Cal RB Covaughn DeBoskie Transferring to Northern Arizona

Covaughn during happier times (photo via scout.com)

Cal running back Covaughn DeBoskie will finish his football career at Northern Arizona, the NAU athletic department confirmed Monday. The Lumberjacks are an FCS school that compete in the Big Sky conference.

Its been a whirlwind year for Covaughn. As recently as last September, DeBoskie was the No. 2 running back on the roster, he was listed as Isi Sofele's backup on the team's final depth chart before the 2011 season opener against Fresno State.

However, as the 2011 season wore on, coaches liked what they saw from C.J. Anderson and DeBoskie slid down to No. 3 on the depth chart, which wasn't a good thing since coach Jeff Tedford rotated only two running backs for most of the season.

DeBoskie's biggest game of 2011 came in the Bears blowout win over Presbyterian when he carried the ball five times for 39 yards and a touchdown. DeBoskie's five carries in the Presbyterian game represented 50 percent of his carries for the entire season.

With Brendan Bigelow, Daniel Lasco, Darren Ervin and Dasarte Yarnway all waiting in the wings at running back, DeBoskie probably felt like there was a zero percent chance of him getting on the field in 2012 and he was probably right.

Although DeBoskie will be in Flagstaff, Ariz., this season, he'll play a couple of familiar teams. The Lumberjacks play both Southern Utah and Arizona State this season, two teams on Cal's schedule.

One of the big factors in DeBoskie's decision to transfer to NAU was probably his brother. Ca'leve DeBoskie will be a junior wide receiver with Northern Arizona when the Lumberjacks open camp this fall.

Quick Note: I referred to him as Covaughn DeBoskie instead of Covaughn DeBoskie-Johnson because that's how he refers to himself on Facebook and Twitter.

Phil Steele Releases 2012 Preseason All-American and Pac-12 Teams

Matt Summers-Gavin (far left) and Brian Schwenke (far right) are two of only
seven Golden Bears  that were named to Phil Steele's  preseason
All-Pac-12 team Thursday.

Phil Steele released his 2012 preseason All-American list Thursday and Cal didn't fare to well. The only Golden Bear honored by Steele was wide receiver Keenan Allen, who was named a third team All-American.

Steele seems to be a fan of Pac-12 wide receivers though: USC's Robert Woods and Washington State's Marquess Wilson were both named preseason first team All-Americans.

Steele also released his preseason All-Pac-12 team, here's the Bears on that list:

First Team
WR Keenan Allen
OG Matt Summers-Gavin
DT Aaron Tipoti -- and yes, Tipoti is listed as a first team All-Pac-12 member even though he's not even first on Cal's depth chart. Tipoti is currently listed behind Kendrick Payne.

Second Team
C Brian Schwenke

Third Team
RB Isi Sofele
CB Marc Anthony

Fourth Team
LB Cecil Whiteside

(H/T Seattle Times)

Cal RB Trajuan Briggs Looking to Transfer

Cal's backfield is a little too crowded for Trajuan Briggs. 

Cal's crowded backfield -- there are eight tailbacks on the roster -- might be slightly less crowded come August.

Bear running back Trajuan Briggs announced on Twitter Monday that he's looking to transfer, although right now, it looks like Briggs is unsure of where he might be headed.  "No ideas, just living on a chance and plenty of prayers right now," Briggs tweeted when asked where he'll transfer.

The move makes sense, Briggs is currently buried on a depth chart that includes Isi Sofele, C.J. Anderson, Brendan Bigelow, Daniel Lasco, Darren Ervin and Dasarte Yarnway. Briggs is so low on the depth chart that he wasn't even invited to camp last August. 

Briggs' time at Cal has been filled with ups and downs, but mostly downs. In his 28 months in Berkeley -- Briggs enrolled in January 2010 -- Briggs has suffered a myriad of injuries, including; a herniated disc, a torn MCL and an elbow injury that required surgery.

Briggs, who originally committed to USC, was a nationally ranked prospect coming out of high school. Tom Lemming had the Pacoima, Calif., native ranked as the No. 14 overall running back in the class of 2010. Briggs was ranked the 35th best running back in the nation by Rivals and the 78th best by ESPN.com.

It looks like the Cal coaching staff is on board with Briggs' transfer. Briggs has a  highlight tape on Youtube that utilizes Cal practice footage. And as most Cal fans know, all Cal practice footage is held in a closely guarded underground vault at Fort Knox. You have a better chance of getting to second base with Scarlett Johansson than you do of getting your hands on Cal practice footage.

Expect an update when Briggs announces his transfer destintation.





***5/31 Update: Briggs is transferring to New Mexico. The Lobos, who compete in the Mountain West Conference, went 1-11 in 2011***

Seven Cal Players Sign as Undrafted Free Agents

Cal kicker Giorgio Tavecchio has
signed an undrafted FA contract with
the San Francisco 49ers. 

Cal dominated the NFL draft this past week. How do we know Cal dominated the draft? Because their punter got taken in the third round. But we're not here to talk about which Cal players got drafted, we're here to talk about which Cal players didn't get drafted.

Basically, this post is for one thing and one thing only: to provide a list of where Cal's undrafted free agents signed.

S Sean Cattouse, San Diego Chargers
LB D.J. Holt, Washington Redskins
TE Anthony Miller, Denver Broncos
K Giorgio Tavecchio, San Francisco 49ers
WR Mike Calvin, Atlanta Falcons
DL Ernest Owusu, Minnesota Vikings
OL Justin Cheadle, Kansas City Chiefs

Robert Thurman Tears up Washington and then Talks About it

The Thurmanator scored a career-high 16 against Washington Thursday.

Robert Thurman is my LLPITWBMMVPBIMMVP (least likely person I thought would be my MVP but is my MVP) from Thursday's 69-66 win over Washington.

Here's his postgame quotes (due to the snowstorm in Seattle, there was no Bay Area media at the game, so basically, I had to kill three people and kidnap a dog to get the audio):


Media: Is this what you expected your role to be without Solomon?

Robert Thurman: After we found out the news about Richard, we knew that somebody had to step up. I would say I got some open looks. They helped on our guards that they know are threats: Jorge, Allen, Justin, guys that can finish around the basket. They threw it down to me and I finished. I think it will lead to more minutes. MONTY: I see you with the press Thurmanator... Thurman finishing: It was good handling by the guards to get me the ball. 

Media: Did you think the coaches would make you prove yourself and then kind of see how it went?

Robert Thurman: Any smart coach would do that. I haven't played that much, I haven't had that many spectacular games, but whenever you leave any division one player open, there going to finish and I guess I proved it to them that they need to get it to me, that's what happened, they left me open. 

Media: What does it mean for you to have this kind of game in a conference game on the road?

Robert Thurman: Its confidence for me. Its confidence more so for my teammates with me. Maybe the next time that they're going to the basket, they'll think 'give the ball to Rob,' instead of 'I need to just throw up a shot,' its there confidence in me, the coaches confidence in me and my own self confidence. 

Media: How much did coach Montgomery tell you your role was going to change after the Solomon news?

Robert Thurman: He told me I needed to step up. We were down a man. He was a starter at the beginning of the year. Any time you're down a man, somebody has got to step up. You can't just fill a void with nothing. He told me I needed to play more and I needed to play better and I needed to make good decisions and that's what I did. 

Media: How tough was it to guard Aziz N'Diaya?

Robert Thurman: He's a really big guy. I would say another thing he's good at doing is pushing without the refs really seeing, so he was able to get some inside position and push some of us out of the way. He's a big body.  

Cal AD Sandy Barbour Sends Out Email on Lupoi and Kiesau Exits

Photo by Michael Macor/San Francisco Chronicle

Cal Athletic Director Sandy Barbour sent out an email to donors and season ticket holders Friday regarding the losses of Tosh Lupoi and Eric Kiesau to Washington. 


Barbour is obviously taking the losses and fan reaction to the coaching losses seriously. Not only did she send out Friday's email, but she also released a statement on the situation Tuesday.


Barbour's Email


Fellow Golden Bears -With nearly 130 years of history, Golden Bear football has a long and proud tradition at the University of California, one that will continue for decades to come. As a community, we root for the Bears with a passion that rivals any school in the country. The same enthusiasm that unites so many of us also motivates us in our daily work within Cal Athletics as we strive to put the best possible teams on the field. 


While two assistant coaches -Tosh Lupoi and Eric Kiesau -have recently left the Cal football family, we are wholly committed to completing our staff with talented coaches who personify the values and principles we all share. 


Rest assured, we wanted coaches Lupoi and Kiesau to remain on our staff and were aggressive in our efforts to retain both of them. The willingness of our community to support these efforts was crucial. While compensation is important, we cannot ignore our fiscal responsibility. In the context of the University’s overall financial situation and the extraordinary efforts from so many of you to help preserve the scope of our 29-sport athletics program, we have an obligation to remain vigilant when it comes to our precious resources. 


Coaching changes occur frequently, and change in and of itself is not unusual. Neither Coach Tedford nor I begrudge the coaches for doing what they think is best for themselves and their families. We are disappointed, though, in the timing of their decisions and the manner in which this has unfolded as we approach National Signing Day. 


We know from past experience that while those who choose to leave our program are usually missed, they are always replaced with other gifted coaches who jump at the chance to become part of our program. Our new coaches will join an experienced and successful staff already in place. 


We are being diligent and expedient in finding the right people who meet our needs and objectives for the long-term health of our program -just as we do in every coaching search. As many of you know, we have already hired Wes Chandler as our new wide receivers coach, a former NFL All-Pro who has more than 25 years experience playing and coaching football at the professional and collegiate levels. 


This University stands as one of the world’s great institutions of higher learning with a well-deserved reputation for excellence and high achievement in all its endeavors. What helps set us apart at Cal is that the term student-athlete is not an oxymoron -a fact that is not lost on recruits. As always, the quality of our institution, our students, our faculty and our staff remain our biggest draw. 


The future of Cal football could not be brighter as we fully anticipate signing another highly-rated recruiting class on the heels of our past two classes that have ranked among the top 15 in the country. Memorial Stadium construction is ahead of schedule thanks to the dry winter, and the new Simpson Center for Student-Athlete High Performance has proven to be a game-changer for us; recruits themselves have talked about the impact it has made on them and their decision to come to Cal. 


We -the team, the coaches, the staff -are all looking forward to seeing everyone back on campus and in Berkeley in a newly renovated Memorial Stadium in 2012! 


GO BEARS! 


Sandy 


Sandy Barbour 


Sandy Barbour Director of Athletics

Cal-Oregon: Will the Ducks be Bears Food or will the Bears be Duck Food?

A player that will go unnamed tweeted a picture of the white helmets.

Thursday night notes: Since 1990, Cal is 1-1 in regular season Thursday night games. In 1992, the Bears beat Kansas 27-23. In 2003, the Bears fell to Utah 31-24 in a game that pitted Aaron Rodgers against Alex Smith.

Polar Bear uniform notes: Everyone might be wondering, "why didn't the media guys report on the possibility of white helmets and uniforms this week?"

Guys think the white helmets look good,
girls think everything else looks good.

Well, we tried too.

We asked and asked and asked and just got a bunch of coy smiles. Personally, I'm 99 percent sure their breaking out the Polar Bear uniforms for Thursday's game, but since no one in the program would verify that fact, it didn't make sense to actually report it.

But as you can see in the picture to the right, unless this player went home and painted his helmet white himself, they're wearing white helmets tonight. 

Vegas notes: The Bears are currently 24-point underdogs. If that sounds like a lot, that's because it is.

Its the second biggest point spread that Jeff Tedford has faced in his nine plus seasons at the school. Below are the four biggest spreads in the Tedford era with the outcome of each game noted.

4. USC (-18.5) at Cal (2005): Trojans cover the spread with a 35-10 win.

3. Oregon (-19) at Cal (2010): Bears almost pull off the upset of the No. 1 ranked Ducks, but they fall 15-13. Everyone remembers this game. Not only did Cal cover the spread, but they could have won.... so says everyone except for Chip Kelly.

2. Cal at USC (-21.5) (2008): This game was on national television and Cal's defense came to play. Unfortunately their offense didn't. The Bears did cover the spread though in a 17-3 loss.

1. Cal vs. Kansas State (-28) in Kansas City (2003): In the 2003 opener, the Bears were supposed to get blown out of the water, but they kept it close and more than covered the spread in a 42-28 loss.

One more note, the biggest spread Cal has ever faced under Tedford and still won the game is 13.5 points. The Bears were 13.5 dogs to Michigan State in 2002 and laid the smackdown on the Spartans with a 46-22 win. Cal was also a 13.5 dog to USC in their 34-31 triple OT win of 2003.

Three Quick Keys to Winning

1. Don't shoot yourself with shotgun: Anyone who has watched Cal's offense this season knows that its been a struggle for Dominic Galas to accurately get the ball back to Zach Maynard consistently.

Galas cost the team a touchdown against Fresno State (Isi Sofele's fumble in the end zone happened after he picked up Galas' errant snap). He also cost the team 14 yards against Washington. Fortunately, for Galas, not many fans remember that because two plays later, Maynard hit Keenan Allen for the longest passing touchdown in school history.

Autzen Stadium is a death trap for opposing teams.

Autzen Stadium is a difficult place to play. Its so difficult to play there that Tedford actually admitted that it was difficult to play there and Tedford never admits anything.

Galas needs to be on point against Oregon. Maynard will have enough to worry about Thursday, he doesn't need to be worrying the snap making it to his hands.

2. Limit Oregon's Possessions: This could say "win the time of possession battle," but it doesn't because Oregon doesn't give a flying [d]uck about time of possession. On average, the Ducks only have the ball 23:35 a game, which is not only dead last in the Pac-12, it's dead last (120th) in the country.

This means, you have to limit their possessions.

Of the Ducks 27 touchdown drives this year, only three of them have been over four minutes long.

How do you limit possessions? By being on the field the entire game.

Cal is 23rd nationally in time of possession (32:27). If the Bears can limit Oregon's offense to eight possessions Thursday, that means the MOST points Oregon could score is 56. If you figure the Bear defense can make two or three stops, now Oregon can only score 35 or 42 points. If Oregon scores 35 or 42 points (or less), Cal can win the game.

3. Don't let Darron Thomas beat you: This seems to be a counter intuitive key to winning (i.e. its the opposite of "don't let LaMichael James beat you"), but it's not.

The Bears have a strong run defense and they definitely should key in on James, however they can't do it at the expense of letting Thomas pick them apart. The secondary has struggled this year and Chip Kelly is a smart guy, so he'll probably adjust his game plan accordingly.

As an example of what can happen if you direct all your attention to James, look at the Nevada game. The Wolfpack held the nation's leading rusher to 67 yards. Unfortunately for Nevada, Darron Thomas responded with six touchdown passes and Oregon rolled 69-20.

If Cal doesn't want to get embarrassed on national television, they better be aware of Thomas' talents.

Would it be embarrassing to lose to a team
wearing these jersey's?

The Pick

Can Cal pull off the upset? Of course, I see fat ugly guys dating hot women all the time, so anything's possible.

Oregon's uniforms almost always make my eyes bleed, which is why I really want to pick against them. I've picked Cal to win every game they've played this season, but I'm going to have to pass on this one. I think the Bears keep it close, lets just hope it doesn't come down to a field goal. Oregon 42-31. 

Forgetting about the pick for a second, I think Cal will acquit themselves well in primetime and possibly become a team that casual fans 'want' to watch. 

One more thing: if it rains tonight, Cal hasn't practiced in the rain once this season. The last two days in Berkeley were wet, but the Bears had a sunny Monday morning practice followed by a overcast (but not raining) Tuesday practice. Wet balls will affect everyone from the quarterback to the wide receivers to the holder to the kicker. So keep an eye on the weather.

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(John Breech covers Cal football and basketball for CBSSports.com)