Cal at Colorado State

Colorado State, as we all remember, can be a difficult team. Last year, we had a great first quarter run for a touchdown, a few good drives, and thought we had the ball game put away. And then, they kept coming at us. And that was a team that only won a few games last year.

We need to do two things this week. 1) We fans need to be loud. 2) The teams needs to come out hard and play hard all game long. We need another Washington State type of game, where we keep going, and the other team is demoralized. Because we need to get back on the map, and we need to get ready for ASU.

It should be remembered that the Bears are young. That means that they probably play better at home. It also means they probably play with more emotion and with more momentum. Kevin Riley as I said in an earlier post seems to need to have a fire lit behind him. I think some home cooking could be useful for him.

One thing that I have not seen a lot written about is the Bears continuing inability to play on grass fields. If I am correct, we have only won twice in the Tedford Era on grass fields - one Holiday Bowl and one Armed Forces Bowl. And those are situations. In both the Rose Bowl and the Coliseum, we have not won with JT. We have not won at the other Holiday Bowl extravaganza - in fact we looked kinda slow against Texas Tech.

This is a situation where it is very different to play on a different surface - Cal practices and plays at Memorial - it is very comfortable for them. But grass at Berkeley is scarce, and they do not get the opportunity to play on grass that often, and it does make a difference.

Frankly, the Bears should have a grass field. And a separate practice field. And an indoor practice field. Like Penn State. The issue is they need to be comfortable in multiple situations. The SAHPC is not going to solve this issue.

I think that the Bears should build a huge building up on Strawberry Canyon, on the Rugby Field. Grass on top, turn inside. Also, bright lights for evening intramurals and Rugby games. About 20 rows of stands on each side. That would solve the issue about the turf, and really piss off the NIMBYs. Take that.

But seriously, there needs to be some sort of drills run on grass before the team goes off to these places. JT like the business trip aspect of the travels, but frankly, when I go on a business I am not running for my life because a huge Defensive End is trying to end me. Maybe I would arrive a bit earlier if that was the case.

And the whole thing about young guys needing less sleep - that is patent bull. When you are growing, working out and cramming 24/7 like these guys are, sleep is critical. Messing with the cycle can cause significant issues. As we have seen time and again.

So, let's stick to the home cooking for a bit. Next time we go back east for a huge game, like Ohio State - lets make sure we get there early, and prepare. Nothing like being in Maryland or Tennessee to see the Bears fall completely apart because they just were not ready for the trip. For many of these guys, this is probably the first time they have been east of Arizona.

I guess all of this is why I think we will do fine this week - we are at home, with a beatable opponent. The Bears are wanting to do some damage to make up for what they know to be a bad loss - a game they should have won. Not that Maryland is terrible - they are like the Ben Braun led bears hoops team - every once in a while you see something great, but then...So it is not as terrible as it seems to have lost to them.

But we need the prescriptive win this weekend to help salve the wounds. Otherwise, it could be a long year. And these Colorado State Rams are better than last year.

GO BEARS!