By George Devine, Sr.

After a 41-24 loss at Colorado, the Bears prepare to end their 2013 season with a trip to Stanford for the 116th annual Big Game. Kickoff time has been announced for 1 p.m. PST on Saturday, November 23.

Stanford is coming into the contest somewhat humbled, after losing to USC, 20-17, at the Los Angeles Coliseum. This makes the Cardinal 8-2 for the year so far, and 6-2 in Pac-12 play, thus making a trip to the Rose Bowl doubtful. But Stanford’s record is on a totally different level from Cal’s 1-10, with the lone win coming against Portland State.

In Saturday’s disappointment, one of the two cellar-dwelling teams in the conference was destined for its first league win, and Colorado got it. Among the Bears’ weaknesses was inability to tackle. This bodes ill for Sonny Dykes’ charges, who have become known for weak defense all year. It will be even more of a problem than usual at Stanford, where a consistently strong offense has put the Cardinal among the top-ranked teams in the country. Bear defenders will be up against tailback Tyler Gaffney, who rushed for 158 yards and scored a pair of touchdowns against the Trojans, and the characteristically needle-threading quarterback Kevin Hogan, who had his rough moments against USC but has been solid throughout the year.

Cal’s quarterback this year, freshman Jared Goff, has racked up impressive stats for passing yardage, but in vain so far as wins and losses are concerned. At the Coliseum he was yanked for two series in favor of Zach Kline, but it seemed to make no difference. Dykes was found at game’s end promising more practice, more thinking about approaches, and the return of some injured players. Only a win against Stanford and the resultant reclamation of the historic Axe could save this season from being a total disaster for Old Blues, and most are already worrying about 2014.