It also applied the brakes to a freefall that had been eerily similar to a year ago, when the Bears dropped six of their final seven games, including a 38-17 loss to Stanford in Berkeley. But after four years of chasing the Axe as a California Golden Bear, it’s probably safe to say that he didn’t anticipate finally getting his hands on the coveted trophy in the way he did – as Stanford’s first ever graduate transfer.
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It’s not for lack of trying.
A Cal victory would further confirm the program has made noticeable strides in two-plus seasons under Dykes and improve his case for a lucrative extension.
After forcing the Beavers to turn the ball over on downs, the Bears’ offense hit the ground running as Enwere and Watson marched the ball down the field before Goff threw his sixth-touchdown pass on the day, this time an 11-yard pass to Malik Morris to cap off the eight-play 65-yard drive. “We’d be extremely thin if Brennan Scarlett hadn’t come over”. Oregon’s pass defense is last in the league, allowing almost 320 yards passing a game. When he was at Cal, he lined up against them for three years in practice. He’s made through all 10 this year and may be looking at four more. He showed us he was here to work and wanted to be the best he can be. “When we don’t, we’re not as good”. Sonny is our guy and we plan on him being here.
“It’s going to hurt a lot not having Ronnie”, Stanford inside linebacker Blake Martinez said.
“After the first couple of weeks, I had dinner with him”. In the offseason, he was a hard worker. With the Anderson field goal the Bears took a 54-24 lead, one they would hold until the end of the game.
Martinez had to give Scarlett a good vetting when he took his official visits to Stanford. “But the culture is definitely different around here”.
“We know it will be a big challenge, but our guys are excited”, Dykes said. “We’ll get tested and we’ll know a lot more on Saturday. We want to keep that Axe because everyone on this team hasn’t lost to Cal”. The Cardinal can clinch the Pac-12 North title with a win and keep their slim playoff hopes alive. Scarlett quickly became a key part of the defense after an already thin line was hit by a season-ending injury to Harrison Phillips in September. “Other than that, I don’t have too much to say about it”. He tied his season high with five tackles and led the team with 2.5 sacks against Oregon. The Bears have lost five straight Big Games, and Dykes’ first two tries resulted in defeats by a combined margin of 101-30.
Mind you, I’m not saying they’re the two BEST teams, I’m saying if you’ve tracked the results of Cal and Stanford all season, they’re consistent-they both generally perform relatively consistently relative to talent and match-ups, if you add in Vernon Adams’ resuscitation of OR to explain Stanford’s loss last weekend.
Stanford D vs. Cal QB Jared Goff. “I get amped up to play each game”.
“Stanford is the flawless fit”, he said. And it no doubt helped that his younger brother, Cameron, was committed to attending Stanford as well.
“You have to get a calculator with Goff’s numbers”, Shaw said. “What I’ve realized is that the mental side and the academic earnings as far as that goes is really what sticks with you. So with a master’s program, what better place than Stanford?”
Although he considered USC and Notre Dame, Scarlett only applied to Stanford and put all of his eggs in one basket.
“This game has the two best quarterbacks in a conference with a lot of good quarterbacks”, Shaw said. “The only thing I asked him this week if anyone on the Cal team giving him crap. We still have three games left with the big one against Stanford and ASU, but it’s awesome right now”.
“Every rivalry has its own history”, Shaw said.
He relishes wearing the cardinal and white, but he also hasn’t parted with his Cal shirts and sweaters.
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He’s happy to be on a team with as much success as Stanford, but he’s also thrilled that after three tough seasons, his alma mater is once again bowl-eligible.
