Bruce Adams, Chronicle Staff Writer
Saturday, October 8, 2005
This is the day the Cal football team has a chance to polish its burgeoning national reputation, an opportunity to further justify its early season record and its Top 10 ranking. All it will take is a win. No. 10 Cal (5-0) plays at No. 20 UCLA (4-0), its toughest opponent yet after a run through five teams that have combined for only five wins against 19 losses. It's been an unplanned but serendipitous early schedule, soft enough to give the young team a chance to work on its collective maturity and successful enough to ensure a steady climb in the national rankings. There have been improvements each week. Whether they've been enough to make the Bears competitive against another ranked team will be revealed at the Rose Bowl. "They are very good and are very explosive," coach Jeff Tedford said of UCLA -- a team that may also be ready to compete at the top level of the Pac-10. He was particularly wary of big-play running back Maurice Drew -- a threat out of the backfield and as a punt return man. "When you bottle Maurice up, he is hard enough to handle between the tackles," Tedford said. "But now when you get him in open space ... it is almost impossible to tackle that guy." In addition to Drew, Tedford also said tight end Marcedes Lewis and quarterback Drew Olson had been key in giving the Bruins an improved offense this year. UCLA is, however, coming off a come-from-behind 21-17 win over Washington, a game in which the Bruins struggled for three quarters and never got the run game on track.
"We didn't execute things across the board," UCLA coach Karl Dorrell said. "This week, given all the ramifications, I believe our focus will be better." Drew ran for just 33 yards, after averaging 92.3 yards his three earlier games. Olson led the comeback against the Huskies, passing for 210 yards and two touchdowns -- one to Lewis, who led the Bruins with eight catches. "This is a big game for us to overcome," Dorrell said. "We're learning how to win." While the Bruins are still making improvements on offense over last year, they remain solid on defense -- a unit led by senior linebackers Spencer Havner and Justin London. "They are very, very well coached and do a lot of multiple formations to keep you guessing," Tedford said. "It is a good group." While Tedford was pleased with his own defense, which may have turned the corner in last Saturday's 28-0 shutout of Arizona, he has expressed concerns about the consistency of the Bears' passing game and play on special teams. In fact, after games Tedford has made a point of saying his team has yet to reach its potential. That's particularly clear in the passing game, where quarterback Joe Ayoob is progressing nicely -- with 813 yards and eight touchdowns -- but has still been missing open receivers downfield. He'll need to make further improvements to stop Pac-10 opponents from overloading against the run. It's that run game, ranked No. 2 in the conference and No. 7 in the nation, that has given this year's team its offensive punch. Tailback Justin Forsett, who has played in every game including two starts for the injured Marshawn Lynch, leads the team with 585 rushing yards, averaging 7.8 yards a carry. Lynch, starting again after missing two games with a broken finger, has 300 yards and is averaging 6.1 yards a carry. Today's winner will have momentum heading into the heart of the Pac-10 schedule.
"They're a Top 10 program and we're trying to climb in," Dorrell said. "All these games from here on are huge." Tedford began the week with a team talk about the importance of the showdown of two undefeated teams, anticipating the excitement as the team heads down the tunnel before the game. "This is why we play this game," Tedford said, "... two Top 20 teams playing one another in the Rose Bowl in front of a near capacity crowd. It is pretty exciting."
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College football games today
Cal (5-0) at UCLA (4-0)
Time: 4:30 p.m.
TV: TBS
Radio: 810 AM
Story line: After winning their first five games by a comfortable margin -- despite inconsistencies across the board -- the Bears face their toughest opponent yet. This meeting has the potential of becoming a signature game -- putting the stamp of legitimacy on Cal's ranking, record and aspirations. The Bears will once again rely on the run game featuring Marshawn Lynch and Justin Forsett and look for improvements in the passing game led by Joe Ayoob. UCLA has a proven quarterback in Drew Olson and an explosive run threat in Maurice Drew. It could be a high-scoring game, the Bruins coming in averaging 42.2 points a game and Cal 40.2.
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