Daily Cal:

When Bears Show Resolve, So Should Fans

By BRIAN BAINUM

I saw them splashed throughout Memorial Stadium in the middle of the fourth quarter. They were fans, shifting uncomfortably in their seats for a second, before backing up the steps and hitting the exits. And at that point, I didn't really blame the Cal faithful for wanting to bail. The Bears' offense, along with the frigid autumn night, had grown colder and colder as the evening wore on. Wazzu's Jason Hill had spent the third quarter-which seemed like it lasted two and a half hours-making posters out of Tim Mixon and Daymeion Hughes. The budding reputation of the Cal program seemed to be hanging in the balance. Three straight losses? Never happened in Jeff Tedford's four-year stint at the helm. Yet as David Lonie and the rest of the punting unit trotted onto the field with 8:03 to play and the Bears trailing the Cougars by 10, the writing seemed to be on the wall. Boos and murmurs of malcontent were heard, and I prepared to use this space to criticize Tedford's decision to punt the ball on fourth-and-one.  After all, Cal's offense had not shown the ability to come from behind. In the past two weeks, would-be game-winning drives were halted before they even started. Joe Ayoob threw an interception on the second-play of the last drive against UCLA, and he overthrew Lavelle Hawkins on fourth down against Oregon State. In both cases, the Bears did not even move the ball into their opponents territory.  There was little reason to believe Saturday night would yield a more successful outcome for Cal.  But the Bears showed resolve, intensity, patience and most importantly, an ability to finish strong in a tight contest.  For example, after thwarting a fake-punt attempt, Ayoob and the rest of the offense took the field with only 6:08 left. The first play of that drive was a meager five-yard gain on a pass play from Ayoob to LaReylle Cunningham. After the completion, the Bears deliberately huddled up, as the clock continued to tick.  It turns out, it was good not to rush things. Ayoob blocked out the pass rush, focused his eyes down field, and found a streaking Cunningham for a 57-yard touchdown on the next play.  From there, the defense picked up the slack.  "You could see it in everyone's eyes," Mixon said. "We were not going to let this one get away."  Just how important the victory is, however, will be discovered in the next month. Cal has two tough games at No. 14 Oregon and home against No. 1 USC.

But the Bears now have won a game where they did not dominate the statistics.  They were out-gained by 53 yards, Cougars quarterback Alex Brink tossed five touchdowns, three to Hill, whose performance gave him the most touchdowns of any player in school history. WSU running back Jerome Harrison notched more yards on the ground than Cal's Marshawn Lynch.  But in the end, stats do not matter. Wins do.  Remember how the Bears gained more yards than UCLA this year and USC last year? Those games, like all losses, are known for the plays that were not made rather than the plays that were.  Nobody brings up Lynch's touchdown toss to Ayoob against the Beavers because of his two costly fumbles.

The stat sheet may be in the opposing team's favor in two weeks in Eugene, Ore., or in three weeks when the Trojans invade Strawberry Canyon.

But if the Bears bring the same refuse-to-lose attitude, fans may have reason to stick around in the fourth quarter.