I was led to believe this was going to start "My name is Nick, and I am a big dummy." False advertising as always!
1. Two turnovers - one was a fumble, not INT. But with regards to the INT, we wouldn't have been in 3rd and Sixteen except for one of the handful of egregious calls on the afternoon - and its gauche to complain about the refereeeing when on the top side of a 30 point stomping, but it felt like we were on the bad side of some calls - including one that indirectly led to the end zone interception.
2. Cal, as a historical perspective is kind of a weird spot. We're no longer a historical, never been sort of school like say Temple or Rutgers. With pros like Marshawn, Keenan, Cam Jordan, Alex Mack, etc .etc and some intermittent success like early Tedford and late Dyke and even early Wilcox - we're a fairly middle of the pack program. So this is why we do this - I think, the middling usual results make games like this so sweet. A bad program will never get here, and a great program doesn't take pleasure in individual wins - but for those in the middle, this was a truly truly sweet afternoon.
Saturday was my 44th Big Game and because I've seen so many losses every win is precious and to be savored. I'm not sure why this one felt especially good. Maybe because of all that's gone on with the team and also in the world since the last Big Game win. It's also nice to give them a thorough ass whipping which we haven't done much lately and especially to do in their domicile. It seemed to me, also, that Bear fans were particularly loud, boisterous and happy. It was a great night and I'm still tingling. Nice write up as always Nick, I always look forward to your perspective. Oh by the way, Go Bears!
"That’s what I’m focusing on for now. There will be plenty of time over the next few weeks to talk about the consequences of bowl eligibility should Cal pull off the comeback to go 6-6, or the trajectory of the Wilcox tenure as the focus slowly moves towards 2022."
Part of me wants to quibble about the use and distribution of trick plays, but this is the approach I'm taking. It was a fun game that I'll be keeping on my DVR forever and it seemed like a great environment and field-rushing opportunity. And that's what's more important in a season like this.
As long as we're talking history, the 1975 Big Game had a lot of parallels with this past weekend. It was on the farm. It was also following a previous close Big Game Cal loss on a last second play. It was also a beatdown, with Cal DOMINATING 48-15. And it also featured a halfback pass, from Chuck Muncie, to Wesley Walker (both of whom went on to NFL careers), which scored a TD.
BTW, on the radio Palowski was saying "watch for the double pass". Did he alert the enemy? Maybe we would have scored a TD on that play otherwise. But no matter!
"Because winning The Axe, and the subsequent joy it produces, will never be something any of us will take for granted."
My very first Big Game was the 1980 win, which coming on the heels of a 3-8 season, taught me right away how one game could rescue an otherwise agonizing season. Subsequent wins in 1982 and 1983 made me feel like Big Game victories would become regular occurrences. History has disabused me of such silly notions, of course, such that these wins are becoming more and more precious and, wins like Saturday are, as you kids say now, "iconic".
While I'd love to see wins against uclol (especially being surrounded by so many Bruin grads at my school site) and U$c over the next couple of weeks, the truth remains that I'll remember 41-11 forever. Big Game wins are like that, and Nick gets it exactly right.
I actually enjoy the full big game experience in Stanford more so than at Cal...primarily due to the true tailgate experience! And it feels much sweeter when we win at the farm. Although, driving out of the grove is a mess. Not sure if folks are being facetious when they reference the game being played in Palo Alto...but Stanford has it's own zip code, post office and is a city unto itself and not a part of Palo Alto...not that anyone cares lol!
From Cal media: "The Bears became the first FBS team this season and the first Pac-12 team since 2014 to record three plays of 75 or more yards in a game with Dancy's run Cal's longest since an 81-yard touchdown run by Brendan Bigelow at Ohio State in 2012."
Come now, Nick, there's no need to exaggerate.
"Hundreds of Stanford fans" stretches belief
I was led to believe this was going to start "My name is Nick, and I am a big dummy." False advertising as always!
1. Two turnovers - one was a fumble, not INT. But with regards to the INT, we wouldn't have been in 3rd and Sixteen except for one of the handful of egregious calls on the afternoon - and its gauche to complain about the refereeeing when on the top side of a 30 point stomping, but it felt like we were on the bad side of some calls - including one that indirectly led to the end zone interception.
2. Cal, as a historical perspective is kind of a weird spot. We're no longer a historical, never been sort of school like say Temple or Rutgers. With pros like Marshawn, Keenan, Cam Jordan, Alex Mack, etc .etc and some intermittent success like early Tedford and late Dyke and even early Wilcox - we're a fairly middle of the pack program. So this is why we do this - I think, the middling usual results make games like this so sweet. A bad program will never get here, and a great program doesn't take pleasure in individual wins - but for those in the middle, this was a truly truly sweet afternoon.
Saturday was my 44th Big Game and because I've seen so many losses every win is precious and to be savored. I'm not sure why this one felt especially good. Maybe because of all that's gone on with the team and also in the world since the last Big Game win. It's also nice to give them a thorough ass whipping which we haven't done much lately and especially to do in their domicile. It seemed to me, also, that Bear fans were particularly loud, boisterous and happy. It was a great night and I'm still tingling. Nice write up as always Nick, I always look forward to your perspective. Oh by the way, Go Bears!
"That’s what I’m focusing on for now. There will be plenty of time over the next few weeks to talk about the consequences of bowl eligibility should Cal pull off the comeback to go 6-6, or the trajectory of the Wilcox tenure as the focus slowly moves towards 2022."
Part of me wants to quibble about the use and distribution of trick plays, but this is the approach I'm taking. It was a fun game that I'll be keeping on my DVR forever and it seemed like a great environment and field-rushing opportunity. And that's what's more important in a season like this.
As long as we're talking history, the 1975 Big Game had a lot of parallels with this past weekend. It was on the farm. It was also following a previous close Big Game Cal loss on a last second play. It was also a beatdown, with Cal DOMINATING 48-15. And it also featured a halfback pass, from Chuck Muncie, to Wesley Walker (both of whom went on to NFL careers), which scored a TD.
BTW, on the radio Palowski was saying "watch for the double pass". Did he alert the enemy? Maybe we would have scored a TD on that play otherwise. But no matter!
"Because winning The Axe, and the subsequent joy it produces, will never be something any of us will take for granted."
My very first Big Game was the 1980 win, which coming on the heels of a 3-8 season, taught me right away how one game could rescue an otherwise agonizing season. Subsequent wins in 1982 and 1983 made me feel like Big Game victories would become regular occurrences. History has disabused me of such silly notions, of course, such that these wins are becoming more and more precious and, wins like Saturday are, as you kids say now, "iconic".
While I'd love to see wins against uclol (especially being surrounded by so many Bruin grads at my school site) and U$c over the next couple of weeks, the truth remains that I'll remember 41-11 forever. Big Game wins are like that, and Nick gets it exactly right.
I actually enjoy the full big game experience in Stanford more so than at Cal...primarily due to the true tailgate experience! And it feels much sweeter when we win at the farm. Although, driving out of the grove is a mess. Not sure if folks are being facetious when they reference the game being played in Palo Alto...but Stanford has it's own zip code, post office and is a city unto itself and not a part of Palo Alto...not that anyone cares lol!
the other tidbit from the Shaw press conference that I really liked was that furd had had their best week of practice all year
From Cal media: "The Bears became the first FBS team this season and the first Pac-12 team since 2014 to record three plays of 75 or more yards in a game with Dancy's run Cal's longest since an 81-yard touchdown run by Brendan Bigelow at Ohio State in 2012."
This is one to file away in the memory banks never to be forgotten. It will be on the DVR for a long time.
If the opponent is not worthy of respect, the victory is not worth crowing about. Sorry for ending on a preposition.