Emerald Bowl: Quiet before the storm

Not sure how much there will be to report today.  Practice is going on right now for the Bears and the 'Canes have already finished practice for the day.  Both teams will be practicing on Christmas day.  Here's the Emerald Bowl schedule for today and tomorrow:

Wednesday, December 24th

    * 8:00am - 11:30am ACC practice
    * 11:30am - 1:30pm Pac-10 / ACC coaches / administrative wive's brunch and shopping
    * 1:00pm - 4:30pm Pac-10 practice
    * 6:00pm - 8:00pm Team Dinner Event
    * 7:30pm - 8:30pm Ice cream sundaes for coaches / administrative children at team hotels

Thursday, December 25th

    * 8:00am - 11:30am ACC practice
    * 12:00pm - 1:00pm Select players and staff to visit local children's hospital
    * 1:00pm - 4:30pm Pac-10 practice
    * 4:00pm - Merry Christmas, teams on own for Xmas Holiday

Cal's defensive backfield is definitely one of the more underrated areas on the team.  While they've picked off 23 passes, it's usually been the pressure up front that has received much of the accolades.  Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote a really good story about Cal's main pieces of their secondary - Syd'Quan Thompson and Darian Hagan.  You may want to stop by and check it out.

Longshore deserves to play in final bowl game
(AP Photo/Ben Margot)

Being a veteran of the Navy, I also got a kick out of a story about Cal defensive end, Rulon Davis.  Jonathan Okanes from Bay Area News Group wrote an interesting story detailing Davis' injury problems during his career.  He also tells a little background story about Davis that may have you seeing him in a different light, if it's news to you that is.

Kyle Munzenrieder of Miami New Times Blogs doesn't think much of the Emerald Bowl.  He also doesn't think much of Miami's chances against Cal.  He does make an interesting correlation between the last two BCS National Champions and Cal.  Miami's last two bowl opponents are Florida and LSU - the last two BCS Champs.  If nothing else, it's good to dream....

The big question for Bear Backers pertains to who will start at quarterback for the Bears.  Nate Longshore took all of the starter's snaps yesterday and it's my guess that Kevin Riley is taking those same snaps today.  If I had to chose, I'd start Longshore and stick with him unless the Bears are down at the half or blowing Miami out.  I'm not Jeff Tedford though.

Let's not forget that Longshore will leave Cal as only the second quarterback to throw for over 3,000 yards in a season and he's also one of only three Bears quarterbacks to throw 50 touchdowns in a career.  He can handle the job of bringing home the Emerald Bowl trophy.

I just thought they were booing the refs or something.
- Longshore about all of the boos he's received during his Cal career.