Buffalo Fans Are Disheartened and Angry After The Loss To Cal

Colorado Buffalo fans were hoping that this year would be different.  They hoped that they would see an end to the unprepared road trips and the excessive, stupid penalties. After the 52-7 loss to the Cal Bears, fans at The Ralphie Report are acknowledging the fact that that hope may be unrealized this season:

Are the Buffs still a heavily penalized team? Yes
Are the Buffs unprepared with what looks like no offensive identity? Yes
Do the Buffs still make the same special teams mistakes? Yes
Do teams in BCS conferences continue to make our athletes look inferior? Yes
Do the Buffs lack emotion on the road? Yes

Yesterday was supposed to be one of the best days of the year. It turned into a day of embarrassment. I was embarrassed that I actually believed the Buffs could play with a team like Cal on the road. I was embarrassed to watch Larry Scott, Pac-10 commissioner, talk about the Buffs coming to the conference. I am embarrassed when I think about what the media and the other Pac-10 teams are thinking this morning. I am embarrassed to hear people saying we will be battling Washington State for last place every year. I was embarrassed watching the game with Oklahoma Sooner fans who felt fortunate to be associated with a team like OU and Bob Stoops because "it would be hard to deal with this every Saturday."

It's only one game, and Colorado can certainly rebound against Hawaii, but if three times is a trend then we shouldn't be getting our hopes up.

The Road Losing Streak Continues: Colorado Falls To Cal, 52-7

Berkeley, CA (Sports Network) - Kevin Riley threw for 197 yards and four touchdowns to lead the California Golden Bears to a 52-7 blowout over the Colorado Buffaloes in a non-conference matchup at Memorial Stadium.

Shane Vereen gained 59 yards on 17 carries in the win for California (2-0), while Marvin Jones caught three passes for 77 yards and a touchdown.

Tyler Hansen completed 18-of-34 throws for 166 yards in the loss for Colorado (1-1), with no touchdowns and three interceptions. The Buffaloes ground attack was limited as well, with Rodney Stewart gaining just 78 yards on 30 carries.

Riley gave the Golden Bears a 7-0 lead midway through the opening period with a 13-yard strike to Vereen. The Golden Bears took a 14-0 lead late in the frame with a four-yard strike from Riley to Jones.

A 31-yard Giorgio Tavecchio field goal early in the second quarter gave the Golden Bears a 17-0 lead, while a three-yard scoring run from Vereen just minutes later extended the California advantage to 24-0.

The Golden Bears found the end zone once more as time wound down in the first half, as Michael Mohamed returned an interception 41 yards to give California a commanding 31-0 lead.

The Buffaloes finally got on the board late in the third quarter following a four-yard run by Hansen.

An eight-yard strike from Riley to Keenan Allen early in the final period of play gave the Golden Bears a 38-7 lead. California added to its advantage midway through the frame following a one-yard toss from Riley to Isi Sofele.

The Golden Bears crossed the goal line once more with under a minute to go in the contest, as Darian Hagan ran back a fumble recovery 82 yards to account for the games final score.

Despite running 16 more offensive plays than Cal, the Buffs were held to a mere 239 yards of total offense in the losing effort.

Colorado Offense Looks Completely Outclassed As The Bears Race To A 31-0 Halftime Lead

The Colorado Buffaloes are heading into the locker room down 31-0 to the Cal Golden Bears. The defense has played well after the first two series, holding the Bears to only 151 total yards in the half. But the offense's inability to sustain a drive combined with three turnovers and eight penalties have constantly left the team on the wrong side of the field. The stats tell the story here better than I ever could:

1st Downs	7	10
3rd down efficiency	4-10	2-6
4th down efficiency	0-0	0-1
Total Yards	85	151
Passing	73	81
Comp-Att	8-17	8-14
Yards per pass	4.3	5.8
Rushing	12	70
Rushing Attempts	21	19
Yards per rush	0.6	3.7
Penalties	8-66	2-25
Turnovers	3	0
Fumbles lost	1	0
Interceptions thrown	2	0
Possession	15:43	14:17

Colorado - Cal: Mike Iltis To Start At Center Against The Bears

Offensive lineman Mike Iltis will be starting for the Buffaloes today at center, replacing junior Ethan Adkins. Iltis played a large number of snaps in the opening week win over Colorado State and offensive line coach Denver Johnson feels that he earned the start today against Cal. Iltis last started in November of 2009 against the Nebraksa Cornhuskers.

"It's not that we've discounted Ethan in any way, shape or form," Johnson said. "We want to be fair and reward performance and we felt like Mike maybe performed a little better in the Colorado State game."

Iltis, a 6-foot-3, 290-pounder, played 35 snaps to Adkins' 25 and earned a 91 percent grad to Adkins' 80. Johnson's grading system is based on number of finishes/knockdown blocks, touchdown blocks, quarterback sacks/pressures allowed and penalties drawn.

Colorado Buffaloes Head To Berkeley For A Tough Road Game With The Cal Bears

For more head over to Ralphie Report and California Golden Blogs...

(Sports Network) - Colorado will eventually become a member of the Pac-10, but this Saturday the Buffaloes will play out of the Big-12 when they take on the California Golden Bears at Memorial Stadium.

The Buffaloes opened their new campaign with a convincing, 24-3 victory over rival Colorado State. It was a much needed season-opening win for coach Dan Hawkins and his squad, which tallied a mere three victories last season.

The Golden Bears also enjoyed a rather easy victory in their opener, as they pounded the much weaker UC Davis Aggies, 52-3. Last year Jeff Tedford's team did not live up to expectations, finishing with an 8-5 ledger, but this season the bar is not as high, so the hope in Berkeley is that California will surprise a few opponents.

California defeated Colorado, 31-17, 28 years ago, tying the all-time series at two games apiece. The last time these two schools tussled in Berkeley was in September of 1968 and that matchup also went to Cal by a 10-0 margin.

The Buffs might have walked away with a victory in their opener over Colorado State, but the offense was not overly effective for coach Hawkins.

Last season Colorado struggled on the ground and there were more problems in that area in the opener, as the team finished with just 115 yards on 3.3 yards per attempt. Rodney Stewart led the way for the Buffs with 67 yards on 16 totes, while Justin Torres helped out with 26 yards.

Tyler Hansen was named the starter for the opener, and he did not disappoint his coach, or the fans at Colorado. The signal caller threw for 192 yards and two touchdowns in the contest.

Hansen's main option was Scotty McKnight, who finished with eight receptions for 78 yards and one score. On his 27-yard touchdown reception, McKnight passed Michael Westbrook as Colorado's all-time receptions leader.

The biggest problem for the Buffs in 2009 was their inability to stop the run, and although it was just one game, coach Hawkin's defense did a good job in that area, holding Colorado State to just 49 yards on 25 carries.

The secondary surrendered 196 yards through the air, but still proved too strong for the Rams, finishing the game with three interceptions. Overall the Buffs held CSU to just 12 first downs, and a meager 1-for-12 on third down attempts.

Jon Major led the defense with eight tackles, while Anthony Perkins collected seven stops, to go along with an interception.

Last season the Golden Bears opened the year with one of the best running backs in the nation in Jahvid Best, but because of injuries the team often saw Shane Vereen on the field. The experienced gained in 2009 clearly helped the junior prepare for this campaign.

Now the starting tailback for Cal, Vereen led the backfield in the opener with 67 yards and two touchdowns. Vereen, who did not play the whole game because of a large lead, also hauled in two passes for 28 yards and another touchdown.

Not to be overlooked was the performance of quarterback Kevin Riley. Riley, who had some inconsistencies last season, opened the new campaign by leading the Golden Bears to a 49-point victory.

The signal caller threw for 258 yards and three touchdowns, but Riley still has to prove he can play to that level against the top teams in the Pac-10. Eleven different players finished with at least one reception, while Marvin Jones led the way with five. However, it was freshman Keenan Allen that turned heads in the win, as he finished with 120 yards and one score on four catches in his debut.

UC Davis is a mediocre FCS school, so the success of coach Tedford's defense should not be blown out of proportion.

Cal limited the Aggies to just 81 total yards, and held its much weaker counterpart to only four first downs. It is hard to find a flaw in this performance, but the Golden Bears only forced one turnover in the contest, and did not get much pressure on the opposing signal caller, finishing with just two sacks.

Last season Cal had major issues against the pass, and while the Aggies did not test this year's secondary, there will definitely be some schools on the schedule down the road that will challenge this unit.

Cal will have a much tougher time this weekend against Colorado, but the Buffs are still not a top notch team that is going to cause the Golden Bears too many problems. Look for another easy victory for coach Tedford's bunch, but the defense should be challenged a bit more.