Monday, December 26, 2005

Contra Costa Times: Bears have QB options in '06

LEVY WAS EFFICIENT, BUT LONGSHORE OWNS CAL'S STRONGEST ARM

By Jay Heater

Late in the first quarter of the Las Vegas Bowl on Thursday, Cal freshman wide receiver DeSean Jackson sprinted past his defender. He was 5 yards clear and headed toward the end zone. All he needed was the ball. Junior Steve Levy, efficient for most of the game, heaved a pass that was badly underthrown, leading to an incompletion and a missed opportunity. As Cal heads into the 2006 season, Coach Jeff Tedford will attempt to choose a quarterback who will routinely complete that throw. Levy showed he is a capable leader and an excellent guardian of the football. He led the Bears to a victory over Stanford in the Big Game, along with the 35-28 victory over Brigham Young on Thursday. He performed well in front of huge crowds in pressure situations. He finished 16 of 23 for 228 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions against BYU.  But is he the man to lead Cal, which finished 8-4, to a Bowl Championship Series game in 2006? Tedford was asked before the Las Vegas Bowl if Levy was going through an audition. ``An audition for what?'' Tedford asked.  An audition for a starting role in 2006.  ``We're just trying to win a bowl game,'' Tedford said.  After the game, Tedford praised Levy's play and even questioned his own play-calling late in the fourth quarter. Tedford put the shackles on Levy and tried to run out the clock by rushing the ball.  Tedford wondered whether he should have given Levy an opportunity to throw another pass or two to make an additional first down.  Levy is doing what he can to impress his coach, but he said he understands that he doesn't have the arm strength of Kyle Boller (Cal's starter in 1999-2002) or the accuracy of Aaron Rodgers (Cal's starter in 2003-04).  ``All I did was lead the team and take care of the football,'' Levy said following the bowl victory.  Of course, Cal fans have seen what happens when a quarterback doesn't take care of the ball. Junior Joe Ayoob had interception problems (seven in losses to USC and Oregon alone) in the second half of the season as the Bears lost four of five games heading into the Big Game.

Levy righted the ship, throwing just one interception in two starts.  ``Steve has been very efficient,'' Tedford said. ``He has run the huddle well, and he brings confidence to the table.''  Against the best teams in 2006, Cal will have to be more like . . . well . . . Cal. In Tedford's first three seasons with Boller and then Rodgers running the show, opponents had to guess where the ball might be going.  But both Boller and Rodgers could hit the long pass, an element largely missing from Cal's offense in 2005. Jackson and sophomore wide receiver Robert Jordan, both deep threats, averaged less than 16 yards per catch.  Tedford will have to decide which of his quarterbacks -- Levy, Ayoob, Nate Longshore or Kyle Reed -- can make those throws and stretch the field. Imagine what tailback Marshawn Lynch (1,281 yards rushing, 7.6 yards per carry in 2005) would be able to do if defenses didn't crowd the line of scrimmage.  Longshore was clearly the best of the group heading into the 2005 season, but he broke his leg against Sacramento State in the opener.  Longshore, 6-foot-5, 225 pounds, has a strong arm, and Tedford also has praised his ability to read defenses and react at the line of scrimmage. Those factors probably make him the favorite to win back the job even though Levy finished well.

No comments: