Cal/Va Tech: First Team to 50 Wins

Anyone see this game? As a Cal alum, I was flipping back and forth between the Rox/Nuggets game.

Cal wins 52-49 in regulation on a field goal as time expires...

(I hope someone took the "over.")

This game had everything:

101 total points
1,058 yards total offense
both QBs nearly throwing for 400 yards
a 52 yard punt return for a TD to tie the game at 49-49
3 missed field goals by the same kicker
156 yards on 16 carries in Kevin Jones' last game

(The only thing missing was turnovers.)

It was like flag football out there -- seemed like every time one team got the ball they scored. (Or, in Va Tech's case, scored a TD or watched their kicker miss.)

Anyway, write this name down: Aaron Rodgers.

Quick, what do Trent Dilfer, Akili Smith, Joey Harrington, David Carr, and Kyle Boller have in common?

They were all first round QBs coached by Cal coach Jeff Tedford.

Cal's current 19 year old QB, Aaron Rodgers, has been in a complete zone the last five games of the year. He looked like he was playing catch against Tech tonight in his first bowl game. Only had one incomplete pass in the second half, and replays showed it was a catch.

Rodgers is the next in the line of Tedford QB whiz kids.

Now, if Cal could just play a little defense, we'd be pretty hard to beat to next year...

 

By the way, Cal did all this without the nation's second leading receiver, Geoff McArthur, who gained 1,500 yards this year.

(He broke his arm in practice this week.)

 

I know nobody cares but me, but it turns out that Cal's QB completed 27 of 35 passes for 394 yards while running for 48 yards on a bum knee that's going to require surgery.

This kid is 19 freaking years old.

What a Hell of a performance against the Hokies.

link

Cal's Rodgers to undergo knee surgery

By Jay Heater
CONTRA COSTA TIMES

BERKELEY - As a reward for leading Cal to its first bowl victory in 10 years, quarterback Aaron Rodgers is scheduled to have surgery on his left knee in the next week or two.

"It has to be cleaned up," Bears coach Jeff Tedford said on Monday. "It's been messing him up."

It certainly didn't mess him up too much during Cal's 52-49 win over Virginia Tech in the Insight Bowl on Friday. Rodgers was the most valuable offensive player after completing 27 of 35 passes for 394 yards.

"He played pretty much all season with the injury," Tedford said. "It is something he had in the past. He's got some cartilage issues in the front of his knee and he had a possible torn ACL to begin with. This is a good opportunity to get it fixed. He is going to have surgery in the next couple of weeks, and we're not worried about whether or not he is available in the spring. We want him to be healthy when the season starts."

Tedford talked about the surgery almost as if it were minor maintenance and he expects his quarterback to be back in form, leading the Bears to bigger and better things in 2004.

"I think it was evident down the stretch that he had a nice command of the offense and a great feel for things," Tedford said of Rodgers, who went 215-for-349 for 2,903 yards and 19 touchdowns on the season. "His decision making and his command on the field improved."

In the Insight Bowl, Tedford said Rodgers was like another coach on the field. "He is going to get better and better," Tedford said. "He has such great leadership ability. There is no doubt about his physical ability.

"I think he will be a tremendous player if we can protect him and keep him healthy."

 

It's inevitable. I just hope he stays long enough to actually build a program that a sucessor can jump off of.

When Mariucci left after two years for the 49ers, the program was sent into a tailspin.

 

Hopefully. Anything that shows the BCS is totally messed up if USC beats Michigan and doesn't get the BCS trophy.

Mostly, I just hope it quiets the "USC doesn't deserve the national title if they couldn't beat Cal chorus."