The Day After

In my last post, I wrote that LSU was in a trap game with Kentucky. Sure enough, LSU lost in triple overtime. Finally, LSU goes down. They are no different than any other top tier SEC team and the hype train blew it's caboose and went down in flames. Thank God. Now, all CAL has to do clean up in Memorial Stadium and take over the #1 spot in the Nation. Don't disappoint, right? right?

After tonight's game, and hearing about most of the aftermath, it seems that a good amount of CAL fans are ready to hang Kevin Riley and then throw him under the bus. Sure, he made 1 terrible, undeniable and unforgettable decision, but he did not cost us the game. With 14 seconds left, Riley saw a hole open up for him, and he probably had flashbacks of his 1st running touchdown he had earlier in the game, and decided to tuck CAL's hopes under his arm and make a run for it. Well, the hole closed as quickly as it opened and you all know the rest of the story. But still, the blame does not fall squarely on the Freshman's shoulders.

We lost because of turnovers. As the #3 team in the Nation for turnover margin, we gave up 4 turnovers and 3 of them deep into enemy territory that lead to scores. That's it. That was the reason why we lost. There is no crying in Football, and nobody gives cares that your star quarterback didn't play. Nobody cares that Longshore said all week that his ankle was fine and that even Tedford said that while Riley took the snaps in practice, Longshore would start. Nobody cares that Riley was told minutes before the game that he would start, and that his nerves really showed in the first quarter. No, it doesn't matter.

Kevin Riley deserved to play. He had beat out Kyle Reed as #2 on the depth chart. Kyle Reed then transferred, and Brock Mansion (Freshman) is #3. Even though there is an eternity of games still left this season, I couldn't help but look forward towards next year. Will Longshore stay? He is the best Junior QB in the nation right now. But there are as many as 5-6 Senior QB that can be picked in the NFL draft. So, will Longshore stay for his Senior season? Maybe yesterday's game gave us some insight on his thought process. He isn't willing to play at 75% and possibly injuring his ankle even more because he knows he'll be around for another 18+ games. So, will Desean Jackson be back? Last week, he was primed and ready to be the frontrunner for the Heisman if CAL had won and he would have had another career-game. However, what a difference a day makes and it looks like if Desean doesn't win the Heisman, he'll be more inclined to stay another season. He also needs to bulk up his frame more for the NFL. An extra offseason can really help him out. But even if both Desean and Longshore leave, we saw a glimpse of what is there to come for next season. And it looked good.

I like to call our future QB "Wiley" Riley, as he can scramble and run. Tedford, at heart, is a quarterback coach and has always picked and developed excellent quarterbacks. When he was the offensive coordinator at Oregon, he coached Joey Harrington (NFL) and ran an offense that scored nearing 60 points a game. When he came to CAL, he had one year with Kyle Boller (NFL). This was the same Kyle Boller that had a 1-10 season under Tom Holmoe. With just one year with Tedford, Boller was drafted #19 in the first round. Next up was Aaron Rodgers (NFL). Tedford hand picked him as he was scouting over at Chico St. Rodgers had only one division-I offer and was just wallowing around in anonymity. Tedford saw his potential and molded him into the star that he became. He went from having almost no scholarship to leading a #4 ranked CAL bear team to an almost undefeated season, which propelled him into almost being picked #1 in the NFL draft, but instead was selected by the Green Bay Packers at #24. Now, we have Longshore (future NFL) and Kevin "Wiley" Riley waiting in the wings. And, yes, I specifically declined to mention Ayoob. If Longshore were to leave, I would be happy with Riley taking over. He showed flashes of brilliance yesterday. And under Tedford's molding and coaching, he destined to become a star.

Now, having said all that, Riley, in that situation, next time you throw the goddamn ball into the back of the endzone to stop the time, so we can kick a game tying field goal to send it into overtime. Don't try to be a hero. Instead, you ended up as a zero. And Longshore, next time, remove your skirt and get yourself into the game. Angry Californian, out.