BearTalk

The first quarter ended with Cal leading Oregon State 7-3. The Beavers got a 32-yard field goal from Trevor Romaine on the game’s opening drive, aided by a 42-yard kickoff return from Brandin Cooks. Cal’s first drive ended with Zach Maynard being intercepted by Lance Mitchell, a badly underthrown ball intended for Marvin Jones on a deep route. But Maynard responded on the next drive, hitting Michael Calvin on the money for an 18-yard touchdown. Isi Sofele’s 56-yard run set up that score.

Early on, it looks as though the Bears really need to put pressure on OSU quarterback Sean Mannion. The kid looks comfortable in the pocket right now and has completed a couple key passes.

Some first quarter stats:

First downs
Cal = 5
OSU = 4

Rushing yards
Cal = 79
OSU = 8

Passing
Maynard 3-5-1
Mannion 6-7-0

Passing yards
Cal = 33
OSU = 50

Total yards
Cal = 112
OSU = 42

Time of possession
Cal = 5:26
OSU = 9:34

It’s a picturesque afternoon at AT&T Park as Cal and Oregon State prepare to do battle. The sun is out, though the lights will be on soon and the temperature will drop considerably. No sign of rain, so the elements should be more favorable to throwing the ball than they were last week when Washington State visited. Outside linebackers Chris McCain and David Wilkerson are both not suited, so they won’t be playing even though they’re listed as starters on the depth chart. Cecil Whiteside and Dan Camporeale figure to take their spots.

The Bears are wearing their gold jerseys and blue pants. Check in for updates during the game. You can also follow me on twitter at @joestiglich. I’ll update there as well …

A quick recap for you as the Bears finished up their last major practice before facing Oregon State on Saturday …

–If Cal is without outside linebackers Chris McCain and David Wilkerson (both are nursing injuries), defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast thinks his unit can withstand their absence. “We’ve got guys who have played in there – Dan Camporeale, Cecil Whiteside, Ryan Davis,” Pendergast said. McCain is coming back from a concussion and Wilkerson has a bone bruise on his left knee. Their availability remains unknown as injury updates have been minimal this week. Pendergast acknowledged that inside linebacker Mychal Kendricks can bounce outside if need be, but it doesn’t sound as if he’ll play there much. “In some packages he gets a chance to rush off the perimeter, but it’s not a full focus to put him over there.”

Pendergast said he’s impressed with what he sees on film from Oregon State redshirt freshman quarterback Sean Mannion.

–A couple links for you: Here’s a story I had in today’s paper about Isi Sofele and Cal’s running back situation. And here’s an update on OSU senior receiver James Rodgers, who hasn’t been his play-making self since last season’s knee injury.

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.

There was lots of talk among Cal players today about finding a way to beat Oregon State. The Beavers have hung four straight losses on the Bears (and they’ve won 7 of the last 9), and it’s amazing when you think back on the bizarre circumstances surrounding some of those defeats:

*The infamous Kevin Riley fumble of 2007 that kept Cal from being the top-ranked team in the country

*The awful tumble that led to a season-ending concussion for running back Jahvid Best in 2009

*The season-ending knee injury suffered by Riley in last year’s lopsided loss in Corvallis.

I doubt that the sight of Oregon State uniforms makes a Cal fan’s blood boil like some other conference rivals would, but holy cow, the Beavers have laid some hurt on this team.

More on that storyline in tomorrow’s paper …

–Teams are rolling up 171.2 yards per game on the ground against Oregon State, so expect Cal to try to pound away with the running game as it did against Washington State. As for the Beavers offense, they like to fling it behind redshirt freshman quarterback Sean Mannion, a local boy from Foothill High School in Pleasanton. With no real running game to support him, he’s thrown the second-most passes in the conference (behind Arizona’s Nick Foles), and according to the reports I’ve read, Mannion has impressed with his strong arm, poise and presence in the pocket. Oregon State coach Mike Riley mentioned this morning on a media conference call that he considers Cal to have a very aggressive secondary, and he believes a key to Oregon State’s success is giving Mannion enough time to throw. Cal coach Jeff Tedford liked the way his defensive line stuffed the run against Washington State, but he would have preferred more pressure on the quarterback. That’s something to watch for Saturday …

Checking in following Sunday’s workout …

It appears Cal might be without two linebackers Saturday against Oregon State. Starting outside linebacker Chris McCain, who left yesterday’s game in the third quarter and was taken to the hospital, was diagnosed with a concussion. Cal coach Jeff Tedford said McCain would be monitored closely throughout the week before his availability for Saturday was determined. If I had to guess, I’d say David Wilkerson, another freshman outside linebacker who’s been in the playing rotation, will be out longer. Wilkerson suffered a knee injury in the first quarter yesterday and underwent an MRI today. Tedford said he didn’t have results yet, but Wilkerson was spotted on crutches as the team finished its workout. Again, it’s premature to speculate. Hopefully Tedford can shed more light on the situation when he next meets with the media Tuesday.

Another mystery ailment: Starting left guard Brian Schwenke was unavailable yesterday due to an illness that landed him in the hospital Thursday night. He was released today and participated lightly in some activity, but his status is unknown. Asked if it was flu or pneumonia-type symptoms, Tedford said it was more serious than the flu but said he didn’t feel comfortable offering more information because it wasn’t football-related. That seems to indicate Justin Gates could draw his second start at left guard. The play of the offensive line (including Gates) was a huge bright spot against Washington State, so it appears the Bears might be OK even if Schwenke is sidelined longer.

Quarterback Zach Maynard is fine after taking a shot to the head yesterday.

I wish there was more concrete information to share, but Cal is very tight-lipped about injuries and the injured players typically aren’t made available to the media. Aside from injury reports, the vibe seemed very upbeat surrounding the team, no surprise after a lopsided victory. A win Saturday against Oregon State should wrap up a bowl berth.

That’s all for now …

It’s final: Cal beat Washington State 30-7, a dominant and much-needed victory to move to 5-4 (2-4 in Pac-12).

It’s a full-blown rout at AT&T Park, with Cal leading 30-0 at the end of the third quarter. The only score came on fullback Will Kapp’s 42-yard burst up the middle on a 4th-and-1. That was the first career touchdown for the senior. Everyone’s getting in on the fun.

Quarterback Zach Maynard left the game when he recovered a fumble and took a shot in the back from WSU’s Sekope Kaufusi. He was helped off and backup Allan Bridgford replaced him. There’s no word yet of how serious it is, but it didn’t look that bad. With the score what it is, perhaps it’s precautionary. But we should learn more after the game …

The stats at intermission. This format may look a little funky …

First downs
Cal = 14
WSU = 5

Rush yards
Cal = 25-134
WSU = 15-15

Passing
Maynard = 9-14-0
Lobbestael = 8-19-0

Pass yards
Cal = 106
WSU = 70

Total yards
Cal = 240
WSU = 55

Time of possession
Cal = 17:52
WSU = 12:08

That was about as good a first half as the Bears could have hoped for. They lead Washington State 23-0 at the intermission on a cold and rainy afternoon at AT&T Park. The defense has looked terrific, not that the Cougars are putting up much of a fight. Cal has allowed just five first downs.

The offense looks very much in rhythm, with Zach Maynard finding lots of open receivers on rollouts. Isi Sofele has also found lots of running room. Lots of quick passes for Maynard on play-action. The Cougars aren’t getting much chance to pressure him.

A couple quick notes:

–Keenan Allen became the sixth Cal receiver to break the 1,000-yard mark, and fellow wideout Marvin Jones moved into 10th on the school’s career list for catches and receiving yards.

Some halftime stats coming soon …