Cal Game Has Special Meaning for Aztecs

Every year, college football fans wait eagerly, impatiently for the first game. Then, when it has been played, win or lose, they realize they still are not sure how their team stacks up. Ah, but the second game will tell, eh?

And so it is with our Aztecs. The 31-0 win over New Hampshire, as Rocky said, was a combination of good and not so good, with lots of work to do. Now, Game 2, the Cal Bears. This one will tell us more.

It sure will in one sense. This is the one game this season to be played against a Power Five Conference team. If the Aztecs are as good as many “experts” and fans believe, they will win. The betting lines have the Aztecs by about 7. Here are my feelings.

The Bears are a puzzle because their 51-31 left questions. Even though they lost QB Jared Goff as the first NFL draft pick, along with six receivers, their new QB, Davis Webb made the passing game look very strong. And they did roll up 51 points on Hawaii. But the Rainbow Warriors lost 63-3 to Michigan the next week, in what must have been a travel nightmare. The Bears’ defense did not look great, giving up 31 points, and Hawaii backs looked good running the ball. Steven Lakalaka (Aztec Ronley Lakalaka’s brother) averaged 5 yards a carry. Have to believe Aztec backs are a bit better!

In the Aztecs’ shut-out victory, the defense looked ready for another very good year, giving up only 8 first downs and 141 total yards, a lot of that late in the 4th quarter. And the Wildcats failed to convert any of 14 third down conversion attempts. By contrast, our offense was not as sharp, getting off to a slow start with three straight 3-and-out series. But they showed a new facet with an 86-yard TD pass from Christian Chapman to Mikah Holder. Overall, the offense showed a new passing strength, completing 17 of 26 for 291 yards, compared to 170 rushing. Another plus for our offense, continuing last year’s impressive figures, we scored on 4 of 4 Red Zone attempts.

The Aztec Defense held New Hampshire to 8 first downs, no third down conversions and no points (photo by Ken Ables); Micah Holder caught two TDs, including this 86-yarder (Ernie Anderson)

Where do we go from here? Saturday night’s game will be an important chapter in this year’s book!  My pick? Surprise! The Aztecs.

GO AZTECS!