By Dave Newhouse, STAFF WRITER
BERKELEY — Cal waited half a season for two significant football games, and lost them both, likely dropping from BCS consideration. Instead of major bowls, Cal's one thought now is to regain lost momentum against an even tougher schedule ahead. And the injuries are adding up. The Golden Bears (5-2, 2-2 Pac-10) have plummeted from 10th to 25th in the Associated Press rankings after losing to UCLA 47-40 and Oregon State 23-20. With Washington State, Oregon, USC and Stanford left for Cal, what must the Bears do to keep their season from crumbling? "We need to stay together as a team," coach Jeff Tedford said. "I'm sure the leadership will surface, but we must eliminate untimely penalties. Attention to detail is what makes you win and not win." The leadership already has surfaced. After the loss to the 16-point underdog Beavers, veteran Cal safety Donnie McCleskey asked the coaches to leave the locker room before he addressed his teammates. "He gave an emotional talk for two or three minutes," freshman wide receiver DeSean Jackson said. "He was kind of angry, saying that we can't turn the ball over five times, that the game should have been won. He's a senior; he didn't want to lose." McCleskey was special Saturday with four tackles, including a sack, and an interception. After his team lecture, he faced the members of the media. "We just got to get it done, bottom line. We will get it done," he said. "They made plays. Dominated? No. It's tough to lose any game, but we play in a great conference. Any team in the Pac-10 can win on any day. We'll pick it up next week." McCleskey's goal when Tedford recruited him was to win a Pac-10 championship. Ambitions aren't always achieved. "You can give speeches," said junior linebacker Desmond Bishop, "but it all comes down to making plays. Not enough people are making enough plays." Especially on offense. Oregon State made Cal one-dimensional by neutralizing the run. Cal rushed for a season-low 75 yards. That allowed the Beavers to physically punish quarterback Joe Ayoob, and it showed in his erratic passing after his solid game the week before against UCLA. "Players make plays in big games," sophomore running back Justin Forsett said. "I didn't make any plays. We didn't play at our top level. We couldn't get it together. We couldn't get a nice flow." The strength of Cal's team, the offensive line, has had three starters receiving concussions: senior guard Aaron Merz and tackles Andrew Cameron and Ryan O'Callaghan, who got his concussion Saturday after breaking his wrist against UCLA. Cameron, a junior, is out for the season with a knee injury. O'Callaghan, a senior, said last week he doesn't expect Cameron to use his senior year of eligibility. But when does O'Callaghan play again? Cal had other injury issues Saturday. Defensive tackles, Brandon Mebane and Abu Ma'afala left the game with ankle problems. Only Ma'afala returned. Jackson sprained his right shoulder, which was in a sling afterward. Sophomore wideout Robert Jordan injured his collarbone and said there could be ligament damage. So while Cal needs to get better, it also needs to get healthy.
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