4th & 1: explainations from the staff and player comments

Regarding the infamous 4th & 1 play.  First, a take from Walker...

Walker said Coach Karl Dorrell decided to be "conservative" because a fourth-down play backfired against Notre Dame.

"We did put it on the defense," Walker said, "and I told them, 'We better stop them.' " Then from KD himself: Dorrell also defended the call.

"I just didn't want to make a mistake and put us in a bad situation," he said, adding that he thought the subsequent punt would have been better executed, pinning Cal inside the 10. "We were only down by one point."

Added quote: "It was more about protecting ourselves," said Dorrell And the reaction from the players? "We have players who want the ball," said Breazell, speaking for the players who were willing to express themselves. "We didn't want to turn it back over to them. That's why we were upset."

Guard Shannon Tevaga just shook his head and held his tongue. "Coaches' decision," he said.

"We were a little disappointed," admitted Bell, but defended the coach's call. "We thought they'd be antsy, and jump, and we'd get the first down."

Also some very insightful commentary from the author: The call that might have followed them around like a garlicky smell (if they had lost) came late in the third quarter. Trailing, 21-20, and facing a fourth-and-1 at the Cal 37, the Bruins, who had moved the ball equally well on the ground and with short pass patterns, burned a timeout to come up with a doozy of a strategy -- the old "Let's get them to jump offsides" play.

When it became apparent quarterback Pat Cowan wasn't going to get the ball, that he would just shout sham signals at Cal's defense (Snap count: On never), the crowd began booing.

Smart crowd.

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