2004 California Golden Bears football team
The 2004 California Golden Bears football team was an American football team that represented the University of California, Berkeley in the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10) during the 2004 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their third year under head coach Jeff Tedford, the Golden Bears compiled a 10–2 record (7–1 against Pac-10 opponents), finished in second place in the Pac-10, and outscored their opponents by a combined score of 441 to 192.[1][2]
The Golden Bears were ranked No. 4 at the end of the regular season, its only loss having been No. 1 USC by a 23–17 score. In that game, quarterback Aaron Rodgers set a school record for consecutive completed passes with 26 and tied an NCAA record with 23 consecutive passes completed in one game. He set a Cal single-game record for passing completion percentage of 85.3. Rodgers' performance set up the Golden Bears at first and goal with 1:47 remaining and a chance for the game-winning touchdown. On the first play of USC's goal-line stand, Rodgers threw an incomplete pass. This was followed by a second-down sack by Manuel Wright.[3] After a timeout and Rodgers' incomplete pass on third down, USC stopped Cal's run play to win the game.[3] Rodgers commented that it was "frustrating that we couldn't get the job done."[3]
After Texas was picked over Cal for a Rose Bowl berth, the fourth-ranked Bears were awarded a spot in the Holiday Bowl, which they lost to Texas Tech, 45–31. After the season, Rodgers decided to forgo his senior season to enter the 2005 NFL Draft.[4]
The team's statistical leaders included Aaron Rodgers with 2,566 passing yards, J. J. Arrington with 2,018 rushing yards, and Geoff McArthur with 862 receiving yards.[5] Three California players received first-team honors on the 2004 College Football All-America Team: running back J. J. Arrington (AP, FWAA, TSN, SI, ESPN, CBS); offensive lineman Marvin Phillip (SI); and defensive lineman Ryan Riddle (TSN, SI). Quarterback Aaron Rodgers
Schedule
Date |
Time |
Opponent# |
Rank# |
Site |
TV |
Result |
Attendance |
September 4 |
9:00 a.m. |
at Air Force* |
No. 12 |
Falcon Stadium • Colorado Springs, CO |
ESPN2 |
W 56–14 |
50,075 |
September 11 |
3:30 p.m. |
New Mexico State* |
No. 12 |
California Memorial Stadium • Berkeley, CA |
KRON |
W 41–14 |
58,949 |
October 2 |
1:00 p.m. |
at Oregon State |
No. 10 |
Reser Stadium • Corvallis, OR |
FSN |
W 49–7 |
36,003 |
October 9 |
12:30 p.m. |
at No. 1 USC |
No. 7 |
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA |
ABC |
L 17–23 |
90,008 |
October 16 |
4:00 p.m. |
UCLA |
No. 8 |
California Memorial Stadium • Berkeley, CA |
TBS |
W 45–28 |
69,898 |
October 23 |
4:00 p.m. |
at Arizona |
No. 7 |
Arizona Stadium • Tucson, AZ |
|
W 38–0 |
52,049 |
October 30 |
7:00 p.m. |
No. 20 Arizona State |
No. 7 |
California Memorial Stadium • Berkeley, CA |
TBS |
W 27–0 |
52,652 |
November 6 |
12:30 p.m. |
Oregon |
No. 4 |
California Memorial Stadium • Berkeley, CA |
ABC |
W 28–27 |
65,615 |
November 13 |
12:30 p.m. |
at Washington |
No. 5 |
Husky Stadium • Seattle, WA |
|
W 42–12 |
63,451 |
November 20 |
12:30 p.m. |
Stanford |
No. 4 |
California Memorial Stadium • Berkeley, CA (The Big Game) |
FSN |
W 41–6 |
72,981 |
December 4 |
4:30 p.m. |
at Southern Mississippi* |
No. 4 |
M. M. Roberts Stadium • Hattiesburg, MS |
ESPN |
W 26–16 |
27,480 |
December 30 |
5:00 p.m. |
vs. No. 20 Texas Tech* |
No. 4 |
Qualcomm Stadium • San Diego, CA (Holiday Bowl) |
ESPN |
L 31–45 |
63,711 |
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll. All times are in Pacific Time. |
[6]
Game notes
Stanford
|
1 |
2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|
Stanford |
3 |
0 | 3 | 0 |
6 |
• California |
10 |
0 | 10 | 21 |
41 |
|
|
Scoring summary |
---|
|
1 |
8:45 | CAL | Robert Jordan 29 yard pass from Aaron Rodgers (Tom Schneider kick) | CAL 7-0 |
|
1 |
2:34 | CAL | Tom Schneider 42 yard field goal | CAL 10-0 |
|
1 |
0:20 | STAN | Mike Sgroi 21 yard field goal | CAL 10-3 |
|
3 |
8:38 | CAL | Tom Schneider 28 yard field goal | CAL 13-3 |
|
3 |
3:22 | CAL | Marshawn Lynch 55 yard run (Tom Schneider kick) | CAL 20-3 |
|
3 |
1:18 | STAN | Mike Sgroi 44 yard field goal | CAL 20-6 |
|
4 |
12:53 | CAL | J.J. Arrington 9 yard run (Tom Schneider kick) | CAL 27-6 |
|
4 |
9:26 | CAL | Burl Toler 20 yard pass from Marshawn Lynch (Tom Schneider kick) | CAL 34-6 |
|
4 |
3:05 | CAL | Reggie Robertson 5 yard run (Tom Schneider kick) | CAL 41-6 |
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Notable Players
See also
References
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National championship seasons in bold |