By ANNE M. PETERSON
AP SPORTS WRITER
CORVALLIS, Ore. -- California was ranked 18th and feeling good about itself when Oregon State paid a visit last year. The Beavers left with an upset victory - and the Bears haven't forgotten. "They're hungry from last year," Oregon State center Kyle DeVan said. "They were ranked, I think, in the top 20 at the time we beat them down there in Strawberry Canyon. They're going to come here with blitzes, stunts, and their defense is going to go after our offense." Yep, the Bears are still steamed about the Beavers' 23-20 victory that dropped them in the rankings last year. Oregon State also stopped Cal's 10-game winning streak at Memorial Stadium.
"They came into our house last year and not only did they beat us, but they were more physical than us. That's something that doesn't happen to us too often, to have a team be more physical than we are," Cal coach Jeff Tedford said. "This year, our guys are looking forward to having another chance to play them." Cal especially struggled last season with OSU running back Yvenson Bernard, who rushed for a career-high 194 yards and two touchdowns. This season Bernard is averaging 110 yards a game. "He's a very, very, very cocky running back, and as a defense, we know that," linebacker Mickey Pimentel said. "After he makes a big run, he always shakes his dreads, or he's nodding his head. We already watched him on film, and that's a very cocky running back. As a defense, you love to play against that, because it gets you even more fired up.
Read the entire article here.
No comments:
Post a Comment