Coach Jeff Tedford had the right plan but the wrong result when he visited Knoxville last year, as the nationally hyped and hemp-huarache-wearing Bears were dealt a shocking blow by Tennessee (Cal was picked to win by super-sage Lou Holtz). By playing it close to the vest and leaving his immobile Quarterback Nate Longshore in a prime position to win the game, Tedford was executing one of the best plays in the Cal’s Carlsbad Caverns-deep playbook, “The Dinker Dump”; Longshore was 11/20 for 85 yards. Let there be no doubt that the environmentally conscious Tedford will have a purpose and a plan the when these teams meet on the “Left” Coast in two weeks.

It was a Saturday in August 2006, and Cal was trailing in the waning seconds of the first half of football contest against Tennessee. With the game momentum on the line, Cal QB Nate Longshore, stepped under center and threw yet another accurate pass that was dropped by now legendary wide receiver DeSean Jackson, these drops help secure a dramatic loss, 35-18 – a loss that will forever as a missing piece of the puzzle that is known as PAC-10 football.

Have no doubt that Tedford’s strategy, on that Saturday, was the best chance for the Bears to win. Anyone who follows college football knows that the tradition of SEC speed is a deadly one. Time and time again, the raucous ghosts of Neyland had a hand in the rise of the mighty as outclassed Vols. These inspired Vols rose to gridiron glory over a liberal, hippie, agnostic, evil and debauched PAC-10 team that wallowed in their self-created hades of arrogance. Fortunately for the Vols on this Saturday, against the one of the nation’s premier football programs (as per ESPN), The Rocky Top Bank was open for business, as Coach Phil Fulmer, a veteran of the SEC border wars, cashed in his Neyland’s Maxims for Glory-Card.

Cal’s, no make that the PAC-10’s, history will look favorably on Tedford’s decision to put the outcome of the game on the shoulders of a young man, whose DNA is now a part of the Tedford QB legacy. Longshore’s play didn’t pay a dividend that day, but rest assured that the interest will continue to accrue, compounding continuously and will ‘cash in’ September 1st. Nate’s name will soon be written next to the other ultra successful quarterbacks that Tedford has coached: names like Dilfer, Harrington, Boller and of course Akili Smith.

Longshore unexpectedly missed 3 or 4 winning touchdown passes. Maybe it was the wind, or the crowd, or bad luck, or the pre-game prayer (They don’t pray in Kalifornia), or maybe the receivers were just too slow for the powerful young Longshore’s long range bombs. Who can say? One thing is for sure. In less than two weeks, and Lou Holtz is already telling us that the mighty Longshore arm will throw again, PAC-10 glory will be money, and next time, hopefully, for more 100 passing yards this time.