SANTA CLARA, Calif. – California head coach Sonny Dykes, offensive lineman Chris Adcock and defensive end Brennan Scarlett got a sneak peek at the new home of the San Francisco 49ers, Levi's® Stadium, when the trio met with the local media for Bay Area College Football Media Day sponsored by the San Francisco Bowl Game Association on Wednesday.
In addition to being the site of the annual college football preseason meeting between the Bay Area media and representatives from the Cal, Stanford and San Jose State football teams, Levi's® Stadium will also serve as the site for this season’s Cal-Oregon contest (Oct. 24), Pac-12 Championship Game (Dec. 5) and San Francisco Bowl (Dec. 30).
“We’re excited to have the opportunity to play Oregon here on a Friday night,” Dykes said. “I think it’s going to be a great venue. I know our players are certainly excited to play in this incredible, world-class facility. I had a chance to tour it several weeks ago. This place will just blow you away as you take a look around it. They’ve done an outstanding job with this stadium. Our guys are fired up to play Oregon here on a Friday night. We’re looking forward to that.”
Before even getting the opportunity to see the field or go inside the venue, both Adcock and Scarlett were already excited about being able to play at the stadium upon arrival. Like the rest of the Cal squad, Adcock and Scarlett are looking forward to the season and the chance to play a high-profile team in a brand-new stadium.
“I’m really excited about it, the whole team is,” Adcock said. “It’s a Friday night game, so we’re going to be in the spotlight against a great Oregon team. I know we’ll have the Cal fans’ support here. We’re going to turn this place into Bear Territory.”
Neither Adcock or Scarlett feel that playing at a neutral site will take away from the home-field advantage. They expect to see plenty of blue and gold in the seats come Oct. 24.
“I know we have a lot of loyal fans that will be coming down here for the game,” Scarlett said. “It’ll be a cool atmosphere. I know my family and friends are ecstatic to come here and watch the game. It will be a good thing for our team. This is a cool thing to be a part of.”
Following the press conference, the players and coaches were escorted to Champions Club on the third floor of the facility where the Bay Area College Football Kickoff Luncheon sponsored by Wells Fargo was held with donors and other guests from the three schools and the SFBGA.
Under the current Pac-12 media rights agreement, each conference school will host a weeknight game two times in a three-year period. Cal played its first weeknight game on campus on Friday, Nov. 2, 2012, vs. Washington.
After analyzing a number of factors, including the on-campus impact on fans for a weeknight game, the conclusion was reached that playing the Friday game against Oregon at Levi's® Stadium would be the best solution for this season.
Before Cal is scheduled to hold another weeknight football game in Berkeley, the University has committed to looking at how these games impact the campus and what steps can be taken to make them more enjoyable and accessible to fans while preserving a full day of instruction, study, research and work for faculty, staff and students.
The 2014 Cal football training camp starts on Monday, Aug. 4, and will continue through Saturday, Aug. 23, which will also be Golden Bear Day when fans are welcome to come meet the players and coaches following practice that day. Cal opens the season at Northwestern on Saturday, Aug. 30, at 12:30 p.m. PT. The season opener will be telecast on ABC/ESPN2.
