By STEVEN DUNST
Daily Cal Staff Writer
On paper, the matchup between No. 13 Cal and New Mexico State tonight at 7 p.m. in Las Cruces, NM does not appear worthy of primetime television. The two teams could not be more diametrically opposed. The Bears (3-0) have reached national prominence and are searching for their 11th-straight regular-season win, dating back to a victory over UCLA last Oct. 16. The unranked Aggies (0-3) are searching for their first win of the season. Cal has a coach in Jeff Tedford who recently signed a new contract and has been named Pac-10 Coach of the Year twice in his three years in Berkeley. NMSU also has a coach who just signed a new contract in Hal Mumme, but the first-year head man is trying to institute a complex spread offense and revive the struggling Aggies program-not to mention win a game. While the Bears are dominant on the ground, NMSU seems to be allergic to the running game. But opposites will attract for the ESPN-televised game, a chance for Cal to showcase its early-season growth to a primetime national audience. The starkest contrast between the teams-win-loss column aside-is indeed found in the running game, where the Bears have dominated so far this season. Cal has churned out an average of 264 yards per game, while NMSU has only managed 86 rushing yards all year. Tailback Marshawn Lynch, who broke the little finger on his left hand in the Bears' 56-17 win over Washington, will not start. However, Tedford said Lynch will see playing time, according to a report in the San Francisco Chronicle. The offense, anchored by a line that has consistently overpowered opponents late in games, has performed just fine in Lynch's absence. Cal has outmuscled the opposition in each contest in the second half, outscoring its opponents by a combined 87-10. The Aggies, on the other hand, have failed to light up the scoreboard in any fashion, having put up only 38 points in 2005. The Bears have scored more than 38 in two of their three wins. Running back Justin Forsett, who has been the buzz around Berkeley all week, will get the starting nod after rushing for 187 yards in Saturday's 35-20 win over Illinois. Despite all of Cal's impressive stats, the team has experienced some rough patches, especially in the first half. "We have not come close yet to reaching our potential as a team in any phase of the game," Tedford said. Though it does not seem like Cal will be challenged much, NMSU does run a spread offense reminiscent of Texas Tech's attack. The Bears were torched 45-31 in the Holiday Bowl in December. "(The Aggies) spread you out, four wide receivers," Tedford said. "They can do some damage as we saw with what Texas Tech did, so we have a big challenge. We have to limit the big plays." It is no coincidence the Red Raiders and Aggies run similar pass-first schemes-Texas Tech coach Mike Leach served as Mumme's offensive coordinator for 10 years at Kentucky and Valdosta State and remains in close contact with Mumme.
"We're really good friends. We do pretty much the same things on offense," Mumme said. "Here, we try to force the 'D' to stop more than one guy, but obviously we're not there yet. You can have all the schemes in the world, but players make plays." One player who will surely be called upon to make a play at some point is Cal quarterback Joe Ayoob. Though Ayoob has been shaky so far with a 46.3 completion percentage, Tedford has remained firmly in his corner. "Everyone needs to be more consistent," Tedford said. "The finger gets pointed on Joe because he's the new guy and the focus is on him."
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