By JOHN SUPINIE
COPLEY NEWS SERVICE
BERKELEY, Calif. - A rally in an overtime win over Rutgers and a victory over San Jose State did little to improve the reputation of Illinois football. "After the two years we've had, it's hard to really jump on our bandwagon after those two wins,'' tackle J.J. Simmons said. "Two wins - I wouldn't jump on it yet either. At 3-0, maybe people would start believing.'' It will take something more significant to earn some attention, though today's matchup with No. 15 California isn't expected to be the breakthrough game for the Illini. In the first chance to change its fallen reputation significantly, Illinois faces a rising national power. Cal has won 15 of its last 17 games and enters as a three-touchdown favorite. If anything, the Bears might be a little underrated. "The plane is going,'' Illinois coach Ron Zook said. "We're going to show up. We'll find out what we can do. "The exciting thing about playing these guys is that they're a really, really good football team. We're going to play teams in our league that are really good. It will give us a gauge as to how far we need to go.''
This time, Illinois doesn't face a program trying to get over the hump (Rutgers) or a team trying to stay off life support (San Jose State). Perhaps a win isn't necessary to please the orange-and-blue crowd, which watched their Illini get kicked from one end of the Big Ten Conference to the other during the last two seasons. Matchups such as this one showed the Illini gauge closer to empty than full the past two years. The Illini understand the opportunity - and the challenge.
"Now, it's time for football,'' nickel back James Cooper said. "One game away from conference play. A ranked opponent. You're supposed to have most of the kinks ironed out. It's not the Big Ten, but it's a heavyweight opponent.'' Illinois hasn't defeated a ranked opponent since knocking off No. 25 Ohio State late in the Illini's drive to the Big Ten title in 2001. If there's hope that a team can make a big jump in one year, Cal reminded everyone it can get done. The Bears were 1-10 in 2001 in their final season under Tommy Holmoe. The following season, Cal posted a 7-5 record for coach Jeff Tedford. Cal won its first two games in 2002, then scored a road win against No. 15 Michigan State. The fast start three years ago "was huge,'' Tedford said. "We won two games early. We went to Michigan State and won there. That gave our players a lot of belief that we had something going.'' After a 10-win season a year ago, Cal rolled through its first two games of 2005, including a 56-17 win at Washington last weekend. Though the Bears are known mostly for their offense and Tedford's ability to produce NFL quarterbacks, they also can play defense.
Cal leads the Pac-10 in scoring offense (48.5 points per game) and scoring defense (10.0). Junior quarterback Joe Ayoob, a junior-college transfer who missed on his first 10 pass attempts when he replaced injured starter Nate Longshore in the season opener against Sacramento State, threw for 271 yards and four touchdowns at Washington. "(Ayoob) is a big, strong, good-looking quarterback who is very athletic,'' Zook said. "That's a concern of ours. If he scrambles, the front has to make sure to cover the rushing lanes. He can really run the ball.'' He's not the only capable runner in the Cal backfield. The Bears have had a running back gain 100 yards or more in 14 straight games, and Cal ranks ninth in the nation in rushing (249 yards per game). The Bears' offensive line averages a monstrous 6-foot-4, 334 pounds.
"When they stand up, the sun goes away,'' Zook said. Meanwhile, the Bears haven't given up a rushing touchdown and present a challenge for an Illini offense that was reliant on running backs Pierre Thomas, E.B. Halsey and freshman Rashard Mendenhall while quarterback Tim Brasic gained experience in his first two starts. A year ago, Cal ranked No. 8 nationally by allowing 16.0 points a game. The Bears were No. 2 in rushing defense (82.5 yards a game) and No. 24 in total defense (320.9). "This will be a great test for our offense and offensive line,'' Zook said. "This is a defense that plays with great motors. They chase the football extremely well.''
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