Cal Football: Evan Weaver, Alex Mack Named to Fox's All-Time Pac-12 Team. Who Was Left Off?
Evan Weaver and Alex Mack represent Cal on the All-Time Pac-12 team recently chosen by RJ Young, college football writer and analyst for Fox Sports.
Weaver, who was Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and consensus All-America at linebacker in 2019, celebrated his inclusion with a post on social media.
“Funny how all these `ALL KNOWING’ football fans can’t accept greatness; but hey, they didn’t play! Can’t deny production! Can’t deny will! The strong survive the weak die!” he wrote on Twitter.
Weaver’s production was remarkable. He led the nation in tackles as a senior, piling up 181, including three games with at least 20.
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Mack was a highly decorated center at Cal, a two-time Morris Trophy winner as the Pac-12’s top offensive lineman and the 2008 winner of the Draddy Trophy, known as the Academic Heisman. Mack has gone on to become a six-time Pro Bowl selection in the NFL and signed a three-year contract with the 49ers in March.
These kinds of all-time teams are intended to be argument-starters and while I have no issue with most of Young’s selections there are several glaring omissions.
First of all, Reggie Bush was one of the most entertaining college player I’ve seen. His stats are crazy — 8.7 yards per rush in 2005.
But Bush wasn’t the greatest running back in USC history. Or even second-best.
O.J. Simpson belongs at the top of the list, his substantial post-career shortcomings notwithstanding. Simpson was a two-time consensus All-American and 1968 Heisman Trophy winner for a USC team that lost twice in two years ago. Fast? He ran on a USC 4x100 relay team that still holds the Pac-12 record (38.44) more than a half-century later.
Marcus Allen came along a decade later and as a senior in 1981 rushed for 2,427 yards on the way to winning the Heisman. He ran for nearly 5,000 yards in his USC career.
With all respect to Bush and Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey, I’m taking Simpson and Allen.
Matt Leinart, chosen by Young at quarterback, shared billing on the USC team also featuring Bush. The Trojans were unbeaten through the 2005 regular season and dazzled foes with their dynamic offense. Leinart was a great college player.
But John Elway was the best college quarterback I ever saw. Don’t believe me, ask Barry Switzer.
The former Oklahoma coaching legend watched in 1980 as Stanford’s sophomore quarterback engineered a monumental 31-14 upset at OU’s Memorial Stadium. In a steady rain and matched against the No. 4 Sooners, Elway led unranked Stanford to a 31-0 lead on the way to snapping the Sooners’ 20-game home winning streak.
"John Elway put on the greatest exhibition of quarterback play and passing I have ever seen on this field,” Switzer said afterward.
Elway passed for 9,349 yards and 77 touchdowns in his Stanford career, then was taken No. 1 in the 1983 NFL draft.
One more gripe: How can the late, great linebacker Junior Seau not make the cut ? Before he became a 12-time Pro Bowl pick and six-time All-Pro in the NFL, Seau was a star for USC, collecting 19 sacks in 1989. Seau belongs somewhere on this list.
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Here are Young’s selections:
Offfense:
QB Matt Leinart, USC
RB Reggie Bush, USC
RB Christian McCaffrey, Stanford
WR Troy Walters, Stanford
WR Mike Williams, USC
WR Brandin Cooks, Oregon State
OL David Yankey, Stanford
OL Ron Yary, USC
OL Sam Baker, USC
OL Jonathan Ogden, UCLA
OL Alex Mack, Cal
Defense:
DL Steve Emtman, Washington
DL Tedy Bruschi, Arizona
DL Haloti Ngata, Oregon
DL Terrell Suggs, Arizona State
LB Evan Weaver, Cal
LB Rey Maualaga, USC
LB Scooby Wright, Arizona
DB Eric Weddle, Utah
DB Ronnie Lott, USC
DB Antone Cason, Arizona
DB Troy Palomalu, USC
Cover photo of Evan Weaver by Al Sermeno, KLC fotos
