Cal Bears 2-0 Overall (0-0 Conference)

This Week’s Score: Cal 59 – Eastern Washington 7

Next Week’s Opponent: @Minnesota

For one quarter, Eastern Washington actually looked like they may give the Bears a game at Memorial Stadium. Then Jahvid Best, Kevin Riley, and Shane Vereen decided to step on the gas, and before you knew it, a 7-7 tie became a 52-point shellacking in Berkeley.

Eastern Washington coach Beau Baldwin may have summed it up best:

“They were the most complete team I’d ever seen on film,” Baldwin said. “They’re big up front, they’re fast on defense. They just do everything right”.

Unlike week one against Maryland, Cal did not explode for that may big plays. Instead, Jeff Tedford’s team methodically beat down the Eagles with an overpowering running game and a physically dominant defense.

My biggest question coming into the game was how much Jahvid Best we would see against an inferior opponent.

The answer? Enough to keep him firmly in the Heisman discussion.

Best carried the ball 17 times for144 rushing yards and two TDs (one receiving), and through two games he has a 10.4-yard per carry average. I was also impressed with Covaughn DeBoskie-Johnson who carried the ball 11 times for 92 yards and a score. Lastly, you have to feel good for Brian Holley, who is proving all of the skeptics wrong so far at the fullback position with tremendous blocking and surprising receiving production.

Now the Bears will take their show on the road. Some may worry about the cross-country game at Minnesota’s brand new TCF Bank Stadium, but I think Cal will handle the trip just fine (I’m assuming they learned something from last year’s Maryland game).