Cal Football Countdown: 70 Days, Cal 70, Baylor 22

For today’s edition of the Cal Football Countdown, we’re looking at a key game from Cal’s past. More importantly, it’s the day I fell in love with the game of football.

It was August 31st, 2002. Going to Cal football games hadn’t been a happy exercise for a young Trace Travers. I can vividly recall a third grade writing assignment, asking about the highlight of our weekend. I responded with Lashaun Ward catching a long touchdown pass from Kyle Boller in the 2000 Big Game, a game the Bears lost in overtime.

I was told this time it’d be different, that Cal got a coach from Oregon to come be their head coach. I’d met the guy briefly, as the 9 year old version of me told Jeff Tedford that I wanted to play receiver for him some day. Like almost all of my athletic dreams growing up, that one didn’t happen, but what I saw when Cal took on Baylor that day led me on the path to doing this job.

There were only 27,185 people in attendance that day, a 1-10 2001 season limited the amount of interest. Memorial Stadium was still in its old iteration, mostly filled with wooden benches and troughs in the men’s restroom. There were water fountains along the railing next to the field, a cavelike concourse, and you could see the dirt under parts of the stadium as you walked up the stairs into the stadium. I was one of those 27,185 in attendance, not really knowing what was going to happen and probably longing to go home.

Then Cal took the field, in new uniforms that they’d wear some version of until 2008. Even the turf had been replaced with what was called “momentum turf.” Rocky IV star Barry Tompkins and former XFL (and Cal) quarterback Mike Pawlawski called the game for KRON 4, a local station, something unheard of in this day and age. Jemeel Powell took the opening kick back to the Cal 29, and we were off.

First play from scrimmage was what truly got me hooked. The broadcast mentioned Boller’s new throwing motion, and we got to see a bit of it on the first play. 12 personnel, with twin WRs to the right. Motion out by RB Joe Igber, and a backward pass to RB Terrell Williams followed him. Williams dropped back a step, wound up, and fired it downfield to TE David Gray, which is still the most open I’ve ever seen anyone be. Gray stumbled, but scored. A younger Trace thought “whoa, they can do that?” Yes, yes they could.

The hits kept coming for Cal. First play of the Baylor drive was a play action rollout, thrown right into the hands of James Bethea, who returned it back to inside the 15 of Baylor. Three plays later, 3 step drop, Boller to Geoff McArthur. 14-0. Baylor responded with a 3 and out. Six plays later, including two intermediate balls to Johnathan Makonen and a Lee Grosscup shovel pass to Igber, it’s 21-0. 6:40 had gone off the clock to this point.

Baylor then went on a drive, which all turned on a tipped ball, which led to an interception by Matt Nixon, taken 101 yards to make it 28-0. Just for kicks on the next drive, Powell took an interception back for a score as well. 35-0. That was the score at the end of the 1st quarter, at the time the most points scored in the first quarter by a Cal team (later equaled in 2015 by Jared Goff and two pick sixes against Grambling).

The rest of the game went by. I remember flashes, including a wheel route to fullback Chris Manderino for a score. Current Cal WR coach Burl Toler had a reception. Baylor turned the ball over two more times. By the end, the final score was 70-22. More importantly, I wanted more.

There are other games that have been more emotionally meaningful that I’ve had the pleasure of attending, but this led me down the path to those. All thanks to a double pass in a half empty stadium.

Below is a Youtube video of the broadcast for your viewing pleasure.