Cal vs. Washington State Football 2009
Revitalized Golden Bears Take On Struggling Cougars in Pac-10 Game
Oct 19, 2009
Cal will gun for its second Pac-10 Conference football victory Saturday, Oct. 24, taking on Washington State in a 1:30 p.m. game at Berkeley, Calif. The Golden Bears (4-2 overall, 2-1 Pac-10) broke out a of a two-game slump with a 45-26 conference victory over UCLA last weekend.
Their next opponent is a struggling Washington State team that’s coming off a badly needed bye week. Coach Paul Wulff’s Cougars have lost three in a row since a 30-27 non-conference win over SMU on Sept. 19, and haven’t looked good.
Washington State (1-5, 0-4) owns the unenviable distinction of being among the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision’s worst in offense and defense. The Cougars rank 119th of 120 teams in total offense (269.3 yards per game) and are 118th in total defense (489.7 yards allowed per game).
In addition, Washington State is 116th in scoring offense (14.8 points per game) and 110th in scoring defense (35.0 per game).
Coach Jeff Tedford’s Bears can sympathize – at least a little. Before facing UCLA, Cal had been outscored 72-6 by Oregon and USC in its two previous games. The Bears played well – at least offensively – one week after taking their bye. Now they’ll face a Cougars team that’s trying to do the same.
Saturday’s game is scheduled for 1:30 p.m., and will not be televised. It’ll mark the 71st meeting between the schools. Cal owns a 40-25-5 series lead and has won the last four games.
Cal Running Backs Star in Win over UCLA
Cal star Jahvid Best was shackled most of the day by UCLA. But thanks to a spectacular 93-yard touchdown run, he finished with 102 yards rushing. He also scored on a 51-yard pass play and has 11 TDs on the season.
But the Golden Bears’ leading rusher was Shane Vereen, who rushed for 154 yards, including a 42-yard score. The sophomore now has six touchdowns this season.
Best has rushed for 616 yards, averaging 6.1 yards per carry and 102.7 yards per game. Vereen has 309 yards, and is picking up 5.5 yards per attempt.
Those two account for most of the 200.5 rushing yards Cal is averaging on the year. The Bears are netting 408.7 yards in total offense, along with 32.8 points.
Cal QB Riley Has Thrown Only 1 Interception in 6 Games
Quarterback Kevin Riley turned in a superb effort against the Bruins, hitting 14-of-23 passes for 205 yards and three TDs.
Riley, who rebounded from poor outings vs. Oregon and USC, has thrown for 1,225 yards and eight TDs with a 52.7 completion percentage. The junior has been intercepted just once all season.
Cal’s been looking for wide receivers to step up, and Marvin Jones did so with TD catches of 43 and 24 yards last week. He finished with four receptions for 89 yards.
Jones leads the Bears with 15 catches for 260 yards and three touchdowns on the season. Best has 13 catches for 129 yards and two TDs, and Anthony Miller has added 12 receptions for 172 yards.
Cal managed 494 yards against a UCLA defense that was highly rated. That was the good news for the Bears. The bad news was that they yielded 448 to a Bruins offense that had managed no more than 359 in any of its previous five games.
Bears Defense Remains Vulnerable
The Golden Bears have now yielded at least 440 yards in their last three games, and are allowing averages of 374.8 yards and 23.2 points on the season.
Cal, nonetheless, could afford to give yield some yards vs. UCLA, as the game unexpectedly developed into shootout that the Bears controlled. In fact, the defense even delivered a touchdown, with linebacker Mychal Kendricks returning an interception 68 yards for a score.
Kendricks, who had been slowed by a shoulder injury, did not start; and had just one tackle. But he still ranks second on the team with 47. Leading the way is linebacker Mike Mohamed with 50.
Lineman Tyson Alualu is Cal’s third-leading tackler with 27. He tops the Bears with 5.5 tackles for loss and has 4.5 of Cal’s 18 sacks. Other standouts cornerback Syd’Quan Thompson and linebacker Eddie Young (4.5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks).
Cal punter Bryan Anger, who had been off to a slow start, averaged 50 yards on seven punts vs. UCLA, and raised his season average to 41.9.
Washington State Leads Nation in Sacks Allowed
Washington State has started three quarterbacks – Marshall Lobbestael, Jeff Tuel and Kevin Lopina – and none have produced. But since the Cougars have allowed an FBS-high 30 sacks, it’s debatable whether QB could. They yielded 12 in their 27-14 loss to Arizona State on Oct. 10.
Marshall Lobbestael’s done the most passing, going 49-for-105 for 475 yards and two touchdowns. Lopina, who hasn’t thrown a pass since the second week, is 28-for-48 for 333 yards and one TD. Tuel is 26-for-46 for 308 yards and two TDs. The three have combined for 10 interceptions.
Daniel Blackledge is the receptions leader, making 20 grabs for 189 yards. Jared Karstetter has been the Cougars’ most effective weapon, with 18 catches for 271 yards and three touchdowns. The leading rusher is Dwight Tardy, with 45 carries for 186 yards.
Cougars Defense Forcing 3 Turnovers Per Game
One thing Washington State’s been good at is forcing turnovers. The Cougars have forced 18 of them, averaging three per game. Unfortunately, they’ve given it away 20 times.
While the WSU defense has been shoved around and trampled, it has at times played with great heart while facing hopeless odds. The final scores of losses to Arizona State and USC (27-14) could have been much more lopsided.
Safety Chima Nawchukwu leads the Cougars with 45 tackles. Linebacker Louis Bland has 42 tackles and two forced fumbles, and linebacker Alex Hoffman-Ellis has 32 tackles.
Defensive ends Travis Long and Casey Hamlett lead the pass rush with two sacks apiece.
