By MARK TUPPER - H&RExecutive Sports Editor
CHAMPAIGN - Given Jeff Tedford's proven track record developing quarterbacks, it's no wonder he has pumped life into the University of California football program. But what is astonishing is how quickly Tedford has transformed Cal into a legitimate threat to Southern California's place on the throne of West Coast football. And, given USC's exalted spot atop all of college football - with national titles the past two years - the Cal Golden Bears find themselves as a lesser-known, but genuine player, in the national championship race.We may be more familiar with names like Southern Cal, Miami, Florida State and Ohio State when the subject is the upper tier of college football, but California has quickly climbed into that cluster and it's more than smoke and mirrors that brought them there. That may not be good news for an Illini football team heading to Berkeley this weekend for a showdown with the nation's 15th-ranked team. Despite a 2-0 start, Illinois has found success against two dreadful defenses and needed a lightning bolt of good fortune to start the season with a comeback overtime victory over Rutgers.
What awaits Illinois is a Cal team that is explosive on offense, stingy on defense and precise on special teams. When Illinois was preparing to go to Cal to open the 2001 season, I recall a teleconference in which Cal head coach Tom Holmoe told why he turned down an offer to extend his contract. In essence, Holmoe said he wasn't sure he had earned the extension and wanted both parties to feel good about the arrangement. At the time, I thought it to be an unusually honest answer.
As it turned out, Illinois won the game in Berkeley 44-17 to launch its BCS season, and Cal lost its first 10 before winning the finale to close out Holmoe's Cal coaching career with a 1-10 record. Holmoe is now the director of athletics at Brigham Young. Enter Tedford, who got his start in the Canadian Football League and coached quarterbacks Akili Smith and Joey Harrington at Oregon, Trent Dilfer and David Carr at his alma mater, Fresno State, and has now tutored Kyle Boller and Aaron Rodgers at Cal. The turnaround has been sudden. Not only has Tedford worked his offensive magic, but Cal's defense has been on the rise, too. After giving up 39.2 points a game in 2001, Cal brought in Bob Gregory as defensive coordinator and last season ranked No. 8 in points allowed (16.0 per game), No. 2 in rushing defense (82.5 yards per game) and No. 24 in total defense.
Cal allowed just one rushing touchdown the last eight regular-season games. Tedford has been very respectful of the Illini as they prepare for Saturday's game. But frankly, I doubt they are worried. I think Cal has bigger fish to fry. No one on the West Coast would be all that surprised to find two unbeaten teams when California plays host to Southern Cal in the next to last game of the season on Nov. 12. Last season, Cal went on the road hunting the upset and came up short, losing 23-17. Cal had a first-and-goal with less than two minutes left. At that point, Rodgers had meticulously picked apart the Trojans' defense, completing 29 of 31 passes for 267 yards and a touchdown. But - playing like the national champions they were - Southern Cal buckled down and got a sack and forced three consecutive incomplete passes to spoil the upset bid. While Illinois will use Saturday's game as a kind of measuring stick, Cal is already measuring itself against the best team in college football, finding out it measures up quite nicely.
"We have played (USC) well in the past and had close games," Tedford said. "We beat them in overtime (34-31 in three overtimes in 2003) once. There's no question they are still the elite program. To compete with those guys you have to play your best. If we could reach our full potential, maybe we could (challenge Southern Cal)." Tedford credits his players, some of whom he inherited from Holmoe. But he quickly began mining the fertile California high school and junior-college ranks and has stocked the roster with size, quickness and depth. Illinois hopes to run the ball effectively Saturday but, going back to 2004, six straight teams have failed to reach 100 yards rushing, averaging just 57.3 yards a game in that span. Should that continue, quarterback Tim Brasic could face a long, long day for the Illini. I'm not trying to paint a hopeless picture for Illinois. But it's worth noting that this is not a paper lion the Illini will be tangling with Saturday. Cal's roar is real. And so is its bite.
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