It’s a cliche, but games really are won in the trenches. Cal experienced the importance of good offensive line play last year. Or, to put that more accurately, Cal experienced the consequences of bad line play. Last year, the Bears ranked 115th out of 120 teams in sacks allowed with Read More…
Sonny Dykes has two young daughters at home, but when he arrives at work every day, he transforms into a surrogate parent of nearly 100 men. Before and after practice, he mingles with his players, cracking light-hearted jokes and dispensing life advice to his players. From the upper stands of Read More…
When Kendrick Payne was informed of a 10 a.m. meeting on Tuesday, he had no idea what was about to unfold. It was a surprise meeting, but it never occurred to the senior defensive lineman that his coach would be fired — not Tuesday, not this season. “It’s a lot Read More…
Jeff Tedford was relieved of coaching duties Tuesday morning, according to Cal Athletics. However, throughout Tedford’s rocky final season at the helm of the Cal football program, his players remained optimistic and supportive of their head coach. “Coming from my standpoint, I’m behind him,” said freshman wide receiver Chris Harper last Read More…
In 1998, Craig Rigsbee, head coach of the Butte College football team, took his squad on a field trip. The Roadrunners traveled three hours south to Berkeley, where they, along with Rigsbee’s sons Jordan, 5, and Tyler, 8, attended a Cal football practice to see the speed and discipline of Read More…
In Memorial Stadium, Tyler Rigsbee and the rest of the offensive linemen huddle around a bench on Cal’s southeast sideline when they aren’t on the field. They stake that bench as their territory, and they wait out the defensive drives. More often than not these days, each defensive effort feels Read More…
LOS ANGELES — It’s becoming as predictable as a Mitt Romney gaffe. For the ninth consecutive year, the Bears were outmatched and outplayed by USC. Cal failed to shift their their car out of first gear, ultimately falling to the Trojans 27-9. The Cal offense resembles a 2011 BMW 740i Read More…
