This guy was 13-1 last year on Thurs night and is off to a 2-0 start this season. Below is his write up of tonights game :
Thursday night breakdown
Sept. 11, 2003
By Christian Alexander
VegasInsider.com
California (1-2, 0-0 Pac-10) vs. Utah (1-1, 0-0 MWC)
Thurs., Sept. 11 at 7:45 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN2
Surface: Natural Grass (Rice-Eccles Stadium)
Line: Utah minus 2
I told you just two weeks ago when I previewed the Georgia Tech-BYU game that it wouldn’t be long before we were back in the Mountain West Conference (MWC). And here we are, not only back in the MWC but also back in the state of Utah, as the Pac-10’s Cal Golden Bears visit the Utah Utes.
Major kudos to all those who remember the last time Cal visited Utah since it was all the way back in 1963, with the Bears leaving the home crowd disappointed by defeating Utah, 35-22.
I’m going to go out on a limb and guess Cal won as a road 'dog that day. The only reason I bring up a game from 40 years ago is because I see a very similar result this time around.
Either way, one of these two teams will bounce back from last week, when both squads were dealt heartbreaking losses.
Last Saturday, Utah played at Texas A&M and nearly pulled off a miraculous comeback from a 21-0 halftime hole. However, after scoring a touchdown with just six seconds on the clock, Utah could not convert a 2-point conversion to tie the game and lost, 28-26.
The failed 2-point try ended up being a double whammy for the Utes, when starting quarterback Brett Elliott broke his left wrist on the play as he attempted to get into the endzone.
That said, it was yet another banner day for Utah senior running back Brandon Warfield. By now the MWC football office must be a little tired of sending conference Offensive Player of the Week awards to Mr. Warfield’s address. Including the final two games of last season, Warfield has now won the MWC weekly award four consecutive times. He took home the accolade this week after touching up the Texas A&M defense for 181 yards and three touchdowns. Warfield is currently the fourth-ranked rusher in the nation, averaging just over 175 yards a clip.
It was a similar heartbreak for Cal, as the Bears rallied from a 13-point deficit to take a 21-20 lead over Colorado State with under seven minutes to play. However, Cal could not contain QB Bradlee Van Pelt (who actually shared the MWC Offensive Player of the Week award with Warfield), as he led the Rams down the field for a game-winning field goal with less than two minutes on the clock.
So as I said, one of these two programs will bounce back from defeat and get back to winning ways this Thursday, and my money will be on Cal to do so.
When I took a peek at this game last week, I liked Cal’s chances. I like the Bears even more now that they will be facing a banged up Utah squad. Although coach Urban Meyer has yet to officially name a starter for injured QB Brett Elliott, all indications point to sophomore Alex Smith, who has only played in two games his entire career at Utah.
That’s just the tip of the iceberg for the walking wounded from Utah. The Utes will also be without the services of two-time all-MWC DE Jason Kaufusi (shoulder) and valuable RB Marty Johnson (foot). Honorable mention all-MWC OG Chris Kemeoatu has been bothered by a knee injury but could possibly play this week.
It will be quite a test for Meyer, who just last season was named MAC coach of the year after leading Bowling Green to a 9-3 record. On the heels of that success Meyer landed the Utah job when Ron McBride was fired. One positive note for Meyer this week is he will regain the services of his top WR, Paris Warren. Warren served a one-game suspension last week after he was arrested for stealing a box of condoms from a grocery store (no giggling class).
Of course, Cal’s Jeff Tedford knows plenty about coach of the year awards, since he won that Pac-10 accolade last season. All he did last year was lead Cal to its first winning football record in nine seasons. He transformed the Bears from a 1-10 team in 2001 to a 7-5 club last year, the nation's biggest one-year turnaround.
Conventional wisdom said Tedford would have his work cut out for him this season after he lost a number of starters, including star QB Kyle Boller to the NFL. However, junior QB Reggie Robertson has been a pleasant surprise and currently ranks first in the Pac-10 in touchdown passes with eight. Robertson has made a name for junior WR Geoff McArthur, the NCAA Division I-A leader with 340 total receiving yards.
While I have respect for the Utah program and know that MWC road games can be a test, I think the Utah injuries will be too much to overcome here. You can be sure that the Cal defense will load the box with eight or nine defenders and force Warfield to single-handily beat it. Considering Cal has already encountered talented runners this season such as Kansas State’s Darren Sproles, I doubt Warfield will be able to do it all by himself.
On offense, I think Cal should be facing the easiest defense it has encountered all season. That doesn’t necessarily mean Utah is soft on defense, but I doubt it has a unit to compare to that of Kansas State, Southern Mississippi or Colorado State. Cal managed to score an average of just over 27 points against those three schools, so I see it being good for at least a touchdown more here.
And one last thing...for those of you who like worthless statistics, chew on this: Utah is 0-6 all-time in ESPN-televised games and 0-2 in Thursday ESPN telecasts.
Like I said, it will almost seem like 1963 all over again when Cal won, 35-22.
Final score: California 35 – Utah 21
Christian Alexander's Thursday night season record:
Christian Alexander nearly hit the bull’s-eye last Thursday as his prediction of Southern Mississippi was a winner. Christian’s prediction of a 17-13 Southern Mississippi win was off by just a mere point as the final score was 17-12. Christian’s Thursday night season record stands at 2-0.
Week 1: BYU (-3.5) -- WIN (BYU 24, Georgia Tech 13)
BYU vs. Georgia Tech
Week 2: Southern Mississippi (-2.5) -- WIN (Southern Mississippi 17 – UAB 12)
Southern Mississippi vs. UAB
Week 3: California (+2) vs. Utah -- RESULT PENDING
1
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