CAL NOTEBOOK
Bruce Adams, Chronicle Staff Writer
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
Cal punter David Lonie says he's quickly going to leave Saturday's loss to UCLA in the past. "You try and hang it up and not worry about it," he said Monday. UCLA punt-return man Maurice Drew was a key factor in the Bruins' 47-40 win at the Rose Bowl -- returning one punt 69 yards to set up a score and returning another 81 yards for a touchdown. On both, Lonie was trying to kick out of bounds, avoiding Drew. Lonie said Drew was lining up well outside the hash marks, expecting the ball to come down near the sideline. Lonie, who did put two punts out of bounds -- shanking one of them in the process, said Drew knew where the punts were going. "We're a directional punting team," Lonie said. That means Lonie normally is told to punt the ball to one side on an angle. He rarely is told to punt straight away -- a strategy favored by most punters because they can relay on distance and hang time. Coach Jeff Tedford said there also were breakdowns in coverage.
On the 69-yard return he said his players could have hustled more in getting to the sideline, where Drew ran behind a wall of blockers. On the touchdown return, Tedford said his players might have over-played, getting to the wall of blockers in plenty of time. Drew, however, had cut back short of the wall and made his way downfield in the open field. Gray is hurting: David Gray, who was moved from wide receiver to tight end, has been slowed by a hamstring injury, Tedford revealed Monday. The Bears have had mixed results from the other tight ends, including a dropped pass on a potential touchdown against UCLA. Tedford said he was hopeful that Gray was now healthy enough to begin working back into the rotation.
Briefly: Cal's Oct. 22 game against Washington State at Memorial Stadium will kick off at 7:15 p.m. and be televised nationally by Fox Sports Net. ... Saturday's opponent, Oregon State, has the fifth-ranked passing offense in the nation.
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