Herald and Review: Ayoob silencing the critics

By MARK TUPPER H&R Executive Sports Editor

September 17, 2005 1:02 AM CDT

BERKELEY, Calif. - After throwing six incompletions in a row to end the first half, then misfiring on four straight to open the second half, Joe Ayoob was yanked from the lineup in his quarterbacking relief appearance in California's season opener.

His 0-for-10 performance became the kind of thing fans mumble about on sports talk radio and the phrase "0-for-10" became a nasty buzzword on the Bay Area, even though Cal defeated Sacramento State 41-3 despite losing starting quarterback Nate Longshore to a broken leg. The day after the Sacramento State game, Ayoob was so disgusted he ripped off his jacket and tossed it at a chair in his parent's home. The jacket missed the chair, and his father, who apparently has a pretty secure sense of humor, looked at his son and said, "Oh-for-11." So when Cal coach Jeff Tedford announced that Ayoob would be his starter in Game 2 at Washington, the mumbling in the Cal football community grew louder. And when his first pass last Saturday was intercepted, the mumbling turned to all-out groans.

After that, however, Ayoob showed why Tedford had such confidence in him. He finished the day completing 17 of 27 passes for 271 yards and four touchdowns and suddenly the 15th-ranked Golden Bears appear to have a dangerous quarterback again. Today, Illinois' defense will be tested against the arm of Ayoob, a 6-foot-3, 220-pounder who was one of the nation's top junior-college quarterbacks at San Francisco Community College, where he threw 35 touchdown passes in 2004. "He was not flawless by any means, but he played fairly well last week against Washington," Tedford said. "So much was made the week before of the 0-for-10 thing, then having his first pass intercepted, he did a pretty good job of hanging in there. It would have been easy for someone to fold their tent.  "Instead, he did a pretty good job throwing the ball and getting the offense in and out of the huddle. He gets more and more comfortable with every snap. He has a lot of potential and a lot of ability. He's a very good player." And certainly not the only one Cal brings into this West Coast battle. After losing 26 players to graduation or the NFL after last season's 10-2 run, Cal appears to have reloaded in a manner in which only the top programs are able to do.

"They are very talented," Zook said. "They have a stable full of running backs. I remember watching them in their bowl game last year and I thought, 'Holy smokes.' I could see why they were upset about not playing in the BCS. Their offensive line is huge. They have a lot of receivers, the best we will have seen to date. "We did not recruit their quarterback, but we knew of him. He's a very talented guy out of junior college. Losing key starters did not seem to have a big effect on them offensively." One player Illinois will have to contain is wide receiver Robert Jordan, who made his sophomore debut last week with 11 catches for 192 yards and three touchdowns. That was enough to earn him the distinction as the Pac-10 Conference offensive Player of the Week.

Jordan was suspended for the opener because of a spring infraction when he was stopped by police for wearing a 3-inch ornamental dagger around his neck. He'd been given the knife by his grandfather, but it was considered to be a concealed weapon and Tedford wanted to send a message with a show of discipline. "He got written up for that, but there were no charges," Tedford said. "He got thrown into the mix last year as a true freshman and he struggled some. But he really used that as fuel to prepare himself for this season. "He did a great job and has worked very hard and it was great to see that work pay off. He has caught the ball very, very well. On one TD catch down the middle, he out-jumped someone, made a finger-tip catch and ran into the end zone. It's been great to see him mature." Starting tailback Marshawn Lynch will miss today's game after suffering a broken finger in the Washington game. Sophomore Justin Forsett, who has rushed for 89 yards and a touchdown, will get the start.

Zook wants his offense to make improvements, as he said it did between the victory over Rutgers in the opener and last week's win against San Jose State. And he has challenged the Illini defense to generate more turnovers. Through two games, it has one. "As you look through tape during the week you're always looking for ways to get an extra possession or two," Zook said. "We've talked about it. We have to stress more turnovers. We're going to have to get some turnovers on defense and not turn it over on offense. And we have to play better on special teams. We played very well last week except two plays (a blocked punt and allowing a kickoff return for a touchdown). But those plays will lose a game for you when you're in a contest like this."

This is Illinois' first road trip under Zook after winning the first two games at home. Offensive lineman J.J. Simmons hopes the road environment will help the Illini get off to a quicker start. In each of the first two games, breakdowns have plagued offense, defense and special teams in the first quarter. "We just want to get the jitters out of the way and play football," Simmons said. "We just have to settle in and play. It might be different on the road. We can zero in because there are less distractions." Tedford said he views Illinois as an up-and coming group that has bought into Zook's personal enthusiasm. "I see a group that is playing with a lot of energy," Tedford said. "It looks like they have a lot of passion for what they are doing. They get very excited. They fly around and play very, very hard. It's obvious that coach Zook has done a good job creating a mindset of guys who are enjoying playing the game. At least that's what it looks like on tape."