Tedford looks to reload

Cal coach tries to keep on USC's heels despite loss of top players to pros.
By David White / The Fresno Bee
LOS ANGELES — Cal football coach Jeff Tedford is ready to move past last season, and he sounds so sincere and well-intending. Then he walks into his own living room and Cal-at-USC jumps in his face all over again. "My son Quinn was watching a tape of the game," Tedford recalled Tuesday at the Pac-10 media day. "It was about two weeks ago. He likes to watch reruns of our games."

The tape was down to Cal's final four plays of last season's thriller, each snap coming within 10 yards of the end zone. Tedford couldn't stand to see this again, yet he couldn't avert his eyes. "I stopped and watched the last drive," he said. "I can tell you the last four plays we ran." They ended like this: sack, incomplete pass, incomplete pass and incomplete pass. USC 23, Cal 17. And there went the dream.
"Every time I look at that, it's a knot in my stomach," Tedford said. "I try to forget that as soon as possible." It really isn't working.

Gone were Cal's national title hopes. No Orange Bowl, no Rose Bowl, not even a lousy Holiday Bowl victory. And so the painful losses linger, even as Tedford put his bravest face forward Tuesday to discuss the 2005 season. He talked about how his Golden Bears plan to finally catch the Trojans … without 2004 stars Aaron Rodgers, J.J. Arrington and 11 other starters who helped Cal go 10-2.

Tedford spoke with contentment of the five-year contract extension he signed in December, and how stadium expansion plans are progressing nicely at crusty Memorial Stadium. He said the start of practice Sunday can't come soon enough, if only to give him less time to think about everything that wasn't last season.

"We're very excited about a lot of the new faces and we have a lot to look forward to this season instead of looking back at last season," Tedford said. "I have no question we have the talent to get it done. Now, it's a matter of going out and getting the experience." Tedford has rebuilt the program before.

Three years ago, the former Fresno State quarterback and assistant coach inherited a Bears program that had its worst season — 1-10 — in 104 years. In his first year as a head coach, Cal went 7-5 and Tedford was the Pac-10 Coach of the Year. This second retooling job shouldn't be so daunting.

Running back Marshawn Lynch is just as exciting as Arrington, a 2,000-yard rusher last season, and the offensive line returns four from a unit that boosted the Bears to a No. 6 ranking nationally in rushing. Above all, Tedford still is on the sideline, a Cal ballcap tugged snugly over his graying head.

"It was huge for Coach Tedford to not bail on us," Bears center Marvin Philip said. "We had coach [Steve] Mariucci before and he got a big deal and left. Coach Tedford told us not to worry about it and he kept his word." Tedford's return — he was rumored to be a potential candidate for NFL and college openings last season — is a big reason Cal was picked to finish second to USC in the preseason media poll, just ahead of Arizona State and Oregon.

"They've done a terrific job of giving us all that we wanted," said USC coach Pete Carroll, whose last loss came Sept. 27, 2003 — 34-31 in overtime at Cal. The Trojans this season play the Bears on Nov. 12 in Berkeley. "They lost a few players," Carroll added, "but I know they'll come back again this year and give us a great matchup."