Cal gears up for 113th Big Game By George Devine, Sr. November 16, 2010     The Golden Bears will host the Big Game in Memorial Stadium at 12:30 p.m. PST on Saturday, November 20. The annual showdown with Stanford began in 1892 and the visitors will come in with a 55-46-11 advantage. In addition, the Cardinal have an overall record of 9-1, and a Pac-10 record of 6-1. Cal is 5-5 for the year and 3-4 in conference. Stanford is ranked #7 in the AP top 25 poll and #8 in the USA Today coaches poll, thus already in position for one of the more prestigious bowl games, and Cal needs to win a total of six games this year to be bowl eligible. All that said, statistics are not the last word in this intense rivalry. “This game truly is a big game this year!” says Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh, “It’s awesome to be part of it!” His counterpart, Jeff Tedford, says “It’s going to be imperative that we do our best. Preparation is key!” The Cal coach was speaking to a press conference in San Francisco and anxious to return to the Berkeley campus for team meetings and practices which would continue through the week. For Tedford, the first priority will be to stop Stanford’s running game, but he is also concerned about the passing strength of Cardinal quarterback Andrew Luck, who can run as well as pass. He has hit his receivers for 22 touchdowns, but also has 373 rushing yards. “It’s a very difficult offense to stop,” he admits in crediting its balance, “We’ll have to play a very physical four quarter football game!’ In that regard, Cal will be counting on linebacker Mike Mohamed, whose interception of Luck’s pass at the Bears’ 3-yard line stopped the potential winning touchdown and kept the Axe in Oski’s custody. Once the Saturday game is over, Cal has one more game, against Washington at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, November 27, with a 12:30 p.m. PST kickoff. On the same day, Stanford hosts Oregon State at a time to be determined.

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