Shane Vereen Carries Cal To Victory

California 34, Stanford 28. Cal running back Shane Vereen may never be mistaken for the spectacular blazer he replaced in the Bears' backfield, Jahvid Best, or the thundering Mack truck on the opposite sideline tonight, Toby Gerhart, and may never approach the broad star power of either. But Vereen shouldered as many carries against the Cardinal (42) as any back in the country has endured in any game this season, for 193 yards and three touchdowns en route to leading the Bears to their biggest win of the season over their most hated rival. At minimum, that buys him 24 hours of undisturbed sleep and at least one deep-tissue massage from a comely student trainer. It ought to buy Cal a little more respect, too, for demonstrating more resiliency than the Bears have shown in years -- for a team with a reputation for extended collapses (2007) and random losses at the wrong time, the Bears have managed to rally this year first from back-to-back blowouts at the hands of USC and Oregon ...