Salt Lake Tribune: Cal's ground game concerns Cougs

Las Vegas Bowl ~ BYU vs. California
Notes -
LAS VEGAS - Only a football dummy couldn't figure out the key to Brigham Young beating California in today's Las Vegas Bowl. "It starts first with stopping the run," said coach Bronco Mendenhall. "We know we have to stop the run well to have a chance to win the football game." The Bears rank No. 10 nationally in rushing, averaging 234.7 yards per game. They averaged 256 yards a game last season, marking the first time since 1951-52 the program has run for at least 230 yards a game. Marshawn Lynch and Justin Forsett combined to gain more than 2,000 yards. Lynch ran for 1,052 yards despite missing two games and receiving only five carries against Washington State. Forsett averages 7.8 yards per carry, second best behind Reggie Bush's 8.5 yards. "They run the ball so well," said defensive end Justin Maddux. Mendenhall said BYU needs to control the ball on offense and win the battle of field position. A big reason for the team's midseason success was the ability of the offense to score early. "The goal is to start fast and score points," said quarterback John Beck. Momentum Cal is playing in its third consecutive bowl game for the first time since since making the Rose Bowl from 1948-50. The success has paid off in recruiting. "When you are in bowl games year after year, that gives you a great opportunity when recruits come to not only be here for the weekend and be with the players, but to be around practice, see how they practice," said coach Jeff Tedford. "It's a whole different dimension when they can walk out on the field and see you practicing for a bowl game. It is very important, the consistency of bowl games, because it allows your team to practice more." Tedford inherited a program that had gone 1-10 in 2001. Tom Holmoe's final team started 0-10 before beating Rutgers. In Tedford's first season the Bears were 7-5. Cal has won at least seven games in four consecutive seasons. From 1978 to 2001, the program had at least seven wins in only four seasons. "When you are walking into a home to recruit to a 1-10 team it's different, no question about that," Tedford said. "The difference I think is that they feel they can come to Cal and reach their potential academically and athletically. They will have an opportunity to play for a conference championship and bowl games on a national level, be on TV. You couldn't say that going in my first year, now we can say that. There has been a history of winning and being on TV and playing in bowl games."
Double duty
Concluding his first season as a head coach, Mendenhall said he underestimated the task of also serving as BYU's defensive coordinator. He said the two jobs are difficult during practices and in games. "It's been a challenge," he said. "I wouldn't have changed it, and I've learned a lot because of it that I wouldn't have learned unless I took this road to start. But coaching defense is what I love. There's some other parts of this responsibility that are very difficult, that I'm learning to like as an acquired taste."
Briefly
Running backs coach Ron Gould is the only holdover from Holmoe's staff. Tedford coached against BYU as Fresno State's offensive coordinator in the 1990s. Defensive lineman Tosh Lupoi's father, John, played at BYU. . . . The Mountain West Conference is 4-2 in the Las Vegas Bowl.