I got some grief over the last few days from Cal bloggers and blog readers who took exception to my posts about USC’s history and heritage, relative to Cal’s lack there of. Not that anyone thought one Pac-10 Championship and one Rose Bowl berth would change anything for Cal, but USC’s 23-9 win last night showed how far the Bears still have to go.Sure, USC-Cal has become somewhat of a modern rivalry between two very well-coached teams. But, history ain’t changin’ for the Bears. USC, on the other hand, continues to build its dynasty!
A few quick (Displaced) takes about last night:
Hit in the mouth …
I’m sure anyone who enjoyed my posts about DeSean Jackson’s mouth this past week was fired up to see him get smacked hard* early in the game last night. As for those who didn’t like my posts … I guess they were right. No need for us to pick on the kid: 2 catches and 1 run for 50 total yards, and no TDs. Man, did he put on a hell of a “show for [his] hometown” or what? LOL …
Stat of the night ...
Apparently, the last two times Cal won a Pac-10 championship (1958, 1975) the Bears lost their first game of the season. ABC put up this stat, supposedly because Cal lost its first game this season to Tennessee and someone saw this as foreshadowing. But, when I saw this I had to chuckle - like when you read a Jack Handey Deep Thoughts poem - because what about all the other seasons Cal lost its first game? This season must be like one of those.
This is tradition …One of the best scenes of the night was ABC’s tight shot of the USC Song Girls wearing strings of roses around their necks with about 1:30 left in the game. Is there anything better than that double pompom over the head waving thing they do? (A non-rose example is at right.) Of course, the ABC camera man was smart enough to know that the pompoms needn’t be in the shot, if you know what I mean.
Jersey State of mind …
Did you hear all those thumps and bumps coming from the Jersey Turnpike last night? That was the sound of all the Tri-State Region idiots jumping off the Rutgers bandwagon after the Scarlet Knights’ choke against Cincinnati, 30-11. Did you hear that shuffling underneath the streets of New York? That’s right, the "Irish" “subway alumni” are making their way to South Bend … via their television sets.
Now, on to the real rivalry …
Why did the Domers break out the green jerseys for their game versus Army? Isn’t the green for special occasions only? How can a game versus an Army team that should be playing Ivy League schools in Division 1-AA be considered worthy of the green? The answer lies with Charlie Weis’ kid, apparently.
The victory [over Army, 41-9] ended a four-game losing streak for the green jerseys. The Irish lost 34-31 to top-ranked USC last October; 14-7 to Boston College in 2002; 35-28 to Georgia Tech in the 1999 Gator Bowl; and 41-24 to Colorado in the 1995 Fiesta Bowl.Turns out the Fat “Irish” Guy may have thought he was playing USC a week early. After pummeling Army, Weis admitted (or perhaps more accurately, bragged) that he’s already studied every offensive and defensive play USC has run this year, and two-thirds of the plays ND practiced in preparation for Army were actually designed to prepare for USC …
"At least I got that stigma out of the way," Weis said.
Weis said Thursday night his 13-year-old son, Charlie Jr., suggested wearing the green. Weis resisted at first, telling his son Notre Dame has an unwritten rule that the jerseys are saved for highly ranked opponents.
"He goes, 'Dad you tell me how special this senior class is. It just doesn't seem right that they don't get an opportunity to be honored as seniors going out," he said. Weis agreed […]
Oh, I almost forgot …
The ROSE BOWL, Baby! You know life as a Trojan is good when a trip to Pasadena is the worst case scenario for USC Football. Indeed ... We Are SC!
Fight On! Beat the “Irish”!
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* We would never want any player to be seriously hurt, and Jackson wasn't.
2 comments:
Ahem.
I wish to apologize to football fans everywhere for that piss-poor showing my Bears gave in the Coliseum.
I also guess any talk of Cal-SC becoming a relevant rivalry was a bit premature.
Congratulations to you guys on winning the Pac again. It certainly does seem as if Cal has a way to go before it should be taken seriously. Winning a game that actually means something would be a nice start.
Continuted good luck in your remaining games. I look forward to seeing the Domers get their shamrocks handed to them, and then a real good ass-kicking against Fucla.
Go Bears.
I was at the game last night, and saw DeSean Jackson in action again. Our seats were to the left and above the tunnel. He was taunting the USC players as they entered the tunnel for halftime. This as the score was 9-6. He had to be restrained and reprimanded by an official.
I am very surprised that Tedford has allowed him to keep shooting off his mouth, and that he tolerates this behavior. Not that I mind. As I have stated in past postings, as college football is so emotional, giving your opponent any ammunition can certainly cause one's one foot to be shot off. So add DeSean to the list headed by Oklahoma's Larry Birdine.
To socal oski- No need to apologize for your team's play. It was a tough hard fought game, but the better team won.
This is truly Pete Carrol's finest year of coaching. After losing players to graduation, early NFL entry (some too early) and injury, and then to win a unprecedented fifth straight Pac-10 crown is simply staggering to believe.
So on to the ND game. Fight On!
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