Zack Follett forced a fumble by Jacory Harris deep in Miami territory with 3:28 left, and Anthony Miller scored the go-ahead touchdown on his first career catch moments later in California's 24-17 victory in the Emerald Bowl on Saturday night. Jahvid Best rushed for a bowl-record 186 yards and two touchdowns for the Golden Bears (9-4), who still needed a big defensive play and an unlikely hero to hold off the Hurricanes (7-6) in front of a Bay Area crowd teeming with screaming Cal fans. Full story
UWIRE
Jack Ross, Daily Californian: If the script sounded familiar, well, it's because it was. Mostly. Jahvid Best. Timely defense. Up-and-down play at quarterback. Full story | UWIRE Bowl Coverage
Key Players
Jacory Harris, QB, Miami (Fla.) The freshman threw for a career-high 194 yards with two touchdowns on 25-of-41 passing. Harris threw touchdown passes of 9 and 6 yards.
Jahvid Best, RB, California The sophomore had a fantastic game, rushing for 186 yards on 20 carries with two touchdowns. He had both his scores in the first quarter, scoring on runs of 1 and 42 yards.
Team Reports
Miami (Fla.): The Hurricanes haven't played on the West Coast since winning the 2001 national championship by beating Nebraska in the Rose Bowl. Their last game against a Pac-10 team on the road was in 2000, when they lost at Washington. More
California: Cal finished the regular season at 8-4 overall and 6-3 in the Pac-10, ending in fourth place. The Las Vegas Bowl gets the fourth pick from the Pac-10 this season, but had no trouble reaching a deal with the Emerald Bowl to "trade" Cal for fifth-place Arizona. Geographically, that makes sense for both bowls. More -- Copyright (C) 2008 The Sports Xchange. All Rights Reserved.
Photo Gallery
Jahvid Best celebrates with his MVP trophy after rushing for 186 yards. (AP)
I definitely feel Jacory Harris earned the right to be a leg up on the starting job next year. He is a true freshman and made some true freshman mistakes but this kid is going to be good. He has a real nice touch on the ball and can move around as well. He seems to have a better grasp of the position than Marve does and I personally don't like the back an forth between the qbs. Post your thoughts!
"We couldn't let them come across the country and beat us in our backyard. I came to this park when it was first built. All my heroes in baseball as I was growing up played on this field -- Barry Bonds, all of them. I can wear my (championship) ring with pride."
-- California linebacker Zack Follet
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