Bears at ASU

The Bears have a big weekend ahead of them. The team could be said to be in somewhat of a disarray - there is an open QB competition, the star running back and defensive end are out, and the team heading into the season rated second in the Pac 10 is coming to town.

This on the heals of a devastating second half collapse last year after similar QB troubles.

The game is on ABC, broadcast across the entire west, including the entire Pac 10 market and half the WAC market. So it is also necessary for the Bears to have a good showing from a recruiting perspective, as ASU is starting to move up the recruiting ranks.

So this is a big game. A Bye week follows, which will allow the Bears to either lick their wounds, or solidify their position amongst the Pac 10 elite.

This is a game where every fan is needed. Come out early, in the rain, and bring a flask. Yell loud.

The Bears need a home field advantage in this game, mostly because ASU is susceptible to getting hit early and fading. If you nail Rudy Carpenter with five sacs in the first half, you are going to win - ASU is a passing team, and the defense needs to do well early to get them out of their rhythm.

They are going to try to run a bit more, but I think that the key will be to stop the pass first. That means blitzes, pressure. And loud fans.

The Bears offense also needs to come out swinging. We need to take the early lead and gang up on these guys. The slow starts of the past four games are not going to win in the Pac 10. Clearly, that is why JT is taking Kevin riley to the woodshed. i think he knows Riley is the better equipped athlete. But it's a complicated game, you need to be a smart, fast learner, and I think that JT knows Riley needs to concentrate a bit more. It is clear that when he is out there he is hesitant because there is too much information, and he is afraid to play loose. Hopefully this week of competition will let him let go a bit.

My guess is that JT will say both will play. He will let Nate start, and bring in KR in the second quarter. And see who does better. My guess is that this will be enough for KR to separate himself from Nate. I hope so. But if not, I would not hesitate to bring Nate back in - he is a very good QB, and will do fine.

At the end of the day, I trust Sagarin. He has the Bears as a 20 point favorite. Plus three at home, and the Bears are almost 24 point favorites. I think that could be the case. Cal has juts as much talent as Georgia - just maybe not as much experience. We could score 42 on these guys. And I think we could hold them to 17. We just need to play our best and all will be well.

The good news is, if we have a QB brain fart, we will replace this week. We will not wait to lose the game and say what we should have done. So I think that is great. It seems like no matter what, whoever come in for the struggling QB has made good headway for the Bears. Maybe it is just a change of pace difficult for the defense to adjust to. But since the AFA game last season, the QB who came in second made a big difference. And, yes, I am including the MSU game, where Nate went three for three after KR anemic first quarter. Granted, he threw two INTs in a row to kill his chances. But the team did respond and the defense was flummoxed when he came in.

In any event, I am excited for this game. It will be a true test of the Bears - do we have a chance to run the table, or are we a mediocre team this year. Because let's be clear - ASU is a mediocre team this year.

GO BEARS!!