Washington State-Cal: Can Cougs Recover from 66-3 Spanking?

If you missed the Pac-10 opener for Cal and Washington State, you missed a textbook game illustrating, to a point of exaggeration, the differences between football programs at the two universities.

Final score of the late afternoon game in Pullman?  Try 66-3, Cal.  Talk about a world class thumping...

Coach Jeff Tedford and his staff not only prepared their troops well, they had them ready to play.  Then there's the matter of having the players to execute their game plan.  Yes, Cal had 'em both on Saturday.

A week ago, the special teams play of Coach Paul Wulff's Cougs was simply awful.  There was virtually nowhere to go but up after the pathetic punts, kicks, and coverage.

The Cougs kicked off in style Saturday.  Patrick Rooney booted the opening kickoff deep into the end zone for a touchback.

Nice.

The first play from the Cal Bear offense defined the difference between the two schools.  The WSU coaching staff expected Cal to establish the running game early on.  That's what they emphasized during practice.

The Cal staff knew that starting defensive lineman A'i Ahmu was suspended for the first half.  Adam Hineline got the start instead of the powerful Ahmu.

Where did Coach Tedford attack with a blast play?  That's right.  Jahvid Best took a handoff off-tackle, broke into a secondary that was completely out of position, and sprinted 80 yards for an impressive and memorable touchdown.

Last week the defense of WSU played well before tiring late in the game.  The offense had its moments.  Special teams were consistently bad.

This week, Cougar special teams were consistently good.  The offense had very few moments, and the defense was simply overmatched.

That said, there was no surprise in the outcome...only the final score.  Cal played very well in their home opener and looked even better on Saturday.  They are off to a start this season that has just about erased the finish of last season. 

The Bears are good.  Very good.

Coach Wulff and his staff now have one Pac-10 game under their belt. 

Coach Tedford and his staff looked every bit the experienced group they are.

The best thing to take away from this game from both staffs is that "it's over."  Each staff will have their own challenges to prepare for their next opponent.

You gotta love college football.  Filled with emotion, you never know what to expect.

And then it's over.