SB Nation - California Golden Bears

Inside The Numbers: Utah Edition

TwistNHook — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 18:08:57 -0000

More photos » by Colin E. Braley - AP

about 1 month ago: Utah defensive back Lamar Chapman (21) scrambles after the ball fumbled by San Diego State wide receiver Roberto Wallace (18) during the third quarter of an NCAA college football game at Rice-Eccles Stadium, Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009, in Salt Lake City. San Diego State recovered the fumble. (AP Photo/Colin E. Braley)

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(Slight delay with Hydro's posts. They'll be coming either this afternoon or tomorrow, hang tight.)

Whew! One last day of Cal football. It's upcoming and it might not excite some of you, but remember this:

This is the last Cal football game we'll see for the next 9 months.

Yes. Kinda puts things into perspective, don't it. So, time to get up Bears! Time to get pumped and ready to go! To that end, Avinash and I decided to take a tour through the magical mystery that is Utah football stats. After the jump, follow us as we weave our way through their numbers and see what it portends for the Poinsettia Bowl, the most important Southern California Flower-Related Bowl you'll see all year! GO BEARS!

TwistNHook: Ok, first lets take a look at the Passing Stats thanks to cfbstats.com:

Situation	G	Att	Comp	Pct.	Yards	Int	TD	Rating	Long	1st	15+	25+
All Plays	12	368	219	59.5	2642	8	16	129.81	90	105	54	22
1st Half	12	202	122	60.4	1559	5	8	133.35	69	62	36	15
2nd Half/OT	12	166	97	58.4	1083	3	8	125.52	90	43	18	7
1st Quarter	12	86	63	73.3	873	2	5	173.07	69	34	19	9
2nd Quarter	12	116	59	50.9	686	3	3	103.90	50	28	17	6
3rd Quarter	12	87	51	58.6	553	1	4	124.88	90	22	9	3
4th Quarter	12	73	43	58.9	510	2	4	130.18	51	20	9	4
Overtime	2	6	3	50.0	20	0	0	78.00	8	1	0	0

Oy, these look pretty good. Nearly 60% completion rate. We'd kill for that. Twice as many TD than Interceptions. Rating of about 130 is not great, but not particularly bad either. And they start off with a 173 rating, so that is very good. Oddly enough, though, they have their largest attempts in the 2nd quarter. Not sure why. 116 attempts compared to not more than 87 in the other quarters. Why would that be?

In that quarter, their numbers are the worst, too. 51ish% completion rate with 3 int to 3 TD and a 104 QB rating. Hopefully, Cal can get Utah to play at that level as compared to their overall level!

Avinash:

Date	Opponent	Surface	Result	Att	Comp	Pct.	Yards	Yards/Att	Int	TD	Rating
09/03/09	Utah St.	Turf	W 35-17	30	20	66.7	286	9.5	1	2	162.08
09/12/09	@ San Jose St.	Grass	W 24-14	32	18	56.3	248	7.8	0	1	131.66
09/19/09	@ 7 Oregon	Turf	L 24-31	42	20	47.6	178	4.2	2	1	81.56
09/26/09	Louisville	Turf	W 30-14	22	17	77.3	202	9.2	1	2	175.31
10/10/09	@ Colorado St.	Turf	W 24-17	32	24	75.0	248	7.8	1	2	154.48
10/17/09	@ UNLV	Turf	W 35-15	24	17	70.8	174	7.3	0	2	159.23
10/24/09	Air Force	Turf	W 23-16	21	11	52.4	167	8.0	0	1	134.89
10/31/09	Wyoming	Turf	W 22-10	28	20	71.4	211	7.5	0	1	146.51
11/07/09	New Mexico	Turf	W 45-14	31	19	61.3	306	9.9	1	2	159.05
11/14/09	@ 3 TCU	Grass	L 28-55	32	16	50.0	219	6.8	1	1	111.55
11/21/09	San Diego St.	Turf	W 38-7	29	15	51.7	202	7.0	0	1	121.61
11/28/09	@ 15 Brigham Young	Grass	L 23-26	45	22	48.9	201	4.5	1	0	81.97

Simple to figure out: Bad against good teams...good against bad teams. I remember watching the Oregon-Utah game and wondering, "Wow, these guys can't throw the ball." Against most of the MWC bottom-dwellers though they romped it up. However, Terrence Cain went down around Halloween, forcing true freshman Jordan Wynn into the starting spot against TCU and BYU. Tough spot for the young one to be in.

That being said, Cal's pass defense has yet to play real well this season (they've had moments, but good games? It's been awhile), so I doubt Wynn will have trouble getting his looks. A lot will depend on how well the Utes can run the ball and get that going.

TwistNHook: Ok, now lets take a look at the rushing stats.

- Show quoted text -

Situation	G	Att	Yards	Avg.	TD	Long	1st	10+	20+
All Plays	12	450	2033	4.52	23	46	109	68	17
1st Half	12	211	799	3.79	11	44	46	28	4
2nd Half/OT	12	239	1234	5.16	12	46	63	40	13
1st Quarter	12	103	450	4.37	7	44	20	13	4
2nd Quarter	12	108	349	3.23	4	16	26	15	0
3rd Quarter	12	110	605	5.50	4	35	33	20	6
4th Quarter	12	121	611	5.05	7	46	28	20	7
Overtime	2	8	18	2.25	1	9	2	0	0

What do we have here? 23 TDs, pretty good. 4.52 yards a carry. Not all that bad, but if you look at the first half numbers, it is quite a bit different from the second half numbers. 3.79 compared to 5.16. 2nd half doesn't have *that* many more carries than first half (especially when divided over 12 games) than first. So, what is the reason for the increased success as the game continues? Do they have a lot of OLine depth? Do they cheat? Or are they generally dominant and rushing a lot in blowouts?

Let's look at their sked;

2009 Schedule/Results

DATE	OPPONENT	W-L (CONF)	RESULT
9/03	Utah State	1-0 (0-0)	W 35-17
9/12	@ San Jose State	2-0 (0-0)	W 24-14
9/19	@ Oregon	2-1 (0-0)	L 31-24
9/26	Louisville	3-1 (0-0)	W 30-14
10/10	@ Colorado State	4-1 (1-0)	W 24-17
10/17	@ UNLV	5-1 (2-0)	W 35-15
10/24	Air Force	6-1 (3-0)	W 23-16 OT
10/31	Wyoming	7-1 (4-0)	W 22-10
11/07	New Mexico	8-1 (5-0)	W 45-14
11/14	@ No. 4 TCU	8-2 (5-1)	L 55-28
11/21	San Diego State	9-2 (6-1)	W 38-7
11/28	@ No. 19 Brigham Young	9-3 (6-2)	L 26-23 OT
12/23	vs. California		8:00 PM

Well, they went 9-3. 9 wins. Of those 9 wins, 7 were by 10 points or more and 6 were by 14 points or more. So, they might have been running a decent amount in the second half where the opposing team didn't really have a chance. Hopefully, that means that the increased second half numbers are not necessarily indicative of great OL depth, but just a contextual situation that HOPEFULLY won't occur on the 23rd!!!!! Hopefully.

Avinash: 17 sacks allowed, 33rd in the country.

51 tackles for loss allowed, 12th in the country

At first glance the offensive line looks really good. Again it looks like it'll come down to how well we stick down on the run...we can't have Utah clicking on both cylinders. If the running game is stopped that'll force their true frosh to throw more...and given how we've done against Nick Foles and Andrew Luck (redshirts, but whatever), and he doesn't seem as capable as those two, we might have some success.

Eddie Wide is their primary ball-carrier, and he's been tearing it up as of late...

Date Opponent Surface Result Att Yards Avg. TD

09/03/09 Utah St. Turf W 35-17 6 30 5.00 0

09/12/09 @ San Jose St. Grass W 24-14 8 40 5.00 1

09/19/09 @ 7 Oregon Turf L 24-31 2 -3 -1.50 0

09/26/09 Louisville Turf W 30-14 19 129 6.79 0

10/10/09 @ Colorado St. Turf W 24-17 17 102 6.00 1

10/17/09 @ UNLV Turf W 35-15 17 111 6.53 1

10/24/09 Air Force Turf W 23-16 17 121 7.12 2

10/31/09 Wyoming Turf W 22-10 24 135 5.63 1

11/07/09 New Mexico Turf W 45-14 20 145 7.25 2

11/14/09 @ 3 TCU Grass L 28-55 14 25 1.79 1

11/21/09 San Diego St. Turf W 38-7 16 84 5.25 2

11/28/09 @ 15 Brigham Young Grass L 23-26 21 114 5.43 1

Except for the customary stuffing at TCU, he's performed really well: seven 100+ yard games out of 9, with a YPA of at least 5+ in each one. I'm not going to say he's beaten up on the stiffest of competition, but I'd expect we'd want to hold him to 60 or 70 yards. Anything over that and Cal could be in huge trouble defensively.

TwistNHook: Let's take a look at the Passing D.

Situation	G	Att	Comp	Pct.	Yards	Int	TD	Rating	Long	1st	15+	25+
All Plays	12	361	181	50.1	2074	15	11	100.15	59	91	51	17
1st Half	12	187	92	49.2	1202	6	3	102.07	59	51	27	12
2nd Half/OT	12	174	89	51.1	872	9	8	98.07	36	40	24	5
1st Quarter	11	83	42	50.6	648	1	2	121.72	59	27	15	6
2nd Quarter	12	104	50	48.1	554	5	1	86.38	42	24	12	6
3rd Quarter	12	82	38	46.3	386	2	3	93.07	36	18	12	3
4th Quarter	12	89	49	55.1	457	7	4	97.29	28	20	11	1
Overtime	2	3	2	66.7	29	0	1	257.87	25	2	1	1

Oy! 50% against. 100 rating against. More Ints than TDs. Those are gooooooooooooooood numbers. Unless we get them to overtime, where they are giving up a QB rating of 257! 257! Now, *that's* a number I can work with. The numbers also seem fairly steady across the board. The highest QB rating against is 121, which is very solid.

This is a very solid passing Defense and Cal is going to need to bring solid blocking to give Riley a chance to make the good throws. Hopefully, we see the Kevin Riley that played in the Big Game, making great throws at the perfect times.

Avinash:

Date	Opponent	Surface	Result	Att	Comp	Pct.	Yards	Yards/Att	Int	TD	Rating
09/03/09	Utah St.	Turf	W 35-17	26	10	38.5	121	4.7	1	0	69.86
09/12/09	@ San Jose St.	Grass	W 24-14	34	21	61.8	242	7.1	1	1	125.39
09/19/09	@ 7 Oregon	Turf	L 24-31	16	4	25.0	95	5.9	1	0	62.38
09/26/09	Louisville	Turf	W 30-14	33	15	45.5	181	5.5	1	1	95.47
10/10/09	@ Colorado St.	Turf	W 24-17	24	12	50.0	184	7.7	3	1	103.15
10/17/09	@ UNLV	Turf	W 35-15	47	25	53.2	236	5.0	2	1	93.88
10/24/09	Air Force	Turf	W 23-16	10	7	70.0	64	6.4	0	0	123.76
10/31/09	Wyoming	Turf	W 22-10	31	20	64.5	151	4.9	1	1	109.64
11/07/09	New Mexico	Turf	W 45-14	42	21	50.0	252	6.0	2	2	106.59
11/14/09	@ 3 TCU	Grass	L 28-55	29	17	58.6	207	7.1	1	1	123.06
11/21/09	San Diego St.	Turf	W 38-7	37	17	45.9	207	5.6	2	1	91.06
11/28/09	@ 15 Brigham Young	Grass	L 23-26	32	12	37.5	134	4.2	0	2	93.31

Shut down Oregon, very impressive. Shut down Max Hall (37% completion rate???), VERY impressive. TCU had a modest game against them, but for giving up 55 points, the pass D seemed to hold up their end. The only team that's threw on them well was Air Force (on 10 throws?) and Wyoming (WYOMING?)?

Not sure what to make of these guys. I'm guessing we don't want to end up throwing on them that much and rely a lot on Vereen to take us home. Sad that this is what our offense has come down to--staying as far away from the pass game as possible.

TwistNHook: Well, we better hope that their run D kinda sucks, then.

Situation	G	Att	Yards	Avg.	TD	Long	1st	10+	20+
All Plays	12	451	1696	3.76	15	96	91	43	13
1st Half	12	228	849	3.72	10	96	44	20	4
2nd Half/OT	12	223	847	3.80	5	64	47	23	9
1st Quarter	12	120	530	4.42	4	96	23	13	3
2nd Quarter	12	108	319	2.95	6	22	21	7	1
3rd Quarter	12	115	419	3.64	3	45	25	11	3
4th Quarter	12	101	409	4.05	2	64	22	12	6
Overtime	2	7	19	2.71	0	6	0	0	0

GODDAMN IT! 3.76 yard per rush against. Ai! And the 1st half 2nd half splits don't seem to be particularily different. This ain't good.

To compare, ASU's run D, which was known for being rather good (unless they were facing a T Gerhart) gives up 3.39 yards per rush

Cal's rush D, which was fairly stout all year long, is actually at 3.51. So, while we do have a better rush D on a per carry basis, it is not much better.

So, they have a rush D on the same level as ours and a pass D that is much, much better. Their offense doesn't seem to be amazing, so this could be a defensive struggle. I feel as if that could benefit Cal, given our recent offensive woes. Recent as in the last game, where Matt Summers-Gavin did not play. Ai!

Avinash: Eh. This doesn't concern me as much.

09/03/09	Utah St.	Turf	W 35-17	34	221	6.50	2
09/12/09	@ San Jose St.	Grass	W 24-14	22	22	1.00	1
09/19/09	@ 7 Oregon	Turf	L 24-31	51	217	4.25	3
09/26/09	Louisville	Turf	W 30-14	35	80	2.29	1
10/10/09	@ Colorado St.	Turf	W 24-17	31	150	4.84	1
10/17/09	@ UNLV	Turf	W 35-15	33	91	2.76	0
10/24/09	Air Force	Turf	W 23-16	75	254	3.39	1
10/31/09	Wyoming	Turf	W 22-10	25	51	2.04	0
11/07/09	New Mexico	Turf	W 45-14	29	82	2.83	0
11/14/09	@ 3 TCU	Grass	L 28-55	51	342	6.71	5
11/21/09	San Diego St.	Turf	W 38-7	29	55	1.90	0
11/28/09	@ 15 Brigham Young	Grass	L 23-26	36	131	3.64	1
	Totals			451	1696	3.76	15

Short story: They shut down crappy running games (Wyoming 86th, UNLV 87th, Louisville 90th New Mexico 110th, San Diego State 116th, San Jose State 117th) and got torched by good ones (TCU 5th, Oregon 6th, Utah State 22nd). While we're not as potent as TCU or Oregon in the run game, I feel Vereen, and some Debo and Isi can get us around our 175+ average.

The key will be how good Riley and the receivers can keep up their end of the bargain. The O-line might struggle in both areas, but Utah's defense is heavily dependent on how good the opponent they're facing.

Short story: If Good Cal shows up we win, if Bad Cal shows up we lose. How's that for trite?

TwistNHook: What's trite mean?

Avinash: Use the googles.

TwistNHook: THE GOOGLES, THEY DO NOTHING!

Poll

Give it to us good.

Is the Poinsettia Bowl a must win for Utah?

JazzyUte — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 04:35:26 -0000

More photos » by Colin E. Braley - AP

Utah needs to beat Cal in the Poinsettia Bowl if they're going to have a successful 2009 season.

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I haven't used this term all season because I hate to box the Utes into such a subjective statement. If they do actually lose, it's hard to really salvage anything out of that loss if you're putting it all on the line in your mind. With that said, I can't help but think the Poinsettia Bowl is a huge game for varying reasons.

With a victory, the Utes can do something only done once before in program history - record back-to-back ten-win seasons. That happened from 2003 to 2004 and it's often considered the most successful two-year stretch by a Utah team. And though finishing 10-3 in 2009 probably won't hold as much weight as the 10-2 finish in 2003, it still is rather solid for a rebuilding year.

The alternative, unfortunately, is another 9-4 season and most likely a finish outside of the top-25. At first glance, it isn't entirely an awful rebuilding campaign. However, if you dig deeper, you see this season has pretty much been a mile long and an inch deep. Utah has been good at beating the teams they should beat and that's it. They've yet to win a game against a better opponent (Oregon, TCU) or one equal to their stature (BYU).

Cal offers yet another opportunity to record an important and memorable win for the the Ute football program. If they fail in that regard, it will be the first time in a very long time (2000) where the Utes failed to gain one eventful win.

2008 was chalk full of them. 2007 had victories over UCLA (11th nationally), Louisville (a year removed from finishing 6th nationally), TCU and Navy in the Poinsettia Bowl. 2006 was a very similar season to 2009 - yet Utah managed to beat a good Frogs team that finished 11-2 and 21st nationally). While 2005 had wins over BYU and Georgia Tech in the Emerald Bowl.

If the Utes fail to beat Cal Wednesday, this season will probably go down as the most mediocre 9-win campaign in program history. It certainly won't feel like 9-wins and much of the spring and summer will be spent looking back at what could have been instead of expecting to build on what could be a signature win this season.

That point, the part about building on a win in the bowl game, is more meaningful in my mind than anything I mentioned above. It's something that faced the 2007 Utes after they entered the Poinsettia Bowl on the heels of a hard-fought loss to the Cougars down in Provo.

Prior to that game, I pretty much said it was a must-win here on the blog because I believed it could set the foundation for something special in 2008.

For Utah to return to the national stage, it must prove they have sustainability in college football. Losing to Navy would solidify the fact Utah is a regressing program that got lucky during their winning streak. College football is fickle like that and a victory over Navy would continue keeping Utah relevant, while a loss would almost certainly place them amongst college football's most irrelevant programs.

I know it sounds like I'm putting a lot on this game, but I do think there is a big difference between 9-4 and 8-5. Just as there is a huge difference between 10-3 and 9-4, however, that is something Utah failed to attain with a loss to BYU in November. But now they can somewhat make up for it and it all will begin with a victory against Navy.

The Utes gained an important win and used that as a springboard to success in 2008. Now I'm not suggesting 2010 will be similar, but it's never easy regrouping after a loss. Especially when this team has found itself on the losing end of every game they've played against a decent opponent.

That's the big difference between 2007 and 2009. In 2007, Utah managed to win some big games during their win streak. Knocking off a hot Bruins team in Salt Lake the way they did, even if it was followed by a disastrous effort a week later against UNLV, was an important step for this team. As was going on the road and beating the Cardinals, who had yet to fully tank as of that point. Add the victory over the Frogs in Fort Worth and you have a season that probably could have been a lot better than it was if there hadn't been a slew of injuries earlier in the year.

We have similar questions about this year's Utes team. They are a play or two away from being 11-1 right now and most likely a top-ten team. That didn't happen. The difference is that the '07 squad proved themselves at times throughout that season. They bounced back after a horrific loss and built a seven game winning streak when everyone had written them off. This year's Utes had a similar winning streak (six), but it came against no one and with expectations higher than the results on the field.

Because of this, I actually believe there is more to lose in this Poinsettia Bowl than two years ago and I was pretty committed to the idea of a must-win back then. Utah hasn't ended the season with two consecutive losses in over ten years and has a chance to remain ranked in a rebuilding year. That's an important step for a program that fought with keeping itself relevant after the Urban Meyer show left town.

Winning Wednesday establishes that. It guarantees Utah another top-25 finish, ten wins, nine straight bowl wins and momentum heading into the next season. The latter is important because Jordan Wynn most likely will be the Utes' quarterback when football kicks off late next year. For him, it's all about creating the confidence and mental toughness needed to lead Utah through a great season.

What we saw in 2007 was a game where Brian Johnson proved he was a gamer. He led the Utes to a comeback victory over Navy and carried that over into the next year. The possibility for Wynn to do that is there and makes a win all the more important. Because if he loses, that would put him at 0-3 in big games this season. Mentally, it might not have much of an impact - until the next big game comes up and people question whether he has it. Well, I think he does have it. I think Wynn is capable of being a very good quarterback and can ease our doubts by guiding Utah to a victory in a couple of days.

If he fails, if the Utes' bowl winning streak is snapped, Utah not only will have to fight preseason perception that will undoubtedly question their chances, they'll have to fight the mindset that maybe this team isn't built to win the big games. Sure, they'll get by on the cupcakes and pad their win total with easy wins over easy opponents, but if they wilt and falter against the elite, no one will take them seriously. In fact, Utah is only being taken seriously this season because of what they did last season. And as we saw in 2006, a full two seasons after the accomplishments of playing in the BCS, if you can't keep it going, no one will take notice. You won't be relevant anymore.

Winning here would accomplish much of what we wanted from these Utes: ten wins, a bowl victory and finishing the season ranked. There might not be a conference championship or win over BYU - but for a rebuilding year, it's acceptable and most importantly, sustains what was accomplished last year.

Because of this, I can't help but think this game is a must-win.

Golden Nuggets: Movie Makin', Movie Movie Makin'

Berkelium97 — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 01:00:21 -0000

Update: There is a moderate chance that Syd won't play Wednesday. If he does play, it sounds like he won't play as much as he normally does. Hill is still out with his shoulder injury, leaving Cal very thin at cornerback this week.

Eddie Young's father plans to release a documentary to show what it takes to succeed academically and athletically in college sports.

Henry Young - whose older son, Sean, played wide receiver at Cal - began gathering video about six years ago, as Eddie and his prep teammates worked out or interacted with teachers and counselors. Henry and his camera became omnipresent at bustling Berkeley High.

There were nearly 3,000 students at the school, more than those teachers and counselors sometimes could handle. Henry Young saw kids slipping through the system, prompting him to get involved in more than merely Eddie's life.

He often personally escorted student-athletes to guidance counselors - and made sure they asked the right questions.

"A lot of kids were ineligible and didn't have anyone at home to support them," Henry Young said. "I was basically trying to give the kids some tools they could use. I was trying to tell them, 'Listen, you're in charge here. If you don't take control of your life, you're not going to be successful.' "

His filmmaking journey stretched into Eddie's time at Cal. One prime figure is former Bears wide receiver Lavelle Hawkins, now with the Tennessee Titans. Hawkins was raised by his grandmother in housing projects in Stockton - a "pretty rough" environment, as Henry Young put it - but emerged to make it through Cal and reach the NFL.

Young interviewed Hawkins' grandmother, uncle and brother in an effort to portray the difficult circumstances he faced.

The piece ultimately will touch on many people and many issues, taking a broader scope than "Hoop Dreams" did in shadowing two aspiring basketball players through their inner-city youth in Chicago. Young hopes his film drives home several messages, from reminding athletes of the long odds of going pro to showing them coaches are not always mentors to illustrating the value of embracing schoolwork, rather than simply trying to stay eligible.

After the jump we have a recap yesterday's bowl events (with pictures!) including the zoo visit and Make-A-Wish Foundation visit, practice/injury updates, Ted Miller's bowl prediction, Cal-Kansas info, and more.

Cal Football

Nyan Boateng wishes he could have done more in his career at Cal and hopes to have a shot at the NFL. He is frustrated, but embraces every opportunity he gets. His next big opportunity is the combine in February.
Tedford didn't accompany JRoss, Best, and others on their trip to the zoo yesterday. "You've seen one elephant, you've seen them all" he said. Others like Marvin Jones missed the visit in favor of catching up on some sleep. Because practice was earlier than originally scheduled, JO wasn't able to see any of it. He found out that Matt Summers-Gavin will miss the game, however. Syd continues to rest his ankle, but he should play Wednesday.
Click here for a photo gallery of the Bears' trip to the zoo. When else can you see a cheetah, a golden retriever, and Tepper in a single photo?
Here's a photo gallery from the visit to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. MSG, Best, Spencer Hagan, Allan Bridgford, and Tad Smith were present at the event. They handed out souvenirs, signed autographs, and posed for photos. Great job, guys!
CalBears.com recaps yesterday's events: the zoo trip, Make-A-Wish visit, and practice.
Ted Miller predicts a 28-24 Cal victory. He thinks they will bounce back and avenge their loss to Washington.

Cal Basketball

DJ Seeley is not making the trip to Kansas. He will miss the game to attend the funeral of his great aunt. Everyone else is healthy and ready to play in Lawrence.
Though Cal gets no love from the human polls, the computers give the team some love. With the toughest strength-of-schedule in the land, Cal comes in at 11th in the CollegeRPI.com rankings and 14th in the Sagarin ratings.

Cal Swimming

Q+A with Rock Chalk Talk

TwistNHook — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 20:00:25 -0000

by Orlin Wagner - AP

Let's make Kansas coach Bill Self look like this more often than not.

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Hey Bear fans, don't forget, this isn't just a week with a big *football* game. Now, there's also a hyuuuuuuuuuuge basketball game, too. The Cal men's basketball team takes on Kansas. Former National Champion Kansas. One of the most respected and successful basketball programs of all times. We faced them before, just a few years back in December of 2005. Leon Powe had a double double and Omar Wilkes had 13 points, but, unfortunately, it was not enough as Cal lost 69-56.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Brandon Rush scored eight points during a 24-6 run opening the second half and Kansas beat California 69-56 Saturday on a supposedly neutral court that was almost entirely pro-Jayhawk.

C.J. Giles had six points during the spree, which turned California's 34-31 halftime lead into a 53-38 advantage for Kansas (4-4), which looked terrible while missing nine of its first 10 shots.

Giles, a 6-foot-11 sophomore, also spent much of the game guarding Leon Powe, Cal's 6-8 sophomore who had been averaging 25 points and nine rebounds. Powe, sidelined by injury all last year and the first four games of this season, had eight points in the first half and 16 points and 11 rebounds for the game.

Omar Wilkes, who spent one year at Kansas before transferring back to his native California, got a nice hand from the Kemper Arena crowd during pre-game introductions and finished with 13 points.

Cal hopes to get a different result this time out. To learn more about the Jayhawks, who apparently love Rock and Chalk and, to a greater extent, Talk, we've contacted Rock Chalk Talk, SBN's Kansas blog. They agreed to do a Q+A and it is presented after the jump. The game is on ESPN on Tuesday, December 22 at 6 PM PST. GO BEARS!

1. How much of a home-court is Allen Fieldhouse, really? What can our players expect next week when they enter "the Phog"?

The home court advantage at Allen Fieldhouse is every bit of it's reputaton. Personally I think there are two phases of that. The first is the pregame. Kansas truly embraces and highlights the history of the game and the great players that have gone through the program. Players know that, and many times get caught up in it. This tends to give the Jayhawks a big advantage from the outset because they are a bit immune to the pregame festivities. A pregame atmosphere which I would put up there with the best anywhere I've ever been.

The second part is the actual noise and what the fans bring to the table during the game. First off the Fieldhouse holds 16,300. That's a fairly large building for a college basketball environment and it's full every single night. Bring 12 fat men dressed as Santa Claus on Christmas Day to play the Jayhawks and that place is going to be pretty full. Secondly, When it's a big opponent or a close game Kansas fans are on the ball, understand their value and provide exactly what the team needs. Much like in a football game, basketball fans can provide the right boost and a little extra juice to the home team on a run. They can also bury a team on the ropes.

Am I biased? Absolutely, but I don't think the numbers lie, it's tough to win in "the phog"

via www.best-basketball-tips.com

2. Will Kansas have 3 times as many points as Cal? 4?

I'll say neither and I think Kansas would be hard pressed to double Cal to be honest. We still haven't been tested much and when we have been it's been a bit of a challenge in finding our identity. Kansas is a team still working on chemistry, it's rotation and who exactly they are. Cal looks to have some experienced guards and you guys beat an Iowa State team fairly easily. The Cyclones aren't Kansas, but they were expected to be pretty good and Craig Brackens is a beast. I'll say in the end Kansas wins by somewhere between 10-20. No reason for the prediction just a gut call.

3. What is it like to win a national championship?

It's pretty surreal. Winning a National Title in basketball takes a lot of luck. At Kansas we know all too well that the best team doesn't always win. Being on the winning side of a National title is really a feeling of an entire season and entire careers culminating in the perfect storm. Truthfully when it happened in 2008 I just felt an immense pride and more than anything the team deserved it. That team brought the university together and Kansas basketball from it's fans to it's players share a bond because of the titles it's won.

4. Is Kansas as good as their ranking? What are the odds you guys run the table?

They're pretty good. If Bill Self get's this team playing his type of defense and they can find themselves offensively they'll be tough. They have a solid 13 or so players that could see serious minutes at almost any school in the country. Run the table...I'll say no way. I think KenPom puts the percentage at 2.8% that we will but I just don't see it happening. Any team, any night...that's what makes basketball so great.

5. I don't know much about Kansas's rivals or players you hate on but of them, who do you want to punch in the face the most?

For me it's Missouri, hate them more than our other rival which is Kansas State. The Missouri/Kansas rivalry dates back to some pretty nasty spats during the civil war in fact and there is no love lost between the two schools. As far as a current player on Missouri that I'd punch in the face, I don't think I have one to be honest. They are actually a little likeable lately.

via barfblog.foodsafety.ksu.edu

6. Cole Aldrich, Sherron Collins, Xavier Henry will probably all be in the NBA next year. What's impressed you the most about each player, and who's the most impressive of the three as a college player (ignore the pro prospects)? Any weaknesses in their game that Cal could exploit?

Cole is a true big man which you don't see very often anymore. Most impressive by far is his defensive game, he just controls the middle and is a big reason Kansas opponents shoot so poorly. Weakness, right now is his offense. Cal should drop the double team, he can be slow to react to that at times.

Sherron is plain and simple a winner. Not sure what his NBA career will be but most impressive this year has been his efficiency. With the improvement around him this year, he's been able to be much more selective in terms of his shot and it's made him deadly. Weakness for Sherron, if he feels he has to take over...he can get a little wild. If Cal keeps it close Sherron will try to carry the team at some point and at times that can be bad.

Xavier Henry's most impressive trait is his ability to score. He scores in so many ways, is strong with the ball and is as good a shooter as a true freshman as I've seen at Kansas in a while. Weakness...hmmm...not sure if there's much to exploit here, he's tough and appears to be a pretty complete player.

7. Cal’s weakness is definitely it’s inside game. How does Kansas’ inside game look?

That's not good news for Cal. Cole Aldrich, Marcus Morris and Markieff Morris are all very solid inside. Rebounding is a strength, Cole's defense is great and the Morris brothers have come into their own offensively. Past those guys there's a true freshman in Thomas Robinson who looks to have a bright future as well. Biggest challenge has been looking inside offensively. Still, if Cal struggles on the interior Kansas will hurt them down low.

Poll

How you think this one goes?

Big Cal victory

8 votes

Close Cal victory

17 votes

Close Cal loss

37 votes

Big Cal loss

46 votes

108 votes | Poll has closed

Q+A with Block U

TwistNHook — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 12:00:23 -0000

More photos » by Colin E. Braley - AP

about 1 month ago: Utah wide receiver David Reed (16) is forced out of bounds by San Diego State linebacker Marcus Yarbrough (52) during the fourth quarter an NCAA college football game at Rice-Eccles Stadium, Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009, in Salt Lake City. Utah defeated San Diego State 38-7. (AP Photo/Colin E. Braley)

Browse more photos »

Yes, we got a Q+A here! Some hot Q+A action! We've got all the information you'd ever want to know about Utah, between this Q+A and the one we are doing with MountainWestConnection. This Q+A is with Utah-specific SBN blog, Block U.

The guys over at Block U do a great job following Utes athletics. They have had a run of success this decade that surpasses Cal's over the same period. 2 BCS Bowls and a dominating victory over Alabama last year. Now, we get em! Ai! Should be a great game as all of the Pac10 Bowls seem to be this year. Finally, some solid tie ins. Thank you, MWC, for becoming really good. Now, please lose to us! After the jump, Block U answers some of our questions about who to watch out for on O and D and who they want to punch in the face! GO BEARS!

1. Most Cal fans know nothing about Utah. Please tell us about your most talented player on offense and defense.

The Utes' offense is still fairly young. While you might not know much about Utah, I'm sure you've heard their starting quarterback right now is a true freshman. In fact, he didn't start the for a good portion of the season and though he has potential, it's hard to call him the best offensive threat.

If I had to, I'd go with Eddie Wide, Utah's running back. He cracked 1,000 yards on the season and though that isn't entirely impressive alone, he did it in fewer than 12 games. Utah lost its starting running back, Matt Asiata, four weeks into the season against Louisville. Wide, who's been the starter since week five, has turned out to be a superb weapon for an offense that has struggled throughout the season.

It's harder to peg the Utes' best player on the defensive end because I think they all have their strengths. If I had to choose, it'd be either Stevenson Sylvester or Robert Johnson. Both had a huge impact in Utah's win over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl earlier this year and they were also named to the 2009 Mountain West's first team defensive squad.

Of course, the Utes' defense is far better than their offense. Which means there are multiple players worthy of being mentioned.

2. Wassup with your QB situation? At the start of the season Terrance Cain was your QB until about four games ago. Now it looks like Jordan Wynn is your starting QB. What happened?

Terrance Cain won the job in fall camp because he looked like the best option. However, as the season progressed, the offense stagnated and it didn't appear there was any growth coming from under center.

Though Utah was still winning, the victories were by a narrower margin than they should have been. After an ugly start against Wyoming, Kyle Whittingham decided to pull Cain and insert Jordan Wynn, who looked a bit more crisp and had a bit more success moving the offense down the field.

Much of Cain's issues came from his inability to really throw the ball deep. He was money on slant and short passes, however, once the defense took them away - the offense essentially was shut down and he either was forced to throw the ball away or scramble for only a minimal gain.

Wynn does appear to throw the ball better down field. This has opened up the offense. Of course, in his two toughest games, he's 0-2 and the last, BYU, wasn't entirely pretty on the offensive end. TCU, a lopsided loss two weeks prior, actually was more about defensive issues than anything else and Wynn looked pretty damn good in that game.

But that's all to be expected because he is a freshman quarterback. They seem to progress, regress and stagnate week to week.

Does that continue into the bowl game?

via www.saltlakechamber.org

3. So Cal has this one runningback named Jahvid Best. Heard of him? Does he scare you? Does it make you feel better that it is still unknown as to whether he's going to play in the bowl game or not?

He scared me until I read he wasn't playing. But I hear his backup ain't too bad, either. So, I don't know what really to expect.

4. What's your base defense? Do you play mostly man or zone defense or do you guys mix it up?

The Utes have run a 4-3 defense since the early 90s. It's the baby of Whittingham, as he inherited from his father - who was Utah's DC until 1994.

Utah plays man specifically with their cornerbacks, leaving each corner on an island and hoping they own up to their responsibility of stopping the opposing team from catching the ball.

This is hit-and-miss depending, obviously, on how good the corners are. This season, Utah's secondary has been pretty stout, yet they are vulnerable to pass-happy teams with a constant deep-ball threat. I'm not sure that fits Cal's offensive strategy.

5. Okay, we know you guys must hate BYU. Please dish some dirt. Tell us some raunchy BYU cougar jokes or some stories about how BYU fans threw beer one of your player's mother.

I actually never knew Rice-Eccles Stadium put in a beer fountain right out there in the visitors section. I guess it's pretty good at drowning the family members of Cougar players in delicious alcohol.

The funny thing is that Utahns are thrifty people. I find it hard to believe any Ute fan would waste their beer on Max Hall's family.

via utah.collegefootballfansite.com

6. Where would you rather spend the rest of your life, Guantanamo Bay or Provo?

Guantanamo Bay, no doubt. Free healthcare, probably good food and I'm a security wall away from smoking a few Cuban cigars on the beach next to Castro and his cabal. Perfect.

7. Do you guys miss Ludwig? Are you going to send him a Christmas card?

Who knows. Utah played Oregon only a week prior to Cal, so it isn't like they hit them at different times. It was a weird game where Utah was actually down big and rallied in the second half to get within striking distance. In fact, they probably should have won and would have had it not been for a lame-ass punt return for a touchdown in the first quarter. In the end, the Ducks could not pass the ball at all and the only reason their offense moved the ball was because Jeremiah Masoli ran roughshod over the Utes' defense. Other than that, I'm as stumped as you are.

8. Agree or disagree? Utah only lost to Oregon by 7 points. Cal lost to Oregon by 39 points. The laws of transitivity say that, well, Cal is fucked. You lost to Oregon by a much less embarrassing amount than we lost to Oregon. What was the secret there?

I don't know if they'll win. But...10. 31-21.

9. Complete this sentence: I want to punch ________ in the face.

Joe Lieberman. Oh shit, you meant sports related? Okay...Bronco Mendenhall & Max Hall.

Cal Golden What?

JazzyUte — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 04:42:37 -0000

Next Game

Utah Utes
@ California Golden Bears

Wednesday, Dec 23, 2009, 6:00 PM MST
San Diego County Poinsettia Bowl - Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, CA

Cal running back Best out for Poinsettia Bowl

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Maximum Bowl Overdrive

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Scouting the Golden Bears

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Complete Coverage >

The California Golden Bears enter the Poinsettia Bowl with a pretty respectable 8-4 record. They were also ranked entering the final week of the regular season after a great win over their resurgent rival Stanford on the road.

Yet, like Utah, there could have been so much more to this season. In fact, California started the year ranked 12th nationally and rose as high as sixth after a 3-0 start. It's been pretty much all downhill since that impressive start and it began against Oregon a week after the Utes' nation-leading winning streak was halted by those same Ducks.

Cal saw a harder fall, undoubtedly, because expectations were extremely high entering this season. They were, after all, a potential heir to the throne if SC were to vacate it in a rebuilding year. Part of that equation happened, however, the Golden Bears failed to take advantage of the situation and instead were passed by the Oregon Ducks.

Because of this, many fans in Berkeley are justifiably disappointed. When you're floated around as Rose Bowl material three weeks into the season (Cal last played in the Rose Bowl in 1959) and the best you can do is the Poinsettia Bowl, there certainly will be some frustration among fans.

But has this season been a success and does that success hinge on their bowl performance?

Generally, unless you've exceeded expectations or put together an amazing regular season, losses in bowl games undo any good you've created in the season. This is probably the same mindset that will carry over for both teams Wednesday.

Though Cal can hang their hats on a decent win over a pretty solid Stanford team, Utah cannot. There isn't one single victory on the Utes' schedule that will be lasting over the next few years. We won't look back at the Air Force game as a solid, memorable victory. It just isn't - even though the Falcons are playing in their third consecutive bowl.

So, for both teams, it appears the success of a season does hinge on either's ability in the bowl game. Win and the season can be salvaged. Lose and there will be far more questions than answers this spring and summer.

Looking at the schedule of Cal (we already know Utah's), it isn't hard to see why, though.

Golden Bears Football Schedule

Maryland	Sat 09/05	W 52 - 13
Eastern Washington	Sat 09/12	W 59 - 7
@ Minnesota	Sat 09/19	W 35 - 21
@ Oregon	Sat 09/26	L 3 - 42
USC	Sat 10/03	L 3 - 30
@ UCLA	Sat 10/17	W 45 - 26
Washington St.	Sat 10/24	W 49 - 17
@ Arizona St.	Sat 10/31	W 23 - 21
Oregon St.	Sat 11/07	L 14 - 31
Arizona	Sat 11/14	W 24 - 16
@ Stanford	Sat 11/21	W 34 - 28
@ Washington	Sat 12/05	L 10 - 42
Utah	Wed 12/23	6:00 PM MST

Cal does own two out of conference victories over BCS teams, but neither have done anything amazing this season. It is true Minnesota is a bowl team this year, but just barely and Maryland might have produced one of the worst seasons in ACC history.

Of course, it isn't what you do against the bad teams, rather what you do against the good (we know that very well here at Utah). Here they have struggled - even though they've faired a bit better than Utah.

There was that game against Oregon, where they were embarrassed 42-3. I can't begin to explain what the hell went wrong in that one because the Ducks - up until that point - had not looked entirely threatening. Remember, a week prior, they had to fend off a Utah team late in the second half. The Utes weren't supposed to have near as potent of an offense and yet they did more against the Ducks in bad weather than Cal could have ever hoped to do.

A week later, their offense was yet again shut down by SC in a 30-3 loss. When a team can only muster six points in a two-week span, you know there are issues. Certainly that offense has struggled at times against more talented and faster opponents.

Adding to their struggles, Cal's defense has been just as inconsistent as their offense. In the first three weeks, they only allowed 41 total points. They gave up one more than that in a single game against the Ducks. That is a fairly rapid change and it has been just as much their undoing as the offensive ineptness at times.

But what is more shocking is just how thoroughly defeated Cal can look in their defeats. In all four of their losses, they've put up absolutely no fight. Which is the exact opposite of the Utes - who were only dismantled in one game this year. The Golden Bears' ugliest loss of the season actually came at the tail end against Washington. It was a game they needed to win to secure a more lucrative bowl and they were absolutely shredded by a Husky team still searching for its identity under a new coaching staff.

That 42-10 loss was once again a mix of offensive and defensive struggles. Neither showed up and were pretty much overmatched from the start. It's hard to imagine a team coached by Jeff Tedford completely laying down and dying in an important game like that, but they have. In fact, they did it three times before and each defeat seems more inexcusable than the next.

So, what does this mean for the Poinsettia Bowl? Hard to say. This is a wildly inconsistent team. Even more than the Utes.

What Golden Bears team will we see Wednesday? The one who managed to knock off Arizona and Stanford, or the one who was depantsed by Oregon, SC and Washington?

That's the ultimate question for this game. Because of this, it's hard to actually predict a score. However, Kyle Whittingham has never lost a bowl game as Utah's coach and I don't think that'll change Wednesday. Utes win 42-28.

Maybe I'm expecting too much from this offense. Then again, with how the Cal defense has played in all of their losses, maybe not.

Golden Nuggets: The Start of a Big Week for Cal Sports

Berkelium97 — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 01:00:17 -0000

Monty talks about the upcoming matchup against Kansas.

On Cole Aldridge:

He's very big. He's got great hands, and they use him a lot. They play a lot of high-low basketball. They go to him and make him very effective. I don't know who else we'll see in terms of an offensive player down below, but he's plenty good enough right now.

On Xavier Henry:
He's strong, aggressive and he can shoot the ball. He's a big wing player. He was a very highly-touted player coming into the program. He's a double-figure scorer for them as a freshman. I think part of that is because of the emphasis on their low-post game. People have probably elected initially to double up or play off and try to protect the inside, and he's taken advantage of that. I would guess that might balance out as time goes on, but right now, for a freshman to come in and average 18 points a game is pretty impressive.

On what it will take to win the game:
It's not about individual matchups. It is matchups within matchups, but it's about the team. For us to have any chance, we're going to have to play very well together. We're going to have to help each other out. If we execute, we'll have a chance, but if we don't, we're not going to be able to get things done. I'm not just talking about this game; I'm talking about generally across the board. People will have their hands full with their individual matchups, and we'll have to get help where we can.
...

On coming off of the two-week break for finals after two decisive victories:
It's been kind of tough. Finals have been kind of tough on the players. We've had days off in between, and everybody has finals after practice. Guys have probably been up late studying. We've gotten some things done, but as is normal, it's been a bit lethargic at times. We haven't practiced real long, but we've tried to get a couple things done in some areas that we weren't happy with.

After the jump we look at the Bears' first day in San Diego (as well as video from their trip to the zoo), some difficulty Utah has had selling bowl tickets, a look ahead to the week in basketball, and more.

Cal Football

Utah has had some difficulty selling tickets to the Poinsettia Bowl. Utah expects to sell between 3,000 and 4,000 tickets. Cal has already sold about 4,000 tickets. Bowl officials are expecting a turnout of between 30,000 and 35,000.
Using the same reason most journalists have for expecting a Cal loss, Wilner thinks Cal will have no motivation and will lose to Utah.
Troy Taylor, Mike Pawlawski, Kevin Riley, and Jeff Tedford are all puzzled by the lopsided nature of each of Cal's losses this season.
Here are some photos from the Bears' first day in San Diego.
Jeremy Ross talks bacon cheeseburgers, taxonomy, strange creatures, and more in his video of their trip to the zoo.

Cal Basketball

Kansas knows it will have its hands full with Randle and PC. Bill Self says his team will have to play better than they did against Michigan yesterday, when they held on to an eleven point win.
The women's team gets back to work tomorrow against Cal State Long Beach to try to get Joanne Boyle her 100th career win.

Poinsettia Bowl Q&A with California Golden Blogs

Jeremy Mauss — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 18:00:17 -0000

The Poinsettia Bowl with Utah vs. Cal is coming up on Wednesday December 23rd, so it is time to question the opposing team in a short question and answer session. Today's we are talking with SB Nation's very own California Golden Blogs. Make sure to check out their site when they answer my questions, as well as other bowl info.

1. All of Cal's losses have been blowouts, what seems to go wrong when Cal does lose?

In a word? Everything. The secondary can't cover properly (they run their coverage patterns without looking for the ball, then get torn apart for huge gains), the special teams gaffes on both sides (we fail to return kicks properly, we fail to cover kicks properly), the offensive line doesn't block anyone, the quarterback can't throw a proper out route, the recievers can't gain separation, the linebackers don't know how to rush the passer...add those all together and you have a blowout, four times over (at least four or five of these things have happened in every loss, it's been uncanny).

Remember that Simpsons episode where Smithers loses his house and his mind slowly goes to "hi-diddily-ding-dong-crap", followed by him checking into a mental ward? That's what Cal fans have been like in every one of those losses. Sorrow turns to frustration turns to madness turns to acceptance of madness. We're all a bunch of loons right now about what team will show up on Wednesday. Don't provoke us too much if Mr. Hyde shows up Wednesday--you don't know the insanity you might unleash.

2. With Jahvid Best not playing in the bowl game, tell people about his replacement Shane Vereen?

Vereen is a very capable guy, similar to Best in form and size, but his style is a little bit more slippery to grasp. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention our running back coach Ron Gould, who's recruited and/or developed four NFL-capable running backs over the past six years, and seems like he might have another star brewing in Shane.

Here's what our best football analyst Hydrotech wrote after Vereen's incredible 42 carry, 193 yard performance in the Big Game upset over the Cardinal:

"Sure he's a bit slower than Best, but what he lacks in pure speed, he makes up for in his uncanny ability to gain a few extra yards when surrounded by four defenders and having no business getting any additional yards. He just has that subtle elusiveness to intricately weave through the defenders and trash to get those yards nobody really thinks he'd get. I suppose this is a bit surprising because Cal really hasn't had a RB like him before. Previous RBs just brutally powered their way through the trash and defenders (Lynch, Arrington, Echemandu). Best sort of puts his head down and runs through them but without tons of power. But Vereen just kind of slips through them - like magic."

If Utah wants to win the game, they need to stop Vereen in his tracks and force Riley to keep on throwing. Teams that have succeeded at that this year have won, teams that haven't have lost. Cal is 7-0 in games they've rushed for a hundred yards or more, 1-4 in which they haven't.

3. By having the former Utah offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig now at Cal give them an advantage Cal might not have had?

Beats me. I thought Ludwig being the former OC at Oregon might've helped us out against the Ducks; Nick Aliotti's defense ended up blasting more Bears out of the backfield than Sarah Palin from a Super Cub. It was not pretty. It goes both ways really--Utah's defense knows him as well as Ludwig knows them. We'll see if Ludwig can go 1 for 2 in rematches with old friends and put up a better showing than in Autzen.

The Ludwig experiment has had mixed results--liked him early, soured on him in the middle, and now many of us are kind of on the fence. On the one hand the offense has been far from running smoothly; on the other hand we've already had five offensive coordinators in the the past five years. On the one hand, Oregon and Utah fans were ecstatic to see him go; on the other, he was following two of the brightest offensive minds in Tedford and Meyer. There also could be a talent deficiency plaguing Cal's offense from getting into shape, but the way they've vacillated between 'pretty good' and 'extremely eye-gouging' is disconcerting.

4. What will Cal do on offense to be succesfull in this bowl game?

Block, block, block, block, block. Cal has had 2 really impressive victories against a ranked Arizona team and a ranked Stanford team on the road. In both of those wins, the OL seemed to play much better than in our other games. We had long sustained drives that kept the Cal D rested and off the field. The Cal D is good, but in our 4 blowout losses, the O, led by poor blocking, didn't help the D at all. They went 3 and out often, putting the D right back onto the field. Although they tried their hardest, no D can play that much time and still stay stout.

So, if the Cal OL can block well, opening up passing lanes for Riley and holes for Vereen, then the D will stay rested. If the Cal OL can block well, Cal can march methodically down the field, minimizing Utah's opportunities to score and maximizing their own. However, if the OL plays as it did in those 4 losses, then it well not only minimize Cal scoring, but put an undue amount of pressure on the Cal D.

Of course, the player missing in all 4 of those losses was Offensive Lineman Matt Summers-Gavin. All indications point to him *not* playing against Utah. :(!

5. Utah has a true freshman Jordan Wynn starting at quarterback, what can be expected Cal to do against him?

Watch in frustration as he throws for over 300 yards? Seriously, our pass D is not good. We've allowed large passing days to such illustrious names such as Tuel, Prince, and Sullivan. Try to guess which teams those QBs belong to!

It all starts with QB pressure, of course. Cal plays a 3-4 and Tyson Alualu is our #1 rush threat. However, the other players haven't been helping him as much as Cal would like and he often get doubled. Our LBs have taken a step back after Zack Follett, Worrell WIlliams, and Anthony Felder gone. Mike "The Prophet" Mohamed is still killing it, but they have trouble getting pressure.

Our DBs are in a bad way. Many seem to have regressed from last year. Injuries have hurt our #1 DB SydQuan Thompson. It's not a pretty picture back there.

We've already made some bad QBs look good, I'm sure that Jordan Wynn will look great.

Q+A with Mountain West Connection

TwistNHook — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 11:00:16 -0000

More photos » by Colin E. Braley - AP

about 1 month ago: Utah quarterback Jordan Wynn (3) scrambles during the third quarter of an NCAA college football game against San Diego State at Rice-Eccles Stadium, Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009, in Salt Lake City. Wynn passed for 195-yards and one touchdown as Utah won 38-7. (AP Photo/Colin E. Braley)

Browse more photos »

Well, we got the Poinsettia Bowl coming up soon. I know a lot of people are less than pleased with this bowl, but what is nice is that, for once, the Pac10 seems to have great tie ins. This year, the games seem to be really solid from top to bottom. And the Poinsettia Bowl, the Pac10's final bowl tie-in, looks to be another great bowl. A solid Cal team versus a dangerous Utah team. This is the, yknow kinda, same Utah team that obliterated this year's potential national champion in the BCS last year.

This is a team so amazing, they have 2 (2!) SBN blogs blogging about it. Where's *our* second Cal blog? Oh well, I guess we should put all that energy into doing that fake Stanfurd blog I wanted to put together.

We're doing Q+As with both Utah blogs. Here, we discuss this bowl with MountainWestConnection, which blogs about Utah from a Mountain West Conference perspective. We discuss the MWC's rise as the next power conference, how Utah will (or will not!) defeat Cal, and what to expect in the bowl game. Many thanks to the team over there, led by Jeremy Mauss, for their answers. GO BEARS!

1. Let's replace Arizona, Arizona State, and Oregon State in the Pac-10 with TCU, BYU and Utah, then replay the 2009 season. What sort of conference record do those three end up with? How many of them beat Cal?

Big question right out of the gate. I think TCU would still have gone undefeated and in the Pac-10 they would be in the title game, because they are just that good. However, they most likely would not have as many blowouts since they would be playing Oregon and Stanford. BYU has the offense to play like the Pac-10 and would be able to hang with most of the league. I could easily see BYU winning or losing to Oregon, Cal, USC, and Stanford. BYU would be a slight favorite without Cal RB Jahvid Best, but if he were healthy then the Cougars would have a difficult time stopping him, since BYU's defense is not that fast. BYU probably would finish in the top half of the league with a 7-2 conference record, with loses coming to Oregon and Stanford. Utah is the real question since they play Cal next week in San Diego, but for the rest of the league the Utes would have more problems since their offense and even their supposed defensive strength have been inconsistent. Utah all ready lost to Oregon this year in a tough game, so one could assume that Utah would not get blown out in any game against the Pac-10. The league was so good this year that Utah probably would finish around the same record as Cal in league play with a five or six win league season. The 2.5 to 3 points favoring Cal is about right in this game and honestly it can go either way, but the way Cal played against Washington and was blown out the edge goes to the Utes and they beat Cal.

2. Is TCU more deserving, less deserving, or as deserving as Texas of a national title bid?

The edge should go to TCU and yes you can say that I am biased, but TCU blew out every opponent they played with the exception of the ACC runner up in Clemson and Air Force. That Air Force game was played in sub freezing weather with a rain snow mix, and had TCU not turned the ball over inside the Falcons ten that game would have been a blowout. In TCU's biggest games Utah and BYU they crushed those opponents, but when you look at Texas' big games Oklahoma was 16-13 and then the Big XII game against Nebraska where they barely made that last second field goal to win. The only real good win was a blowout over Oklahoma State, besides that they barely beat their 6-6 rival Texas A&M by 10 as well as a below average Texas Tech team also by ten.

via www.sport-insight.com

TCU is a more complete team as they are top ten in offense and defense. Texas has no real running threat outside of Colt McCoy, and a bad offensive line. TCU DE Jerry Hughes is right behind Nebraska's Ndamukong Suh as the best defensive end in college football, and everyone saw how the Texas line allowed 4.5 sacks to Suh and nine over all. TCU would provide a better matchup, but since there is no playoff to see how the five undefeated teams would do if there was a playoff.

3. In recent years, the MWC has risen in stature. BYU and Utah, in specific, have many HUGE victories, culminating in Utah's dismantling of Alabama last year. And then we got TCU this year. What do you credit to the rise of the Mountain West? Do you believe that the Mountain West will get a BCS Auto-Bid? Do you fear that other conferences might try to steal some of the teams away?

I really think coaching is the reason, because in the early years of the Mountain West all the coaches were legends but old. LaVell Edwards at BYU, Sonny Lubick at Colorado State, Fisher DeBerry at Air Force, and John Robinson at UNLV. Now, all of those coaches were very succesful but they were old and in a way losing their touch. Then came in Urban Meyer who brought his spread offense to the Utes who just crushed everyone by using former Utes coach Ron McBride's players in making a BCS run. The BCS run that Urban lead Utah in 2004 was thought to be a flash in the pan, but the league and Utah kept going. Urban's offense opened the eyes of the league to the nation and recruits who would eventually come to Utah.

Other hires that kept the train going was that BYU advanced Bronco Mendenhall who who went ahead and recruit 'the right' BYU players who would abide by the honor code unlike his predecessor Gary Crowton who brought in anyone. Then that same year Utah advanced Kyle Whittingham after Urban left he had a bump in the road, but after a few ok years he lead them back to the BCS. The expansion of TCU did two things, first it brought in a very good program and in their first year in 2005 ran throught he league undefeated, and the second thing is that it opened up more recruiting efforts in Texas. Utah has always tried to go to Texas to recruit, but with no schools in the area it was tough, but by bringing in TCU that allowed high school kids from Texas allow their family to attend a few games in their home state.

via utesgameday.com

I think the Mountain West is very, very close to a BCS bid. This is the second year in a row that the MWC has an undefeated team in the BCS and three in the top 25. This is year two of the BCS evaluation period, but to be certain the Mountain West must invite Boise this summer -- which is expected to happen. If they get Boise then the Mountain West will get a BCS auto-bid because during the four year cycle all of Boise State's rankings from the WAC will go toward the Mountain West's evaluation.

A snag in that is the topic of the week in expansion with the Big 10 looking to add a 12th team. The Big 10 expansion may not have an effect, well unless Missouri goes to the Big 10 which would open up a spot to the Big XII. That team could be replaced by BYU since the Big XII wanted them back in 1996 with the last major expansion in college football. However, this past summer new Pac-10 commissioner Larry Scott said the Pac-10 also wants to add two teams in the same 12-18 month time frame. The two schools on the list he mentioned were Utah and Colorado. Now, if the Mountain West is guaranteed a BCS auto berth prior to any invitation the Utes should stay in the MWC. The reason is that they are all ready at the top of the Mountain West, but if they go to the Pac-10 they would be in the upper half, but it may take a few years of the BCS money to kick in to build up facilities and getting better recruits. Utah would have to go against USC, Oregon and Cal who are typically near the top of the league. If there is no word on any guarantee of the MWC becoming a BCS league then Utah should bolt for the payday.

4. What is Utah's offensive game plan to defeat Cal?

The offensive plan will be the same that Utah has done all year, which is they want to run the ball with RB Eddie Wide who is a speed back and has a similar style to Jahvid Best. He is not as good but a similar style and had a 1,000 yard season after RB Matt Asiata tore his ACL early in the season. Also, look for the passing game to go deep with true freshman Jordan Wynn who took over for Terrance Cain at mid season. The defensive backs for Cal will have their hands full becasue Utah will have at a minimum three wide out sets up to five and throw bubble screens and slants to WR David Reed. Utah will attempt to be balanced in running the ball and passing to keep Cal off balanced. The Utes also will continue using the Wildcat offense which at times has been a momentum killer and will most likely just run the ball in that situation.

5. Name a player on Utah's defense that Cal should fear.

The biggest playmaker for Utah is defensive back Robert Johnson who has five interceptions with one returned for a TD, two fumble recoveries with one for a score, and then 66 tackles and four for a loss. A stat that I was unable to look up was passes defended, but Johnson is always near any pass attempted and either gets a big hit, knocks the ball down, or picks it off.

6. Utah managed to lose to Oregon by a much less humiliating score than Cal did. What do you credit to this non-humiliating loss?

Utah was able to force Oregon QB Jeromiah Masoli to 4-16 for 95 yards, and the Ute defense was able to force four turnovers. The defensive backs were able to provide excellent coverage which made him stay in the pocket longer then he wanted to, and then when he did decide to run the Ute defense swarmed Masoli and stopped him before he was able to make a big play. However they did allow LaMichael James run all over their defense for 152 yards and two scores which was the reason Utah ultimately lost.

Is There Something Wrong With Cal Football?

Avinash — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 14:20:47 -0000

More photos » by Marcio Jose Sanchez - AP

Jeff Tedford was left scratching his head a lot this season, as were Cal fans.

Browse more photos »

Before we turn our attention to Utah next Wednesday (our pregame coverage starts a little earlier, look for it to start sometime this weekend!), I have a confession to make: I don't mind Jon Wilner. At the very least, I don't openly despise him the way many Cal fans (including those on this site) do. He's not the greatest sports columnist (blogger? journalist? What is he now?) ever, but he's terse enough to make his points and get you talking about what he writes. A bit of a rabble-rouser, but often he's far more practical than most of the columnists you see writing pablum.

So obviously seeing a quote like this about Cal (where he ranked Tedford 7th on the Pac-10 coaching scale) got me thinking...

Watching this team year after year, I’m starting to think that it’s possible to consistently win eight or nine games while having something systemically wrong with your program.

Now at first, I thought that this was hyperbole. After a little bit of afterthought though...

Cal was a few bad breaks away from being 5-7 or 4-8 this year. And they were a few good breaks away from being...well, 8-4. It was like the 2007 season in reverse--fortune smiled for us in our close wins and broke us apart in everything else. But we can't say this season didn't turn our stomachs plenty and made us a little uneasier about the future of Tedford's reign.

Discuss this in the comments. Is there something systematically wrong with our football program? Are we par for the course? Or are we overachieving given we've got? Vote and comment.

After the jump, let's explore some of the core causes for the maddening inconsistency of our team.

The conservatism of the coaching staff: We seem to have this discussion every year, every offseason (and we'll probably have it again)--does Tedford's conservatism filter to the team in crucial situations (And by conservatism I don't mean he takes out the King James Bible and start knocking Beau Sweeney on his noggin). Do his teams play not to lose instead of playing to win?

Now the point that you could argue is no stretch of conservatism could have saved the Bears from their faceplants, there are certain aspects that have been debated ad nauseum. RickySanchez wrote this after the Big Game victory, and I imagine this is what most Tedford-detractors gripe about...

I have never been angrier after a Big Game victory. The Bears’ players were gutsy, showed heart, and gave everything they had in that game. And the coaching staff just about cost them the game:
Tedford’s decision not to go for it on 4th and less than 1 to keep Stanford’s offense off the field (Predictably results in Stanford TD in less than 2 minutes)
Tedford’s decision to have Riley take a knee on third down on the Bears final drive, rather than attempting to sustain the drive and run out clock OR ice the game with a TD
Gregory’s decision to rush only 3 and drop into the usual zone on Stanford’s second to last drive, resulting in the long completion to Owusu.
These decisions are emblematic of why Cal can’t beat teams like Oregon St., Oregon, and U$C. This coaching conservatism is why Tedford will NEVER take the Bears to the Rose Bowl while the likes of Chip Kelly, Mike Riley, and Pete Carroll are around. All the pieces were there this year, and Cal missed yet another opportunity to take the next step. Until Tedford and Gregory start coaching to win (rather than coaching not to lose), this will be our lot in life.

Bear Will Not Quit examined this issue too. (HT KikiRevenge for finding it!)

A recurring theme, with the exception of 2008 and certain times in 2006, is that Cal lacks the proper mindset defensively. They go into games expecting to shut down the run, and they do it, because they believe in it. But they go into games ready to concede certain pass plays, and it shows. Gregory’s mantra is stop the run and the big play and give up the dink and dunk. That is telling your players something remarkable: “Let certain plays succeed.” As a defense, that should be anathema.

This puts tremendous pressure on the offense (which as I said annually lacks the QB to deal with that pressure). Defensive thinking has to be religion, not talk. It has to be a core belief that everything will be contested. Stopping the pass has to be given equal dignity to stopping the run.

And if it is, two things will happen. (1) You will force yourself to recruit better athletes on defense who can execute that objective. (2) Your game plan, practice, and play will reflect it

Tedford still struggling with the coaching side? Although some of us felt we were getting a little too much hype this year (Hydro especially, and he was proven right), some of the performances have been filled with terrible everything. dmo580 puts it succinctly:

I'm beginning to feel like coaching from Tedford is not as good as I thought.

I think he hasn’t been able to get us FOCUSED on the game especially after thriller victories or whatever. Our team seems to lose focus ENTIRELY. Like CGB said before. Our defense, offense, RB, QB, o-line, WRs… all of it collapses simultaneously. It’s not even funny. Ok we had some defense against SC, but other than that teams have been running over us. Is Tedford not getting the team energized and focused on THIS game like it is the only game that matters? Why is it that when we lose, we get completely blown out? I mean SC had some huge losses this year, but they kept it close with Oregon for a bit and with the Furd, AND with Zona and Washington. On the other hand, we just completely collapse or something.

Not very much like a Tedford-coached team. Of course, Hydrotech is quick to point out that this season has been an anomaly, not a trend, so it's not something to worry about. Yet.

I think a lot of coaches have problems getting teams to focus on the next game after winning a thrilling game last week. It seems to be a common problem for all coaches. As seeing that this problem is not unique to Tedford, I personally do not find this as compelling reason to criticize Tedford.

As for getting blown out in the losses, that is concerning, but to Tedford’s credit, this is something new and not a problem that we’ve been having since he’s gotten here.

Recruiting facilities: Our main man Thoroughbred has pointed out over and over that without the SAHPC in place, it'd be folly to expect amazing results.

Tedford is one of the most liked coaches in the Pac-10 by recruits. They always refer to him as a “player’s coach”. What has hurt us is the enduring image of the treesitters fiasco, our Div-II facilities, and the notion that we’ve plateaued as a program. These have all been widely discussed by the other Pac-10 coaches.

What happens is the recruit gets taken in by a visit and gets blitzed by these enthusiastic coaches and commits. In the case of Davis, he came to his senses when he realized what Cal was doing NOW, instead of LATER.

but as soon as our facilities are done, i expect recruiting to be much better. i think that+treesitters held us back much more than any sort of recruiting philosophy or coach we had in the past. in fact, i like evaluating players’ senior tapes more, but that’s just not the state of affairs.

[Whiteside] was blown away in the off-season. I think it will take a lot to sway him away. Even if you hear different things during the season. It’s always going to come down to the wire with Cal’s top targets until we get the facilities.

The successes this week point toward greater things in the distant future, but it isn't hard to believe that in 2010, and probably 2011, we'll be seeing the same old issues going into training camp. Until then, expect Cal football to be marginalized on the regional and national stage, as a man with a $70,000 toilet continues to charm a nation.

Do you agree or disagree that these are problems with Cal footbal? What other flaws or deficiencies have you noticed? Discuss.

Poll

SB Nation - California Golden Bears

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2009 Schedule/Results

Give it to us good.

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Golden Nuggets: Movie Makin', Movie Movie Makin'

Q+A with Rock Chalk Talk

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Q+A with Block U

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Next Game

Cal running back Best out for Poinsettia Bowl

Maximum Bowl Overdrive

Scouting the Golden Bears

Golden Bears Football Schedule

Golden Nuggets: The Start of a Big Week for Cal Sports

Poinsettia Bowl Q&A with California Golden Blogs

Q+A with Mountain West Connection

Is There Something Wrong With Cal Football?

I'm beginning to feel like coaching from Tedford is not as good as I thought.

The Cal football program is currently...