Sep 4th, 2010
UC Davis celebrates its 2005 win over Stanford -- Photo by Adam Traun
As most of you know, we provide a public service, so with Stanford and Cal opening their football seasons at home on Saturday against Division I-AA opponents (yeah, yeah, officially the Division I subdivision is called FCS, not I-AA, but the latter is still easier to understand) we provide a fan-friendly guide to the games.
GENERAL NOTE NO. 1 — Although you may belittle the Bay Area teams for starting their seasons against I-AA teams, they are certainly not alone. The practice of beating up on lower-division schools (and making headlines when they lose) has become standard operating procedure for Division I-A teams since the addition of the 12th game.
By the end of the opening weekend of college football, 78 games will be played featuring Division I-A teams. Nearly half — 37, to be precise — will be games in which the I-A team plays a lower-division team. Wake Forest played Presbyterian on Thursday and Duke opens against Elon, so Cal and Stanford have nothing to be embarrassed about.
Raise your hand if you even knew that Presbyterian had a football team. OK, of those with your hands up, how many know where the school is located? (It’s in Clinton, S.C.) And for 10 bonus points, how many of you know Presbyterian’s cool nickname. It’s the Blue Hose, although the football players did not wear blue hose against Wake Forest. What the Blue Hose (Blue Hoses?) did have was one of the sweetest trick plays you’ll see. Check it out here, and appreciate the acting job performed by the wide receiver, who feigned appropriate disgust before launching his touchdown pass. Martin Scorsese was the director, I believe.
OK, back to the matter at hand.
Let’s start with Cal’s 1 p.m. game against UC Davis
WHAT TO LOOK FOR:
Pass rush – Jeff Tedford has been harping on the need for an improved pass rush since the middle of last season, and new defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast is doing everything to provide one. If the Bears can apply pressure to UC Davis redshirt freshman Randy Wright, who is playing his first collegiate game, it may fluster him into a flurry of mistakes, plus it would be a good omen for the rest of the season. Defensive end Cameron Jordan and the unproven linebackers are the key to the pass rush.
Moving the chains – Quarterback Kevin Riley is key to Cal’s success, and he has said many times in preseason that getting first downs is his gal on offense. It will mean more short passes and fewer big plays, but if Riley is successful it will mean a higher completion percentage, fewer sacks and possessions that last 10 to 12 plays.
Giorgio’s kickoffs – Much of Cal’s defensive problems last season stemmed from the fact that Giorgio Tavecchio’s kicks seldom got inside the 10-yard line and Cal did not cover the kicks well either. That’s why Jeff Genyk was brought in as a new special teams coordinator.
Cornerback play – The secondary was Cal’s biggest weakness last season, and with Syd’Quan Thompson gone, it remains a concern. If UC Davis receivers are running free and Cal defensive backs do not react well to the ball in the air, it could signal another long season.
Isi Sofele – The little guy has a chance to be Cal’s big-play man on offense, either out of the backfield when he spells Shane Vereen or split wide as a receiver. Successful teams need a guy who can get 60 yards at any time, which is the threat Jahvid Best provided last season. If Sofele gets a few plays of 15 yards ,or more or breaks one for 50, things will be looking up.
Keenan Allen – There has been so much hype about the freshman wide receiver, it will be almost impossible for him to satisfy expectations in the opener. But if he can be the reliable receiver Cal lacked last season, it will make a big difference. Look for Allen to make at least four receptions for 100 yards or so. If he does that, we may have a star on our hands.
Construction – If you have not seen Memorial Stadium, you may be shocked with all the construction going on. It may take awhile to get to your seat and to leave.
NOTEWORTHY FACTS:
– UC Davis beat Stanford in 2005, and the Aggies football program is farther along now than it was then, when UC Davis was in just its third year in its transition to a Division I program and was officially still a Division II school. Davis has not played a Pac-10 opponent since.
– UC Davis is a Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) team, which formerly was known as Division I-AA.
– The last time Cal played UC Davis was 1939, when the Bears won 32-14. Cal is 8-0 against Davis, winning by a combined margin of 299-20.
And now for Stanford, which hosts Sacramento State at 3:30 p.m.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
– Running backs — Jeremy Stewart and Stepfan Taylor will try to fill a small portion of the large gap left by the departure of Toby Gerhart. If one or both can provide a running threat, it will make things a lot easier for quarterback Andrew Luck, who is expected to carry the offense.
– Chris Owusu — Owusu, Stanford’s dangerous wide receiver and kick returner, was not on the depth chart presented early this wekk because of an undisclosed ailment. If he does not play, it hurts Stanford’s big-play capabilities. Check whether he’s in uniform during pregame warmups.
– Shayne Skov — The sophomore linebacker has the making of a star, so just check him out for a play or two.
– Owen Marecic — He will be Stanford starting fullback and starting inside linebacker in the opener. That’s a lot to ask these days, especially at two positions that are so physically demanding. We’re guessing Stanford will use Ryan Hewitt at an H-back spot a lot in place of Marecic on offense. The H-back is helpful to passing offense, and the Cardinal figures to pass the ball more this season.
– The cornerbacks — If Richard Sherman and Johnson Bademosi are as effective in pass coverage as they were during the spring, Stanford can contend for the Pac-10 title. The secondary was the Cardinal’s weakness last season, and Vic Fangio was called in to be defensive coordinator to fix the problem.
– Linebackers Thomas Keiser and Chase Thomas — They were defensive ends who played on the line last year, but they are stand-up outside linebackers in Fangio’s 3-4 scheme. It remains to be seen whether they can cover receivers, which they will be asked to do.
– Crowd — Classes have not begun at Stanford, Sacramento State is not exactly USC when it comes to a gate attraction, and and Stanford has trouble drawing crowds in the best of times. But the Cardinal is considered a Rose Bowl contender, and Luck is a future pro. How many people will show up?
NOTEWORTHY FACTS:
– Stanford has never faced Sacramento State, and they wouldn’t have played this season if Stanford did not need a late replacement for San Jose State, which pulled out of its scheduled game with Stanford to play Alabama and get a $1 million payoff.
– Sacramento State’s quarterback is McLeon Bethel-Thompson, who is from San Francisco and played at Stanford Stadium while he was at UCLA. He did not play quarterback in that game, though.
– This is the first time since 2005 Stanford has started the season with a nonconference opponent.
COACHING LOOKS:
Jeff Tedford is trying to be more relaxed this season, so check to see whether he’s giddy on the sidelines if Kevin Riley throws an interception. Jim Harbaugh is a television cameraman’s dream. He provides more facial expressions than . . . well, take a look.
Well said, Jim.
Stanford and Cal will try to avoid the ignominy of losing to a Division I-AA team. These kinds of games are supposed to provide an extra home game to put a little money in the coffers and provide an extra win to help ensure a bowl eligibility at season’s end. For a Division I-AA program, beating a Division I-A team is as good as it gets. For, the Division I-A team, a loss . . .
We will always recall how The Citadel beat Arkansas 10-3 in the season opener of the 1992 season and Razorbacks coach Jack Crowe was fired the next day. Crowe, by the way, is now head coach of Jacksonville State, a Division I-AA school that will try to put a similar embarrassment on Mississippi when the two teams meet Saturday. Which leads us off onto another tangent, because on Friday, former Oregon quarterback was declared eligible to play for Mississippi this season. He is expected to see playing time against Jacksonville State and will assume the starting role soon, probably in the Rebels’ second game.
Citadel, by the way, is not opening with an opponent quite as intimidating as Arkansas this season. The Bulldogs’ first game is Saturday against Chowan, which lost a 59-10 squeaker to Lenoir-Rhyne last week.
