I don't know if a 16 game win streak against the Bears is good at this point or not. Of course it's good - but eventually the tables turn. This could be the game. The Huskies are weak, and thanks to the Sun Devils injured. Cal meanwhile is coming off a huge win over UCLA. Here's what I think will happen.

Cal is finally coming around after their slow start. Losing to Nebraska was almost a given, but getting blown out at WSU was totally unexpected. They seemed to crawl back to life in the loss to BYU, and finally figured it out against UCLA, running for almost 250 yards and holding UCLA to 170 yards and getting 4 sacks. That's pretty good defense against the usually powerful UCLA offense.

Some good points about Cal: Freshman Boller, the top prep pick for California is coming around. Reports are he's still playing like a rookie, but better than you might expect. My feeling is anybody would be better than that Vedder guy. (That almost rhymes.) They also ran up some running yards against UCLA. That's really not a tough thing to do against UCLA, but the fact is they did it. The offense in my mind is really mediocre, but they can score when the pull it all together.

The Husky defense should not have much trouble keeping Cal from scoring. Against the run the Huskies usually do very well. Even with a few key injuries the Dawgs can stop the run. The question is, can they stop the pass? If Boller has a career day, the Husky secondary is already soft and now injured. Smith, the starting CB and real anchor of the secondary, is still sore. If the Cal o-line gives Boller some time I guarantee he'll find some open receivers. Look for the Huskies to pressure him and stop the Cal running game by the 3rd quarter.

The Cal defense on the other hand is really good. I don't care how bad UCLA's offense was, Danny Farmer will be a star in the NFL soon and he's very tough to stop. With Sanyicka moving to inside LB, the Huskies will probably try to move the ball outside again. ASU figured it out pretty quick, and the outcome was 7 total UW points.

Tuiososopo does not have a strong arm, and none of his receivers are fast enough to get open behind the CB's anyway. They've relied on the short passes and curl routes all year. The teams that have figured that out have beaten the Huskies. If he's forced to drop back and pass he won't fare well.

The keys will be:
- Keeping M. Tuiososopo mobile, either by rolling or using the option. If he tries to drop back we're doomed. The offensive line can't fold like it did last week. I hope they use some inside passing - the TE's were ignored last game as the Huskies always tried to go to the outside.
- Boller hitting his receivers. I really think Cal will be forced to pass the ball. Forced is probably the wrong word, they will plan to pass most of the time anyway. The Huskies only have a few sacks on the year, even when they blitz a lot.

My guess:
Cal is on a high and coming home after UCLA is a big bonus. I think it'll be a low-scoring affair, with the edge to Cal. Cal: 28, UW: 21. Long-suffering Bear fans party in the streets.

- COMMENTS -

Nobody in Seattle has anything against the Bears. Yet the streak continues at 17 consecutive wins by UW over Cal. Once again, it was a Husky comeback at Cal. I'd say the Damon Huard comeback was more dramatic, but this was a pretty good one.

I didn't see the game as it wasn't on TV, but I listened to the radio. Here are my thoughts.

1. Marques is still very inexperienced, holding onto the ball too long and staring at his primary receivers. Good defensive backs (like Sanyika) can read that every time and pick off the ball.

2. The Huskies performed well against a very good defense, switching from the running game to passing, even without our best receiver in the game. Good adjustment by the Huskies.

3. Cal has a terrible offense. Without the turnovers Cal would have had only 14 points. Boller obviously was having trouble out there, and the O-line gave up some sacks. UW has had very little defensive penetration against anybody this year, until Cal.

4. Without Marques we'd .. have a worse record than we do. Man I hope he stays healthy.

Good game Cal fans. Your young team will improve over time, and I think we'll see Cal become more powerful in the Pac-10 in the coming years.