Daily Cal: For Pete's Sake, Special Teams Needs to Improve

 

By BARRY KELLY

Monday, October 10, 2005

PASADENA, Calif.-In the dark days, the era when the phrase "Cal football" was synonymous with "not very good," special teams seemed to be the one thing the Bears got right most of the time (see: Ryan Longwell, Nick Harris).  Unfortunately, in a golden age for the Golden Bears, special teams seems to be the only thing Cal continually gets wrong.  Against UCLA on Saturday at the Rose Bowl, special teams once again burned the Bears, who saw their undefeated season disappear faster than Maurice Drew on a punt return.  Drew, the Bruins' do-it-all tailback and offensive centerpiece, returned three punts for 162 yards and a score.  Special teams lost the game for the Bears on a night when Marshawn Lynch ran for 135 yards despite sitting out the first quarter, Justin Forsett posted a 15.3 average yardage per carry and DeSean Jackson caught 10 passes for 128 yards.  However, Cal's special teams were incapable of stopping Drew, and that made all the difference.  "He did a great job tonight," Bears special teams coach Pete Alamar said after the game. "We didn't get that done, and that's my job-that falls on my feet."  Alamar is right on both accounts. Drew is one of the most spectacular players in college football. He is a 5-foot-8, 205-pound speed demon.  But Alamar's admission of guilt is also correct-the Bears' special teams failed against the Bruins, and he is to blame.  That his coaching is the problem never seemed more evident than during UCLA's fake punt in the fourth quarter. Down 40-28 and facing a fourth down on their own 42-yard line, the Bruins lined up to punt.  However, the ball was handed to Jarrad Page. Page burst past Cal  players who looked bewildered and confused for a 38-yard gain.  The problem was expounded by a personal foul call on Justin Moye, a walk-on redshirt sophomore linebacker. His late hit gave UCLA an extra 10 yards, giving the Bruins first-and-goal.  Being caught off-guard by a trick play is one thing-especially when the play is called by Karl Dorrell, the Bruins' coach who is typically more conventional and conservative.  But the foul shows Alamar's poor coaching. The Bears' special teams players, for the most part, looked undisciplined and unprepared.  "We didn't make enough plays on special teams. We didn't make enough plays anywhere," coach Jeff Tedford said. "We need to do a better job of coaching."  This season is Alamar's third with Cal, and each year, special teams have seemed to be the team's biggest weakness. The last time the Bears were at the Rose Bowl in 2003, Tyler Fredrickson missed four field goals, two of which were blocked and one of those was returned for a touchdown. Cal lost, 23-20, in overtime, last year against the No. 1 team in the country, the Bears outplayed USC in every facet of the game except special teams, and the Trojans escaped, 23-17.

If Alamar is going to turn around his unit, he needs to do so quickly. The meat of the Bears' schedule is still ahead, with back-to-back dates with Oregon and USC looming.  Special teams doesn't have to be great, but Alamar needs to get them to the point where they are no longer hurting the rest of the team.  Baby steps are fine-how about starting with not having any punts go anywhere in the vicinity of the Trojans' Reggie Bush?  Alamar is facing a long road to redemption, because right now, Cal's special teams are a long way from Longwell.