Wednesday, November 09, 2005

Oakland Tribune: Ayoob needs to find it fast against mighty Trojans

By Dave Newhouse, STAFF WRITER 

BERKELEY — The buttering up was lathered on in layers. USC coach Pete Carroll made thrice-beaten Cal sound worthy of BCS consideration. Cal coach Jeff Tedford anointed Carroll's Trojans as the offense of the ages. But the compliments toned down when the position of quarterback was analyzed by these two astute coaches.  "They're a really good football team that has just missed a little bit the last couple of weeks," Carroll said of Cal. "They're having a phenomenal year. They look very much like their teams have looked. They're playing great defense, running the football like crazy."  Cal (6-3, 3-3 Pac-10) has lost three of its past four games and fallen out of the polls for the first time since 2003. The Bears are a 19-point underdog to USC (9-0, 6-0) for Saturday's game at Memorial Stadium.  "(Cal is) trying to get the QB (Joe Ayoob) caught up to the standards that they're so used to with (Aaron) Rodgers, which is almost too much to ask for," Carroll said. "It's the only aspect that, I'm sure, they're hoping they can get a little more out of. Then their game is really on it."  Ayoob has had a inconsistent debut at Cal, with a 49.4 completion percentage, the only starting Pac-10 quarterback under 50 percent."He's a really talented athlete with a very good arm," Carroll said. "He can run the ball and make you pay the price if he gets out. He has shown really good touch on all styles of passes. He's just missed a little in his consistency from being a great player."  There aren't too many Cal fans who would agree with that assessment after Ayoob hit on 10 of 26 passes for 88 yards, with three interceptions, three sacks and no touchdowns in Cal's 27-20 overtime loss at Oregon.  "He's had to do so much so early, and it's just been hard," said Carroll, a Marin native like Ayoob. "It's hard on every quarterback. It's a difficult position. He'll improve tremendously between this year and next."

But Ayoob may not remain a starter when Nate Longshore (broken leg) returns at full strength in 2006. Carroll drew a comparison between Ayoob and USC quarterback Matt Leinart, last year's Heisman Trophy winner.  "It took Matt into his third year when he showed he could take command," Carroll said. "That's a long haul. It takes a long time for these guys to eliminate the mistakes, the gray area, before they can play fast. It's too much to ask in anybody's offense right out of the chute."  Ayoob won't have a long haul. The City College of San Francisco transfer is a junior, so he'll have just one season left at Cal.  "For a junior college player, it's a crash course," Tedford said. "There's a lot to learn. There's big, fast people chasing you. There's complications, a lot that you're controlling. You have to have protection. It's a difficult position to play. It has to all fit together. For Leinart, obviously it has. But it's hard to master that position early."  A hot topic of conversation lately is whether USC, averaging 49.9 points a game, is playing the best offense ever seen.  "That's media talk. How do you know? How do you compare eras?" Carroll said. "To be considered in that kind of conversation is pretty special, and we're flattered by that. But this is a pretty special group led by Matt and Reggie Bush's dynamic play."  Tedford was ready to flatter the Trojans.  "I don't think you can stop them," he said. "You just hope to slow them down. It's a tall order. They have so many weapons. Not only on offense. Their defense is the best I've seen when it comes to athleticism, schemes. There's a reason why they're No.1 in the nation."  No more than six points have separated Carroll and Tedford in their three matchups.  "We kind of played a field-position game," Tedford said. "We've had a 100-yard rusher every time we've played them. Our being physical up front has helped us control the ball.  "Against a team like USC, you can't afford to make mistakes. Every play is critical. You cannot turn the football over. That's key. You can't give them a short field, because they score so quickly.  "The key for us on defense is to tackle. That's a lot easier said than done, because Reggie Bush will hit seams 100 miles an hour. The difference in him this year is he's much more physical. He'll run you over.  "If there's a better player in America, I haven't seen him."

 

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