In this post, I'll just glance over a few of my early thoughts. These aren't detailed impressions or anything, and I haven't examined any stats, just the first things off my head.
1 - The offense was awesome. All game long, we drove the ball down Cal's throats. Chris Turner bounced back exactly the way I hoped he would've. It's clear he's a gamer who'll show up in big games. If he'd just show up against smaller teams like MTSU, this team would be legit. Da'Rel Scott was great, even though he only played three quarters. Davin Meggett's officially a stud. I expect him to get a lot of carries come ACC play. Lansford Watson and Dan Gronkowski are two big, reliable targets that more than replace Joey Haynos. And the entire offensive line was great. Very few mistakes throughout the game.
2 - Obi Egekeze needs to be benched. I actually really like Obi, especially his name - sounds like a Jedi - but he can't make a field goal to save his life. A 27-yard chip shot and he misses by a mile. Nick Wallace, come on down!
3 - The rest of the special teams unit was phenomonal. Outside of one poor kick return coverage, they were all over Cal's return men. Travis Baltz had a few big kicks to get out of tough spots, and the punt coverage was money. Michael Carter made a couple of big tackles - he definitely deserved the playing time he got a CB late in the game. Danny Oquendo recovered two onside kicks and batted the third out of bounds. Overall a very solid game.
4 - The defense was...enigmatic. Certainly, they were great the first three quarters. The lineman and Moises Fokou were getting a lot of pressure on Kevin Riley, and were finally gettiing some sacks. Riley was under constant pressure, and it contributed to the great first three quarters. Philistin was all over the field, Barnes was solid, and Jahvid Best - supposedly one of the most dangerous backs in the country - was contained all game long. Then came the fourth quarter. DC Chris Cosh decided to go to a mini-prevent defense, and Cal just picked the secondary apart. He has to realize that you've got to keep up the pressure until the game's over. The defense was soft and careless that final quarter, and it showed.