Modesto Bee: Tedford's job at Cal far from finished

By RON AGOSTINI

Modesto Bee

Good coaches, it's said, never stand pat. They're evolving, looking for an edge, always keeping score.  Jeff Tedford of the University of California is one of those coaches. Unfortunately for him, his resuscitation of the Golden Bears - now entering its fifth season - has coincided with USC's return as college football's pacesetter.

Cal was humbled at home 35-10 last November by Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush and the then-streaking Trojans.  The Bears, primed for the same upset they sprang on USC two years before, were decisively humbled. "One of the most difficult days I've ever been associated with as a coach," Tedford said this week.  Tedford, 44, sees the big picture with 20-20 vision. He knows he's done well at Cal and that the university recognizes his team's turnaround. When he was introduced at Haas Pavilion last weekend during the Cal basketball team's final home game, the ovation was warm and sustained. In four seasons, Tedford's Bears have gone 33-17 with three straight bowl appearances - a first in over a half-century - two bowl wins and a national ranking as high as No. 4. But when you're chasing the Red Menace that is USC, an even bigger push is required. The bottom line is Cal, like everyone else other than Texas, can't measure up to USC.

So Tedford is pushing. Hard. His hiring of offensive coordinator Mike Dunbar, the mastermind of Northwestern's potent spread attack, signals changes ahead in the Cal offense. "We're looking to meld our offense with portions of the spread and pick and choose from each," Tedford said. "It's an addition of a philosophy for us." That's Tedford. "It's nice to go to the bowls, but there is more for us to accomplish," he said. "There are conference championships, the BCS ..." And, we'll add, overtaking the almighty Trojans.

That said, Tedford displayed all the right stuff in the hour following Cal's disappointing loss to USC. He agonized not just over the loss but also for his quarterback, Joe Ayoob, whose confidence had just been sliced and diced. Ayoob tossed four interceptions that day, and the look in his eye suggested a young man defeated in every way. Tedford, the so-called builder of quarterbacks, also had a reason to be devastated. Eventually, he replaced Ayoob with Steve Levy, who guided Cal to wins over Stanford and then BYU in the Las Vegas Bowl. But on that day, he was concerned over Ayoob the man, not Ayoob the QB.

"Here was a young kid who was thrown into high expectations after Kyle Boller and Aaron Rodgers (Ayoob became the starter after Nate Longshore was injured during the season opener). You can be crushed by the expectations at this level. You don't wish that on anyone," Tedford said. "I've never been through a situation like that. We've always been very efficient at that position. For us to struggle, there were new lessons to be learned." Cal's upcoming four-man dual for the quarterback job will define its season. If the Bears find a capable man behind center, they will enjoy more success. Preseason polls, which rank Cal as high as 10th, reveal continued respect. Regardless, Tedford vows a slight change in his approach.

"The main thing is to provide a lot of support for the guy at that position," he said. "And, hopefully, we won't put him in a position where he's not ready." How driven is Tedford, you ask? Rewind, again, to last November, and the postgame reaction from USC coach Pete Carroll. "California has been kind of right behind us for a while," Carroll said, "and we talked about putting some separation between us, and we did this game."

Tedford, when reminded of those words, accepted the final score but not the sentiment. "That was his opinion on a day we struggled. I don't see it that way. I don't think they're dramatically better us. We aren't in awe of them, nor are they of us," he said. "Just because we struggled that day doesn't mean our programs are light years apart. He sounded like someone happy with himself after a big win. It was easy to say when you've got all those guys back, with a Heisman Trophy winner and a veteran team. I do know that tides seem to change from time to time." Even in March, Tedford is keeping score.