Golden Nugz 06.08.09
The Daily Gopher — ... MarQuies Gray!  His inability to get admitted followed by his spring game splash. Please give us your top 5 Gopher stories of the year. Sid Hartman assures us that regardless of how high Eric Decker is drafted on Tuesday, he has promised Tim Brewster he will be playing football this fall. You will have a chance to purchase a portion of the Williams Arena floor.  Details will be coming. Cal RB, Jahvid Best will be the focus of the Gopher defense come September.  Here is ...

What Concerns You About Cal Football? (2009 Edition)
California Golden Blogs — ... this past season, Jahvid Best the year before that, Desean the year before that. Some of us even dream of the great upsets, of going undefeated, of cheering the Cal band on down Colorado Blvd. Boredom and a lot of free time can do that to you. ...

Morning Quack Fix: Track Recap Edition
Addicted To Quack — ... . He predicts an 8-10 win season, but I think this quote sums up his (any my feelings): "The answer is that Best, like Reggie Bush, is not that kind of carry-the-load kind of back. The big difference between the kind of fringe top-25 team the Bears were last year and the fringe top-10 team they're widely expected to be this year could be mainly in how much hay they can make on the three-fourths of plays when Best isn't getting the ball." This is why I can't get on board ...

College Gameday should come to Minnesota!
The Daily Gopher — ... Cal @ Minnesota - This is the best team we will see come to TCF.  Assuming Cal beats Maryland and Eastern Washington they could easily come into this game as a top 10 team.  Not only is Cal a team that could potentially contend for the Pac-10 title, but they'll bring Jahvid Best and his Heisman campaign season to The Vault.  This isn't a great national match-up as Cal shoudl be favoried, but it is a great team visiting the brand new TCF.  Games to conetnd with?  Tennessee vs. Florida, Georgia vs. Arkansas, Texas Tech vs. ...

Morning Quack Fix: Looking back and Kilkenny and meeting Gaines and Rice
Addicted To Quack — ... both around 4-1. But where I think things get interesting is in the Heisman race. Jahvid Best is a 10-1 favorite to win it, while ...

Happy 4th Of July Weekend!
California Golden Blogs — via www.shirtsnob.com   Here's hoping you all have a great 4th of July.  Tell us, how will you be celebrating?  Here, we'll be celebrating this weekend with more Sweet 16 action in the CGB Meme Invitational. And reader Berklium97 has been kind enough to organize the questions from the Jahvid Best chat with Contra Costa Times writer Jonathon Okanes.  We were lucky enough to get some of the questions answered by Jahvid Best.  If you missed them or any other questions, the ...

Jeff Tedford LiveChat With Jonathan Okanes, 7/28 10:30am-11:30am
California Golden Blogs — ... As with the Jahvid Best livechat, let's aim to flood JO with as many excellent questions as possible.  Personally, I would focus on questions outside the norm: there are sure to be plenty of average questions from other folks. ...

A Quick NCAA Football 2010 Overview: UCLA
Bruins Nation — ... team skill becomes apparent when you use an unranked mediocre team (us) against a ranked opponent (in this case, Cal). It essentially plays down to how it should in real life; a win against a ranked team is entirely plausible but you'll need some breaks through turnovers, punts, and smart/time-consuming play on offense. To put it in perspective: Cal's offensive yardage was above 350 and ours was above 150...sounds entirely plausible, correct? The bulk of their offense came from Jahvid Best, who essentially is a one-man wrecking crew in the game in terms of ...

2009 - Not The Year of the Pac-10 Quarterback?
Addicted To Quack — ... might win a national championship at USC. Otherwise, 2009 will probably be remembered as the year of powerful rushing attacks (think: Jahvid Best, Jacquizz Rogers, ...

Pac-10 Media Day Notes
Conquest Chronicles — ... "It has a lot to do with coaching," said Jahvid Best, Cal's Heisman hopeful running back. "There's a lot of talk that it's talent, but every team in the Pac-10 has talent so that's not the best argument. ...

Pac 10 Media Day: Part One
California Golden Blogs — ... Now that all the coaches had arrived, it was almost time for the press conferences to begin.  To start the day, Pac-10 commissioner Larry Scott came to the stage and introduced a highlight video from the 2008 season.  Cal, USC, Oregon, and Oregon St dominated the video.  Scott then had a few videos which highlighted specific players.  Jahvid Best, ...

Pac-10 Media Day: Part Two
California Golden Blogs — ... I grabbed some food and went over to the Cal table where Jahvid Best was talking with some reporters and Cal media guys were talking among themselves.  Not long after I sat down, Tedford came and sat at the table.  I was sitting at a table having lunch with Tedford and Best!  Media types were quick to swoop in and talk to Tedford and Best.  While they were talking to reporters I talked to a pair of Cal media reps, Kyle McRae and Anton Malko (?).  Both had heard of CGB and in fact had read some of it.  Anton said he had ...

The Great College Football Debate: The Michigan State Spartans
Maize n Brew — ... Maize n Brew Dave: I think the expectations for this offense need to toned down just based on the departures on the offensive line. MSU lost two starting linemen who combined for 26 starts last year. And it's not like last year's line was overpowering anyone to begin with. Ringer carried the ball 390 times but only rushed for a 4.2 average and 1637 or so yards. That's notsogood when you consider Shonn Green had 307 carries and rushed for more than 200 extra yards. Hell, Jahvid Best at Cal rushed for 1580 on 194 carries. Almost TWO HUNDRED fewer ...

Football News and Notes: Passing Time Before Fall Camp Begins
Building The Dam — ... . The Waker award is presented annually to the nation's top running back. If it's any indication how good Pac-10 teams will be at running the ball this season, four other players from the Conference of Champions make the list as well: California's Jahvid Best, Oregon's ...

2009 Women's Huddle Roundtable
California Golden Blogs — ... BearBallCarrier: I seriously need help with kicking. I might have broken a (toe) nail. And I need Jahvid Best to choreograph me an endzone dance! ...

SN Q&A With Jahvid Best
Building The Dam — ... Cal's Junior RB Jahvid Best, last season's leading PAC-10 rusher, and the conference's player rated to have the best chance to crash the Heisman Trophy party, is featured in the Sporting News, with a ...

Previewing the Season: California Golden Bears
Addicted To Quack — ... On the opposite side of the ball, the Oregon D will have one major task: stop Jahvid Best. Unfortunately, that's easier said that done. Best is inarguably the most explosive back in the country, and is a threat to take it to the house every time he touches the ball. ...

I’ll Take the Best Case
Fanster.com — ... Game of the season so far.  #8 Arizona at #12 Cal.  The national spotlight and fired up Jahvid Best prove too much.  The Cats drop their first game of the season and enter the stretch run 8-1 and tied with USC for first place in the Pac.  ...

Kevin Cosgrove Joins Ronnie Lee to Lead the Gopher Defense
The Daily Gopher — ... Will Cosgrove be able to slow down Jahvid Best and field a Gopher defense worthy of respect?  We'll know after September 19th.  So, I leave you with one more pearl of football wisdom from ...

Maryland Roundtable
California Golden Blogs — ... Well, Maryland is returning only four starters on defense!  They're so screwed!  They need to return at least 15 starters on defense to have a chance at stopping Jahvid Best!!!  Sooo stupid fast! ...

Checking in on upcoming opponents
The Daily Gopher — ... a sprited speech to his teammates after Sunday's practice. Ezeff lectured his teammates to become more mature - "We gotta grow up and step up!" he shouted at one point - and reminded them of their goal to win the Pac-10 title. I'm sure it was just kids being kids, but this is probably a good wake-up call if they want to seriously challenge USC for the Pac-10 crown. ESPN's Pac-10 blogger released his preseason All Pac-10 team.  Jahvid Best and CB-Syd'Quan Thompson were the only two Cal Bear's on the ...

No one blinks at 'Quizz, Including the Maxwell Club
Building The Dam — ... In other Pac-10 news, California, led by another all-everything RB in Jahvid Best, and QB Kevin Riley from Beaverton, is ...

BlogPoll Calling: Preseason Top 25 - #6 - #15
Roll 'Bama Roll — ... I'm not saying I would ever want to trade Ingram, Upchurch, Richardson, or Lacy or anything, but I covet Jahvid Best and so wish he was ours. ...

UNIT PREVIEW: Running Backs
CougCenter — ... has proven he can gain yards and make plays if given the opportunity to advance to the line of scrimmage before getting gang-tackled.  James Montgomery's biggest problem at Cal was that he wasn't as good as Jahvid Best, Marshawn Lynch, etc.  ...

Scrimmage Thoughts: Lots Of Revelations & Questions
Bruins Nation — ... Cry For Help:  Can't somebody around here put a kickoff into the end zone?  We have two All-America caliber legs.  It would be nice to not see Jahvid Best catch a ball on the 10 yard-line this year. ...

Preseason BlogPoll Ballot 2009 // Take Two
Double-T Nation — ... 11-15:  Boise St. and TCU get here because of their conference but also because they're pretty good football teams.  I hate discounting teams because of conference, but at the end of the year, I could see both of these teams being ranked this high.  I like California because of Jahvid Best.  He's a special player and Tedford does a good job of getting his QB's to play well.  ...

The Pac-10 better bring its "A" game
Conquest Chronicles — ... boss happy, something even the legendary Chow could not always do. People can say what they but SC is constantly evolving. I would agree in general that some of the crap that the Pac-10 as whole gets in the press is misinformed, but SC has done their part. In fact I would say that if SC's record was closer to the rest of the pack the Pac-10 as a whole would take even more criticism because the overall records would look pretty abysmal.  Cal's Jahvid Best makes a great point in Millers article... ...

I Wanna Be Cool Too!: Rock Chalk Talk's 2009 Preseason CFB Ballot
Rock Chalk Talk — ... 10 11 QB play + avoiding FLA/UGA + getting everyone else at home = SEC West Champs 11 Cal 12 12 12 Jahvid Best will run for something like 87,000 yards this season. It's a ...

Open Practice 8.27.09
California Golden Blogs — ... Tedford made it even tougher on my reporting ability by putting out multiple peeps with the same number!  At one point there were three #10’s on the field.  Three!  I thought I saw Jahvid Best, but it was actually Chris Little, I think.  He was playing D whoever he was. ...

Washington State University Roundtable
California Golden Blogs — ... Speaking of which, for those of you who complained that Jahvid Best is a mediocre back who just racked up tons of garbage yards against terrible teams, like the Washingtons, he played about a total of 4 quarters against them.  He rushed for like 450 yards in those 4 quarters.  If he had played all 8 quarters, he maybe coulda gotten 1,000 yards!  Kind of a toads redick argument, in my ever so humble opinion. ...

Arizona State Roundtable
California Golden Blogs — ... Nance turned a corner early in the session for a nice 20-yard dash, but then averaged 1/3 of a yard on each of his subsequent three carries. Cameron Marshall led all rushers with 23 yards, but six ASU running backs combined for just 92 yards of total rushing. That doesn’t include Brock Osweiler’s 22 yards and touchdown on the ground, however.   Basically, we have to ask Kevin Riley not to throw interceptions and Jahvid Best not to fumble the ball, and everything will be ok. ...

Cal Fan Appreciation Day 8.29.09 I
California Golden Blogs — ... At noon, they let the plebeians onto the field.  The California blue and gold rush began!  I started moving quickly onto the field.  There were 4 possibilities in front of me.  Seniors Defense.  Seniors Offense.  Coach Tedford.  And an un-named location that I  (correctly) assumed would be for Jahvid Best.  ...

The TDG consensus on the 2009 schedule
The Daily Gopher — ... BB - California is a great football team, with one of the best running backs in the country.  Jahvid Best will run wild against the Gophers.  I'll predict 300+ all purpose yards.  Let's hope that this game doesn't start a cascade of lost confidence that carries into the next week.  California wins 42-10.  (2-1 record) ...

Q+A With Testudo Times
California Golden Blogs — ... What are you expecting from Maryland's defense now that they've lost seven of their starters? What do you figure will be the gameplan to stop Jahvid Best now that the Terrapins don't have the advantage of humidity or homefield? ...

Washington Roundtable
California Golden Blogs — ... TwistNHook: When do you think Coach Tedford will take Jahvid Best out of this one?  3rd quarter?  4 quarter?  Never, because Best got injured in the 3rd game of the season and Cal is in 6th place in the Pac10.  That last sentence was to atone to the Woofing Gods for the first 3. ...

2009-2010 Season Outlook and Some Magic Numbers
California Golden Blogs — ... defense is going to stay just about as dominant as it was last year despite the loss of three starting linebackers.  I'm thinking that our new linebackers are talented enough, and the eventual starters have gained enough experience from playing time last year to fill in adequately.  Second, I'm going to assume that Cal's running game is going to stay at about the same level as it was last year.  In other words, as crazy as it might seem to say this, but I still expect Jahvid Best to average approximately 7.5 to 8.0 yards per carry (which is ...

Season Preview: BCS and Heisman
Fanster.com — ... Sugar Bowl   Smooty: LSU (At-large) vs. Virginia Tech (At-large)   joenewby4040: Alabama (At-Large) vs. Ohio State (At-Large) BCS Title Game   Smooty: Texas (Big 12) vs. Florida (SEC)   joenewby4040: Texas (Big 12) vs. Florida (SEC) Heisman trophy   Smooty    - Winner:  Colt McCoy    - Runner-up: Jahvid Best   joenewby4040:   - ...

Golden Nuggets: Thanks Tedford
California Golden Blogs — ... demanding class and dignity from your players.  Whether it's telling the players to "be good citizens, give credit to the opponent, win with class" after the upset over USC in 2003, disciplining your quarterback on national television after he helped run up the score in the 2006 Holiday Bowl, or suspending players for even minor infractions such as Slocum's traffic violations on his scooter, we Cal fans appreciate how you run your program.  Players like Alex Mack and Jahvid Best make us even more proud to be Bears. After the jump we ...

Golden Nuggets: Questions Answered?
California Golden Blogs — ... Things everyone should see before becoming believers in the Bears: A couple of strong go-to receivers. Inside running capability beyond Jahvid Best. A defense without linebacker ...

Inside the Pac-10: Where Many Things Remain Unanswered
California Golden Blogs — ... It's clear to me that Maryland is better than the score indicated. The first few drives weren't major disasters, and actually gave me some hope. Then a 84 yard touchdown from Jahvid Best and a  ...

Fantasy Week in Review - Week 1
California Golden Blogs — ... Syd'Quan Thompson playing quarterback is not a good thing, as shown when Energia del Burro defeated Syd lines up under center 82.5 to 77 in a low scoring matchup.  Energia del Burro was led by our favorite player, Jahvid Best, and a solid effort from ...

BN Pac-10 Power Poll: Week 1
Bruins Nation — ... 2) Cal Golden Bears, 1-0 (1 first place vote)- Playing at home against Maryland, the Bears came out firing and destroyed the Terps, 52-13. Jahvid Best looked like the player everyone expects him to be this year, but the real shocker was the play of QB Kevin Riley. If his mechanical adjustments make him play like he did on Saturday for the rest of the year, Cal will be the real deal. ...

Best, Bears Add Consistency To Their Running Game
California Golden Blogs — ... Jahvid Best has long been a highlight reel machine running the football, but one of the knocks on him has been a reputation for a lack of toughness.  It was felt that, for all his speed, when you needed tough yards up the middle, Best wasn't the guy to give them to you.  For every 20+ yarder he broke off, there were far too many runs up the middle for a yard or less, the sort of maddening inconsistency that can really stall an offense.  Saturday night vs. the ...

Cal v. Maryland Photo Essay
California Golden Blogs — ... But I need to figure out how to get through this special entrance and dodge the crowds. We got into the stadium and came down right by the North Tunnel.  Jamal Boykin was there and now looking at this photo again, I see that Coach Boyle was there, too.  Perhaps hosting recruits: The players were warming up and came together for what I can only assume was a motivation koan.  Or, potentially, series of koans. Jahvid Best was strolling the end zone, working on his moves. ...

Inside The Numbers - EWU Edition
California Golden Blogs — ... just write off EWU as a lower division school.  They look ahead to Minn or Oregon or even USC without a thought for this team.  That is imprudent as EWU is a dangerous school and will be looking for a huge upset, AppSt style!  Nonetheless, looking at the numbers as we just have, I feel confident that our resurgent D can shut down the running game and put sufficient pressure on the passing attack that we can keep their point total low.  Add in healthy doses of Jahvid Best, ...

Pac-10 Preview, Week 2
Building The Dam — ... Jahvid Best and California entered this season with high expectations. After a dominant opener, they seem to be prepared to meet those very lofty goals. ...

5 Quick Hits from the Air Force - Minnesota Game
The Daily Gopher — ... I took away from the game: (1) This offense is boring. Jedd Fisch calls the game like an NFL coordinator - close to the vest, don't actually get creative until you have to. The first half was almost unwatchable as an offensive spectacle. (2) Last year, Asher Clark was Air Force's QB. Last night he was the guy unguarded on the sweep play. Be honest - Air Force shredded Minnesota on the ground, and that ought to make Gopher fans very nervous, because: (3) Jahvid Best, Mike Kafka, John Clay, Robert Bolden, Evan ...

Wha Happened? Week Two
Black Heart Gold Pants — ... was a beast (10 catches, 113 yds).  But they running game was only so-so (24 carries, 108 carries) and they got outgained by Air Force (386 yds to 327 yds) and mashed on the ground; Air Force rushed for 261 yds.  An opportunistic fumble return for a TD was the difference between a win and a roll of the dice in OT.  Next up?  Cal, averaging over 50 PPG and led by Jahvid Best, who knows a thing or two about running the ball.  Oh, and one other thing: those fucking uniforms?  Atrocious.  Why would you open up a nice new ...

Things We Learned In College Football - Week Two
Crimson And Cream Machine — ... California:  Living by Barry Switzer's half-a-hundred philosophy, the Golden Bears have put up 52 and 59 points in their first two games. It hasn't been against the best competition, but they have all the makings of a high-octane offense, and a team that should challenge for the Pac-10 title. They will also get to play other front-runner USC at home in Berkeley, which is a huge advantage. Oh yeah, and Jahvid Best has put his name in the Heisman Watch by averaging 10.4 yards per carry. ...

BN Pac-10 Power Poll: Week 2
Bruins Nation — ... , 2-0 (3 first place votes)- For the second consecutive week, the Bears welcomed an overmatched team to Strawberry Canyon and for the second consecutive week, the Bears took care of business. A 59-7 win over Eastern Washington did the job as Jahvid Best ran for 144 yards on 17 carries. Things get far more difficult this week as they head to Minnesota for the first major game at Minnesota's new stadium. Last week: 2 ...

Golden Nuggz 9.16.2009
The Daily Gopher — Jeremy Around at Golden Gopher Football Blog has a great analysis of California running back Jahvid Best: It appears that Best isn't too difficult to tackle... if you can catch him. And good luck with that. He is very fast and unbelievably shifty. He is an unreal open field runner, and if you catch him one-on-one in the open he will make you miss. If he gets an opening he is incredibly dangerous. This linked blog discusses the amazing average of over 10 yards per carry that Jahvid ...

I get by with a little help from my friends
The Daily Gopher — ... We've seen what we've expected to see out of our team's running game, secondary, and defensive line. These were all touted as big strengths coming into the season, and everything we've seen so far has been in line with those expectations. Jahvid Best has run like the wind, ...

Cal v. EWU 9.12.09 Photo Essay III
California Golden Blogs — ... his in this photo.  Both massive beasts.  Both O-Line.  Future looks bright! Forza Italia and noted scholar David Seawright were chatting on the sideline.  Considering how many people bemoan George's kick off abilities, I wonder how back up Seawright feels.   The players were discussing the feeling of finishing up fall camp on the big screen.  Cameron Jordan loves to dance: Jahvid Best was talking about going to Waterworld: ...

Golden Nugz 9.17.09
The Daily Gopher — ... As has been reported all over the Bears are coming to Minnesota a day early.  Nobody's sure if it will help Cal and their road woes, but everyone seems to think it can't hurt to try. The MN Daily previews the Cal game.  "It’s not about plays, it’s about players," Brewster said. "It’s not about schemes; it’s about the players that execute those plays." And the player we should most fear is Jahvid Best who is averaging over 10 yards per carry. With a great running game ...

Roll On: How Cal's Offense Should Attack Minnesota's Defense
California Golden Blogs — ... Against most teams, many Cal fans would probably opt for the former. Cal's run blocking has been a cornerstone of their success and this offensive line has proven that they're plenty capable   Jahvid Best and ...

Week 3 Big Ten Preview
Hammer & Rails — ... This is an interesting game. Minnesota defended Air Force's powerful rushing attack very well. Now they face maybe the nation's best running back in Jahvid Best. The Bears have won five straight against the Big Ten, last losing at home to Illinois in 2001. With a win, Cal is looking at a two game season: A home game against USC and a trip to Oregon could stand in their way of an unbeaten campaign. I think they get this one because Minnesota has been pretty average to start the year. Cal is averaging almost 55 points per game while giving up just 10. ...

A Friday Preview of What We're Getting To Know Quite Well - California v. Minnesota, September 19, 2009
The Daily Gopher — ... Take the charts with bricks of salt at this point - Jahvid Best is supposedly no longer returning kicks, although I wouldn't have had him on that duty last week against Eastern Washington given the level of opposition. Don't be shocked if he's back there this week - his straight line speed is absurd and possibly the quickest in the nation. ...

FTW! Week Three
Black Heart Gold Pants — ... Why Watch?  Jahvid Best, who is so fast they make Benny Hill tribute videos of him at normal speed.  He's so fast that he enters the end zone before the quarterback's cue to snap the ball reaches the center's ears.  He's so fast that he lined up in the wildcat formation, threw a pass 60 yards downfield, and caught it himself.  And he's up against one of the most porous run defenses of the past decade (maybe slightly improved this year, to be fair).  Throw in a heavy dose of Chris Spielman in the booth and a dash of ...

Cal v. Minnesota 9.19.09 First Quarter & Pre-Game Thread
California Golden Blogs — ... Let's say Jahvid Best just happens to be a Cylon and has unbelievable super strength and an unyielding belief in a monotheistic deity.  Would that make you guys switch to the 3-4 or what?? ...

Golden Bears vs. Golden Gophers - OPEN THREAD
The Daily Gopher — ... Minnesota DEs vs. Jahvid Best - I love our DTs and our LBs, but today we will find out how good our DEs are at containing the run.  Best is one of the best and we need to keep him contained to minimize the play-action. ...

Poseur LiveBlogs
And The Valley Shook — ... 11:53 AM.  Jahvid Best is really, really good.  I don't think the Gophers receiver was in the end zone, but he got popped so hard I'm willing to let him have it.  Though I am mad at the announcers for trying to call it a dirty hit.  The DB's helmet came nowhere near the receiver.  Can we stop trying to turn football into chess?  Helmet to helmet hits are bad, but let's only outlaw helmet to helmet, not all hard hits.    ...

California 35 Minnesota 21: Postgame Thread + Grade the Bears
California Golden Blogs — ... I was surprised with how much Cal ran the ball up the middle. Jahvid Best is not a down and distance guy and they kept on putting him into the hole. And Minnesota was stacking the box; the O-line didn't have the ability to stack them up late. ...

Wha Happened? Week Three
Black Heart Gold Pants — ... was solid (16/25, 252 yards), but Saturday was The Jahvid Best Show and what a show it was.  As far as Minnesota goes... another dreadful uniform combination, another day getting gashed on the ground, and further proof that if something happens to ...

Blogpoll Draft Ballot: Week Three
The Only Colors — ... watched: Michigan State vs. Notre Dame (in person), Texas vs. Texas Tech (uh, not in person). In detail: Uh, well that was a short stay at the top for USC.  Alabama's week one win over Virginia Tech is more impressive than anything Florida or Texas has done, so they're number one.  The difference between Florida and Texas is negligible; home wins over Tennessee and Texas Tech seem like a comparative wash to me. Cal gets #4.  Jahvid Best is absolutely unreal, and Kevin Riley looked good enough to ...

Inside the Pac-10: And It's Up For Grabs
California Golden Blogs — ... Keep in mind this was a Duck defense that held Jahvid Best in check last season (16 carries, 93 yards is average for the Jet, even in a monsoon). So we shouldn't take anything for granted. ...

BN Pac-10 Power Poll: Week 3
Bruins Nation — ... (four first place votes)- For reasons unknown to anyone but himself, Jeff Tedford put the man who would eventually score five touchdowns, Jahvid Best, on the bench for stretches of the second half. It wasn't enough to give Minnesota the game though as the Bears prevailed on the road by two scores. A trip to hostile Autzen Stadium awaits. ...

Week 3 College Football Wrapup
Crimson And Cream Machine — ... 2009 - Jahvid Best 3 53 412 137.3 7.8 8 7 59 19.7 8.4 1 Colt McCoy Has The Flu ...

What Are the Greatest Golden Bear Running Back Performances?
California Golden Blogs — ... Rushing isn't all about yardage. Well, okay, it is all about yardage, but yards in some game mean more than they do in others. Jahvid Best's five touchdown performance on Minnesota might not have brought as many highlight reel passses the way the first two games this season have, but it's the biggest of his three because of the circumstances. Cal hasn't won a road game, Cal is a bad road team, Cal chokes when it matters, etc. etc. This time, Best played great when we needed him, getting the touchdowns to put us up early and late, at both the goal-line ...

Wrap-Up: Don't Look Now But The Big Ten Isn't That Awesome
Black Shoe Diaries — ... Jahvid Best is being mentioned as a darkhorse Heisman contender in this, the year of the Unwavering Preconceived Notions, which speaks to just how impressive he's been. Best finished the game with a 5 yard average and 5 touchdowns. Or, put another way: all of Cal's points. ...

The Oregon Ducks Elevator - Masoli, LaMichael, and the Fans at Autzen
Addicted To Quack — ... How about that defensive performance? Not only is he putting players in a position to win, he's making the right calls at the right time. If the offense hadn't put the defense in horrible positions through turnovers, the score would show just how much of a performance the entire unit put in. After three games, the defense has kept us in each one and was responsible for winning at least 1 of those. Don't worry Nick. Duck Fans will be back to hating you after Cal this week when Jahvid Best comes to town. Elevator: Up 2 Floors ...

CGB Report Card: Grading Cal's Performance Against Minnesota
California Golden Blogs — ... Running Back (4): Jahvid Best will win the Heisman trophy this year barring injury.  Dude had FIVE RUSHING TDs.  Though you point out in your post-game that Cal kept pounding it up the middle, in my estimation they _have_ to do that to keep the D honest.  In past games I've seen the opposing D run more DE contain plains and zone coverages where the CBs stay in the flat.  This sort of set-up is designed to keep Jahvid from breaking it to the outside, and Tedford has been smart to run him up the middle.  While we do see Jahvid get ...

Raking the Muck: Irish Infirmary
Rakes Of Mallow — ... For anyone thinking that Southern Cal's loss at Washington bodes well for the Irish, please note that the Trojans still managed nearly eight yards a carry.  Plus, the Irish always tend to fall into a Big Game category for USC and never have the luxury of being an unranked PAC-10 opponent.  We'll get two more great looks at Pete Carroll's team before the October 17th showdown, both against very good (California in Berkeley on homecoming, in Jahvid Best's potential Heisman statement game) and not so great (the Washington State Cougars, who finally ...

The Miracle at Memorial
California Golden Blogs — ... to Jahvid Best, except instead of GOOD!, massive massive phail. The balls is rolling around on the turf, when the whistle blows it dead. Cal ball right? Forward pass or something? Nope, Pac-10 refs make another Kade-style ruling by awarding the ball to Oregon . . . even though Oregon never recovered. (In all likelyhood they would have if the whistle hadn't blown, but still guys - you suck) ...

Five College Football Games to Watch: Week 4
Roll 'Bama Roll — ... Cal's three games so far have been against Maryland, Minnesota and Eastern Washington. Eastern Washington is the obvious cupcake of the bunch and even though Minnesota and Maryland aren't elite teams, Cal is to be commended for scheduling two BCS conference teams for their out of conference games. Wins over Minnesota and Maryland certainly look better than beating up on Sun Belt teams. Minnesota put up more of a fight than expected, but Cal still won by two TDs. Speaking of TDs, Jahvid Best had all five of Cal's TDs against the Golden Gophers. So far this ...

Pac-10 TV Schedule, Week 4
Building The Dam — ... With Pac-10 conference play getting going full-bore, there are only five games this week, with four being league games. The "premier" game nationally, TV wise is that one non-conference contest.   ESPNU has a national broadcast of the Arizona St. Sun Devils’ visit to Athens to play the Georgia Bulldogs, at 4:00.   The conference game of the week is in Eugene, at 12:30, when the California Golden Bears, and Jahvid Best and Beaverton, OR, product Kevin Riley visit the Oregon ...

Getting to know the California Golden Bears: Q&A with CGB
Addicted To Quack — ... 1) Is Jahvid Best the greatest running back to ever play at Cal? More specifically, will he replace Marshawn in that special place in your heart? ...

Morning Quack Fix: Ducks prepare for Best, Volleyball takes on the Huskies
Addicted To Quack — ... The Register-Guard has a piece on the speed of Jahvid Best, and how the UO linebacking corp, which has it's own speed, ...

A Friday Preview of a Big Ten Conference Tilt - Minnesota at Northwestern, September 26, 2009
The Daily Gopher — ... were directly at Collado in coverage, and on Ross's reception to the 1 yard line, Collado turned his hips inside out and Ross had 10 yards of free space. This doesn't bode well against Kafka, who amazingly is first nationally in pass completion percentage. Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald is a smart guy, and his running backs are small and won't get anywhere against our veteran front seven. Unfortunately, if a team doesn't have a RB like Jahvid Best, for the rest of this season I think the Gophers are going to be treated in a similar manner ...

Gameday Open Thread: California Golden Bears @ Oregon Ducks
Addicted To Quack — ... The California Golden Bears come to Autzen on Saturday with a high ranking and some running back guy that I read is pretty good. Little do the Bears know that we have a secret weapon. With a defense resembling Gang Green and some real yellow helmets, welcome to 1998. Bill Clinton is denying sexual relations with Monica, Microsoft just released its newest operating system Windows 98 and Jahvid Best just finished crying at the end of Titanic, asking anyone who will listen..."Why didn't someone tell me the ship sinks at the end?!" Ladies and gentlemen, break ...

Five Things to Watch Against UTEP
Burnt Orange Nation — ... . He's from Copperas Cove, you know. So that means he's good. Like, really, really good. Not only is he good, he's probably better than Jahvid Best. ...

The Gophers travel to Northwestern - OPEN THREAD
The Daily Gopher — ... NU runningbacks will be held in check today.  If they rack up rushing yards it will be with Kaftka.  After facing Air Force and Jahvid Best the defense will enjoy seeing this NU rushing attack and will start to see their rushing defense stats come back down to a level that shows how good they really are. ...

College Football Open Gameday Thread
Fanster.com — ... Big week for many Pac-10 teams.  Both Arizona and Oregon State are coming off of disappointing losses.  Can Oregon hang with Jahvid Best and Cal?  Can Cal take care of Oregon when they are looking forward to next week's USC game? Is Washington going to suffer the Big Upset Hangover? Can WSU shock the world twice and beat USC?  Well, maybe not that last one.  ...

FIRST QUARTER GRADES: Defensive Line
CougCenter — ... HOW TO GET THE GRADE UP: Kevin Kooyman will help accomplish that just by getting healthy and stepping on the field. The rest of the line, defensive tackles especially, need to pick up some slack and make some plays. More tackles, certainly, but also more pressure and forced fumbles. The D line has to keep up its current pace against tougher, Pac-10 competition. That's going to be really difficult with the likes of Jahvid Best and ...

Does OU Land Back In The Top 5 Coming Off Bye Week?
Crimson And Cream Machine — ... #6 Cal 3, Oregon 42 - This was the biggest shocker to me. The Ducks held Jahvid Best to just 55 yards on 16 carries. Does the Pac 10 have a title contender left? ...

CBS Sports Blogpoll ballot week 5
Hammer & Rails — ... Reason for Rankings: Cincinnati has been very impressive so far. They have the look of a team that will quietly go about its business while everyone else above them gets knocked off. Mississippi looked like crap against a pretty mediocre South Carolina team Thursday night. I almost dropped them even more. Cal hangs on only because of Jahvid Best. I guess our narrow 2 point loss to Oregon doesn't look so bad now. Iowa deserves to be ranked again. They have played very well since the Northern Iowa near miss. ...

The Autzen Massacre: What Went Wrong With Cal's Offense in Oregon?
California Golden Blogs — ... After extensively reviewing the gametape of the possessions when Cal's offense could've made a difference in the game (i.e. before the score was 32-3), I'd say that's about an accurate description about what happened yesterday. We all think Jahvid Best can be otherworldly in the open field, but if his O-line doesn't block for him, he is mortal, and so are the Bears. ...

Morning Quack Fix: Still no Thurmond update, Looking at the polls, and more Cal fan reaction
Addicted To Quack — ... , and he says the whole game down to line play. Jahvid Best has never looked very good when he doesn't have decent holes, and the Oregon front 7 simply dominated the Cal O-line, and though Best turned some losses into gains, he just never had any room to work. ...

Searching For The Positives In A Haystack Of Negativity
California Golden Blogs — ... - Those first three games of the season still happened; they weren't flukes.  Jahvid Best is still killer in space, our defense still has the ability to make big plays, and Riley-to-Tucker or Jones still has game-changing potential.  I don't know everything that went wrong in Oregon, but I'm strongly convinced that Saturday's performance was as bad as it gets, and in no way a representative example of what to expect going forward.  The Bears may not beat down many Pac-10 opponents as soundly as they put away Maryland, but I don't expect them ...

BN Pac-10 Power Poll: Week 4
Bruins Nation — ... , 3-1 (3 first place votes)- Who would have foreseen a turnaround like this? Yeah, some people thought the Ducks would topple the Bears in Eugene, but 42-3? The defensive line, which looked awful early on this year, didn't allow Jahvid Best any room to run and put ...

Spaulding Roundup: Challenges & Opportunity In Palo Alto
Bruins Nation — ... as many times as some as some of the elusive guys do. "He's as powerful and tough to bring down as any back I've seen in college football for some time." What makes the Gerhart gameplan so tough to defend is not just a matter of his quality, but his quantity. Stanford makes good use of the burly back, as quarterback Andrew Luck feeds him often. Gerhart has 91 carries in four games, 13 more than Oregon State tailback Jacquizz Rodgers and 22 more than Cal's Jahvid Best. "They know what they had in him, and they feed him," ...

Cal @ Oregon Post-Game Thoughts
California Golden Blogs — ... First of all, Oregon was stacking the box and begging us to pass.  They would have an 8th defender in the box quite often.  Safeties were creeping forward to focus on Jahvid Best.  So naturally, the way to defeat this with some playaction.  Although I haven't charted the game (been a bit too depressed to do that), I can't remember off the top of my head very much playaction at all early on.  Now, the playaction can come out of any formation that Cal runs out of.  Against Oregon, Cal used it's 12 personnel and 21 personnel quite ...

Blogpoll Week 5 Final Ballot
Maize n Brew — ... As I said in the draft ballot, Cal is relatively unpunished because I think Jahvid Best is awesome and, quite simply, that they're better than all the teams ranked below them. ...

Morning Quack Fix: Thurmond out, Tuel in, and Rosario Dawson strikes again
Addicted To Quack — ... . As many predicted heading into the season, it's all about stopping the run in the Pac-10 this year, with four Pac-10 teams in the nation's top 24 rushing offenses, and five Pac-10 teams amid the nation's top 21 rushing defenses. Oregon, who rushed for 236 yards last weekend and held Cal's Jahvid Best to a mere 55 yards, isn't among them. ...

Bouncing Back From Oregon + Why Hasn't Cal Been Able to Beat USC?
California Golden Blogs — ... More disconcerting is the 2 touchdown to 9 interception ratio. With the Trojans likely to focus on Jahvid Best the way Oregon did, Cal will have to establish their passing attack in some way if they plan to win, whether by a balance of playcalling or a quick hitting attack to exploit any USC defensive weaknesses the coaching staff notices. ...

Q & A with The California Golden Blogs
Conquest Chronicles — ... 3 - It is easy to see that Jahvid Best is a great running back. What are the little things he does that make some so special and what are things that can potentially hamper him? ...

Roll On: Xs and Os of the Trojans & How California Can Beat USC
California Golden Blogs — ... (Author's note: Uhhh, Cal's O-line can't whiff on their blocks or be out of position like they were last week. They do and we lose. Handily. They play well and execute their blocks and maintain push on the front seven, then Jahvid Best will have a good opportunity to eat them up. ...

Injuries, injuries, injuries
CougCenter — ... What does all this mean for Saturday? It means we're going to have an awfully, awfully tough time scoring points. It seems like it's been beaten to death, but the fact that Cal -- with its awesome offensive line and Jahvid Best carrying the ball -- could only score three points against this unit doesn't bode well for the Cougs. ...

GameDay Open Thread - USC @ Cal
Conquest Chronicles — ... This one is hard to call. SC's defense needs to do everything it can to minimize Jahvid Best while USC's offense needs to come to life. Receivers need to hold onto the ball and the  O line needs to make some holes for the running backs. ...

USC 30 Cal 3 - USC had the Better #4 on the Field!
Conquest Chronicles — ... SC did what they needed to do in containing Jahvid Best. He rushed for more yards than he did last year against USC but it really did not matter...SC had his number. Cal QB ...

Trojans 30, Golden Bears 3: More Quarterback Blues
California Golden Blogs — ... Cal fans are being too critical of Jahvid Best. People need to get over how Jahvid is no longer a viable Heisman candidate. A Heisman Trophy almost always rewards the best QB/RB on one of the top two regular season teams; seven of the last ten seasons that's been the case. The odds were stacked against the Jet from the start, and it was impossible to live up to the hype in the long run, especially when his success was based on a talented but inexperienced offensive line. ...

Post-Game Cal Notes
Conquest Chronicles — ... Bend in two weeks and Eugene in 4 SC still has tough slate ahead. Yes, the team looks to be working out some of the issues from early in the season and USC took a big step forward in beating Cal but the tough road schedule leaves little if no room for error if SC still wants a shot at their 8th consecutive Pac-10 title let alone the BCS Title game. - - - As DC Trojan noted in his FanShot Taylor Mays stopping Cal's momentum with his great stop of Jahvid Best proves who's the fastest and with his INT on that ...

BN Pac-10 Power Poll: Week 5
Bruins Nation — ... , 3-2- Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Just two weeks ago, the Bears were the conference's top BCS contender, but now Cal fans are dreading a repeat of last year which had them scrapping just to qualify for a bowl game. Jahvid Best will need ...

Closing the Book on Cal
Conquest Chronicles — ... impersonation, but is also becoming a tough and patient runner between the tackles. As the Trojans’ first featured rusher since the days of Bush and LenDale White, McKnight has already rushed for 473 yards and six touchdowns. With a big showing at Notre Dame, combined with his heroics at Ohio State, he could become the West Coast candidate. Really? HP has McKnight at #9 in weekly Heisman Watch, right behind....wait for it...Jahvid Best. Well, he is the expert so I will leave it at ...

USC News and Notes 10/7
Conquest Chronicles — ... Zero. [...] It's going to be a lot of fun to watch Mays against Notre Dame and quarterback Jimmy Clausen on Oct. 17. With 12 touchdowns, two interceptions and a 68 percent completion percentage, Clausen leads the nation in passing efficiency, while Mays and the Trojans rank third in pass efficiency defense. But back to Mays against Cal. The play that stuck out to me was not his interception in the endzone. It was when he chased down Jahvid Best, one of the fastest players in college football, on a ...

Let's go rob a Bank
Hammer & Rails — ... This is the key matchup of the game. As long as we are not giving Minnesota defense the ball like we did last week things should be fine. As bad as our run defense has been, Minnesota's has been worse. The fact they have faced possibly the nation's best running back in Jahvid Best may have something to do with that, as does Air Force's and Wisconsin's run-heavy attack. Minnesota is giving up nearly 175 yards per game on the ground. Though ...

Fantasy Week in Review - Week 5
California Golden Blogs — ... got steady performances from Tony Pike, Montario Hardesty and Mark Ingram even as Ryan Broyles only put up 37 yards in suffering a knee injury. Might I suggest Verran Tucker? Rock Runners defeated Energia del Burro 113-88 with 34 points from Terrelle Pryor, 16 from Ed Dickson, and 15 from Scotty McKnight. Jake Locker once again tried to play Superman with 26 points, but weak showings from Jahvid Best, Dane Sanzenbacher, Weslye Saunders (no, really, that's how ...

Cal vs. USC Post-Game Thoughts
California Golden Blogs — ... Most of us, prior to the preseason rankings, thought we were probably ranked around 20-30ish in the nation.  But the mass media saw Jahvid Best, and Jahvid Best only.  Slowly, I think many of us began believing the mass media  because they wanted it to be true.  Generally, people see what they want to see and don't see what they don't want to see. ...

It's Southern Cal Week
Rakes Of Mallow — ... pass in the endzone on the first possession of the game and cut down Jahvid Best on a third and short pitch late in the second quarter.  He's everywhere you do not want him to be. ...

Spaulding Roundup: Making Up For Past Heartbreaks, Staying With Prince & Other Football Notes
Bruins Nation — ... Let's see how the guys come back out and perform during game situations next week. One thing that was encouraging on Saturday was that the defense did play a cleaner game and cut down on their penalties. That is something to build on. Although, I still think they will have to do a much better job of tackling, which is going to be a premium when lining up against a super star such as Jahvid Best. ...

Monday hodgepodge: Recruiting, injuries and more
CougCenter — ... Heyward or Aire Justin (remember him?) over there. Why? Because Cal is a team that's obviously going to focus on running the ball, and it's going to be more important to have sound tackling from the safety position, and the dropoff in that respect is significant after Nwachukwu. If LeAndre Daniels or Tyree Toomer were still back there, it would be a different story. But they're not. The good news is that the Cougs should get some help up front in trying to stop Jahvid Best and Shane Vereen in the form of defensive tackle ...

Breaking Down the Cal Running Game
Bruins Nation — ... Cal has shown a direct snap look as well as a Wildcat in their last game against USC (the two aren't the same). The direct snap plays they showed against Oregon and USC mainly involved snapping the ball to Jahvid Best and letting him run - nothing fancy. It worked once against the Ducks because someone missed a tackle. They also tried to get fancy and run a sort of counter-type play out of the direct snap, but they didn't get anywhere with it. The TV announcers were talking about this being their "Wildcat", but I don't agree - it's just a direct snap to ...

Malicious Internet Interrogation with Daily Gopher
Black Shoe Diaries — ... DG: Some of our defensive stats are a little misleading. Kind of the opposite Penn State who I've heard hasn't really played anybody so their stats are inflated. Minnesota gave up a LOT of yards to Cal in the 1st quarter then held Jahvid Best to less than 30 yards in the final 3 quarters. Minnesota gave up 266 yards rushing to Air Force but they also ran the ball 66 times. And Wisconsin rolled up a lot of yards on the ground with a key starting DE out of that game. So a bit misleading but not altogether untruthful. ...

How Will Cal Perform in the Final Seven Games of 2009?
California Golden Blogs — ... a tad. Although his passer rating's around 140 and averaging a solid 8.5 YPA, he throws the least out of anyone in the conference, and his completion percentage is still under 57 percent. We saw what happened when the Furd could not run the ball. Also, the jury is out on their defense, especially after getting chewed up by Oregon State in that first half; they will definitely be put to the test against a fierce Arizona offense this week. Jahvid Best ran all over them last season; can he do it at the Farm? ...

Cal-UCLA Football Competition News Roundup
California Golden Blogs — ... needs to get things going to help take the pressure off of Jahvid Best.  And we all know that Verner is kind of like the Syd'Quan Thompson of LA.  But what is going on on the other side of the field? ...

Spaulding Roundup: Injury Updates, Confidence Of Two Kevins, & Notes On UCLA's Special Team
Bruins Nation — ... Seriously though it's kind of eery reading that piece about Cal's QB because it seemed basically cut and paste of number of reports we have been reading out of our practices from the local beat writers here. The difference here though is our OL's recent history is not as established as that of the Bears, our starting QB and his primary backup (Brehaut) don't have the same game experience as Riley, and we don't have a monster like Jahvid Best in our backfield. That is why I am kind of more than worried about what the Bears might do on offense. I don't know ...

Jersey Contest: Week 7 -- Blogger Picks
Addicted To Quack — ... Dominic:  I was very impressed with UCLA's defense against Oregon but they have trouble scoring. California has had issues on the defensive and offensive sides of the ball in the last couple of games but those games were against Oregon and USC. I'm still sticking with the Golden Bears for now but if they lose this game, the wheels have officially come off the cart for this season. I think Jahvid Best is stlll the man, I just wonder how the Cal fans are feeling about Andy Ludwig now. Pick: California ...

Roll On: How California Can Beat UCLA
California Golden Blogs — ... Cal has shown a direct snap look as well as a Wildcat in their last game against USC (the two aren't the same). The direct snap plays they showed against Oregon and USC mainly involved snapping the ball to Jahvid Best and letting him run - nothing fancy. It worked once against the Ducks because someone missed a tackle. They also tried to get fancy and run a sort of counter-type play out of the direct snap, but they didn't get anywhere with it. The TV announcers were talking about this being their "Wildcat", but I don't agree - it's just a direct ...

Jahvid Best's Cal' Bears Embarrassing UCLA At The Rose Bowl
Bruins Nation — ... There is still an entire half to play. However, I am not sure I have to wait till the game is over to write up our post game thread.Cal Bears are demolishing Rick Neuheisel's Bruins by a score of 35-20. It probably will be lot worse by the time the game is over because it looks like Jahvid Best, Shane Vareen and co are just getting cranked up. ...

Dear Coach Neuheisel: Go For The Win Or Die Trying
Bruins Nation — ... Third, this is where probably many will not agree with me but I will share it anyway. Jahvid Best’s 93 yard run I thought was the game changing moment that pretty much decided the outcome of the game. However, the pivotal decision in my mind came right before UCLA punted in that second quarter. Bruins had 4th and less than a yard to go on their own 46 yard line. Up until that time Bruins were doing all right on offense (actually we had a decent day on offense against a slightly better than average defense yesterday). Anyway with a less than a yard to ...

Spaulding Roundup: Lost And Confused Bruin Defense
Bruins Nation — ... staying in the same base defense the entire first half. As for the game against Cal lot of apologists for our defensive efforts are pointing out to the fact that we contained Cal's offense to just 10 points in the second half and kept Best bottled up except for that monster 93 yard play. Unfortunately for our defense they had no answer for Shane Vareen. From the LAT: The Bears gained 289 yards rushing, which included a 93-yard touchdown run by Jahvid Best. "We held Jahvid Best to eight yards in 17 carries ...

Inside the Pac-10: A Day Without Defense + Who's Going Bowling?
California Golden Blogs — ... , and I do agree he should get his dap--he disrupted a good deal of the run plays even when facing constant double teams and totally blew up our inside run. Jahvid Best should be happy this is likely his last encounter with the big 92, because outside of that one run he got nothing on the inside or the outside.  ...

BN Pac-10 Power Poll
Bruins Nation — ... , 4-2- It looks like the Cal offense has been found. After a pair of games in which they scored six points combined, the Bears put 45 points, 38 of which came from the offense. Jahvid Best ran for 33 yards on 18 of his carries, but a sensational 93 yard run on his other turned the game and spotlighted the importance of the big play. A home game versus Washington St. should let the offense to continue humming along. Last Week: 5 ...

Bottoms Up! - The CGB Football Drinking Game
California Golden Blogs — I mentioned off-hand during this past Saturday's game against UCLA that it might be time to make up a new Cal drinking game.  After all, there's only so many times we can run the ALAMAR!!!!!!! meme into the ground, and we also needed something that everyone who doesn't camp in our open threads can participate in during game days. Hm, Let's Try That One Again! - Take a swig of beer if: Jahvid Best goes for more than 10 yards Shane ...

What Are the Greatest Cal Football Runs of All Time?
California Golden Blogs — ... Hard not to argue that Jahvid Best's 93 yard touchdown run definitely put itself into the annals of greatest Cal runs. Everything about that play--the Kevin Riley block, the six to seven whiffs by Bruins depending on who you count, good enough zone blocking to give Best plenty of open space to evade the tackles, ...

AUDIO: Paul Wulff weekly press conference
CougCenter — ... more and more likely. Defensive tackle Josh Luapo had successful knee surgery. He's still out for the year. Myron Beck has more or less completed a switch back to full-time safety, which gives the team the chance to put Chima Nwachukwu back at corner some with the season-ending injury to Daniel Simmons. The team really emphasized mental preparation and maturity in setting goals for the second half of the season. Jahvid Best is good. Cal's main problem against Oregon and USC? The ...

Cal @ UCLA Post-Game Thoughts
California Golden Blogs — ... (3) Cal's running game was pretty inconsistent.  Case in point: Jahvid Best had 102 yards on 18 rushes, 93 yards of which came from one run.  That means Best gained a whopping 9 yards on the other 17 rush attempts.  Yeesh.  This isn't a diss on Best, but moreso a diss on our offensive line.  I know UCLA's stellar defensive tackle ...

Breaking down "the details" of the UCLA defense
Bruins Nation — ... were all keying the same thing, took the same steps, and did what they were supposed to do. In the second video it seems like our backers are just taking short, choppy steps but not really gaining any ground in any direction - they are not really moving at all, just bouncing around until they get blocked - I don't think that this is something that is supposed to be happening. Staying at Home This has been documented already by the 93-yarder by Jahvid Best, so I'll just roll the tape. In ...

SECOND QUARTER GRADES: Defensive Line
CougCenter — ... , but at least they're no longer giving up 80-plus yard runs and getting blown up for holes you could drive a semi-truck through. That might change with Jahvid Best coming to town Saturday, but I really do believe this unit is much improved in handling their assignments and covering gaps when they need to. ...

Pregame Guesses: Arizona
Bruins Nation — ... three up, three down. The funny thing about a three game winning streak against inferior opponents is that it masks your flaws. Beating bad teams, winning ugly -- these things don't matter when you're 3-0. We fans start looking at the rest of the schedule and deciding things like "Hey, we should beat Stanford and the Oregon and Cal games are at home and didn't Oregon lose to Boise State and our defense looks good so we should be able to contain Jahvid Best ... " ...

AUDIO: CougCenter Podcast, Episode 10
CougCenter — Back to gameday week! Here's what you'll find on this week's podcast: Opening - Expectations for the rest of the season? 6:05 - Which player most needs to step up his game in the second half of the season? 10:55 - OVER/UNDER: Jahvid Best gains 200 yards on the ground against us. 13:00 - OVER/UNDER: The Cougs force two turnovers. 17:20 - OVER/UNDER: The offense scores 14 points. 20:35 - Games of the week and upset specials (Current standings: Craig 2 upset ...

Three Keys To UCLA-Arizona
Bruins Nation — ... 2) Stay Disciplined- Jahvid Best's 93 yard run last week was the epitome of what a lack of discipline (and poor tackling) on the defensive side of the ball can do to you. Over pursuit, not breaking down, it all hurt the Bruins on that play and arguably was the most important play of the game. One misplay and lack of contain by ...

OPPONENT PREVIEW: California Golden Bears
CougCenter — ... Head Coach: Lord Tedford, Supreme Being of the Football Universe (some refer to him as "Jeff Tedford") Record: 4-2 (1-2) Offense: PPG: 32.8  YPP: 6.2 Jahvid Best is good.  Shane Vereen is good.  Cal can definitely make big plays in the running game.  In last year's matchup with the Cougs, it seemed that Best and Vereen were wearing yellow non-contact jerseys as they galloped up and down the field on that most depressing of afternoons.. This season has been no different for the ...

OPEN GAME THREAD: WSU at Cal
CougCenter — ... FB Brian Holley (5-10, 235, Sr.) FS Chima Nwachukwu (5-11, 201, Jr.) TB Jahvid Best (5-10, 195, Jr.) RCB Terrance ...

POSTGAME THREAD: Again, we ask -- success?
CougCenter — ... Coming off a week in which it generated six turnovers, the defense showed what will happen if it only gets one, giving up 49 points -- 35 of them in the first half. Jahvid Best ran all over the place again, gaining 158 yards on the ground. That, sadly, was actually less than half of Cal's rushing total of 322 yards. With the running game going again, ...

California 49, Washington State 17
CougCenter — ... found Jahvid Best for a touchdown pass (Really - you couldn't just let him run it in? You have to toy with us in the passing game too?). 7-0 Bears. ...

Four Losses, Four Wins, Forward
The Daily Gopher — ... California (5-2) entered the contest as the 8th ranked team in the country.  Minnesota played the 8th ranked team in the country on the same weekend that Wisconsin played Wofford and Michigan played Eastern Michigan.  California's Jahvid Best ran for 5 touchdowns and Minnesota lost by 14 points, but the Gophers did enter the fourth quarter in a tie with the Golden Bears.  Once again, California is not a team that Minnesota should have been expected to beat.   ...

BN Pac-10 Power Poll: Week 8
Bruins Nation — ... , 5-2- After taking two weeks off versus Oregon and USC, the Cal offense is back to its explosive self, putting 49 more on the board versus Wazzu last week. Jahvid Best is back on track with 159 more yards too, but the defense has to be a major concern, allowing 440 yards to the Cougars, 385 through the air. They're at a sliding Arizona St. squad this week. Last Week: 5 ...

CGB Report Card: Grading Cal's Performance Against Washington State
California Golden Blogs — ... had a few glaring mistakes and misses (forcing the pass on a roll-out and throwing the INT; overthrowing Jahvid Best in the end zone) but he was once again on the money for big throws. The touchdowns were cool, accurate passes, and the 61 yarder was a show of faith in Jeremy Ross that just dropped into his arms. ...

Fantasy Week in Review - Week 8
California Golden Blogs — ... Jahvid Best propelled Energia del Burro past team 1 116-71, with his 186 total yards and 3 touchdowns.  Immortalized, of course, on our exclusive torrent  ...

Q+A with ASU site Pitchfork Nation
California Golden Blogs — ... If ASU can regain their prowess at stopping the run and find a way to stifle Jahvid Best, they should be in good position to win. The secondary has struggled over the last few weeks without ...

Lies, Damned Lies, and Cal Football Stats
California Golden Blogs — ... For what seems like the thousandth year in a row, our running game seems to be heading to a top 15 finish nationwide. Jahvid Best and ...

Game Day Notes - Oregon
Conquest Chronicles — ... . Regardless of all the criticism of his pass coverage skills as of late there is no denying his run defense skills. We all remember his stops of Jahvid Best and of Terrelle Pryor. ...

BN Pac-10 Power Poll: Week 9
Bruins Nation — ... Game of the Week: Oregon St. at Cal, 4 pm PST, FSN- Don't look now, but Cal is on a roll again and is once again a top 20 team, while Oregon St. is right there with Cal and USC at 3-2 in the conference.These are two good and evenly matched teams who have the conference's two best running backs. Jahvid Best and Jacquizz Rodgers alone make this a game to glue your eyes to. ...

Spaulding Roundup: Throwback Jerseys On Homecoming Weekend & Other Notes
Bruins Nation — ... good offenses, but yes we have to play better on defense," Neuheisel said. "I don't know that you can point at one thing. Assignments, tackling, just being where we need to be and making plays when they're there to be made." The Bruins have faced a tough slate of opponents, attempting to shut down one star after the next. Most have been in the running game though, where UCLA has failed to contain Stanford's Toby Gerhart, Oregon's LaMichael James, Cal's Jahvid Best and Oregon State's Jacquizz Rodgers. But what concerns ...

3k's 2010 Mock Draft, v2.0 (Nov. 4th)
Turf Show Times — ... this last one persuaded him to abruptly end his college football career.  That second reason would drop him down, but I think his pre-draft work will remind people that he can be a force on the football field - think Brandon Marshall 2.0.  While Vincent Jackson may re-sign with the Chargers, they could use another weapon to help Philip Rivers guide these team back to the post-season. 18.) Cincinnati Bengals (9-7) - Jahvid Best, RB, Cal   Cincinnati is making the ...

Pregame Q+A with the California Golden Blogs
Building The Dam — ... the stretch with his accuracy, threw a disastrous pick-six against Arizona and could not locate his receivers against USC. In 2007, Longshore's ankle clearly was never the same after injuring it at Oregon; he wasn't able to plant himself, his arm strength decreased, and he threw some costly picks that put winnable games out of reach. In 2008, neither Longshore nor Riley were very good, showing little signs of improvement, so when we played good defenses, they stacked the box against Jahvid Best and ...

Q+A with Oregon State SBN site: Building The Dam
California Golden Blogs — ... Ah the great debate. Best is a more electrifying player, there is no doubt about it. But Quizz is hands down a better runner between the tackles, which is our offense. Throw in that he has a little bit more speed this year and he has broken out a few big runs, and I'll take Quizz. But don't get me wrong, I'm not comfortable playing against Jahvid Best. ...

Jersey Contest: Week 10 -- Blogger Picks
Addicted To Quack — ... Dominic: This series is interesting because the road team tends to do better when these teams do battle. It's November and historically you don't bet against the Beavs in November. I'm a little concerned about bumps and bruises to the Rodgers Brothers but they have done what they need to do. This is a big test for Cal to see if they belong in the top 3 of the conference. I like Jahvid Best and Kevin Riley has improved the last few games but let's be honest...UCLA, Washington State and Arizona State aren't very good. The Beaver defense will give up ...

The definitive Best vs. Quizz stats megapost
California Golden Blogs — ...   (What's with the Js? Is this part of a diabolical ATQ plot to win the Pac-10...?) Ok, Quizz gets more carries, Best gets more yards per carry, nothing we didn't know. Let's look at their game-by-game records, after the jump... Jahvid Best ...

Getting to know the Stanford Cardinal: Q&A with Various Provocations
Addicted To Quack — ... Simple one here: yes. Jahvid Best might get more hype and NFL love, but he doesn't perform particularly well against the best defenses. Gerhart always performs. Against last year's awesome USC defense, he ran for 100+ yards and 4.4 ypc. He isn't just a grind-it-out back either; he's had multiple 40+ yrd gains and a 60 yard gain. He can win footraces. He's also impossible to tackle high, and his feet are nimble enough to get out of the way of tackle attempts low. He's just great. ...

GameThread: Oregon State at Cal, Second Half
Building The Dam — ... It was with just over six minutes left that Jahvid Best scored on a 7-yard touchdown run. Best jumped for the goal line on the play and was met by a Beaver defender... he then fell hard on his upper back, and was taken to the hospital for observation. This play served as a poignant reminder that football is a viscous game that should never be taken for granted-- our thoughts and prayers are with the Best family, and the California football program.  ...

Postgame React: Oregon State 31, California 14
Building The Dam — ... We have to first of all start with the injury to Jahvid Best. It greatly changed the dynamic of this game, and it's great to hear that it looks like Best only suffered a concussion and nothing extremely serious, as it first appeared. Again, the thoughts and prayers of Beaver Nation are with the Best family and the California football program tonight.  ...