Pac-10 Talk: Cal and Stanford

New Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh impressed everyone with his enthusiasm and quick wit while Cal coach Jeff Tedford sounded like a coach tired of missing opportunities to finally get Cal back to the Rose Bowl.

The youthful-looking Harbaugh, 42, broke up the media attending his session by saying "I’m tremendously excited and enthusiastic to get season started. Now I have to make good on all those promises I made in the interview process!

"We are going to do it with a committed group of seniors who are tired of getting their butts kicked." Stanford was 1-11 last season, but returns 17 starters, of whom 13 are seniors.

Harbaugh demurred on any follow-up on his comment that this coming season would be Pete Carroll’s last at USC as he would be going to the NFL, saying "that ground’s been plowed." But he couldn’t stop there and said "USC is not only best team in country, they may be best team in history of college football!"

He and quarterback T.C. Ostrander both talked about changing the culture of losing at Stanford in football. Ostrander emphasized that "confidence is really the thing. It’s not always being the better athlete or having the fastest guys, but you have to have all guys on same page at same time." Harbaugh concurred and said "I’m banking on those seniors. We will play UCLA on September 1 and we will expect to win." Stanford was picked for last in the conference again by the media panel.

Cal coach Tedford said "We have lots of experience back and we have what it takes to compete for a championship."

The Bears were 10-3 last season, tied USC for the conference title and have 14 returning starters, including All-American receiver and returner DeSean Jackson and quarterback Nate Longshore. "This is the first time [in Tedford’s tenure] that we will have a quarterback come back and play for us who played the previous year. We have a lot of confidence in Nate; he’s very, very smart and tough. He’s like a coach on the field." Tedford also thinks there won’t be much drop-off at running back with Justin Forsett stepping in to fill in for Marshawn Lynch.

Following up on the Les Miles theme, Tedford also noted Cal’s September 1 opener against SEC power Tennessee (a 35-18 loss last season in Knoxville), to be played at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley. "It’s not about revenge, but about redemption. But it’s on ourselves to reach our full potential.

"We can be successful any given Saturday, but we have to bring our "A" game each and every week to be successful." About Miles specifically, Tedford said "He’s welcome to his opinion. Our motivation is to win a conference championship and a national championship."

Cal is picked for second in the conference by the writers and has Oregon State and USC at home this season, but must travel to Oregon and UCLA.

More to come from Pac-10 Football Media Day . . .

Comments

[Erkki Corpuz]

I thought Aaron Brooks was a 2-year starter for Tedford. Therefore, Longshore wouldn't be the first returning QB for Cal that Tedford has had.

[Nathan]

Go Bears! 'furd sucks!