Cal & Colorado Play A Glorious Pac-12 Season Opener That Never Was

It's too bad that it was considered a non-conference game, because Cal and Colorado put together a romanticism period piece for Pac-12 football this afternoon. Full of violence, mayhem, madness, and nothing that could remotely be considered inherent order, the Golden Bears and Buffaloes put on a college football essential.

It was a game that made you understand why this sport can be so compelling, so erroneous, so painful, so exhilarating. And these are teams expected to go 4-8!

Consider:

• There was Colorado torching Cal all over the field for 600 yards of total offense.  But the Buffs managed a grand total of nine points in four red zone trips.
• Colorado gave Cal three first downs on third down penalties. The Bears turned that into 14 points.
• There was a Zach Maynard and Keenan Allen give-and-go double pass to get the Cal offense going into an end zone.
• There was tight end Anthony Miller hauling in a ball thrown behind him one-handed, then hauling a defender ten yards with him to the end zone.
• There was the Colorado offensive line, coached by an offensive line coach Cal fans despise, not allowing a single sack.
• There was a blocked punt by two wide receivers.
  
• There was a Giorgio Tavecchio blocked extra point that actually might've saved the Bears from defeat in regulation, since it allowed Colorado to think about the field goal down three instead of going into "Win or else mode".
  
• There was Colorado wide receiver Paul Richardson, being single-teamed ad infinitum by almost every Cal defensive back on the block long after it had been made clear that the Bears had no one to keep up with him on deep streaks, posts, pretty much anything where Tyler Hansen called Richardson's numbers.
• Pac-12 refs had their lovely hands over this one. A catch was taken away, a 4th down conversion by Colorado looked like it was taken away, and a bogus personal foul penalty because of a late whistle ended in a Colorado score. Good times.
• There was a first down and 30 in overtime down four that was converted on first down and 30 in overtime. Think about that for awhile.

So much to love. Wish it was you, Cal-Colorado, wish it was you.