BERKELEY, Calif. – We know what you’re thinking.
The Cal Golden Bears get blown out in three straight games, so they’re lousy.
The Washington Huskies beat Cal by three, so they must be lousy, too.
It’s simple deductive reasoning. A equals B; B equals C; therefore, A equals C.
And you could make a pretty good case for it, too. Did Washington, in its 31-28 win against the Bears Saturday, look the part of a top-20 team? Did it resemble a contender for the Pacific-10 Conference title? Did the Huskies look like a major player in a BCS bowl game? Or even the Humanitarian Bowl?
Well, no.
Then again, did Cal look like a team that had given up 46 points a game? Did it look like the same team that bumbled its way to 12 turnovers in its first three games? Did the Bears look like a team whose coach is fighting off alums for his job?
Did Cal look like Rutgers?
Well, no.
In taking a 21-7 second-quarter lead, the Bears were beasts. On defense, they brought six and seven pass rushers, blitzed the young UW offensive line into confusion and gave Washington fits by changing formations and doing 180s with their tendencies – tendencies that they had established over years, not games.
On offense, they made their screens, their curl patterns and their trick plays look easy. Quarterback Kyle Boller, a third-year bust who was benched against Washington State a week before, completed 12 of his first 14 passes for 169 yards and two touchdowns.
Cal? This was Cal?
“I don’t know what to say,” Bears wideout Sean Currin said. “It was a lot of fun in the first half. We were moving the ball so well we felt we were unstoppable. I haven’t seen the offense play like that since I’ve been here.”
So all Husky fans who are thinking about buying crimson and gray underwear, learning the words to the UCLA fight song and cashing in their season tickets to pay for that underground shelter they’ve toyed around with, remember this:
In recent history, for whatever reason, no matter how good Washington is and no matter how horrid the Bears are, their games against each other are as tight as a bank loan officer.
In 1999, it took a 1-yard run by Maurice Shaw with 50 seconds remaining after the Bears were up 14 points. A year ago, it took a complete fourth-quarter collapse by Cal, which yielded 23 points in a six-minute span.
Each time, Washington and California were at opposite ends of the Pac-10 standings.
Let’s take it a step farther. In the past two years, the Huskies have blown out darn few opponents. Apple Cup last year. Idaho this year.
Yet, they went to the Holiday Bowl in 1999 and won the Rose Bowl last year.
Washington plays well enough to win, no matter who it faces. It doesn’t mean the Huskies are horrible. It means they play … just … well … enough.
But regarding the Bears, how can anyone explain? Sure, Washington made adjustments on both sides of the ball at halftime, but can that completely explain why Cal could run just 10 plays and gain just 19 yards in the fourth quarter?
“That’s the nature of their team, man,” UW defensive tackle said. “They’re so talented. It’s nothing that anybody can understand. (Boller) is a weapon. He can really play. They get those hot streaks, then they go cold.”
Let’s state the obvious: Water is wet. TV sitcoms stunt intellect.
And Washington-Cal will be a corker.
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