In 2005, Cal, coming off a 2004 season in which we were 9 yards away from playing for the National Championship, opened the season versus Sacramento St. Despite losing star QB Aaron Rodgers to the draft, Cal had tons of talent returning...Marshawn Lynch, Thomas DeCoud, Brandon Mebane, Alex Mack, Justin Forsett, LaVelle Hawkins, Ryan O'Callaghn, Andrew Cameron, Dante Hughes, Tim Mixon, Donnie Mac. Plus we had a stud recruiting class coming in with guys like DeSean Jackson, Follet, Felder, SydQuan. Optimism was very high...

The big question was at QB where Nate Longshore decisively won the QB competition over Joe Ayoob. During the 1st game of the year versus Sac St, Longshore gets rolled and breaks his leg. Ayoob steps in and goes 0-10 to start his collegiate career. QB play would be horrible for the entire year but Cal still managed to start 5-0 and rise to #9 in the polls before going 2-4 to close the year and finish 8-4 with a #25 ranking. I am convinced we win versus UCLA, Oregon, and Oregon St if we had a halfway competent QB (Longshore). Probably would've still lost to SC though -- they played in the NC game versus Texas. After getting screwed in 2004 out of the Rose Bowl, the media and pollsters would've taken pity on Cal and 11-1 Cal would've gone to a BCS game while SC played in the NC.

Cal football history as we know it would've been completely different...if not for Sac St. Lets stomp those guys this Saturday. :p

Sac State was also coached that year by Tedford's former teammate(?), roommate(?)

Blame the offensive linemen for getting beat/ shoved around by Division II opponent.

Sacramento ruined California. Like always.

hanky1;842352081 said:

---

In 2005, Cal, coming off a 2004 season in which we were 9 yards away from playing for the National Championship, opened the season versus Sacramento St. Despite losing star QB Aaron Rodgers to the draft, Cal had tons of talent returning...Marshawn Lynch, Thomas DeCoud, Brandon Mebane, Alex Mack, Justin Forsett, LaVelle Hawkins, Ryan O'Callaghn, Andrew Cameron, Dante Hughes, Tim Mixon, Donnie Mac. Plus we had a stud recruiting class coming in with guys like DeSean Jackson, Follet, Felder, SydQuan. Optimism was very high...

The big question was at QB where Nate Longshore decisively won the QB competition over Joe Ayoob. During the 1st game of the year versus Sac St, Longshore gets rolled and breaks his leg. Ayoob steps in and goes 0-10 to start his collegiate career. QB play would be horrible for the entire year but Cal still managed to start 5-0 and rise to #9 in the polls before going 2-4 to close the year and finish 8-4 with a #25 ranking. I am convinced we win versus UCLA, Oregon, and Oregon St if we had a halfway competent QB (Longshore). Probably would've still lost to SC though -- they played in the NC game versus Texas. After getting screwed in 2004 out of the Rose Bowl, the media and pollsters would've taken pity on Cal and 11-1 Cal would've gone to a BCS game while SC played in the NC.

Cal football history as we know it would've been completely different...if not for Sac St. Lets stomp those guys this Saturday. :p

---

Nope. Syd'Quan was a year later.

GoBears63;842352094 said:

---

Nope. Syd'Quan was a year later.

---

Nope. Syd came in '05 and redshirted.

Plus I got stung by a hornet once when I was in the pool. Ouch!!! Death to Sac State!!!!!

I'm from Sacto. Nuff said. Beat the crap outta the Hornets!

I was at that game and I remember it with a lot of pain and sadness in heart.

For the reasons that you stated...

And for deep personal reasons that I will keep to myself....

calbear80;842352122 said:

---

I was at that game and I remember it with a lot of pain and sadness in heart.

For the reasons that you stated...

And for deep personal reasons that I will keep to myself....

---

Seriously. That made me sad. Hope we win and it helps to alleviate that bad memory.

[SIZE=3][FONT=georgia]"Sacramento. You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious."[/FONT][/SIZE] [FONT=century gothic](Alec Guinness)[/FONT]

hanky1;842352081 said:

---

In 2005, Cal, coming off a 2004 season in which we were 9 yards away from playing for the National Championship, opened the season versus Sacramento St. Despite losing star QB Aaron Rodgers to the draft, Cal had tons of talent returning...Marshawn Lynch, Thomas DeCoud, Brandon Mebane, Alex Mack, Justin Forsett, LaVelle Hawkins, Ryan O'Callaghn, Andrew Cameron, Dante Hughes, Tim Mixon, Donnie Mac. Plus we had a stud recruiting class coming in with guys like DeSean Jackson, Follet, Felder, SydQuan. Optimism was very high...

The big question was at QB where Nate Longshore decisively won the QB competition over Joe Ayoob. During the 1st game of the year versus Sac St, Longshore gets rolled and breaks his leg. Ayoob steps in and goes 0-10 to start his collegiate career. QB play would be horrible for the entire year but Cal still managed to start 5-0 and rise to #9 in the polls before going 2-4 to close the year and finish 8-4 with a #25 ranking. I am convinced we win versus UCLA, Oregon, and Oregon St if we had a halfway competent QB (Longshore). Probably would've still lost to SC though -- they played in the NC game versus Texas. After getting screwed in 2004 out of the Rose Bowl, the media and pollsters would've taken pity on Cal and 11-1 Cal would've gone to a BCS game while SC played in the NC.

Cal football history as we know it would've been completely different...if not for Sac St. Lets stomp those guys this Saturday. :p

---

I was at that game and remember it well with a great deal of sadness and pain in my heart.

For the reasons that you stated...

And for deep personal reasons that I will keep to myself...

Speaking of Nate Longshore (a great guy), he throw a TD pass in his first series at Cal (to DerSean Jackson) and his last series at Cal (to the TE from San Hose in the Bowl Game in which we beat Miami). However, after that injury, Nate was never quite the same as he no longer could fully push off that injured foot.

Nasal Mucus Goldenbear;842352126 said:

---

[SIZE=3][FONT=georgia]"Sacramento. You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious."[/FONT][/SIZE] [FONT=century gothic](Alec Guinness)[/FONT]

---

Geek! Awesome. Lol.

I was there. Ayoob started 0-11. Could see Desean was a special player from his first career reception and punt return both of which went for TDs. Something that certainly will never happen again - we had 65k fans for that game!

http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=252460025

I can still see Longshore going down. Such an innocuous play at the time