While the Bears didn’t annihilate their weak, week one opponents like Stanford, the Cal football team did provide a preview to a potentially exciting season.
The Bears defeated the Fresno State Bulldogs 36-21 at a windy Candlestick Park on Saturday afternoon. The game saw the debut of Bears quarterback Zach Maynard who after a shaky start, settled down to lead California to a victory.
Maynard’s first pass was intercepted and gave the Bulldogs a short field which led to the first score of the game.
After his initial blunder, Maynard and Bears scored touchdowns on three consecutive first quarter drives. Ise Sofele had a pair of rushing touchdowns and Marvin Jones caught a 42 pass for a score. Cal scored two additional touchdowns in the the third quarter, Jones his second receiving TD of the game, and a fumble return in the hands of Trevor Guyton.
The true star of the game was the Bears defense, who shined throughout, and allowed only a single long touchdown drive in the game. One Fresno TD was a fumble recovery in the end zone and another was against the Bears second stringers. Cal allowed only 210 yards of offense while gaining 413 in their own right.The defense had a pair of takeaways, a defensive touchdown, 12 tackles for loss and six sacks. The defense has been predicted to be the best in the conference and week one seemed to be an excellent showcase.
Zach Maynard rebounded nicely from his first blunder and finished with 266 yards passing, two TDs and only one interception. He can use his feet better than any Cal quarterback in memory. Maynard ran five times for 53 yards including an impressive 48 yard scamper down the sideline. This was Maynard’s first collegiate game in over a year and after beginning shakily, he settled down. The next two games against Colorado and Presbyterian should provide ample opportunities to get into a groove before the difficult schedule begins in week four.
The offense still needs work, but for once, the Bears have a solid receiving corps. The aformentioned Marvin Jones caught five passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns. More impressive were Jones’ moves after the catch. Twice Jones executed textbook spins to evade defenders down the sidelines leading directly to one touchdown and significantly more yards for himself and Maynard. Maynard’s half-brother and recruiter Sophomore Keenan Allen also had an impressive day receiving, with eight catches and 112 yards. Its been at least four years since the Bears had a pair of quality receivers like Jones and Allen, harkening back to the DeSean Jackson, Lavelle Hawkins, and Robert Jordan days of the past.
The Bears rushing attack was impressive in the first half and practically non existant in the second half. Ise Sofele, the default starting running back had a pair of touchdowns in the first quarter, one on a 39-yard dash through the defense. After halftime, he cooled off considerably accruing 83 yards on 24 carries for the day. Sofele carried the ball a career high number of times and appeared winded in the second half. Little was seen of other backs Covaughn Johnson, and CJ Anderson, who combined for three carries and 10 yards in total.
On the whole, the Bears could have won by a greater margin, but a win is a win. The defense should take pride from their performance, and despite a pair of turnovers the offense moved the ball pretty well throughout the game. The season really gets difficult in week four and the team will need to use the next few games to fine tune the offense and defense in preparation for the Pac-12 schedule.
Prior to Saturday’s game, it was difficult to read the Bears, after the game, its apparent that 2011 could be a good season for the Blue and Gold.