Derrick Hill News

The first visible signs that this is Big Game week were out at practice on Tuesday, although coach Jeff Tedford said that the Cal football team won't fully address the history of its rivalry with Stanford until later in the week.

Cal has won the Big Game in six of the past seven years. The one time the Bears lost during that stretch, 20-13 at Stanford Stadium in 2007, the empty feeling left a lasting impression on offensive tackle Mike Tepper and running back Shane Vereen .

Injured star tailback Jahvid Best is still resting at his parents' home in Vallejo, and there's no timetable for his return to school or football, Cal coach Jeff Tedford said Tuesday.

Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller California running back Jahvid Best sat out Wednesday's practice with what was termed a "mild concussion," but Best told reporters he expected to play Saturday when Oregon State comes to town.

Best sustained his injury Saturday against Arizona State, though he wasn't diagnosed with a concussion until Monday.

He would glance at the television and see himself scrambling out of the pocket, going down, hopping to his feet and hurriedly tossing the ball at the referee as Cal's field-goal unit rushed onto the field.

The Cal football defense hasn't had much success over the past two seasons against little guys who can run with the football.

When Cal boards its plane to Phoenix this morning for Saturday's game at Arizona State, the Bears will do so without three men who have started this season.

The Bears have played only two games decided by fewer than 27 points. They smacked around mediocre opponents, scoring at least 35 points in beating Maryland, Eastern Washington, Minnesota, UCLA and Washington State.

When their son started first grade at Anderson Elementary in Eden Prairie, Minn., Steve and Anita Jordan had a message for his teacher.

Wednesday evening after practice, Jeff Tedford addressed the team on the field. He wasn't inspiring them to work hard during practice or to be ready for their game against Arizona State this weekend.

Jahvid Best and Shane Vereen , meet Arizona State's Sun Devils. They're waiting for you.

Cal lost to the top two teams in the Pac-10 by a combined score of 72-6. Cal beat the bottom two teams in the conference by a combined score of 94-43. Clearly, the Bears belong somewhere in the middle of the pack.

Coach Jeff Tedford justifiably declared a "new season" earlier this month as the Cal football team entered its bye week, desperately trying to move forward after losses to Oregon and USC.

Cal's 49-17 joyride past Washington State on Saturday proved little in the grand scheme of things.

When Cal coach Jeff Tedford saw nose tackle Derrick Hill and wide receiver Nyan Boateng getting ready to shower him with the obligatory tub bath Saturday, he didn't make much of an effort to avoid it.

Cal spent the first three minutes of its showdown with USC on Saturday night making a convincing argument that last week's disaster in Oregon was the exception.

And now, the moment you've all not been waiting for. It's the one in which the Cal football team doesn't get over the hump and knock off USC for the first time since 2003.

Film has been pretty useless to the Cal football team's offense this season. For the second time in three games, the No.

The first time defensive lineman Mike Costanzo put on full pads at Cal, he severely tore up his right knee, wiping out his freshman season before it began.