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"Buddy you're a young man hard man Shoutin' in the street gonna take on the world some day You got blood on yo' face You big disgrace Wavin' your banner all over the place We will we will rock you" - Queen
Who: UW at Cal
Where: Memorial Stadium (in memory of Jeff Tedford), Berkley, California
When:Friday, November 2, 2012, at 6 pm Pacific Time
Watch the game on ESPN2 with Carter Blackburn, Rod Gilmore and Jemelle Hill. If that doesn't work for you, try Espn3.com and the Watch ESPN app .
<script src="http://player.ooyala.com/player.js?embedCode=w5cXhlNjpTHEiUx_OFEIFLOSCT0ut7OJ&width=960&deepLinkEmbedCode=w5cXhlNjpTHEiUx_OFEIFLOSCT0ut7OJ&height=540"></script> ... courtesy of the Pac-12 Network.
History
The Huskies lead this series 50-38-4 since it began in 1904. The longest win streak the Dawgs have against the Golden Bears is 19 games, stretching from a 50-31 win at California in 1977 all the way to a 31-28 victory at California in 2001. That's a lot of W's. Over the last five years, the Huskies are 4-1 against Cal, and this is the second time in three years the Dawgs have a chance to give Cal its seventh win, and relegating the Golden Bears to a losing season. How fitting that both games are in Memorial Stadium. What a great way to remember this season. On a side note, the Bears lost their last game in old Memorial Stadium and then came back and lost their inaugural game in renovated Memorial Stadium. For shame.
Last Week
<script src="http://player.ooyala.com/player.js?embedCode=E0M2ZlNjoGeWF4Ri5YF1RmY84_9BW37P&width=960&deepLinkEmbedCode=E0M2ZlNjoGeWF4Ri5YF1RmY84_9BW37P&height=540"></script> In what turned out to be yet another "surprisingly" close game at the Clink, the Huskies pulled of their second victory over a top 10 team this season. Is was a very physical affair, but the Dawgs were victors in the end, pulling off the upset 20-17.
<script src="http://player.ooyala.com/player.js?embedCode=hqMmZlNjo-0hLtXuJNI4WVd5Q7DI1F9l&width=960&deepLinkEmbedCode=hqMmZlNjo-0hLtXuJNI4WVd5Q7DI1F9l&height=540"></script> The Bears, meanwhile, went to Utah holding a white flag, and proceeded to vomit all over themselves. Utah should be beating any Pac12 teams 49-27, but Cal just let it happen.
Numbers
0 - number of top 10 offenses Cal has faced to date
2 - number kickoffs Cal's opponents have taken to the house (both of them were last week against Utah)
4.69 - average yards per play UW is getting on offense
5.3 - average yards per offensive play Cal is allowing opponents to gain to date
5.85 - average yards per offensive play UW is allowing opponents to gain to date
5.89 - the average yards per play Cal is getting on offense
9 - number of interceptions Maynard has thrown this year
12.7 - Cal RB Brendan Bigelow's average yards per rush this season
12 - number of TD Zach Maynard has thrown this year
61 - number of receptions Keenan Allen has this year
168 - number of receptions Cal has this year
2053 - number of passing yards Cal has to date
2272 - number of passing yards Cal's opponents have to date
Questions needing answers
Offense: Will we see more progression from the offense this week, or will it end up being another let down? How long will it take for Bishop Sankey to break 100 yards this game? Can Jaydon Mickens and Michael Hartvigson build off their performances last week? What kind of game is Kendyl Taylor going to have? Will Keith Price trust his line more after their strong showing last week? Cal doesn't have a Scott Crighton, but can Micah Hatchie continue to protect Price's blind side? Will we see more jump balls to Kasen Williams this week?
Defense: Can Marcus Trufant keep Keenan Allen to a quiet game like he did Marquis Lee, or will he look more like he did against Brandon Cooks? Can we expect some kind of pass rush? How many picks will our secondary get this week? Will the dumb personal foul penalties we seem to habitually rack up on defense cease? What's Shaq Thompson going to to this week?
Miscellaneous: Have the Bears quit on Jeff Tedford? Has Jeff Tedford quit on the Bears? How big was that boat UW gave Tosh anyways? Who's the next coach at Cal going to be? Why do Cal fans care more about the Tosh situation than the actual players and the coaches?
This is a big game for the Dawgs. They can't seem to play well on the road against middle to top tier teams on even an inconsistent basis. They are 5-13, including the 2 bowl games, on the road since Sark came to UW. A lot of those losses were blowouts. It seems that the one constant was that they would lose away games. The time has come for a paradigm shift. Rock those Bears. Waive your banner all over the place. The Bear's season is all but over. I WANT 8 WINS!