AP: Bears run, and Bruins know it

KEN PETERS

Associated Press

PASADENA, Calif. - UCLA knows what's coming against California. Stopping it will be another matter in Saturday's matchup of unbeatens. "They're going to run the ball," UCLA linebacker Spencer Havner said. Cal center Marvin Philip calls the Bears' ground game "our bread and butter." The 10th-ranked Bears (5-0, 2-0 Pac-10) have been grinding out victories with talented sophomore tailbacks Marshawn Lynch and Justin Forsett. Lynch, the starter who missed two games with a broken finger, is averaging 100 yards a game rushing, and 6.1 yards per carry. Forsett has averaged 117 yards and a gaudy 7.8 yards per carry in five games. The Bears have cranked out 259 yards a game on the ground, while UCLA (4-0, 1-0) has allowed an average of 180 yards rushing. Cal quarterback Joe Ayoob doesn't mind if the Bruins stack their defense up front. "We've been running all over people, so I expect them to load up the box with eight or nine guys in there. That will leave single coverage, and I'm happy to see that," said Ayoob, a junior college transfer who will be starting his fourth game. UCAL coach Karl Dorrell, off to the best start in his three years in Westwood, said the Bears' offense presents a variety of challenges. "They have an experienced offensive line, are leading the conference in rushing, have good balance and their quarterback is playing very well," said Dorrell, who noted that Cal's defense has been solid as well. "They're a Top 10 team playing like a Top 10 team." The game at the Rose Bowl will provide both teams their biggest test so far this season. Cal faces a ranked team for the first time. UCLA breezed through three non-conference opponents, including a victory over struggling Oklahoma.

But the Bruins had to rally from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat three-touchdown underdog Washington 21-17 in their conference opener last weekend in Pasadena. Cal had run roughshod over the Huskies in a 56-17 rout in Seattle. The Bears head into the UCLA game with a chance to do something they haven't done in 55 years. The last Cal team to win its first six games was in 1950, when it began 9-0. The Jeff Tedford-coached Bears will also try to extend a 12-game winning streak in the regular season. "A Top 25 opponent on the road, in the Rose Bowl, it doesn't get much better," Tedford said. He said the Bears have to keep the Bruins from breaking big plays. "Make them earn everything they get. Coach Gregory always talks to the defense about limiting the explosive plays, whether it is big runs or big passes," Tedford said, referring to defensive coordinator Bob Gregory. "They have a big-time tight end, Marcedes Lewis, and a great tailback, Maurice Drew; a quarterback (Drew Olson) who makes good decisions and a big, physical offensive line. You can tell they are much more comfortable this year with their system." Olson, a senior who has started most of the Bruins' games since he was a freshman, has completed 69.7 percent of his throws for 1,049 yards and eight touchdowns. He threw his first two interceptions of the year in the first half against Washington, but came back in the second to pass for two scores and take the Bruins on a late 73-yard scoring drive that pulled out the victory. His passing has been crucial in the last two games, since Oklahoma and Washington held the Bruins to a total of 148 yards rushing and an average of 2.7 yards a carry. "That's going to be huge for us this week, to get that run game going, especially against a team like Cal," Olson said. Ayoob, who got the starting job when Nate Longshore broke his leg in the first half of the Bears' 41-3 opening win over Sacramento State, has completed 56 percent of his throws for 813 yards, with eight touchdowns and two interceptions. Despite the Bears featuring a running game, Havner knows the quarterback also can be a threat. "I know Tedford's going to have Ayoob ready to go, because he's one of the best quarterback coaches I've seen," Havner said.