Aaron Rodgers' Friday Speech to Cal Players 'Inspired the Team'

Former Cal standout Rodgers attended Saturday's game, and he told the players Cal-Stanford was the most important rivalry of his life

Aaron Rodgers during Saturday's Cal-Stanford game / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

It's probably mere coicidence that after the 2004 Cal team was introduced between the first and second quarters of Saturday's Big Game, with the focus on Aaron Rodgers, that the game started to turn in Cal's favor after Stanford had taken a 14-0 lead.

We'd prefer to believe is was part of Big Game magic.

And it was probably just wishful thinking that Rodgers' talk to the team during Friday's team meeting was still ringing in the players ears when they started the game-winning, 98-yard touchdown drive.

We'd prefer to believe Rodgers' provided the magic Big Game touch.

And it's probably just happenstance that Rodgers relayed the story that in his first year at Cal in 2003, the Bears beat Stanford in their final regular-season game to get the sixth win that made them bowl-eligible and launched them to the amazing 2004 seaso that should have landed them in the Rose Bowl.

But Fernando Mendoza would like to believe that it's an omen since the Bears' sixth win against Stanford this year made them bowl-eligible.

"I'm not saying history doesn't repeat itself," Mendoza said, "but I think it does."

And so Aaron Rodgers' appearance in Berkeley for Friday's team meeting and Saturday's game against Sanford (the Jets have a bye this week) take its place in Big Game lore. Folks may claim 40 years from now that the Hall of Famers' presence that wet Saturday afternoon in 2024 had an influence on Cal's comeback from a 21-7, third-period deficit for a 24-21 victory.

"Being a quarterback, Aaron Rodgers -- he's one of the greatest of alltime," Mendoza said. "Having him come to our team meeting yesterday and speak about that the Cal-Stanford rivalry has to be the most important rivalry of his life.

"To have him, that prominent a figure, make those remarks about the Big Game, it really definitely inspired the team."

And, of course, Mendoza was willing to buy in to the analogy that Cal's 2003 win over Stanford runs parallel to the 2024 win over the Cardinal to get the sixth win for bowl-eligiblity.

Cal head coach Justin Wilcox certianly remembers that Cal team because he was Cal's linebackers coach in 2003 and 2004. He knows what words from Aaron Rodgers means to college players.

"When it comes from a guy like that . . . ," Wilcox said. "Having him walk in the room was special for everyone."

We'd like to believe it provided some Big Game magic.

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