By JOHN SUPINIE
COPLEY NEWS SERVICE
CHAMPAIGN - As Oakland-area high school football stars, wide receiver Robert Jordan and running back Marshawn Lynch were more than just cousins looking for a college team. "We were a package deal,'' Jordan said. "Where he went, I was going to go. The last two schools were Cal and Oregon. Things went bad between us and Oregon. Then we decided we were going to stay at home.'' Jordan and Lynch, a pair of talented University of California sophomores, learned staying home in the Bay Area isn't a risk these days considering the success at Cal under coach Jeff Tedford. When Illinois (2-0) meets the 15th-ranked Bears (2-0) Saturday (4 p.m., no TV) in Berkeley, the Illini face a rising power in the Pac-10 Conference. California, which finished second in the preseason Pac-10 poll behind two-time defending national champ Southern Cal, has won 15 of its last 17 games. Tedford's ability to produce NFL-caliber quarterbacks - he has had a hand in six first-rounders, including No. 1 pick David Carr of Fresno State in 2002 - attracts other talent. The Bears seek their third 3-0 start in Tedford's fourth year on campus.
Cal has played Southern Cal tougher than any other team over the past two years and serves as the Trojans' primary threat in the west. Southern Cal's last loss came in 2003 in Berkeley, when the Bears scored a triple-overtime victory. The Bears realistically could be undefeated when they host Southern Cal on Nov. 12. "If we're fortunate enough to be in that position, we've had close games with them in the past,'' Tedford said. "They're still the elite program in the West.'' If so, the Bears are the Best of the Rest. After taking over a program that won 12 games in the previous five seasons, Tedford produced a 7-5 team in his first season in 2002. A year ago, the Bears posted the program's first 10-win season since 1949. The 10-2 record helped Tedford earn Pac-10 Coach of the Year for the second time in his three seasons while the Bears set an average home attendance record by drawing 64,019 to scenic Memorial Stadium.
The keys have been Tedford's reputation for developing quarterbacks and his ability to recruit in talent-rich California. After Aaron Rodgers passed his way into Heisman Trophy contention by throwing for 2,566 yards and 24 touchdowns last season, he was taken in the first round by the Green Bay Packers. Redshirt freshman Nate Longshore won the starting job this fall, then broke his leg in the first game.
Junior Joe Ayoob, a junior-college transfer, took over in the opener and threw 10 incomplete passes before getting pulled. Ayoob earned the start last weekend against Washington, and he threw for 271 yards and four touchdowns. His favorite target was Jordan, a sophomore who earned Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Week for his 11 catches, 192 yards and three touchdowns in the 56-17 win over Washington. When Ayoob was yanked in the opener, "A lot of people didn't want to talk to him,'' Jordan said. "I told him, 'Anything you throw, I'll try my damndest to get it.' "Coach Tedford will always have a good quarterback. I figured with me playing receiver, that's pretty important.'' Besides Rodgers, the Bears also lost tailback J.J. Arrington (who rushed for a national-best 2,108 yards in 2004) and Geoff McArthur (Cal's all-time leading receiver with 202 catches and 3,188 yards) from last season. Reloading doesn't appear difficult.
"People now see themselves coming to Cal and having an opportunity to compete for a Pac-10 championship and maybe at the national level,'' Tedford said. "The year before we got there, they were 1-10. The local kids felt they had to leave to accomplish their goals.'' Lynch, ranked as the No. 2 high school running back by Rivals.com in 2003, averaged 8.8 yards a carry as Arrington's backup last season. Lynch, who suffered a broken finger in last weekend's victory, leads the Bears with 193 yards on 29 carries. Meanwhile, the Cal defense ranks first in the Pac-10 by allowing 10.0 points a game. The Bears haven't given up a rushing touchdown.
All about Cal
Record: 2-0.
So far: Beat Sacramento State 41-3 and Washington 56-17.
Coach: Jeff Tedford, 27-13 in his fourth season at Cal and overall.
Players to watch: RB Marshawn Lynch (five carries vs. Washington before breaking his finger), QB Joe Ayoob (four first-half TDs vs. Washington), LB Desmond Bishop (team-leading 14 tackles), DE Brandon Mebane (2½ tackles for a loss).
Did you know?: The Bears’ streaks of 15 straight weeks in the Associated Press top 25 poll and three straight winning seasons are their longest since 1952.
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