Defense dominates as Cal shuts out 'Cats
Bruce Adams, Chronicle Staff Writer
Sunday, October 2, 2005
Cal defensive tackle Brandon Mebane, showered and dressed in his Sunday best, was all business as he delivered the message of the night. "We're not a young team anymore," said a suddenly older, wiser Mebane, whose usual off-field demeanor is best described as youthful innocence. "We expect big things out of each other now." Mebane and his teammates had just done some growing up Saturday night at Memorial Stadium. Cal beat Arizona 28-0, a win that should be credited largely to a defense that returned just three starters from last year and often labors in the considerable shadow of coach Jeff Tedford's offense. The No. 12 Bears (5-0, 2-0 Pac-10) did it with three interceptions, a pass rush that often hurried Arizona quarterback Richard Kovalcheck and a noticeable and team-wide improvement in tackling -- holding the Wildcats to 37 yards rushing. And the centerpiece of it all was a second-half, goal-line stand that kept Arizona (1-3, 0-1) out of the end zone after four tries from inside the 4-yard line. "I'm very proud of them," defensive coordinator Bob Gregory said. The Bears have gone 10 quarters without allowing an offensive touchdown.
It was the Bears' first shutout since a 27-0 blanking of Arizona State last Oct. 30. It gives Cal back-to-back shutouts against the Wildcats, going back to a 38-0 win last Oct. 23 in Tucson. And it gives a team that struggled with youthful mistakes in its four earlier wins a surge of momentum heading into its biggest test yet -- a showdown with UCLA next Saturday at the Rose Bowl. Gregory said a key in preparation this week was talking to his charges about playing with more emotion than they showed last week in beating New Mexico State in Las Cruces. "Our emotion was great," he said, saying it contributed to harder hitting, critical forced turnovers and the elimination of "explosion" plays. Interceptions by cornerback Daymeion Hughes set up Cal's last two touchdowns -- a 39-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Joe Ayoob to receiver Robert Jordan and a 10-yard Ayoob toss to fullback Chris Manderino. And throughout the game, the defense was giving the offense the ball with good field position -- with the average drive starting on the 32 -- stopping Arizona on drive after drive. "We had two or three opportunities in the red zone and came up with nothing," Arizona coach Mike Stoops said. "You can't do that against a good football team." "The whole defense was in a zone," Hughes said. "Everybody was flying around, everybody was doing their job. It's great when everything is going right." More than anything, it was the goal-line stand that gave this game its signature. Arizona had a first down on the 6, and Hughes was flagged for pass interference on the first play -- giving the Wildcats a 1st-and-goal at the 2. On the next play linebacker Ryan Foltz tackled fullback Gilbert Harris for a 2-yard loss. Tackle Matthew Malele stopped running back Mike Bell at the line on the next play. Hughes broke up a pass on third down and cornerback Tim Mixon tipped a poorly thrown pass out of the back of the end zone on fourth down.
"There's not a more exciting feeling in the world," Foltz said. "It gives you a boat-load of confidence." It was noticed on the sideline as well. "That was beautiful," said tailback Marshawn Lynch, who ran for 107 yards in his return after missing two games with a broken finger. "They were in a frenzy," said Tedford, who had nothing but praise for the defense but was more measured in his evaluation of the offense. "We're still a work in progress," he said. He said the same was true of Ayoob, who completed 14 passes in 20 attempts for 137 yards. He was intercepted once, sacked five times and missed several open receivers on deep routes. "We have some open receivers we need to hit," Tedford said. "To beat great teams we have to make more plays in the passing game." He said Ayoob is learning more each week. "I've hit those (deep throws) all my life," Ayoob said. "I'm not too worried. I know I can do it." The Bears travel to UCLA next Saturday, facing what clearly is their toughest opponent to date. "We're up for the challenge," Hughes said.
No comments:
Post a Comment