On a night when Cal's defense held up its end of the bargain, quarterback Nate Longshore couldn't. And he knows it. "I take responsibility on myself," Longshore said after going 13 of 29 for 199 yards and two interceptions during the Bears' 24-17 loss to USC on Saturday. "I need to play better to give us a chance to win. I just couldn't get the passing game going. In the fourth quarter, I was struggling. You can't win doing that." With the Bears driving for a potential tying touchdown, Longshore woefully underthrew wide receiver Robert Jordan and the pass was intercepted by cornerback Terrell Thomas. "I don't really put it on Nate," Hawkins said. "Us as wideouts, we have to do everything to help Nate. It's tough to throw good balls in the rain. Nate is going to make some mistakes just like anybody else. I don't blame Nate." It's been a rough season for Longshore, who has struggled to regain his form from last season, even before suffering a sprained ankle midway through the year. The Bears have lost four of five since Longshore was injured, but he said he felt fine Saturday. "There's way too much talent on this team to have four losses," Longshore said. "I haven't been playing well enough for us to win. That's what it comes down to. I'll be the first to say that. Our guys are playing hard out there. I just need to make more plays and give us the opportunity to win."
• The Bears dropped a bombshell on their fans when they took the field in throwback uniforms to honor former All-American quarterback Joe Roth, the only Cal player ever to have his number retired. Saturday was the annual Joe Roth Memorial Game. The Bears designate the home game against UCLA or USC as the Roth game each year. Roth discovered he had cancer in 1976 and passed away the next year. It was also the final home game for 18 Cal seniors. Coach Jeff Tedford said Roth's college roommate, Jon Matlock, spoke to the team earlier in the week. "When his roommate talked to us, he talked about coverage, attitude and legacy," Tedford said. "That was what Joe Roth was about. These seniors have shown nothing but courage their whole time here. The things that they have done to put this program at a level where it's at, as opposed to when they first got here, I'm proud of them."
• Cal wide receiver Robert Jordan caught a pass in his 39th straight game, an ongoing school record.
1 comment:
This strikes me as an interesting development.
Longshore did look like he was taking the game more seriously. He wasn't laughing off bad throws nearly as much, etc. He still sucked just as much as ever, but at least he seemed focused.
The big question is what this means. Tedford looked pretty pissed at Longshore the whole night, too. His confidence could go, which seems bad, unless (a) he can man up and fight to get it back, or (b) Riley is really the better quarterback, in which case Longshore's collapse is a bit of a blessing. It will be interesting to see what Tedford does with the games we have remaining.
The other question is who the f**k is Longshore's fiancee. She's not Pete Carroll's daughter, is she? Conspiring to make Cal lose more games than the Trojans? This isn't just weakened legs. This is a poisoned mind. Not saying she's to blame, unless her privates are crimson and gold, but Longshore's been a disaster ever since the UT game.
--D
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