Rodgers, Longshore, Each at His Best

Aaron Rodgers is considered the last good Cal quarterback, but maybe Nate Longshore, the scapegoat for a myriad of problems in 2007, could be considered just as good on the college level.

In 2004 Rodgers took the starting reigns as a Junior.  He led the Bears to their best season under coach Jeff Tedford, finishing with a 10-2 record and a top 10 national ranking.

In 2006, Longshore started from game 1 to game 13, leading the Bears to their second and only other 10 win season in the Tedford era.

In their individual seasons, each quarterback threw for 24 touchdowns with talented receivers.

Rodgers had the privilege of playing pitch and catch with receivers Geoff MacArthur and Chase Lyman, though they would finish the season on crutches, leading to a rather disappointing Holiday Bowl against Texas Tech. 

Longshore threw to the electric DeSean Jackson and steady Lavelle Hawkins.  They finished off the season with a dominant 45-10 victory over Texas A&M in the same Holiday Bowl. 

Rodgers had 8 games in which he threw for over 200 yards, and Longshore had 9.

For the entire season, each quarterback completed over 60% of their passes, and each averaged more than 200 yards per game.  Aaron Rodgers and Nate Longshore led the two most successful Cal football seasons since 1991.

Rodgers and the Bears finished the 2004 campaign with a #9 ranking while Longshore and the 2006 Bears finished 2006 with a #14 ranking.

2006 was the last year under Tedford in which the Bears finished in the AP top 25, something which Cal fans have come to expect. 

So when you really look at it, Nate Longshore (pre-ankle injury) was something special.  He led the Bears to a 10 win season, but since that victory in the Holiday Bowl, the Bears have fumbled their way through 3 season with a combined record of 24-15.