Golden Bears Hope No. 13 Brings Luck in Week One

The California Golden Bears football team did something last Monday that seemed impossible just a year ago—Jeff Tedford named a starting quarterback for the first game of the 2009 season in junior Kevin Riley.

Last season, Riley got the call against Michigan State in Memorial Stadium, but Longshore also played in a 38-31 victory. The first test for Riley will be the Maryland Terrapins, who visit Berkeley on Sep. 5th.

California’s defense said goodbye to quite a bit of talent—particularly at linebacker with the loss of Anthony Felder, Zack Follett, and Worrell Williams—but defensive coordinator Bob Gregory remains hopeful. Mike Mohamed fills one of the LB starting spots and he had considerable playing time in 2008.

Also, this will be year two of the 3-4 defensive scheme, and that should benefit now-veteran cornerback Syd’Quan Thompson and his position-mate Darian Hagan. With a more established philosophy on the defensive side for the Bears, the Terps don’t score the same 35 that they did in College Park.

If Maryland loses in the first game of the season, well then, Ralph Friedgen and company just move on to play another mediocre season of ACC football and prepare for Week 2 against James Madison. The Terps were 7-5 last season and 4-4 in conference. Conversely, if Cal falls at home, their hopes of gaining prominence in the Pac-10 and the nation would crumble.

The Bears seem to be starting the season on the right foot by making a definitive statement about who will start under center. As they say, if you don’t have one quarterback, you don’t have any. But, the pressure on this program is higher than ever, and in past years, this team (and Riley, specifically) has not responded well to high expectations. Tedford and his team should be sure to temper any enthusiasm about a potential Rose Bowl berth.

Here are three keys to the opening weekend for the Blue and Gold in Berkeley.

1) The Redemption Factor: A sluggish first three quarters and a 9 AM Pacific Time kickoff marred what was supposed to be a nice win for then-number-23 California last year in College Park. Don’t expect 58 pass attempts and 400-plus passing yards from Riley (his numbers from last year’s game in Maryland), but look for the team to have a big first half based on a desire to erase the embarrassment of their performance in Byrd Stadium.

2) Home Field Advantage: The start of a very difficult home schedule starts Saturday for California. I’m not expecting the team to run the table in Strawberry Canyon like it did last season (7-0 record at home), but the atmosphere in Memorial Stadium should provide a boost for the opener. Jeff Tedford and the other Cal coaches are encouraging fans to wear blue, so as to “Blue Out” the stadium, which may help in securing a victory.

Looking ahead on the schedule, Cal welcomes some tough opponents to Berkeley later in the season, including USC—albeit with a true freshman quarterback—and Oregon State, which boasts the feisty Jacquizz Rodgers in the backfield.

3) He’s the Best: OK, so that might be an overused pun to describe Cal running back Jahvid Best, but it’s also true. Last year, Best rushed for 1,580 yards, including 311 versus Washington in the last game of the season. Pair him with Shane Vareen, and it’s possible that the two comprise the most formidable tandem in the Pac-10, if not in all of college football.

Prediction: California 34, Maryland 21