Cal Golden Bears – Page 3 – Syndication Server

Former Cal Golden Bear Darius Allensworth reveals that he considered going to USC

There’s a reason Lane Kiffin couldn’t offer a #USC scholarship to Darius Allensworth. Find out in this @DonJamesSports Q and A.

Darius Allensworth played in 43 games with 22 starts from 2013-2017 at Cal Berkeley. He contributed 109 tackles along with 6.5 tackles for loss (-41 yards), 2.0 sacks (-10 yards) and three interceptions. He also had one fumble recovery which he returned 37 yards for his lone career touchdown as a 2017 senior.

More Allensworth stats: three forced fumbles, 26 passes defended, and 23 pass breakups over his last four seasons with the Cal program after redshirting as a true freshman in 2013.

Allensworth put up most of his top career numbers as a 2015 sophomore, when he started all 13 games and had several career highs, including a team-high 12 passes defended and 11 pass breakups. He produced a team-high-tying two forced fumbles, 41 tackles, and his first career interception.

Cal takes on USC this week, so we sat down with the former Cal Golden Bear to talk about growing up in Southern California and more.

Trojans Wire: What did growing up in Southern California mean to you during the USC “golden years” of Carroll, Bush and Leinart?

Allensworth: That era made me love football! It looked like they were having so much fun playing under a coach that was one of the first of his kind.

I say that because Pete Carroll was a player’s coach before it was cool to be one in that era.

Trojans Wire: What was your favorite moment in the Cal vs USC series as a player?

Allensworth: I honestly don’t have one, but playing in the Coliseum was cool.

Trojans Wire: Did you ever consider going to USC to be a Trojan?

Allensworth: I did, but Lane Kiffin and his staff couldn’t offer me after I tore my ACL. They only had 13 scholarship offers because of the Reggie Bush rule situation.

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USC football: the state of the program entering November

We had a lot to discuss with @MarkRogersTV at the @VoiceOfCFB. We also had Cal insider @JakeCurtis53 to talk about the Golden Bears.

It’s the month of November. We got past October and Halloween and trick-or-treating. More than 60 percent of the college football season has been completed. If we aren’t in the home stretch, we are certainly getting close.

We have a weekly USC show at The Voice of College Football with host Mark Rogers. Our live broadcast Monday night tackled a lot of different topics. We invite you to subscribe to, like, and share Mark’s USC channel where we air this show plus our USC postgame show after every Trojan game during the season.

We will share the video of our show below, which — near the end — had a segment with California Golden Bear insider Jake Curtis of the Cal Sports Report before this week’s USC-Cal game.

Here’s a rundown of all the topic we hit on in this broadcast, which took stock of the USC program at the start of November:

13 notable quotes from Dan Lanning following Oregon’s imperfect win vs. California

“I think our team can play a lot more consistent at times,” Lanning said Saturday. “I think our guys are hungry to improve.”

The scoreboard will show an 18-point victory for the Oregon Ducks. A victory in a game where they put 586 total yards of offense — the most ever allowed by California head coach Justin Wilcox — and an impressive 6 total touchdowns from quarterback Bo Nix.

If you look at the stat sheet and saw only the numbers, you’d walk away with the impression that it was a dominant showing from the Ducks, who won their seventh-straight game and scored more than 40 points for the seventh-straight time.

If you watched the game, though, then you know that this was far below the ceiling for Oregon football.

This is a team that can play a lot better than they did on Saturday should they mitigate a few mistakes, like dropped passes, empty red zone trips, and frustrating penalties. After the game, head coach Dan Lanning talked with media members about the game and where the team can still improve. Here are some of the most notable quotes from that press conference:

Ducks Wire Roundtable: Predictions and opinions for the Oregon vs. Cal game

Will Oregon keep the 40-point game streak alive? Is Bo Nix’s Heisman campaign for real? Our opinions and predictions ahead of the Cal game.

Compared to last weekend’s affairs, these next couple of games for the Oregon Ducks are going to lack some of the pomp and circumstance. With the Ducks coming off a dominant, 45-30, win over the then-No. 10 UCLA Bruins, this matchup against the California Golden Bears in Berkley lacks some luster.

It is still an important matchup, though, and one that has given Oregon some real problems in the past. The Ducks lost two of their past three trips to Berkley.

The game will also give Oregon an opportunity to continue to impress now that it is on the national stage again following their top-10 win. In the fringes of the College Football Playoff conversation, big margins of victory mean a lot, and Saturday presents an opportunity for that.

To help preview all of the action, Ducks Wire writers Zachary Neel and Don Smalley gathered to make predictions and offer opinions on what we might see.

Here is your eighth Ducks Wire Roundtable of the 2022 season. Enjoy.

3 keys to victory for No. 8 Oregon Ducks against Cal Golden Bears

The Oregon Ducks will hope to avoid an obvious trap game on Saturday when they head to Berkley to take on the Cal Golden Bears. Here are 3 keys to that victory.

The Oregon Ducks, fresh off a season-defining victory over Chip Kelly and the UCLA Bruins, will head to Berkley, California, to take on a Golden Bears team in the midst of a three-game losing streak.

It has all the makings of a trap game, especially with Oregon securing the highest ranking of the season in the polls this past week.

While Cal isn’t a team that should be beating Dan Lanning’s team, the combination of a road atmosphere, the comedown from a big victory, and Cal’s veteran squad could cause some queasiness on Saturday afternoon.

However, the Golden Bears are also a bad defensive team, particularly against the pass, and Oregon’s defense should be able to make it a tough day for quarterback Jack Plummer.

Here are three keys to an Oregon victory on Saturday:

LET BO COOK

Cal is among the worst Football Bowl Subdivision teams in the country at defending the pass. Teams are averaging 275.1 passing yards per game against it this season, and that’s only going to go up after Bo Nix and the Ducks face them in Berkley on Saturday.

While Oregon’s rushing game is a big part of its success this season, the easiest way to attack Cal is in the air. It ranks 27th in the country with just 116.1 rushing yards surrendered per game, and while Bucky Irving and company should be able to find some green on Saturday – it’s best to focus on the air raid.

Nix has a chance to really put his name into the Heisman Trophy consideration with a couple hundred passing yards and a few touchdowns on Saturday, and that should be plenty to lead the Ducks to yet another victory.

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What’s new with Cal since Oregon last played the Golden Bears?

The Cal Golden Bears are on a three-game skid heading into a home bout with the red-hot Oregon Ducks on Saturday.

Coming off an incredible win over the UCLA Bruins at Autzen Stadium last Saturday, the Oregon Ducks now head to Berkley to take on the Cal Golden Bears (3-4) in what is a classic looking trap game.

Cal played Oregon very close last year, losing 24-17 in Eugene and giving plenty of Ducks fans heart palpitations in the process.

Now they’ll look to play spoiler against Dan Lanning’s red-hot squad, a squad which dismantled Chip Kelly’s UCLA team last week.

Cal is a new-look team under coach Justin Wilcox, with Purdue transfer Jack Plummer taking over under center, and running back Jaydn Ott wreaking havoc in the backfield.

Cal’s biggest struggle this year has been in the secondary, and if Bo Nix and the Ducks can take care of business this should be another big victory for Oregon.

Here is a look at what is new, and what is the same, for Cal ahead of Saturday’s afternoon bout between the two clubs:

Latest bowl projections from USA TODAY Sports features a future rivalry for Oklahoma

The latest Big 12 bowl projections pit a pair of border states against one another in the postseason.

At 4-3 on the season, with three losses in Big 12 play the Oklahoma Sooners are now working for bowl eligibility and positioning in their final five games. They just need to win two more to get an opportunity to play in bowl season.

It won’t be an easy task with road trips to Ames, Morgantown, and Lubbock remaining and home games against Baylor and Oklahoma State. What once looked like a favorable schedule hasn’t been for the Sooners.

The Big 12 is deep this season, and they’ve provided some fantastic football on Saturdays. In his latest projections, USA TODAY Sports’ Erick Smith has seven Big 12 schools playing in a bowl game. Let’s take a look at who it is and where they’re going.

Historical matchup data are drawn from Winsipedia.

PHOTOS: CU Buffs take down Cal in overtime for first win

LOOK: The best pics from a great afternoon at Folsom

There we go. For the first time all season, the Colorado Buffaloes got a victory on the football field.

Just weeks after dismissing Karl Dorrell after a brutal 0-5 start, Mike Sanford stepped in as interim head coach and got a win with an overtime victory against Cal, 20-13.

Owen McCown and JT Shrout played QB, Montana Lemonious-Craig exploded as the team’s top wide receiver, and the Buffs’ defense was spectacular against the Bears to get the win and send Folsom Field into celebration mode for the first time all year.

With Sanford being a potential long-term head coach option, this was a step in the right direction for him.

Moreover, it is terrific to finally get a win after a rough year for the Buffs. Let’s relive some of the best moments from the victory over the Bears.

Report Card: Grading Colorado’s 20-13 win over Cal

For the first time all season, the Buffs passed the test

It has been a tough season for Colorado Buffaloes fans, and the grades I have previously given out have reflected that. But for at least one afternoon, all phases of the game passed their tests.

Colorado captured its first win of the season by taking down the Cal Golden Bears, 20-13, in overtime. The players played an inspired brand of football and the energy from the new setup of the coaching staff could be felt all around the stadium. Buffs fans let out a collective sigh of relief and everyone in attendance was overcome with joy, leading to a great rush of Folsom Field.

For the first time this year, here are my grades for a Buffaloes win:

The best social media reactions from Colorado’s first win of the season

Here’s how social media reacted to the Buffs’ first win of the season

In Colorado’s first game since firing Karl Dorrell, the Buffaloes responded with an energy level previously unseen this season.

Interim defensive coordinator Gerald Chatman led a thriving unit that allowed Cal’s Jayden Ott, one of the Pac-12’s best running backs, only 47 yards. The secondary also excelled with four pass breakups and a Tyrin Taylor interception in the first quarter.

After Cal kicked a field goal with time expiring in regulation, JT Shrout’s touchdown pass to Montana Lemonious-Craig was all the offense CU needed in overtime to beat the Golden Bears, 20-13.

Check out how social media reacted to the Buffs’ first win of the season: