Colorado State

Cal played an average game against a pretty tough team, and came out with a win. That is fine with me.

It seems like Tedford was a little irritated after the game about the Bears effort. Of course, he is not running around at 5,000 feet. I really believe that the elevation caused a bit of difficulty for the Bears. I saw the defensive line huffing and puffing in the first half more than they normally seem to do. Also, the pop off the line seemed to be missing. Having a really physical game against Tennessee and then going to the high elevation and playing another physical team was tough for the guys - especially the big guys on the line. Once Colorado State started to wear down in the second half themselves, the tiredness factor for both teams seemed to favor the Bears, who were bigger, stronger and more importantly, faster than the Rams. If I were the Rams coaches, I would have gone no-huddle the first half and I bet they would have put up a ton more points. Tedford and Gregory were subbing like crazy to get their guys rest.

Also, Forsett getting injured could be bad news. Hopefully he can come back quickly from his stinger. Louisiana Tech is apparently no slouch - they took Hawaii to OT. They also held Hawaii to thirty-eight points during regulation, which means that they can score and play a bit of defense (38 is low for the WAC).

As we start to get into the season, I really am concerned about the schedule. The Bears have it tough. Going to Oregon, ASU, UCLA and Washington seem like pretty tough road trips after the first two weeks of play. I almost feel more comfortable that the Bears can beat USC at home than go through that schedule and winning each game on the road. Especially after watching Longshore once again start to flit and fluff on the road. He seemes to be very uncomfortable out there when he is pressured, and even when he is not. At home, he appears to be totally different. I would think that he would have improved that a bit more this year. In fact, the whole teams seems to really not be very comfortable on the road. I wonder if Tedford needs to change his tactics on the road.

I also think that the issue of playing the scrubs up 20 points is fine. However, when they get to 13 points, then you should have put in the first string. But the fact is we won, and the scrubs got some playing time on the road, which is good. I am sure that they won't make the same mistakes again, so it is a good learning experience for them.

As a fan, Cal has to be happy about DeSean's run, and the production of Jahvid Best. In the postgame comments, it was interesting that Tedford called DeSean out publically for not "playing with passion". I think that he is putting down the gauntlet. DeSean had a few dropped balls, and seemed to be a little lackluster in some of the runs after catch that he made. He also avoided a couple of blocks. That being said, he was injured from the Tennessee game still, and he probably was also a little winded. But, when you want to win it all, you have to deal with that stuff better.

All in all, this was a good test for the Bears. They passed, although not with flying colors.

Also, I must say that the play calling was pretty good. I am glad that Tedford seems to be going to the air a bit faster and more agressively than in previous years.

I also do love the play they called when DeSean made his run. They totally spread the field, so all he has to do is find one hole, and then he is gone. It is a great way to get him the ball in space and get up field. I am sure we are going to see a lot of that play. Teams are going to have to drag a DB across to cover him, and then look out for him passing down field. I see that as a huge option for the Bears at, say, USC. I bet we run that play four of five times between now and then for big yards, just to set that pass up.