The Prediction - Washington 31 California 24
by John Berkowitz on Sep 23, 2011 6:49 AM PDT
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PrintThe line on this one has been shrinking all week. It opened at three points and it is now down to only one on the eve of the game. Obviously the health of QB Keith Price and a leaky Washington defense are not inspiring the confidence of the folks who bet on college football for a living.
I am going to come out right away and say that I think that Washington is going to win this football game. California does not play well on the road and they tend to play even worse in Husky stadium for some reason. I think this trend which was interrupted briefly during the past decade will continue and Washington will be the victor on Saturday.
What about the Husky defense you ask?
I think they are going to bounce back big time from that terrible performance against Nebraska. This squad has been very resilient since Sark and Holt took over. More often than not this program shows improvement week to week. I don't see that changing. I expect the Husky defense to redeem itself against Cal.
This is going to be a close hard fought contest. Cal has been impressive so far this season but I don't think they did themselves any favors by playing Presbyterian last week. I think the battle tested Huskies are going to hit the field with a good head of steam. I think they are going to play faster than Cal and come out and hit them right in the mouth.
I pick the Huskies to win because they are starting to really click on offense. Cal has one of the better defenses in the conference but Washington has the play makers to handle it. Count on Price to toss 3-4 TD passes and for Chris Polk to run for over 125 yards.
Washington will win this one 31-24 and the media will spend next week writing about how great a defensive coach that Nick Holt has become under the span of only a few days.
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This is going to be another typical barn burner with Cal.
For some reason , the Cal games have historically been exciting. I expect no less, UW 24 cal 21.
I doubt that even the less than bright sportwriters will be ready to call Holt 'great' after one game.
But that won’t stop someone from writing it here.
You dodged a bullet!
Good thing you didn’t mention the weather otherwise the Cal fans would REALLY have an issue with your prediction!
All kidding aside, this should be a good game. The UW defense is going to want to answer the critics after last week, and Cal has to have a bad taste in the mouth from last year. Lets hope the D steps it up this week and puts some pressure on Maynard. The D-Line needs to have a good game!
Benno
A Big Game
It is only 26 hours from when I am meeting my game-mates, at the Northlake Tavern now. Whew-hew!!
This Dude is expecting a wide open and wild game, with our Dawgs getting behind early, then being on top bye half-time, and putting it away in the 4th quarter….. 41-35.
The kicking game will be the difference, as we focus on ball control in the second half of offense, and Folk nails his field goal attempts. Am also expecting to see one or more spectacular punt returns from KW. He should be prime for that, coming back home after being on the field in Lincoln, and for his first PAC-12 game. AFJ will also shine tomorrow, for much the same reasons. As has been said before here: For our very talented and athletic under-classmen, now is when the game will start slowing down for them.
by The Dude 4 Real on Sep 23, 2011 8:41 AM PDT reply actions
You really should get to Northlake before 1030 man.
Just a bit of advice.
A Must Win?
Looking at the schdule, this is pretty much a must-win if we want to be able to go bowling later this year, and not just back to the Holiday Bowl. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but I think most all of us are hoping to continued improvements.
by The Dude 4 Real on Sep 23, 2011 8:55 AM PDT reply actions
It's gonna be a close one
(From a Cal fan)
I see a lot of predictions of UW by 1 TD/1 FG here and on the Cal boards I see the same but having Cal win it. Everyone expects a close game.
I don’t think it’ll be a big running game. So far we’ve been more reliant on our passing offense and Pendergast (our DC) has specifically concentrated on stopping the run.
Price looks impressive. I have a feeling the story line might be Price vs Maynard (our QB) or UW’s defense vs Cal’s defense.
It’ll be interesting to see if UW watched the Cal/Colorado tape and if they’re able to exploit the same things Colorado did. One thing to note is that Cal/Colorado had the same rushing yards and Colorado had 474 vs Cal’s 270 passing yards… yet we still came out with the W.
Gonna' Be A Great Game!
Just wondering if many will show up from Cal?
One thing you gotta’ be ready for, freshfunk, is for Chris Polk to grind out 100+ yards. No one has been able to stop that.
by The Dude 4 Real on Sep 23, 2011 10:58 AM PDT up reply actions
We'll take Polk having a 100 yard day
if we can limit the passing game. But if Price gets us in the air, then our D needs to limit you guys to FGs instead of TDs. This is how we were able to grind out the win at Colorado.
With All Sue Respect....
……. it just ain’t gonna’ happen that way. Cal’s only chance is to run up the score.
by The Dude 4 Real on Sep 23, 2011 11:38 AM PDT up reply actions
that's why the games are played
we don’t know what Cal team will show up, but i’d say Washington’s only chance is to run up the score. and you very well might.
I am a Bear. We Are Cal.
This sums up how Cal fans feel heading into the game
"Some people watch adult videos on their computer - I go to YouTube and watch Jahvid Best highlight clips. That’s what gets me going."- Jim Schwartz, Detroit Lions head coach
by Berkelium97 on Sep 23, 2011 9:51 AM PDT reply actions 6 recs
Awesome!
Here’s hoping ASJ catches a TD in the corner of the W.EndZone and flattens Oski. Then have Dubs lift a hind leg on what’s left of him. Can’t stand that annoying mascott.
by MaltbyDawg on Sep 23, 2011 10:07 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Price's health and our secondary.
I really see this as UW’s game to lose, playing at home with the better balanced offense. In an identity flip-flop Cal doesn’t have a great running game and will instead try and get it done through the air, and anyone who hasn’t had their head in the sand the last 3 weeks will tell you that could be really bad for the Huskies. On the other side of ball, how banged up are Price’s knees? Will his mobility be severely limited, and can the O-line offer him enough protection on passing downs to minimize the damage? I wouldn’t think anyone would take the under on chris polk reaching 100 yards, but workman-like running probably won’t carry the day like it did last year.
Of slightly less importance will be special teams play. My feeling is that our coverage teams have been generally decent with one really notable failure last week when the kids stepped in; can UW give Cal a consistently long field and maybe force some turnovers when Maynard puts the ball up too many times.
Cal's D seems good.....
…. but is, as of yet, untested. And I seriously doubt that Cal’s D is even close to that of the Blackshirts.
by The Dude 4 Real on Sep 23, 2011 11:40 AM PDT reply actions
that may be true
but if you compare Cal and Nebraska’s common opponent thus far, our D handled Fresno State much better than the Blackshirts did. just sayin.
I am a Bear. We Are Cal.
We can spin it around and say you guys played Oregon last year wire to wire, but you also lost to Nevada. just saying…
All I saw was purple
believe me, i'm well aware of that
simply making an observation, and i made a point of saying i don’t know if Cal’s D is better than Nebraska’s or not.
tomorrow will help answer a lot of questions for both teams…good or bad.
I am a Bear. We Are Cal.
by ManBearCal on Sep 23, 2011 12:11 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Agreed
To me the measuring stick comes within league play. This game will tell us a lot about both programs. Now when you guys face off with Oregon this year. Do us a favor and knock those guys off. I was on the edge of my seat anticipating a Cal victory over the zero last year and it came down to some bad FG attempts.
All I saw was purple
Sad Face
ugh, that game was great and utterly painful at the same time. Our D played the game of their lives and our offense/ST showed it’s utter incompetence. Story of our season post-Riley. Playing in Eugene scares me this year, plus our front 7 has a lot of youth that is talented, but will be prone to missed reads. can’t do that aginst the Duckie offense. Hope they surprise me. We’ll do our best.
if you guys could kindly return the favor and do SC for the third straight year, it would be much appreciated. i’ve been lucky enough to watch the SC/UW games the last two years with a good buddy who’s a Husky alum. fistpumps on the reg. loving how Sark owns them. keep it up please.
best of luck tomorrow and going forward.
I am a Bear. We Are Cal.
Blackshirts over rated
Before the bad call. Our offense was kicking that blackshirt defense ass. We gained a lot of yards thru the air and Polk had a 100+ yard performance in their house. I believe the turning point was the lame call by Big Ten officials. I don’t blame Nebraska, in that situation they continued to do what they did and took advantage of a team that was shocked by the bad call.
All I saw was purple
I'm expecting cake. Greedy, I know.
It’s time for the Dawg defense to kick in, and start making some GOOD things happen for a change. The talent is all there. They just need to figure out how to confidently play together. That starts tomorrow, something like 35-16. After which, it looks like a whole new season.
Cal wins 38 to 31
It’ll be close, but Cal has better D. More physical, more depth, better coaching. I’ve watched all of UW’s games and am impressed by Price for sure. It’s going to come down to guts and execution. UW should win at home, but I think Cal comes in mighty motivated and their talent and depth take over.
Neither team can totally stop the other, though I bet we stop Polk this year, and Cal prevails in the 4th quarter because Zach Maynard is a honey badger! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qsclhKhAss
In the last 2 years Polk has hit Cal for 84 and 96 yards and a TD a piece, averaging about 4.5 yards a carry.
That’s respectable and better than a lot of teams have done, but just like there’s no evidence to believe UW’s secondary will be better than a seive this game, there’s no reason to believe you’ll be stopping Polk this year either.
It’s going to come down to the air game, the ground game will be way less interesting.
if cal wins
I owe you guys a round of Jupiters
You forgot to mention how well Cal has played in road games the last few years...
…or not
Damn, my eyeball tastes good.
@chrislandon
Can someone help me out?
I got the upgrade sports package to include all the FSN channels but FSNP (Pacific) which shows PAC 12 games is showing UCLA v. Or St at 3:30 EST. I thought our game was the game on FSN…anyone have any ideas or having the same problem?
I think I saw that it was on the fox sports national channel this week ...
…which is usually a better broadcast than when it is on fox sports pacific
Damn, my eyeball tastes good.
@chrislandon
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