Emerald Bowl Recap

(According to Emerald Bowl Director Cavalli, this trophy weight 90 pounds.)

Hey all, sorry for the delay in getting the Emerald Bowl recap. The last few days have been a bit non-stop, and I needed a good full day to recover from the Bowl game.

But Cal fans who were in the Bay Area over the weekend were in for a real treat in terms of bowl festivities and having a bowl game right here in the Bay. It brought a tear to my eye to see so many Cal fans take over San Francisco at once. Sniff.

The game itself was a fun to watch, despite the lack of offensive production by either team through most of second and third quarters. The game was also probably an example of a game where either team was probably thinking, “We should have killed that team.” Really, a handful of plays could have swung the game sharply in either direction.

Cal fans were most likely ready to lament the Bears’ inability to punch the ball in from the one-yard line, the questionable running into the kicker penalty, or Tavecchio’s missed field goal late in the game. Miami fans on the other hand were almost certainly equally distressed with Harris’ interception and late fumble that led to Cal’s winning score.

Naturally, as a Cal blogger, I fall under the camp of belief that Cal probably should have won by a bit more, especially had we had a more consistent passing game, but I did think going into the game that we would win by 6, so I wasn’t too much off the mark with the Bears’ touchdown victory.

Let’s get to a few points.

Best is yet to come?
What more can be said about the conference’s leading rusher? Jahvid Best has been absolutely spectacular, particularly in the second half of this season. And he was in prime form on Saturday, running through, around, and most often right by Miami defenders. Best was the most consistent offensive attack for the Bears, rushing for 186 yards on just 20 carries and two touchdowns.

Anyone else even think that number is a bit low compared to what Best has done in recent weeks? Yeah, it’s become THAT ridiculous.

("Heisman? We're aiming for the National Championship!")

The difference this time is that Miami was a legitimate defense. While giving up big yardage on the ground in the closing games of the season, the Canes were certainly no Stanford or Washington, and it’s impressive to consider what Best was able to do on the ground against Miami.

I’ll cover this a bit more when I do some end of the year review posts, but I have seen very few backs able to make the kind of cuts at the speed at which Best runs. It’s a constant ankle breaking fest out there. Best has that ability to make opposing defenses look silly. Great for the Bears, trouble for everyone else.


Longshore’s Long Day
There’s not much about Nate Longshore’s performance last night that would get too many Cal fans very excited. Longshore was shaky for most of the evening, often missing a number of open receivers on a handful of passes. Longshore finished the day with a pedestrian 10-21 passing for 121 yards and a touchdown.

One has to give credit to the Miami defense. I don’t think many fans expected the ‘Canes to be as fast as they were. Passing lanes closed quickly, pressure came early and often, and receivers had difficulty getting open. Despite that, the offensive stagnation for most of the game was the result of Longshore’s struggles connecting with his receivers, missing on a few critical passes that would have kept drives alive.

At the same time, Longshore avoided any back breaking turnovers, and never gave up costly yardage on any sacks, other than tripping over his right guard’s foot at the goal line.

With that said, I thought it was a bit interesting to note the way Nate finished his career at Cal. For all of the knocks against Longshore and his fourth quarter TD:INT ratio, Longshore’s final collegiate career pass was the game winner in the closing minutes of his final bowl game. Who would have called that at the beginning of the season?

Way to go Nate.

Defense Tells the Story of the Season
Much like the rest of season, Cal’s defense stepped up and kept Cal alive through most of the game. The Bears held Miami to 17 points, and 313 total yards while also forcing two turnovers.

On the ground, the Canes were held to 119 net rushing yards, averaging just 3.7 yards per carry. No Miami player gained more 63 yards on the ground or rush for any scores.

Cal gave up a few more passing yards however with 194, with both scores coming through the air. However, with Miami having attempted 41 passes, Cal’s secondary did an admirable job holding the Canes to just 4.7 yards per attempt and did a fantastic job breaking up passes, and generally disrupting the passing game.

The defensive star of the game was very clearly Zack Follett who had a monster day recording nine tackles, 4 for a loss, and two sacks including the game changing play late in the game in which Follett rushed passed Miami’s right tackle to clobber Miami’s QB Jacory Harris, forcing the fumble which DE Cameron Jordan recovered at the two yard line.


It was a great way for the senior to finish his star-studded career at Cal, and his performance moved him into first in the conference for tackles for a loss at 23. Oregon’s Nick Reed would need 3.5 tonight against Oklahoma State to unseat Follett from the top spot.

O-Line and FB Dominance
Credit has to be given to Cal’s offensive line which dominated the line of scrimmage. The Bears didn’t allow a single sack, and paved the way for 217 total rushing yards. Watch any of Best’s runs again in slow motion and you’ll see the line completely take over and pave huge holes for the Best and Vereen.

I was particularly impressed with RT Donovan Edwards who has made some pretty big strides since being abused during the Oregon State game. Edwards demonstrated some nice athleticism in moving laterally by pancaking some Miami defenders on a number of halfback passes. Will Tau’fo’ou also was his reliable dominant self, as you could see him visibly destroy a few defenders on a handful of rushes.

Goodbye 2008

Overall, one had to feel good about the win. It wasn’t as much of a dominant victory as some would have hoped, considering the proximity of the game’s venue, but it was an exciting, solid win over an up and coming team of great national recognition.

You could tell the entire team as well as its coaching staff was as genuinely excited as I have ever seen them be after a Cal win, and why not? Hopefully, the game goes a long way to cementing the forward momentum the program has going into the 2009 season, in terms of team chemistry and confidence, as well as recruiting efforts. Those in attendance had an opportunity to watch the Bears play a classic in front of an essentially home crowd, with a chance to send the senior class off as winners. You can’t ask for much more.