ANG Newspapers: Bears own second half

Cal again awakens at intermission, roars back to beat Illini and go 3-0

By Dave NewhouseSTAFF WRITER 

BERKELEY — One thing about Cal football: If you're bored watching the Golden Bears in the first half, don't even think about heading home early. The fun is just beginning.  Cal is a first-half sleepwalker, and a second-half stalker. That is the pattern with Jeff Tedford's teams, and Saturday was yet another example.  At halftime, Cal trailed Illinois 17-7. The fighting Illini had rolled up 210 yards to Cal's 124, and Joe Ayoob was having another horrible Strawberry Canyon experience: 1-for-9 on pass completions, which made him 1-for-19 in his short time at Memorial Stadium.  "It was the same as always," Tedford said of the locker-room scene at halftime. "'No panic. Make some adjustments, stop hurting ourselves with penalties, tackle better. It's the same all the time, whether we're ahead or behind."  And it's usually the same development every week, Cal taking the field for the second half, looking totally different. Cal outgained Illinois 291 yardsto 127, and outscored the Illini 22-8. Ayoob was 7-for-8, Justin Forsett rushed for 130 yards, and Cal won going away 35-20.

Cal (3-0) has outscored its opponents 87-10 in the second half, just like last year when it had a 227-67 advantage after intermission.  "Teams that stick together will prevail, and that's what happened today," Cal safety Donnie McCleskey said. "I loved every minute of this game. It showed we're a tight unit. I'd like to keep going. If there's a fifth quarter, let's keep playing."  Cal was unusually pumped up after this win, because it beat a solid Illinois team (2-1) that could cause some damage in the Big Ten.  "Illinois is going to give teams a run for their money," McCleskey said. "They picked up a new system very fast. It's only week three."  Illinois' system, implemented by new coach Ron Zook, is known in college football as the Urban Meyer system, popularized by the former Utah coach who replaced Zook at Florida.  "In the Pac-10, we're not used to seeing option teams," said Cal cornerback Tim Mixon, a second-half hero Saturday with his 79-yard punt return for a touchdown. "The last option team we saw was Utah."  That was 2003, when Meyer's Utes beat Cal 31-24 in Salt Lake City. In the first half Saturday, Cal's defense appeared just as confused against Illinois' spread, gimmicky offense. That also changed at halftime.  "It's just the tempo — a fast, upbeat tempo," Cal defensive coordinator Bob Gregory said of the Meyer/Zook offense. "With a no-huddle offense, you don't get a chance to recover. They also have two plays called every down, then they look to the sideline to see which one to run.  "We did do some good things in the first half, but we had penalties and we didn't make plays on third down. In the second half, we did better on penalties and made plays on third down. And those first two second-half stops, that was huge."  Once again, it was Cal's second-half monster mentality surfacing. Cal stopped Illinois on its first three second-half series, actually, and outscored the Illini 21-0 to break the game open.

But equally impressive before and after halftime was the pocket-sized Forsett, who stepped in for the injured Marshawn Lynch and rushed for 187 yards (11.4 per carry) and two touchdowns, while leading all Cal receivers with three catches for 43 yards. That's 230 yards of offense from a backup.  Forsett's quickness through the hole was J.J. Arrington quick, and there can be no greater compliment at Cal.  "In basketball, they always said I had a quick first step," said the 5-8, 184-pound Forsett, a sophomore from Arlington, Texas. "I have to see the hole as fast as I can to get through it as quick as I can.  "It feels good to have this kind of day. My dad told me to maximize the moment. That's what I wrote on my wristband before the game."  Marcus O'Keith also maximized his opportunity with 66 yards rushing (5.5 average), including a 12-yard scoring run, and he turned his only reception into a 26-yard touchdown pass from Ayoob.

Cal rolled up 415 yards even with two new starters on the line — guard Bryan Deemer and tackle Scott Smith, who replaced Andrew Cameron and Aaron Merz, sidelined with concussions.  "They played their butts off," Ayoob said of Deemer and Smith. "There was no dropoff at all."  Ayoob's own personal dropoff at home games ended at halftime. Well, almost. He was flagged for two delay-of-game penalties, and fumbled a snap, which he then picked up and hit DeSean Jackson for 21 yards.  "The first week, I dwelled on my stats," Ayoob said of his 0-for-10 debut. "This week, in the second half, that helped me out. I didn't worry about it. I'm feeling more comfortable every week."

 

Illinois—20

California—35

FIRST QUARTER

Cal 7, Illinois 0: Forsett 5 run. Schneider PAT kick. 80-yard drive, 7 plays. Key plays: Forsett 45 run to Illinois 25; Forsett 22 pass from Ayoob on third-and-15 from 30. 13:01 left.

Cal 7, Illinois 7: Thomas 1 run. Reda PAT kick. 80-yard drive, 14 plays. Key plays: Cal offside (Storer) on fourth down gives Illinois first down at its 32; Jones 9 pass from Brasic on 3rd-and-6 from 36; Bryant 19 pass from Brasic on 3rd-and-5 from 50. 7:00 left.

SECOND QUARTER

Illinois 14, Cal 7: Brasic 1 run. Reba PAT kick. 77-yard drive, 16 plays. Key plays: Davis 8 pass from Brasic on third-and-2 from Illinois 31; Brasic 6 run on third-and-4 from 45; Halsey 3 pass from Brasic on third-and-2 from Cal 41; Brasic 15 run on third-and-6 from 34, plus personal foul Cal (Follett) moves ball to 9. 14:07 left).

Illinois 17, Cal 7: Reba 36 FG. Key play: Hughes interception overruled; Hughes pass interference turns Illinois' third-and-17 from its 44 into first down at Cal 41. 0:00 left.

THIRD QUARTER

Illinois 17, Cal 14: O'Keith 26 pass from Ayoob. Schneider PAT kick. 81-yard drive, 7 plays. Key play: Gray 14 pass from Ayoob on third-and-4 from Cal 26. 7:55 left.

FOURTH QUARTER

Cal 21, Illinois 17: Forsett 3 run. Schneider PAT kick. 38-yard drive, 4 plays. Key plays: Mixon 17 punt return to Illinois 38; Jackson 21 pass from Ayoob to 17; Jordan 14 pass from Ayoob to 3. 13:14 left.

Cal 28, Illinois 17: Mixon 79 punt return. Schneider PAT kick. 11:34 left.

Cal 28, Illinois 20: Reba 31 FG. Key play: Thomas 52 pass from Brasic to Cal 20. 8:54.

Cal 35, Illinois 20: O'Keith 12 run. Schneider PAT kick. 80-yard drive, 6 plays. Key plays: Forsett two rushes for 45 yards. 5:55 left.

Attendance: 57,653.

RUSHING—Illinois, Thomas 12-57, Brasic 18-29, J.Davis 4-11, Halsey 7-6, Payne 1-5, Mendenhall 1-1. California, Forsett 16-187, O'Keith 12-66, Hawkins 2-25, Ayoob 3-8, Manderino 1-5, Jackson 1-3.

PASSING—Illinois, Brasic 21-37-0-228. California, Ayoob 8-17-0-121, Jackson 0-1-0-0.

RECEIVING—Illinois Jones 6-56, Halsey 6-30, Thomas 2-59, Hudson 2-16, J.Davis 1-27, Bryant 1-19, Warren 1-10, Payne 1-9, McPhearson 1-2. California Forsett 3-43, Jordan 2-17, O'Keith 1-26, Jackson 1-21, Gray 1-14.