Keys to the Game: Presbyterian Blue Hose

Carrot Top bringeth the fury.

This week the Bears face off against Presbyterian Blue Hose. To pull off the win, the Bears will need to--

Sorry guys, I can't do it. I really tried to take the "Keys to the Game" feature for this game. I really did. Hell, I did a Keys to the Game for UC Davis for crying out loud.

But, c'mon. It's Presbyterian Blue Hose. The Bears face FCS school Presbyterian at ATT Park--there I go again.

The fact is I know nothing about this team. I know they're from South Carolina and have been beaten up bad by FBS schools. I also know they're playing Cal because we pretty much couldn't find anyone else to play and that they could use a paycheck.

So instead of a doing your typical preview and keys to the game, I'm going to just share my wishlist of things I'd like to see out of this game.


No Injuries
Please, no injuries...for either team. Seriously, what could be worse than losing a player for a few weeks or a season in a throw away game that will be nothing more than a glorified scrimmage? And I'd hate to see a Blue Hose player go down in a game in which their team is trying not to embarrass themselves too bad and get a paycheck for their school.

So please, football gods, no injuries for anyone.

Build Depth
On this note, I'd love to see the Bears build a healthy enough of a lead that the first team units aren't playing for most of the second half. In fact, I would absolutely love to see the second team units play all the second half, because it may be the last real chance for them to get semi-meaningful snaps before the Bears start conference play.

Get Bridgford Reps
Specifically, I want to see backup quarterback Allan Bridgford lead a few drives of his own. Part of it is curiosity on my part obviously, but a lot of it is the necessity for Bridgford to see his first live game reps now, before it comes in the middle of a critical 4th quarter of a conference game. And given some of the shots Maynard took at Colorado (CU for God sakes), this becomes all the more critical.

Obviously the coaches know this, and I'm sure it's part of their plan. Although Maynard is by no means a proven product yet with the offense, this time will be as good as any to get Bridgford in there.

Brendon (insert future nickname here) Bigelow Debuts
Tedford has already stated that heralded true frosh runningback Brendon Bigelow will play this season after turning a corner physically. Brendon had been getting back into the swing of things after missing his junior and senior seasons due to torn ACLs. There's been some debate as to whether he'll play this Saturday, but if there were ever a game for Bigelow to get his feet wet, this would be it.

I've long stated that I've had a "watch out for this guy" conversation with a friend during certain individual past Bears' debuts, only to be proven right a play later. It happened moments before Desean's first TD catch, a play before Jahvid's 34 yard run against Tennessee, and pretty much all pregame before Keenan Allen's debut against UC Davis.

I get that same type of inkling about Bigelow. He may not do it on his first carry, but if Tedford is serious about getting Bigelow some touches this game, he's going to make a "O-face" play.



Sofele to top 100
I can't decide if I'd rather have Isi Sofele take it easy with an 8-10 carry type of day, to rest his body for conference play, or take advantage of the opponent so that Sofele could have at least one 100 yard performance this season. Ideally, it'd be both, two 40+ yard runs to go with a few grinders, but now we're talking crazy.

It's a strange feeling to not have a Cal rusher top the century mark. It'd be nice to have again.

An Interception
Silly right? But the Bears have just one interception this season, and have had difficulty snagging picks for a while now. The Bears had just 9 interceptions last year, one of the worst marks in the conference. This is a pretty far fall from when the Bears led the conference with 24 picks in 2008. If you can't get some picks here, when? I can't think of a worse QB we'll see all year.

No Blocked Extra Point Attempts
Seriously, the buck stops here. Is that even the catch phrase? Whatever. C'mon. If the special teams gets this down, think about how improved we'll think Tavecchio will be, even if all the previous gaffes weren't solely on him. Tavecchio has been nailing his kickoffs, and he's 2-2 on the year on field goals. Huzzah!

A Splash Hit by Anger
Kidding, but how awesome would that be during a game? Yeah I know it wouldn't even be in the field of play, but if the Bears are on their own 50, just have Anger turn 90 degrees to McCovey's cove and nail a kayaker in the head. Only we're getting on ESPN until the Oregon game.

A Big Return
The biggest return this season has been a 27 yarder by Coleman Edmond. For what it's worth, I think Edmond has been decent on kick off returns, but neither him nor Jones have really been able to break off any big returns. I don't need Cal's return to be consistently explosive, though it'd be nice. I'd just like to see a big return here and there. And at least one against Blue Hose for gawd sakes.

A Focus on "Us"
It's easy for the Bears to dismiss Presbyterian and sleep walk through the game. You can't blame them. But I'm hoping the staff and the team relishes an opportunity to real look inside and focus on their individual efforts. You can't gameplan too much for a team like Blue Hose, but you can make sure you know your assignments inside and out, are taking care of your body, and play each play like your last, regardless of what color uniform is lined up on the opposite side.

I'd like to see an effort that shows the team remembers that full well.

Edit: Score Prediction
California 66 Blue Hose 10
(Tavecchio nails another field goal, and the first team defense surrenders a field goal, while the second team defense surrenders a late score on Presby's final drive.)