Cal coach Jeff Tedford announced after yesterday's practice, finally, that Nate Longshore will start the season-opener against Tennessee. Check out this video for all of the pomp-and-circumstance surrounding this announcement. But seriously, Tedford's comments sound eerily like our coaching staff's did last year when they were talking about whether Rick Clausen or Erik Ainge would start. To wit:
They both had good camps? Check.
There's not a lot of difference between them? Check.
Somebody's got to take the first snap? Check.
The other guy [Joe Ayoob, in this case] will play; we'll see about the flow of the game? Check.
So just who is Nate Longshore? 6-5, 233, red shirt sophomore. Longshore was off to a great start as a freshman starter when an ankle injury ended his season. Hmmm. Great freshman season ended with injury? Check.
So who's Joe Ayoob? 6-3, 223, senior. Started nine games for Cal last year after Longshore's injury. I can't find whether he's a captain or not, but regardless, he's a senior. So . . . competition between redshirt freshman phenom and more-experienced senior member of the team? Check.
Controversy at quarterback followed by massive meltdown on a planetary scale? Jury's out.
Cal fans would do well to brush up on the Rules Governing the Employment of 2QB Systems and the case study of the 2005 Tennessee Volunteers.