Clarion-Ledger: California grounding it out at record pace

QB guru Jeff Tedford's Bears rolling to nearly 276 rushing yards per game

By Eric Gilmore

BERKELEY, Calif. — No one's calling Cal "Running Back U." No one's accusing coach Jeff Tedford, a renowned quarterbacks guru, of channeling Woody Hayes and Bo Schembechler. No one's calling running backs Marshawn Lynch and Justin Forsett "Thunder and Lightning" or Tedford the second coming of "Ground Chuck" Knox. Well, at least not yet. But it could happen if the Bears keep running over opponents at a school-record pace of 275.8 yards per game. It's not as if Cal has abandoned the pass or plans to run 70 times today against the Arizona Wildcats. Tedford still strives for offensive balance. Yet, you can't deny that it's reached the point where Cal has become a running juggernaut and that opposing defenses must think run first when they play the Bears. "When a team's backup runs for 235 yards and now we have the starter coming back, teams are probably going to worry a little bit about that and say, 'We need to stop the run and make them pass to beat us,"" Cal quarterback Joe Ayoob said. Forsett, subbing for an injured Lynch, rushed for 235 yards last week against New Mexico State and 187 two weeks ago against Illinois. Forsett gained those yards running behind a line missing two starters, left tackle Andrew Cameron and right guard Aaron Merz, both out with concussions.

Now Lynch appears ready to pick up where he left off three weeks ago when he broke a bone in his left hand against Washington. Cameron looks like a go today, and there's a chance Merz could play. The Bears have had a 100-yard rusher in 16 straight games, including third-stringer Marcus O'Keith's 103-yard effort against Washington. During the weekly Pac-10 football coaches' teleconference, Arizona coach Mike Stoops was asked to pinpoint the most impressive aspect of Tedford's offense. "Well, they're running the ball," Stoops said. "I think you've got to look at their ability to run the football with those three backs. "They've all rushed the ball well and all have tremendous ability. I think they're physical up front." In 2002, Tedford's rookie season at Cal, the Bears ranked just seventh in the Pac-10 in rushing at 108.0 yards per game. The next year Cal vaulted to No. 1 in the rushing race at 168.3 yards per game. Last year Cal retained its Pac-10 rushing crown with a gaudy 256.8 yards per game. J.J. Arrington led the nation in rushing with 2,018 yards. Lynch rushed for 628 yards, averaging 8.8 per carry. This year the Bears' running game has been even better. They're sixth in the nation in rushing and are on pace to break a school record (270) that has stood since 1948.  "We try to dominate the run game no matter who we play," Bears guard Erik Robertson said. "I'm sure it's in the minds of the defense and defensive coaches." No doubt. Opposing defenses have started putting more and more defenders close to the line of scrimmage in an effort to stop the Bears' running attack. Would anyone be surprised if Arizona put eight defenders in the "box" and dared Ayoob to beat them?