Daily Cal: Beavers May Have Special Plans for Cal

By BARRY KELLY

Daily Cal Staff Writer

For one weekend each autumn, Oregon State football coach Mike Riley has an opportunity to be a fan.  With the Beavers enjoying a bye Saturday, Riley settled into a seat in front of his television in Corvallis, Ore., tuned into TBS and observed a classic college football matchup-two top-20 teams battling at the Rose Bowl.  As he watched the back-and-forth contest between Cal and UCLA, he saw many things from the Bears. He saw their powerful running game. He saw their stringent defense. He saw their emerging wide receivers.  However, he also saw Cal's special teams, the Achilles' heel of the No. 18 Bears.  "It was pretty entertaining to watch as a fan," Riley said during his teleconference Tuesday. "In a lot of close ball games, special teams can make the difference."  Cal, which hosts Oregon State at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at Memorial Stadium, allowed the Bruins' Maurice Drew to return three punts for 162 yards, including an 81-yard sprint into the end zone that helped UCLA rally from a 40-28 deficit in the fourth quarter to upset the Bears, 47-40.  In preparing to face Cal (5-1, 2-1 in the Pac-10), Riley said he made changes to his special teams but did not alter his return unit, which is No. 7 in the conference in yards per punt return, averaging 7.1.  "We've shuffled a few people around," he said. "In the return game, I think we're pretty status quo there."  The Beavers' primary punt returner, Sammie Stroughter, will therefore likely have a chance to impress his family and friends when he lines up to field David Lonie's punts. A northern California native, the 6-foot, 189-pound sophomore hailing from Roseville, Calif., has returned 14 punts for 104 yards.  However, during Oregon State's upset of Notre Dame in the Insight Bowl last year, Stroughter returned a punt 52 yards to set up the Beavers' first touchdown of the game.  Stroughter could have similar success Saturday if the Bears' struggles with special teams continue against Oregon State (3-2, 1-1).  "Right now, I would say we need to play more consistent on special teams," Cal coach Jeff Tedford said Tuesday.  Tedford said the team has taken a positive approach to solving their special teams issues. He refused to place the blame for the squad's first loss of the season on the shoulders of special teams coach Pete Alamar.  "We're all in this together," Tedford said. "Pete has a really good attitude, and he is anxious to get back and improve on what we did last week."  The players also seem to be supportive of the special team units. Ryan O'Callaghan, the Bears' senior right tackle, said he demands tenacity, not perfection, from special teams.  "As long as they are playing as hard as they can, that's acceptable," said O'Callaghan, who broke his wrist against the Bruins but said he will play Saturday.

In addition to keying on Stroughter in the return game, Cal will likely need to pay close attention to the player Stroughter backs up at split end-Mike Hass, the country's No. 1 receiver.  Hass, a 6-foot-1, 208-pound senior who joined the Beavers as a walk-on in 2001, has caught 47 passes for 831 yards in five games. He has scored four touchdowns through the air and has provided quarterback Matt Moore, a junior college transfer, with a speedy and dependable target.  "He runs great routes and has great body control," Tedford said. "I think he is deceptively fast. If the ball is anywhere around him, he is going to go up and make a play on it. He has a great knack for catching the football."  With Hass as his go-to man, Moore has consistently posted solid numbers in his first season with Oregon State, averaging 314 passing yards per game. However, he has thrown as many interceptions (7) as touchdowns.  Moore began his college career by battling Drew Olson for the starting job at UCLA. He then attended College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita, Calif., before transferring and joining the Beavers.  His counterpart, Cal quarterback Joe Ayoob, is also a junior college transfer, hailing from City College of San Francisco, which lost to College of the Canyons in last year's state championship game. Tedford praised Ayoob's development after the quarterback completed 18 of 35 passes for 215 yards, two touchdowns and one interception against the Bruins.  "Joe is making great strides. He is becoming much more comfortable," Tedford said. "I just really think he's doing a nice job of improving each week."

Cal Football 2005: Beavers vs. Cal

KICKOFF: Cal takes on Oregon State tomorrow at 12:30 p.m. at Memorial Stadium.

TV: ABC

RADIO: KGO 810 AM

THE OPPONENT: The Beavers (3-2) beat Washington State 44-33 in their last game on Oct. 1 in Corvallis, Ore.

SERIES: The Bears lead 32-25. Cal beat Oregon State 49-7 in 2004.