Today's Cal Kickoff game program features tailback Shane Vereen on the cover. The corresponding profile on the Golden Bear tailback was written by back-up kicker David Seawright, an aspiring journalist who covered Cal's track & field team for the Daily Californian last spring.

Other stories to check out include a feature on defensive lineman Derrick Hill and his community service activities; water polo legacy Charlie Steffens; freshman wide receiver Keenan Allen; and a quick look at the eight new members of the Cal Athletic Hall of Fame who were enshrined in ceremonies last night. The group, which represents the 25th class of inductees, will be introduced at halftime today.

Welcome to today's Gameday Blog. We'll be bringing you notes and observations from the press box throughout the day, as Cal hosts Arizona State at 12:30 in Memorial Stadium.

Right now (about 7:30 a.m.), the Cal Marching Band along with several hundred high school band members are practicing their routines on the stadium turf. The directors are busy trying to get everyone lined up for their positions for their show later this afternoon.

Although a light rain fell sporadically earlier, there are several breaks in the clouds as the sun rises over Strawberry Canyon. It should be a great day for Cal football.

Based on their strong performances at the Pre-NCAA Invitational over the weekend in Terre Haute, Ind., both the Cal men's and women's cross country teams moved up a spot in the latest regional rankings. The Cal men are now fourth in the West, while the women are fifth. National rankings will be updated on Tuesday.

At the Pre-NCAA meet, the Bear men placed seventh in the blue division behind a seventh-place individual finish by Michael Coe. Deborah Maier was third in the women's blue division race, helping Cal to an eighth-place standing.

For more details on the rankings, visit ustfccca.org.

Shane Vereen's 31-yard touchdown pass from Kevin Riley marked the 30th time in his career he has reached the end zone. Vereen now has 11 TDs this season, eight on the ground and three through the air.

Earlier in the game, Vereen added to his consecutive games streak with at least once catch . He has caught a pass in all 32 of his Cal games and his string is the longest for a running back in the country.

Mychal Kendricks recovered a USC fumble at the Cal 26-yard line, his third fumble recovery of the season. It marks the fifth fumble recovery of his career.

D.J. Campbell's sack of USC QB Matt Barkley was the first of his career. The third-down tackle set the Trojans back nine yards and forced them out of field goal range.

USC won the toss, but deferred until the second half. Cal will receive the ball to start the game.

The CalBears.com blog is set up and ready to go from the LA Coliseum for this afternoon's tilt between Cal and USC. Skies are currently overcast and are expected to become partly cloudy by this afternoon with a high 72 degrees forecast.
Several Bears have made their way out to the field and are casually beginning to warm up, stretching and tossing the ball around.
Check back throughout the day for more updates and notes on Cal and USC.

A great way to get your day started on campus is to stop by Spieker Aquatics Complex for the men's water polo tilt between Cal and UCLA. The action gets underway at 10 a.m.

Cal is ranked fourth nationally, while UCLA is No. 2. The Bears sport a 10-2 record and the Bruins are 8-2. The contest is a rematch of last year's MPSF championship won by UCLA.

For more information about the game, check out Cal's press release.

Today's Cal Kickoff game program highlights defensive end Cameron Jordan on the cover and includes an in-depth look at Cal's active leader in tackles for loss and quarterback sacks.

Other feature stories to check out include:

• Defensive line coach Tosh Lupoi and his trip to South Africa last summer
• Volleyball middle hitter Shannon Hawari, one of the leaders of the undefeated Bears
• Cross country standout Steve Sodaro, who won the Pac-10 3000 steeplechase title last year
• Sophomore Isi Sofele, a small back who makes big plays

 

Stories from around the state on today's Cal-UCLA game ...

From the Bay Area: The Bears get a second chance at the pistol offense after seeing it for the first time against Nevada earlier this season, in the San Francisco Chronicle. The Contra Costa Times looks at how the new Pac-12 may affect the Cal-UCLA rivalry.

From the Southland, both the Los Angeles Times and the Orange County Register focus on Cal's Berkeley winning streak over UCLA, which now stands at five games. While in the LA Daily News, the headline reads, UCLA hoping pistol doesn't fire blanks at Cal.

 

Good morning and welcome to today's Gameday Blog. The sun is just rising over the East Bay hills and it looks like it will be a bright, sunning day in Berkeley. By game time at 12:30, it should be about 70 degrees with a high of 77 forecast for this afternoon.

If you are going to be on campus today, make sure to check out some of the Homecoming activities before or after the Bears and Bruins battle in Memorial Stadium. Complete details can be found at homecoming.berkeley.edu.

Today's March to Victory where you can welcoming the Cal football team to the stadium will start around 10:15 this morning next to Maxwell Family Field just north of the stadium. Arrive early so you can get a good spot to cheer on the Bears.

 

Despite not competing last weekend, the Cal men's cross country team moved up two places to fifth in the West Region rankings, jumping ahead of both Arizona State and Washington, in the poll released Monday. The Bears are fourth among Pac-10 teams, trailing only Stanford, Oregon and UCLA, as well as Portland from the West Coast Conference.

The Cal women remain seventh in the region, a position they have held most of the year.

The Bears return to action Oct. 16 when they compete against some of the best team in the country at the Pre-NCAA Invitational in Terre Haute, Ind., site of the NCAA Championships in November. Several members of the team will also be at the Bronco Invitational in Santa Clara next Saturday.

For a complete look at the regional rankings, visit ustfccca.org.