Behind the scenes at Saturday's Cal-Tennessee matchup

By Kate Macmillan

Apart from the game that no one saw coming (hello, Appalachian State!), Saturday's No. 12 Cal vs. No. 15 Tennessee match-up was the prime cut of opening weekend. And since SIOC is all about prime cuts, we traveled to scenic Berkeley to enjoy The Golden Bears 45-31 victory. We also did a good deal of people watching -- here are some observations:

Dude vs. Y'all

This Cal fan got dressed up in a skirt for the game -- but cared more about her phone than the action on the field. Robert Beck/SI

Perhaps more striking than the on-field style clash between the Pac-10 and SEC was the off-field clash of the fans: NorCal laidback vs. Southern politesse and propriety. Driving around Berkeley and Oakland on Saturday morning, there was bright orange EVERYWHERE. Not only did Vols fans seem to be coming from every direction, but they also stuck out because of their clean cut appearance. Men seemed to favor tucked in polo shirts, although there were a good deal of orange-checked and other assorted orange oxford shirts. I also saw not one but two men in seersucker suits, naturally accessorized with orange pocket squares. The female fans seemed to favor orange-patterned blouses, skirts, and dresses. (In California we wear jeans to fancy restaurants, let alone to football games.) I also noticed that the women in Tennessee's visitors' box sported sleek, well-coordinated orange accessories like bangle bracelets and belts.

On the other hand Cal fans -- both male and female -- pretty much always go with t-shirts, jeans, and occasionally jerseys. There's the sporadic polo shirt, but all in all we fit the laidback stereotype.

One person who couldn't get over the chillness of Cal fans was Tennessee senior Chris Obarski, drum major for Tennessee's Pride of the Southland Marching Band.

"SEC environments are a lot more hostile," he explained. "We've gone to Georgia and Florida and had stuff thrown at us. It's also really different because the average capacity of an SEC stadium is about 10-15,000 more people."

Obarski said the band played in a pep rally at Cal's student union, and Vols fans had no problem making their voice heard. "There was a rumor that 17,000 Vols fans made the trip out here," he said as he looked around the stadium, which did in fact seem to be about ¼ orange (Memorial Stadium was filled to capacity with 72,516 fans). "We travel pretty well."

The drum major did make one other observation. "The Beach Boys may sing 'I wish they all could be California girls,'" he said. "But I'll take the coeds at Tennessee up against any school in the country."

But don't get too mad, Bears fans. Obarski also predicted a 48-46 win for Tennessee at halftime, and we all know how that turned out.

Even Chancellors Get Nervous

Elsewhere in the stadium, I ran into an anxiously pacing UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Birgeneau during the second quarter. He demurred when asked if he and University of Tennessee Chancellor Loren Crabtree had any sort of gentlemen's bet going on, the way mayors do when their cities square off in the Super Bowl.

"Oh no, unfortunately I think we're both too tense for that sort of thing!" he exclaimed. "I know I won't be able to sit down until we're up by at least three touchdowns." Birgeneau did break into a smile when I asked about DeSean Jackson, who'd just returned a punt for a TD to put the Bears up, 21-14. "That was absolutely spectacular," he said. "And on national TV, no less! It was definitely a Heisman Run."

Finally, I asked the Chancellor, who seems to be quite the football fan, whether he'd be traveling to all of Cal's games. "Well, I'll certainly go to all the important ones," he said, clarifying: "I'm definitely going to the Rose Bowl!"

Cal Football Virgins

The painted golden bear on these Cal fans' chest was so popular, Tennessee fans asked to pose for pictures with them. Robert Beck/SI

Toward the end of the game I talked with the guys in the front row of Cal's raucous student section. They'd all painted their bodies in blue and gold paint, and had been in the stands since 2:20 when the gates opened to get front row seats for the 5 p.m. kickoff.

"This has been the most hyped up Cal game for sure," said sophomores Kwang Lee and Garrett Sheng, who along with their friend Billy Wong had painted a giant Golden Bear across their chests. "We actually had a couple Tennessee fans ask to take their picture with us."

Freshman Jay Janicki was standing alongside his friend Jordan Sartor, who was helping to spell out CALIFORNIA. When asked how he'd enjoyed his first Cal football game, he shrugged his shoulders, looked around in a bit of wonder, and smiled, "I'm loving it."

One other freshman I talked to shared that sentiment. As the game ended and Cal center Alex Mack encouraged fans to rush the field, I caught up with true freshman running back Jahvid Best, who broke for a huge 34-yard run on third down in the second quarter, taking the ball to Tennessee's four-yard-line and setting the Bears up for their fourth touchdown.

"Oh man, I was so nervous," he said about playing in his first college football game. "I just wanted to come out and remember my assignments, and make plays." I'd say he did his job pretty well. When asked to sum up how he was feeling in the wake of such a huge victory, he took a deep breath, and a broad grin slowly crept across his face. Very calmly, he said, "I'm excited."

Seen and (Over)heard:

• "Y'all are crazy. In Knoxville we'd be out here with chainsaws chopping down the trees ourselves!"
-- A Vols fan in reference to the Berkeley tree-sitters who have camped out for almost a year in an oak grove near Memorial Stadium, protesting plans to cut down the trees to renovate athletic facilities.

• "Where's Pat Summitt?"
-- A Cal fan heckling the Tennessee bench. Summitt was not in the building, although Lady Vols' assistant coaches Holly Warlick and Nikki Caldwell were, as on Sunday they embarked on an eleven day Harley trip from San Francisco to Knoxville to raise Breast Cancer awareness. (See Volunteers Cruisin for more information).

• Former San Francisco Giants and Cubs Manager Dusty Baker (and his famous son, Darren), wandering through the Cal press box.

• "He's gonna make us forget Marshawn Lynch real fast."
-- A Cal fan, in reference to senior running back Justin Forsett, who went for 156 yards and a touchdown.

• A bright orange-clad gentleman (perhaps a camera man?) sitting on top of the Cal scoreboard. How did he get up there?

• "Start your tractor! [clap, clap, clap-clap-clap]"
-- The Cal student section, revealing their regional biases, in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter.

• "I hope that guy never leaves."
-- An elderly Cal fan as Jeff Tedford walked by to shake fans' hands after the game. Tedford proceeded to remove his game hat and hand it to a young fan. Had any babies been present he surely would have kissed them.