Dec 28 2008
Emerald Bowl was only another step for the Cal football program
Once again, Zack Follett came through with another big play when the Bears were in need of one. On a night that Cal’s offense struggled to get a first down, it was the defense that made the plays necessary to prevent the Bears from getting egg on their face with a national audience watching.
With less than five minutes left in the game, Miami starting a potential game-winning drive and the Cal offense on the bench licking their wounds, Jacory Harris stepped back to pass with an expectation of working a little late-game magic.
Magic is what he got, but the fairy tale type of magic was in short supply for the true freshman. Instead, what he got was a bit of that Louisianna black magic when he was sacked by Follett and he lost the ball in the process. Bears’ lineman Cameron Jordan picked up the loose ball in stride and ran towards the end zone. The only luck for Harris on the play was that Jordan was stopped at the two - if you could call that luck.
The Bears walked away with a great win and a 9-4 record on the season, but did they gain any national respect on the night? Probably not. The defense that was able to keep the Bears in the game for the win, will be credited to the seniors who will be on their way to non-college football pursuits next year. Cal showed that they’ll be able to run with Jahvid Best and Shane Vereen, but they weren’t able to prove to anyone that they’ll be able to pass.
Most of the breakdown in the passing game can be attributed to the lack of offensive line protection. The Bears have plenty of depth on the line coming back in 2009, and are currently recruiting more talent for those spots. Nearly everyone on the offense will have game experience and the only area on defense that the Bears will have to find new faces is at the linebacker spots.
So at 9-4, the Bears are poised for an even better season in 2009 if they are able to shore up their weaknesses from this season. They may have to work their way into the top-25 rankings next year, but the experience that they received this season is only going to help their case.
