BY ERIC GILMORE
BERKELEY, Calif. - (KRT) - Cal quarterback Joe Ayoob wore a sheepish grin and a super-sized T-shirt with a picture of Al Pacino's character from "Scarface" as reporters approached him Tuesday afternoon. Cal coach Jeff Tedford had just told those at his weekly news conference of Ayoob's stunning transformation over the past 10 days. According to Tedford, Ayoob had changed from a "happy-go-lucky" kid with a habit of "goofing off" at practice into a mature, serious team leader.
Now it was Ayoob's turn to respond. "Apparently, I was a little goofy," he said. There's been much less Chris Rock and much more Peyton Manning from Ayoob during Cal's practices lately. The message Tedford has been preaching to him about the importance of practice has finally sunk in. Ayoob's zero-for-10 passing debut off the bench two weeks ago against Sacramento State helped him see the light. So, too, did the season-ending injury to Nate Longshore that pushed Ayoob into the starting lineup last week.
"When I became the starter it was more like, `OK, this is my team. I have to set the example for everybody else,"" said Ayoob, a transfer from City College of San Francisco. "So I really had to cut out all the joking around on the side and stuff. So yeah, I guess you could say I did grow up a lot in the last 10 days." Ayoob's new approach paid off last week in his first start for Cal. He completed 17 of 27 passes for 271 yards and four touchdowns in a 56-17 victory over Washington at Seattle. Today, Ayoob will face Illinois in his first start at Memorial Stadium, the scene of his inauspicious debut. Tedford said Cal fans will see a changed quarterback. "He's in on Sundays watching game tape. In meetings, he's very, very focused," Tedford said. "At practice he is really, really intent on watching what's going on, even when the other guy is in there. "He's paying attention to everything. He's matured. He realizes that it's a big job and there's a lot of responsibility that goes (with) it." That's not to say Ayoob, 21, has had a personality transplant. He still plays football with plenty of fire, passion and charisma. He still has fun on game days, which is only right.
Off the field, and even sometimes on it, he's still a goofy, good-natured kid with an infectious smile and self-deprecating sense of humor. Consider how Ayoob describes the way he looks in his football uniform. "I look like a schmuck," Ayoob said, laughing. "I've got no butt. My nose hangs out of my helmet." Or consider one of the big reasons why he had at one point hoped to play for the University of Miami. "I really like their uniforms," Ayoob said. "Thought it would be cool to play there." How kid-like is that? Off the field, Ayoob often hangs out with his offensive linemen. Smart move making friends with your body guards.
One night earlier this week, Ayoob and 6-foot-7, 360 pound offensive tackle Ryan O'Callahan went to dinner at In-N-Out Burger. Ayoob ordered one four-decker cheese burger, one three-decker cheese burger and fries. "I out-ate him, which is pretty amazing," Ayoob said. "I've got a pretty big appetite. I finished my 4-by-4 before he finished his double-double." Ayoob's sense of humor and easygoing manner helped him bond with his new teammates during spring practice and training camp. Now, he said, it's time to get more serious. Well, at least most of the time.
"I still have fun with guys, but maybe once during practice I'll make a joke to a buddy or something," Ayoob said. "But yeah, it's a lot more serious and more businesslike now." Tedford offers former Cal quarterback Aaron Rodgers as an example for Ayoob to follow in terms of how to practice and prepare for games. Yet when Rodgers arrived at Cal from Butte College in 2003, he didn't immediately meet Tedford's high practice standards. "I wasn't a very good practice player when I got here, but (Tedford) convinced me if I was going to lead the team, I had to do it during the week and not just on Saturday," Rodgers told the Chicago Tribune last November. Tedford finally convinced Ayoob, too.
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