Cal Football: Former Bears Had a Busy Weekend At Their New College Addresses

Chris Brooks, Nikko Remigio and McKade Mettauer among ex-Bears who exceled.

Chris Brooks ran wild and helped No. 25 BYU crush South Florida.

Nikko Remigio caught everything but a cold as Fresno State crushed Cal Poly.

McKade Mettauer helped pave the way for No. 9 Oklahoma to roll up nearly 500 yards in a waltz past UTEP.

Jeff Tedford was victorious in his second coaching debut at Fresno State.

And Sonny Dykes got the same result in his second coaching debut since being exiled by Cal.

Week 1 of the college football season featured an assortment of mostly victorious performances by former Golden Bears, both players and coaches.

Here’s a look:

CHRIS BROOKS, BYU: After rushing for more than 1,700 yards in parts of four often-injured-plagued seasons, Brooks had a night to remember in his first game with the Cougars.

He ran the ball 13 times for 135 yards, including a 52-yard touchdown, as BYU overcame a 2 1/2-hour weather delay before the game at Tampa, Fla., to dismantle South Florida 50-21.

It was the fifth 100-yard rushing game of his career, exceeded only by the 197-yard effort he delivered as a sophomore against UC Davis in 2019.

The Cougars led 38-0 to start the game and finished with 315 yards on the ground.

Nikko Remigio leaps over a would-be Cal Poly tackler / Photo by Cary Edmondson, USA Today

NIKKO REMIGIO, Fresno State: The wide receiver had one of the most productive games of his career in his debut with the Bulldogs, catching nine passes for 100 yards and rushing twice for 26 more, including his first rushing touchdown, in a 35-7 win over Cal Poly on Thursday.

It was just the second 100-yard receiving game for Remigio, who had nine catches for 157 yards and a TD in the 2019 Big Game.

He became the first receiver to record a 100-yard game in his FSU debut since Davante Adams in 2012.

In 33 games at Cal, Remigio caught 97 passes for 903 yards with seven touchdowns.

McKade Mettauer

McKADE METTAUER, Oklahoma: Another entry into the transfer portal after last season, Mettauer was the starting left guard for the Sooners in their 45-13 rout of UTEP.

Earlier this week, in an interview with John E. Hoover of AllSooners.com, Mettauer acknowledged that he sometimes was so nervous on game day that he would throw up. But the former three-year starter for Cal says those days are over.

“It’s another day in the office now,” he said.

Mettauer said the football environment in Norman is night and day from Berkeley. A native of Texas, where high school football is king, he said he signed just a couple autographs while playing for the Bears.

“I ran out of ink in my pen (at OU). It’s freaking awesome. This means everything,” he said. “I feel like this is what I was meant to play, in this kind of atmosphere.”

JH TEVIS, Indiana: Tevis started at defensive end and had a big role in the Hoosiers’ 23-20 come-from-behind opening-night win over Big Ten rival Illinois. He had four tackles, including two tackles for loss totaling four yards.

Tevis, who had 37 tackles for the Bears last season, put together his fourth career game with at least two TFLs.

CHIGOZIE ANUSIEM, Colorado State: The graduate senior cornerback and his teammates had a tough season debut, losing 51-7 at No. 6 Michigan. Anusiem, who played 25 games for the Bears, starts for the Rams and had two tackles and a pass breakup.

GAVIN REINWALD, Rice: The tight end did not see an7 action in the Owls’ 66-14 loss at No. 14 USC.

Fresno State coach Jeff Tedford / Photo by Cary Edmondson, USA Today

JEFF TEDFORD, Fresno State: The former Bears coach, beginning his second stint in charge at his alma mater, secured a decisive victory Thursday night, improving his record to 27-14 at Fresno. Tedford stepped down as coach due to health concerns in 2019.

Tedford, 60, got a helping hand from his former Cal quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, who delivered an inspirational video message to the Bulldogs.

“He sent a message to our team talking about connection and chemistry. I think we took that to heart,” wide receiver Jalen Cropper told the website BarkBoard.com. “He was saying about teamwork, talking about chemistry, having bonds on and off the field, that football is more than just a game.”

Tedford coached the Bears for 11 seasons, winning a school-record 82 games and guiding the program to eight bowl appearances.

TCU coach Sonny Dykes / Photo by Ron Chenoy, USA Today

SONNY DYKES, TCU: On the heels of fashioning a 30-18 record in five seasons at SMU, Dykes won his debut with the Horned Frogs. TCU didn’t score an offensive touchdown in the first half, then ran off the first 31 points of the second half on the way to a 38-13 victory Friday night.

This is fourth different head-coaching assignment for 52-year-old native of the Lone Star State, whose 19-30 record from 2013-16 at Cal was his only coaching stop with a losing record.

Cover photo of BYU running back Chris Brooks by Douglas DeFelice, USA Today

Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo