Spartans shouldn't come close in Bears football opener

August 28, 12:51 PMCal Bears ExaminerRob Calonge

Previous Next

2 comments Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Cal Bears Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Javon Ringer could remind Cal fans of Forsett

As I review the Spartans for Cal's football home and season opener this Saturday night, I keep running across pundits that are convinced that Michigan State is the next Ohio State, or better yet Michigan.  While if you're a Spartan fan or alumni, even though there is much to be excited about, it might be time for a dose of reality prior to watching your Spartans face the Bears.

First and foremost, in 2007 the Spartans were truly a 7-6 team.  In fact, you could say that under first-year coach Mark Dantonio the Michigan State team overachieved.  They were just a year removed from a 4-8 season in 2006 and a combined 14-21 from 2004 through 2006!

Stark similarities to a Cal team in 2003, Coach Jeff Tedford's second year, can be found with this Michigan State team.  Cal was a program even more pathetic than the Spartans had become and in his first season had re-established the program with a 7-5 record.  The following season, 2003, they improved little to 8-6.

That's where the Spartans are this year.  While they'll be competitive and have more grit than they had two years ago, improvement in a program takes at least two years to make big strides.  This is the beginning of that second year.

The Spartans have a larger test in front of them than most pundits would want to admit.  They don't face your standard 7-6 team.  This is a Cal team that had to do quite a bit of soul searching over the offseason.  This is a team that went from the heights of nearly being ranked number one in the country to the lows and embarrassment of falling off the map.  These are not your 2007 Cal Bears.

Tedford doesn't forget his first meeting with the Michigan State program either.  You might say that the directions of both programs began to change dramatically after Cal walked into Spartan stadium and beat them while they were ranked 15th in the country and Cal was nothing more than a doormat.  The prestige is reversed this time and you can be sure that Tedford is well aware of the consequences.

During his first media Luncheon, Tedford talked about the first meeting with Michigan State and how much things have changed since:

"Quite a bit really. I felt like in '02 when we went back there...we've had some big wins here over the years but I think that was one of the biggest because at that point it was a new coaching staff coming in and we had just won two games at home by a pretty good margin and it was a pretty good test to go back there to their place. I think they were ranked No. 15 in the nation, something like that. We jumped out to a lead and they responded and came back with a couple touchdowns. And at that point right there, I thought it was very important how are we going to respond to this? Are we going to let them go or are we going to respond to their challenge and we did. I felt like when we left the field that day, there was a different confidence, a difference belief that our guys had. I felt that that was a big, big game in our time here."

Jahvid Best could prove to be
the Bears' top weapon

It was.  In my estimation, the three biggest wins since Jeff Tedford has been behind the controls of the Bears program was the first bowl win against Virginia Tech (2003), the USC win (2003), and most of all the Spartans victory (2002).

You might ask, "How could the Spartans victory be the most important?"  If you do, then you might not have been a fan in 2001.  The 2002 victory over the Spartans gave the Cal football team the confidence to close games.  Prior to the Spartans victory, Cal had always found ways to lose leads to good teams and end up losing the game.  Since that game, it's rarely been an issue in Berkeley.

The Spartans come in with an average defense that is getting quite a bit of hype.  They seem to get better as the game goes deeper into the fourth quarter.  The only problem for them is that they aren't the strongest to start a game, which could lead to the Bears taking a sizable lead by the end of the first half.  While their defense is good at pressuring the quarterback, they've been horrendous at stopping the passing game.  Last year, they allowed 30 touchdowns on 3rd and long situations.

The Spartans can move the ball though.  Their offense was actually better than Cal's last season ranked 42nd to Cal's 50th in passing yards per game, 26th to Cal's 46th in rushing yards per game, and 30th to Cal's 51st in scoring points per game.

Pundits looking at those types of stats would probably believe that the Spartans are better on offense than the Bears.  The problem with that way of thinking is that you're not looking at the full picture that way.  Michigan State played an inferior schedule to the Bears in 2007.  Teams they played and scored in bunches were UAB (55), Bowling Green (28), Notre Dame (31), Wisconsin (34), Northwestern (41), Indiana (52), Purdue (48), and Penn State (35).  Besides Wisconsin, none of those teams were ranked and Wisconsin wasn't ranked a few weeks later.

Cal has played the tough games, continued to have a tough schedule, and even during a total melt down were able to still maintain a winning record in 2007 and win a bowl game.  The Cal defense is better this season, their offensive ability should still be able to strike fear in the hearts of offensive coordinators nationwide, and in 2008 they'll be a more cohesive and tougher group to rattle.

This year's Bears team will be just that, a team.  Coach Tedford has worked tirelessly to build that team chemistry and promote the internal leadership that leads to championship teams.  You may have heard about the new jerseys that the Bears will be wearing this season.  Here's Tedford's reasoning behind the generic nature of not putting names on the backs:

"...to be more focused on team, to take away the individual part of it. We did that last year in the bowl game for a couple reasons - for that and to pay tribute to the troops because it was about the armed forces. But this year to continue that it's more about team and not about individuals."

Had Michigan State met up with the Bears late last season, they may have been able to sneak out of California Memorial stadium with a victory, but this isn't your 2007 Bears team.  Unfortunately for the Spartans, they'll be well aware of that fact after Saturday night.

Quotes

"The main thing we have been doing is watching a lot of it in film. They are a good defense and regardless of the defensive scheme that they run, they have good athletes. We have been watching how different players react and that is the thing I have been studying the most." - Michigan State Senior running back Javon Ringer on preparing for Cal

"They are a fast team. Their center Alex Mack is the first person off the ball; he looks like a defensive lineman playing center, so we have really had to get ready for them. Their tackles are fast, their running back runs a 4.4, they are fast and we just need to play fast and we will be all right." - Michigan State Senior defensive tackle Justin Kershaw on Cal's speed

"It's just like to coaches expect and have been telling us, we need to be ready for it, and that is how we have prepared. We have plenty of fast guys as well, so we will be ready for their speed." - Michigan State Sophomore linebacker Greg Jones on preparing for Cal's speed

"They are impressive. When you look at the strength of their defense you obviously need to look at their linebackers. (Zack) Follett, Worrell Williams, those guys are tough individuals and they can bring it on every play. They have some guys in the secondary, I think three out of four are back, so obviously they have a lot of experience. We are just trying to get prepared. We have heard multiple things and we don't really know what's going to happen. We are just trying to prepare for everything." - Michigan State Senior quarterback Brian Hoyer on Cal's defense

"It's speed. The linemen have speed; they come down and block you about 20 yards off the ball and they hustle. Their running back is very good. We are looking for that and working on it right now." - Michigan State Senior strong safety Otis Wiley on Cal's offensive strength

"They're a physical, athletic team. Great running back, experienced quarterback, very physical up front, they're going to make you stop the run. It's power football. Defensively, they're physical there, they can run well, good cover guys in the secondary, good tacklers in the secondary. They're well coached in all phases of the game. It's a good group. Their losses last year were very close losses, I think, all within a touchdown, so they played a lot of close games. They're very well coached, a very physical team." - Jeff Tedford on Michigan State

"He's a guy who has great balance, vision, he's tough. He'll run between the tackles and you better make sure you rack him up or he can bounce out of there and make some great plays. He's an elusive guy. It's going to take gang tackling, it's hard to bring him down with just one guy." - Jeff Tedford on Michigan State running back Javon Ringer

"We see him in practice, and people who have an angle on him to catch him, they just don't.  It's impressive. It's going to be exciting. Hopefully we can open up some holes and get him into some open field where he can really show off that speed." - Cal Senior center Alex Mack on how fast Jahvid Best is after his hip injury

Stadium on last hurdle
Alameda County Superior Court Judge Barbara Miller wrote that the university was in full compliance with their outstanding legal issues and ruled that they could begin construction at the stadium's adjacent oak grove.  This is the same oak grove where a handful of tree-sitting protesters have been living since December 2006.

UC Berkeley spokesman Dan Mogulof said about the ruling, "The university has now cleared the most significant legal hurdle.  We're one giant step closer to being able to begin construction."

The California Oak Foundation and the Panoramic Hill neighborhood group have two days to appeal the ruling.  The University has already stated that they will not begin construction the state Court of Appeals rules on the case.  It's believed that they could do that as soon as next week.

Go Bears!