Gotta keep up with Cal as game time approaches (72 hours away....)
* The San Francisco Chronicle weighs in on the depth chart, some ESPN mentions and late injury news.
* The Chronicle also takes a look at Kevin Riley, the sophomore who beat out senior Nate Longshore for the starting QB job.
* More Riley talk here from the Bay Area News Group (BANG! That'll never get old...), along with other questions that have been addressed during camp.
* And more items from Jeff Tedford, who has been please with the way Longshore is taking his demotion. Longshore is scheduled to play in this game, although Cal will be better off if Riley just plays like he did in the bowl game and makes it impossible to remove him.
joe thanks for all the updates! it sounds like riley is pretty mobile. between riley and best this first game will be a good test for msu's defense. i hope msu and dantionio doesn't play too conservative because i think cal will score points one way or another. hoyer has to show up and make some accurate throws down the field. the thing about hoyer that concerns me is his accuracy when he throws medium to long range passes. he has a cannon but he won't have 6 foot 6 kellen davis to snag passes. i think losing davis is even a bigger loss than devon thomas. i can't wait for the game!
Posted by: xwing | August 27, 2008 at 09:27 PM
The Castro Street Voice has an excellent article rating the tastefulness of the two schools' uniforms.
Posted by: Newman | August 27, 2008 at 09:27 PM
aren't we thinking that g jones and company will be taking a run at both of these guys?
looking for > 4 sacks
Posted by: Stone | August 27, 2008 at 09:47 PM
Joe, I'm in town and ready to show my Spartan pride for the team. Anybody else here?
Posted by: DeAndre W | August 27, 2008 at 11:00 PM
Joe- I don't think there is enough emphasis on our power style of football. Unless Cal has lienbackers that are 250+ pounds and can stop the run effectively then I see us running it right down their throat until they drop 8 or 9 in the box. That's a major problem for Cal because they are inexperienced at corner. I see them having a lot of trouble with our offenive scheme vs Cal's defensive scheme.
On the other side of the ball, it looks like Cal's O-line is beat up. I know Best is fast but if you don't have a line to give you some space and time then you are in for a long day at tailback. Because of those reasons, I see us winning both O and D lines. My only worry is that Riley seems a bit elusive from the SF Chronicle and may be able to escape a couple of would be sacks. Let's hope their inexperienced receivers don't know how to run to open space on a broken play.
Posted by: MSUinSC | August 28, 2008 at 12:05 AM
As Coach Dantonio would say, "I could care less about Cal, I care about Michigan St". Seriously, I would like to see MSU tackle extremely well in space and control the line of scrimmage. If that happens, MSU wins by 2 scores. If not well.......
Posted by: T Bone | August 28, 2008 at 03:57 AM
i think you beat the whole team there DeAndre. they wont get in untill tommorow afternoon. the more i read up on Cal the more similar they seem to MSU. Both teams have question marks at the O-line both are putting the reigns on their respective running backs to lead the team. and the only real difference i see is in our QBs. Both teams are looking at this game as a redemption for a sub par 07 seasons. granted MSU was just happy to make a bowl, but dont forget we dropped a couple of games that should have been gimmes against iowa and northwestern. and Cal was ranked #2 in the nation before they slid. it could be a huge indicator for both teams.
Posted by: Rexrode (evil twin) | August 28, 2008 at 09:17 AM
Impressive DeAndre! I'll be there at noon tomorrow after waking up here in Chicago around 3 am ... And is anybody else REALLY excited to see Greg Jones ... that guy is going to be a monster this year
Posted by: Stan | August 28, 2008 at 10:09 AM
I beat all of you cats out here. I've lived here since '97. I was at the Silicon Valley Bowl when we ran it up on Fresno State and I'll be there Saturday to watch us shock the nation.
Some advice for gameday: Henry's on Durant is a great pre-game spot (excellent bloody mary's), Top Dog (a few blocks west of Henry's) serves up some of the best hot dogs/sausage you'll ever have and Blondie's pizza on Telegraph is money.
GO GREEN
Posted by: zing | August 28, 2008 at 11:18 AM
I beat all of you cats out here. I've lived here since '97. I was at the Silicon Valley Bowl when we ran it up on Fresno State and I'll be there Saturday to watch us shock the nation.
Some advice for gameday: Henry's on Durant is a great pre-game spot (excellent bloody mary's), Top Dog (a few blocks west of Henry's) serves up some of the best hot dogs/sausage you'll ever have and Blondie's pizza on Telegraph is money.
GO GREEN
Posted by: zing | August 28, 2008 at 11:19 AM
Hey guys/girls,
I found some great video to get you ready for the game/season (as if any of us need more motivation).
http://spartantailgate.com
Posted by: Dan | August 28, 2008 at 11:24 AM
I beat all you cats out here; lived here since '97. The only other time the Spartans crossed the Mississippi was the 2001 Silicon Valley bowl played at a high school stadium in San Jose. Fired up for a legit game.
Advice for gameday in Berkeley if you've made the trek west:
Henry's (on Durant) is a great pre-game bar/restaurant. Order a couple of bloody mary's.
Top Dog (also on Durant) puts all other hot dog stands to shame. Trust me.
Blondie's Pizza (on Telegraph). If you need a slice, this is the place to go.
GO GREEN!
Posted by: zing | August 28, 2008 at 11:26 AM
apologies for the multi-posts...experiencing techincal difficulties this morning.
Posted by: zing | August 28, 2008 at 11:28 AM
By the way, when you are watching video part 1 keep a close eye on the segment from 3:27-3:34.....awesome! Gotta love coach D.
Posted by: Dan | August 28, 2008 at 12:44 PM
Thanks for the tips, Zing. I'll remember them next time I'm in the east bay.
For anyone who is a coffee drinker, Peet's Coffee and Tea is a Bay Area institution. It really does roast the best coffee I have every had, and I have had a lot of coffee. It makes Starbucks taste like swill (not that Starbucks doesn't taste like swill anyway).
Posted by: rg | August 28, 2008 at 01:17 PM
Thanks, zing. Question: What's the best option around campus for good food and the satellite capability to watch the U-M/Utah game at 12:30?
Posted by: Joe Rexrode | August 28, 2008 at 02:02 PM
Zing, I believe there is also the MSU/ Hawaii Game...
Posted by: louis | August 28, 2008 at 04:59 PM
Joe
Henry's is your best bet. They have a lot of tv's and will undoubtedly have Utah/Corn&Blue on. If not, you can ask them to put one of their tv's on that game. It'll be a popular spot on Saturday and will be rich with 'talent' to boot.
I live in SF so I'm dialed in with the non-gameday aspects of Berkeley.
You can always grab a couple of Top Dogs and walk down Durant until you find a good spot. Telegraph Avenue (not to be confused with the Michigan version) is a main drag to check out if Henry's is a bust.
Generally you want to stay on the south side of campus, near the intersection of Durant/Telegraph.
Enjoy your trip. It's going to be 75 and sunny on Saturday.
z.
Posted by: zing | August 28, 2008 at 05:12 PM
editor's note: "not dialed in"
Posted by: zing | August 28, 2008 at 05:13 PM
Hey there folks - get the news on Jimmerson and Curry yet? Jimmerson is out for sure on Saturday with "an undisclosed injury" and Deon Curry is listed as most likely out, but with a re-evaluation and gametime decision coming on Saturday. Not the kind of news we needed to get things started!
Posted by: Matthew | August 28, 2008 at 09:54 PM
Thanks zing, big help!
Posted by: Joe Rexrode | August 28, 2008 at 10:20 PM