Jeff Goodman
Cal quarterback Kevin Riley recognized early on that Eastern Washington was defending against the big play, providing the Bears with ample opportunities on the ground. "If you keep six in the box against us," Riley said, "we're gonna run the ball." And run they did. Last week against Maryland, Cal moved downfield with its passing game, racking up more yardage through the air (298) than on the ground (244).
Against the Eagles, the Bears made it clear from the start that they would punish their Football Championship Subdivision opponent with their feet, exploding for 342 yards and compiling seven rushing touchdowns -- their highest such total since last season against Washington State. In fact, all but one of Cal's touchdowns came on the ground. But that result, coach Jeff Tedford said, wasn't planned ahead of time. "It was just kind of how the game worked out," he said. "We were having a lot of success on first down running the ball. We were ripping off some pretty good chunks."
The Bears reeled off 7.4 yards per carry to be exact, earning six more first downs with the running game than with the passing game. Overall, more than two-thirds of their offensive sets were running plays. Jahvid Best had 17 carries for 144 yards, improving upon his 137-yard output against the Terrapins. Shane Vereen, in his usual role as backup tailback, managed a career-high three touchdowns with his 12 carries.
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