- 2,356
- 12
- Joined
- May 7, 2009
The 14th-ranked Stanford Cardinal are one of the hottest teams in college football, and they will play host to the California Golden Bears this weekend in aPac-10 Conference rivalry bout referred to as the "Big Game".
The Golden Bears have won four of their last five games to move to 7-3 overall and 4-3 in conference play. Last weekend, they found a way to knock off astrong Arizona squad by a 24-16 final in front of the home crowd.
"We talked all week about the seniors' last opportunity to go down the tunnel and come back up that tunnel and how we wanted to come back into thatlocker room," said Cal coach Jeff Tedford after the win over Arizona. "Those guys have done a lot for this football program. To see them go out thisway at home is very deserving."
Stanford extended its current winning streak to three games with a 55-21 romp over USC last weekend, and the 55 points were the most ever scored against aUSC team. That victory guaranteed the Cardinal their first winning season since 2001 and a bowl berth. The program hasn't been ranked since 2001, and itwill be interesting to see how Jim Harbaugh's team handles the attention on Saturday.
California has won six of the last seven meetings with Stanford, but the Cardinal still owns a 55-45-11 advantage in the all-time series.
The Golden Bears are averaging 30.7 ppg this season to go along with 401.5 total ypg. They have scored 37 offensive touchdowns, 22 of which have come on theground. Explosive tailback Jahvid Best has accounted for 867 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns, but he has suffered two concussions this season and will not bein action this weekend. Best is replaced by Shane Vereen, a talented tailback in his own right who has rushed for 545 yards and seven scores on 105 carries.Without Best, some added pressure falls upon Kevin Riley, the team's quarterback, who has completed 55.8 percent of his passes for 2,186 yards and 15touchdowns with five interceptions. Marvin Jones, the club's top wideout, has made 28 catches for 455 yards and five scores.
Opponents are scoring 22.4 ppg against California, which is allowing 372.8 total ypg. The Golden Bears have been tough against the run, permitting foes togain only 104.0 rushing ypg at a clip of 3.1 yards per carry. Against the pass, Cal has struggled a bit, yielding nearly 270 yards per contest. With 26 sacksand 19 takeaways, there have been a decent number of big plays made. Mike Mohamed has made 90 tackles for the Golden Bears, 31 more than his closestteammate.
The Golden Bears have won four of their last five games to move to 7-3 overall and 4-3 in conference play. Last weekend, they found a way to knock off astrong Arizona squad by a 24-16 final in front of the home crowd.
"We talked all week about the seniors' last opportunity to go down the tunnel and come back up that tunnel and how we wanted to come back into thatlocker room," said Cal coach Jeff Tedford after the win over Arizona. "Those guys have done a lot for this football program. To see them go out thisway at home is very deserving."
Stanford extended its current winning streak to three games with a 55-21 romp over USC last weekend, and the 55 points were the most ever scored against aUSC team. That victory guaranteed the Cardinal their first winning season since 2001 and a bowl berth. The program hasn't been ranked since 2001, and itwill be interesting to see how Jim Harbaugh's team handles the attention on Saturday.
California has won six of the last seven meetings with Stanford, but the Cardinal still owns a 55-45-11 advantage in the all-time series.
The Golden Bears are averaging 30.7 ppg this season to go along with 401.5 total ypg. They have scored 37 offensive touchdowns, 22 of which have come on theground. Explosive tailback Jahvid Best has accounted for 867 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns, but he has suffered two concussions this season and will not bein action this weekend. Best is replaced by Shane Vereen, a talented tailback in his own right who has rushed for 545 yards and seven scores on 105 carries.Without Best, some added pressure falls upon Kevin Riley, the team's quarterback, who has completed 55.8 percent of his passes for 2,186 yards and 15touchdowns with five interceptions. Marvin Jones, the club's top wideout, has made 28 catches for 455 yards and five scores.
Opponents are scoring 22.4 ppg against California, which is allowing 372.8 total ypg. The Golden Bears have been tough against the run, permitting foes togain only 104.0 rushing ypg at a clip of 3.1 yards per carry. Against the pass, Cal has struggled a bit, yielding nearly 270 yards per contest. With 26 sacksand 19 takeaways, there have been a decent number of big plays made. Mike Mohamed has made 90 tackles for the Golden Bears, 31 more than his closestteammate.
