Ayoob, Jackson struggle as Bears lose to Ducks in overtime
By Dave Newhouse, STAFF WRITER
EUGENE, Ore. — Joe Ayoob's final throw Saturday was the embodiment of Cal's passing game all afternoon — doomed. David Gray stood at the 8-yard line with no Oregon Ducks around him and the end zone tantalizingly behind him. And Ayoob threw the ball so high that not even a leaping Shaquille O'Neal could have pulled it down. And so Cal tasted a bitter 27-20 overtime defeat because Ayoob didn't throw the ball accurately and DeSean Jackson couldn't hold onto it. Meanwhile, Oregon was much more dependable on both ends. "We couldn't make plays in the passing game," Cal coach Jeff Tedford said. "We dropped balls, missed receivers. ...Those were down-the-field balls, not hitches. Game-changers. "It's plain and simple. It came down to turnovers. And they made more plays than we did." And so Oregon (7-1, 5-1 Pac-10) certainly improved its 13th spot in the BCS rankings, while Cal (6-3, 3-3), currently 23rd, likely fell out of the BCS' top 25 while also lowering its bowlexpectations. "I wish I could have that back," Ayoob said of his last attempt. "I tried to guide it, and I threw it over (Gray's) head. We missed some opportunities today, some plays where guys were wide open. There were some drops, some bad throws by me." Ayoob's progress, on the surface, took a step backward. He connected on only 10 of 26 passes for 88 yards, no touchdowns, and no completion farther than 16 yards. He also was intercepted three times in rainy, windy and chilly conditions. "He didn't have his best day, but it's not all on Joe," Tedford said. "It's unlike us to drop that many balls." Cal rushed for 213 yards. Marshawn Lynch had a career day with 189 yards, including a 52-yard touchdown run that helped bring Cal back from a 10-point, third-quarter deficit to make it 20-20. But Jackson, the prized recruit, dropped four passes, including one he tried to catch with his chest instead of his hands, and which turned into one of Ayoob's three interceptions. Tedford stayed with Jackson and kept Lavelle Hawkins on the bench, even though Jackson had no catches for the game. In fairness to the freshman, though, Ayoob missed him wide-open twice, once in the end zone. "I don't want to say anything about that," Jackson said of his drops. "The rain made it hard to get a grip on the ball. There definitely weren't any big plays in the passing game, partly due to the weather." That wasn't true of Oregon. Dennis Dixon of San Leandro and Brady Leaf combined to complete 24 passes in 39 attempts for 232 yards, two touchdowns and only one interception (Dixon). It's great to be a Duck in duck weather. There was no scoring in the fourth quarter, although Cal's field-goal unit hurried onto the field for a last-second attempt, which Tom Schneider hooked just wide from 53 yards. That meant overtime. Cal won the toss, but went on defense first, and Leaf hit James Finley on a 4-yard touchdown pass. Cal then advanced the ball 2 yards on three plays before Ayoob missed Gray badly. "You always want to build off your last game," Ayoob said of his heroic finish against Washington State two weeks ago. "I didn't have a great day (Saturday). There's no excuse for it. I take responsibility for this, totally. We'd still be playing if I made that 10-yard pass." There is some excuse for Ayoob's effort. He said he had played in the rain before, but not in conditions this cold. Game-time temperature was 47 degrees. Winds gusted at 15 to 20 mph throughout the game. And the rain fell hardest from the fourth quarter on.
"On a couple of balls, the wind just took it," Ayoob said. "The main thing was keeping your hands warm. Two minutes out of a hand-warmer, and my hands were numb." Maybe that's why Oregon coach Mike Bellotti alternated two quarterbacks, for purposes of warmth and feeling in their fingers. "We did a good job of putting pressure (on Ayoob)," Bellotti said, "and with the exception of one running play, we played the run very well. "A win like this validates what you do as a team. Our motto is 'Finish the Game,' and I told them I didn't know how many quarters it would take, but we did it, and that was an awesome job." "Our losses, all three, we were right there at the end," Tedford said. "We didn't make the plays."
Cal's three defeats to UCLA, Oregon State and Oregon are by a combined 17 points but were decided in the fourth quarter or overtime. "We can't blame it on the weather," Lynch said of Saturday. "And if Joe puts this game on him, then I'll put it on me. We throw nobody in the fire here, man. Joe's got a big spirit. He's a good dude. He won't let this get his spirit down." Not with USC coming to town on Saturday.
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