I imagine this has been a much easier week for quarterback Zach Maynard. Last week he was facing lots of questions about his four-interception game against UCLA, and about the criticism surrounding him because of that performance. Maynard was a model of efficiency in Saturday’s win over Washington State, going 10 for 17 for 118 yards and one touchdown with no picks. Not flashy, but effective considering how well Cal ran the ball. Maynard met with reporters today for his weekly media session, and the junior said he’s hopeful that another strong effort from the running game can open things up for the offense. “Our running backs did a great job (against Washington State), the offensive line did a huge job getting downfield and the receivers did a great job blocking downfield,” Maynard said. “We’ll try to do the same thing this week (against Oregon State) — get our running game going so our passing game can open up a little more.”
–Coach Jeff Tedford declined to offer any injury reports after being asked specifically about the status of outside linebacker Chris McCain (concussion). Does that mean McCain isn’t progressing well and won’t be available against the Beavers? Or is Tedford just choosing to play it close to the vest? Tough to tell. As a reporter, I wish college programs were required to provide injury updates like the NFL does. Tedford did say that left guard Brian Schwenke continues to rebound well from illness and should be available Saturday.
–Here’s a story out of Corvallis on Oregon State’s lack of a running game and how it’s hindered the offense. For the first time since 2004, it appears the Beavers won’t have a 1,000-yard rusher.