By Dave Newhouse, STAFF WRITER
BERKELEY — It has been two weeks since Cal cornerbacks Daymeion Hughes and Tim Mixon experienced that Washington State fly-over, when undefended passes flew over their heads like jet aircraft. And the frustration they felt that Saturday night hasn't dissipated, even with a bye week to forget about their meltdown. "I've still got a bitter taste in my mouth," Hughes said Wednesday. "I plan on showing up in this game. And Tim really dislikes Oregon." Cal (6-2, 3-2 Pac-10) is 23rd in the BCS rankings. The Golden Bears meet Oregon (7-1, 4-1), ranked 13th in the BCS, Saturday in Eugene. It's a game with serious bowl implications for both schools. "In the Pac-10, we play so many good passing teams," Mixon said. "At times, it seemedlike Washington State was throwing the ball up at will." WSU's Alex Brink threw for 423 yards, including a 66-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Gibson, three touchdown passes to Jason Hill and an 80-yard non-scoring pass to Hill.
"The quarterback was making some good reads and good throws," Mixon said. "Our technique can get a little better. We can be a little more physical. That way, a receiver will have less yards." On one touchdown pass to Hill, game films showed that he pushed Mixon in the back before making the catch. No flag was thrown. "I'm not even counting that play, man," Mixon said. Not even a bad call can make up for the bad game he played, although Hill's impressive showing — six catches for 240 yards, or 40 yards per catch — was achieved against both Mixon and Hughes.
"Confidence is the key in a cornerback," Hughes said. "You can be down for a while, feel like you're in a slump. But I bounce back pretty well." The Cal corners have another tough challenge in Oregon wide receivers Demetrius Williams and Cameron Colvin, sophomores from De La Salle High averaging 19.5 yards and 17.2 yards, respectively, per catch, and who have a combined 11 touchdowns. "They're real explosive, pick up the ball well, run real solid routes," Mixon said. "As a corner, you have to stay on your backpedal, play what you see. Can't be guessing. "But if you think you're going to get burned, you're going to get burned. You have to have a short memory. What Dante (Hughes) and I do for each other is cheer each other up." Brink's stats were impressive, but nothing near the 520 yards that Texas Tech's Sonny Crumbie put up against Cal in the last Holiday Bowl. Cal lost that game 45-31 but beat Brink and Wazzu 42-38. "We definitely don't identify any weakness on the team," Mixon said, addressing the concern of a pass-coverage problem at Cal. "We're a team." Oregon coach Mike Bellotti doesn't feel Cal has a weakness at corner. "They look inconsistent, but not vulnerable," he said of Hughes and Mixon. "They have defended more passes than any tandem in the Pac-10." Hughes has defended 13 passes and Mixon 11 as they stand 1-2 in the conference. Hughes and Oregon's Aaron Gipson lead the Pac-10 with four interceptions, while Mixon has three. Mixon and Hughes, both juniors, will face an elusive quarterback in Oregon's Dennis Dixon. This means that their staying with the Ducks' receivers will require extra effort and time. "When a quarterback scrambles, a receiver can do any route," Mixon said. "It does make it harder on a corner because the receiver can switch his route up." But in the world of cornerbacks, one truth prevails. "You're only as good as your last play," Hughes said.
Or your last game.
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