Bears' stunning victory over USC in 2003 is the last time Trojans lost
By Dave Newhouse,STAFF WRITER
BERKELEY — Tyler Fredrickson still can recall the feeling, the magic that engulfed Memorial Stadium two years ago when the giant fell. "It was an incredible experience," he said. "That's what I remember." And that's what anyone who was there, or anyone who cares about Cal football, remembers about Sept. 27, 2003, when Fredrickson kicked a 38-yard field goal to give the Bears a 34-31 triple-overtime win over USC. That was the Trojans' last defeat, 31 games ago. They return to Strawberry Canyon today for the first time since that upset defeat, when they were No. 3 in the nation and Cal was 2-3.
"We weren't the Cal team yet," said Fredrickson. "We were 1-10 two years before, hadn't been to a bowl game. Our expectations were low. We had everything to gain. USC had everything to lose." Cal played in the Insight Bowl that season, and Fredrickson kicked the game-winning 35-yard field goal as the Bears stunned Virginia Tech 52-49. Fredrickson was a senior who handled the special teams trifecta for Cal: He punted, kickedfield goals and kicked off. He's still a regular at Memorial Stadium, practicing for another possible NFL tryout after being cut by Seattle and Denver.
And he'll be one of 72,000-plus in the stands this afternoon, hoping the Bears (6-3, 3-3 Pac-10) can find that magic once more against the Trojans (9-0, 6-0), who are shooting for an unprecedented third straight national championship. "Maybe some people feel Cal hasn't lived up to expectations this year," Fredrickson said. "We had none in 2003. But we got off fast against SC, they came back in the second half, we were able to hold them off. "It's really going to revolve (today) around what happens in the locker room, what happens at halftime. Coach (Jeff) Tedford always talks about how you handle adversity. There are moments where you're going to hang your head. But this team understands that USC can be beat." Once again, Cal isn't playing its best, having lost three of four after opening the season with five victories. The Bears have dropped from the polls for the first time since 2003, while USC sits atop every poll. The Trojans, averaging 49.9 points a game, seem unbeatable. "So Cal has everything to gain," Fredrickson said. "USC has everything to lose. Cal knows history is on its side."
Fredrickson learned this week that "Countdown to Kickoff 2003," his master's degree project that included interviews with Bears teammates the night before games, was shown to the current Cal team recently. Bears quarterback Joe Ayoob needed some extra inspiration after his disappointing performance last week against Oregon, a 27-20 overtime loss, which he took harder than any previous outing in his 10-game Cal career.
"It was such a hard-fought battle, and for me to end the game like that was inexcusable," he said Wednesday of his overthrown pass to David Gray that was likely a touchdown and would've forced a second overtime. "I was pretty upset, but who wouldn't be upset?" said Ayoob. "I'm fine now. Once you start practicing and focusing on another team, it goes away." But it's not just any team. It's USC.
"Personally," Ayoob said of what today means to him, "it would be great for me, because people are saying things. It would be nice to shut them up. And to beat the No. 1 team in the nation, what's better? "It'll be electric inside the stadium. It will be filled, people all over the (Tightwad) Hill. What else could you want?" For Ayoob, vindication. For Cal, a repeat of 2003.
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