SF Chronicle: OUTLOOK FOR '06

Cal to bring back plenty of skill-position players

Expectations already high for next year

Bruce Adams, Chronicle Staff Writer

Senior rover Donnie McCleskey said the state of Cal football can be measured by expectations.  "It's great to see our program is at that level that we get criticized for four losses," McCleskey said.  Many fans, as did McCleskey, thought the record this year -- the Bears finished 8-4 after beating BYU 35-28 Thursday in the Las Vegas Bowl -- was a commendable achievement. Others have come to expect more from the program that has been aspiring to the elite ranks of college football since Jeff Tedford became head coach four years ago and recorded four winning seasons.  Expectations are already high for next year, with senior center Marvin Philip, among others, saying the Bears could compete for a national championship.  That optimistic declaration is probably premature, but it is certainly more than a flight of fancy. The 2006 team has great promise and will return several players with big-play potential.  The strength of Cal's team in 2005, the run game, looks solid again for next year.  Starting tailback Marshawn Lynch and backup Justin Forsett both will be juniors in '06. Lynch gained 1,246 yards this season even though he missed 21/2 games because of a finger injury. Forsett was just one yard short of the 1,000-yard mark.

The offensive line loses Philip and his fellow seniors, tackle Ryan O'Callaghan and guard Aaron Merz. Plus, junior tackle Andrew Cameron, who missed much of the year with a knee injury, might not return. That could leave guard Erik Robertson as the only returning starter. But because of a rash of injuries, the Bears will enter next season with a great deal of unanticipated experience along the line.  The key on offense is at quarterback, an issue much of this year.  Nate Longshore, the starter going into the season, could put that issue to rest. Even though he was lost for the year with a severe ankle injury in the first half of the season opener, Longshore remained close to the team and worked hard to increase his understanding of Tedford's complex offense. Plus, Tedford has praised Longshore for his technical skills and his arm strength.  Joe Ayoob, who started nine games, faces an offseason in which he'll try to regain the confidence that he admitted (after the USC game) he had lost. Ayoob, who threw only three interceptions in his first six games (135 attempts), threw 11 in his final four starts (119 attempts).  Steve Levy, who started the Big Game and the Las Vegas Bowl, also will be a factor after going 2-0 as a starter while completing 63.4 percent of his passes (26-for-41) for 353 yards and three touchdowns, with one interception. And Kyle Reed, who redshirted this season as a freshman, should be in the mix although coaches say he has a way to go in grasping the offense.  Whoever plays quarterback will have a group of talented -- and now tested -- wide receivers highlighted by DeSean Jackson and Robert Jordan. Jackson, a freshman in 2005, led the team with 38 receptions and seven touchdowns -- two of them in the win over BYU. Jordan, completing his second year as a starter, had 34 catches and four touchdowns.  The defense, which began this year with only three returning starters, will have the look of an experienced unit.

Linebacker Desmond Bishop, who led the Bears with 62 tackles as a junior in 2005, will return on a unit that will include 2005 freshmen Anthony Felder and Zack Follett, along with Mickey Pimentel -- all key contributors this year. Both starting cornerbacks, Tim Mixon and Daymeion Hughes, were juniors in '05. And the line should be solid, led once again by tackle Brandon Mebane, who will be entering his senior season.  This was the Bears' third straight postseason appearance, and in college football, success does tend to breed success.  "We have a very young team and we've learned a lot this year," Tedford said. "Anytime you can win a bowl game, it really gives you some momentum."