STEVE BISHEFF
Register columnist
LOS ANGELES – No other coach in America has done it. Only Jeff Tedford. No other coach in the past 43 games has A) beaten USC, winning that memorable triple-overtime match at Berkeley, 34-31, in 2003, and B) totally shut down college football's most prolific offense, holding it to a meager 12 first downs and 205 total yards in a nerve-rattling 23-17 loss to the Trojans in the Coliseum last season. Now Cal's gifted coach is preparing again to welcome USC to Strawberry Canyon on Saturday, begging the one question that continues to linger like some of those strange odors emanating from nearby Tightwad Hill: Has Tedford managed to crawl inside Pete Carroll's head? Is this the one guy capable of outthinking and outstrategizing the coach who has become the most successful in the NCAA? "He's had some pretty good success the last three years (Cal lost 30-28 in 2002)," USC quarterback Matt Leinart said of Tedford. "Who knows? For whatever reason, they've played us tougher than anyone else." Don't think Carroll isn't aware. After the loss two years ago - a defeat, by the way, that has prevented the Trojans from owning a 43-game winning streak - he was so disheartened he said: "I was out-coached today." A crucial fumble and a pivotal missed field goal probably had more to do with it than anybody getting outcoached, but you get the idea. "Last year, they did a great job against us," Carroll said. "We had a great battle in a game played pretty close to the vest. It was played like a championship game.
"Now we have a feel for one another's style and all that. It makes it more fun. This is the same kind of matchup with the same kind of intensity." Tedford only wishes he had the same roster. He doesn't. His 6-3 team has just four starters returning on both sides of the ball, and the quarterback who controlled the tempo of last year's game with his short, accurate spirals, Aaron Rodgers, is now a member of the Green Bay Packers. "Coach (Bob) Gregory and his staff did a nice job game-planning a year ago," Tedford said of his defensive coordinator. "You're never going to stop them (the Trojans). You have to try to control them in some way. "I was not surprised, because we had a veteran group that did a great job. But USC is even more powerful this year. It will be a big test to slow them down or try to control them. "They're the best team I've seen in college football, no doubt about it. There are no chinks in their armor. Top to bottom, their offense is as good as anywhere or maybe any that will ever be." Still, an argument could be made that last year's Trojans offense was every bit as good, and it struggled all day against the complex schemes presented by Tedford and Gregory. Could it happen again? "They have great talent over there," USC tailback Reggie Bush said. "They do a great job of controlling the clock." It is interesting that this scenario is about to play out the same week as one remarkably similar in the NFL.
Like Tedford, Patriots coach Bill Belichick was supposed to be inside the head of one of his biggest rivals, in this case Colts quarterback Peyton Manning. Manning never had defeated New England on the road, and Belichick had consistently foiled one of the AFC's most prolific offenses whenever the two teams met. Except this week, the Patriots had to play without tackle Richard Seymour, strong safety Rodney Harrison and their former cornerback, Ty Law, three All-Pros. They also didn't have the kind of physical corners Belichick had used to maul the Indianapolis receivers at the line of scrimmage. Without the same level of talent, Belichick's "hold" over Manning quickly disappeared, and the Colts overpowered Tom Brady and the Patriots, 40-21, in the season's most highly anticipated Monday night matchup. There are USC supporters this week who think the same thing will happen at Cal. Apparently the oddsmakers agree, installing the Trojans as 19-point favorites. Clearly, there is no way the Bears are as deep and experienced as they were a year ago. Yet there is that underlying feeling in the Bay Area that Tedford will think of something. If he does it will have to be with JC transfer Joe Ayoob who was rushed into the quarterback job when Nate Longshore, the team's best passer, suffered a broken leg in fall camp. Ayoob, a good athlete, has won some games with his feet and probably lost a couple with his arm. "He's been up and down," Tedford said. "He's had some rough times." But it's not like Cal doesn't have some quality weapons. Marshawn Lynch (842 yards) and Justin Forsett (899 yards), their exciting 1-2 punch at tailback, rank right behind Bush and LenDale White in rushing this season. DeSean Jackson is a freshman receiver the Trojans wanted. And even with all that youth, Tedford's defense ranks second in the Pac-10, alllowing 20.9 points per game to USC's 20.6. "Our defense has done pretty well," Tedford said. "It's done a nice job for the most part and been pretty consistent stopping the run." USC's Leinart, trying to deal with the expectations associated with a 31-game winning streak and a shot at a third consecutive national title, sat in front of the media in a room on campus Tuesday, wearing an Angels cap on his head and a wry smile on his face. "I'm not worried about what happened (against Cal before)," the Heisman Trophy winner said. "This is a different year. They played us very physical last season, but this is a different season, and they are definitely not the same team”. "They're different, and we're different." Yeah, except the one coach who plays USC tougher than anyone else is still the same.
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