Thursday, September 29, 2005

Arizona Daily Star: Bears preparing for a tough test from UA

By Charles Durrenberger

ARIZONA DAILY STAR

Cal apparently believes Saturday's matchup with Arizona will be a mission of discovery.  The No. 12 Golden Bears (4-0, 1-0 Pac-10) have victory margins of 38, 39, 15 and 28 points.  "We really haven't played a tight game yet," Cal coach Jeff Tedford said.  The Bears trailed Illinois 17-7 at halftime before rallying for a 35-20 win.  Last week, Cal defeated New Mexico State 41-13 for its 11th win in the last 12 games.  "I don't think we can get into a shootout with them," Arizona guard Kili Lefotu said of Saturday's Pac-10 opener for the Wildcats. "Our defense is going to have to keep it from being a shootout."  California's first four opponents have a combined record of 3-13.  "We're facing a bunch of challenges," UA coach Mike Stoops added.  They are special If you are searching for a game within a game, look no further than UA punter Danny Baugher versus California return man Tim Mixon.

Baugher, a senior, leads the nation with a 51.8-yard average, while the speedy Mixon is fifth in NCAA Division I-A at 24.7 yards per return.  "You're not looking so much at yardage if you can just get the hang time," Stoops pointed out. "It's important that we give our kids a chance to cover the punts."  In three games, the Wildcats are allowing only 2.8 yards per punt return, which ranks seventh in the league.

Extra points

● The Golden Bears have a nine-game home winning streak, and will play three of its next four at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley.

● The Cal-UA series is 11-11-2.

Oddly enough, the visiting team holds an edge. Arizona is 6-5-2 in Berkeley, while the Bears are 6-5 in Tucson.

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