game.

(Continue to Inside Jayhawk Nation)

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