AP: 1-for-2: Golden Bears survive tough season-openers

GREG BEACHAM

BERKELEY, Calif. - With one disheartening loss and one auspicious win, California got through the two treacherous season-opening games coach Jeff Tedford had been dreading for months. Now the Golden Bears can get to work on their biggest goal: Making a run at the Pac-10 title. Cal (1-1) rose to No. 21 in Sunday's poll after pounding Minnesota 42-17, racking up 531 yards of total offense while stuffing one of the nation's best rushing attacks. The blowout victory assuaged the sting of a big loss at Tennessee last week - and showed the Bears their high hopes for this season weren't foolish after all.

Tedford had been playing "Rocky Top," the Tennessee fight song, in the Bears' workout room since spring practice, but he secretly just hoped to escape this difficult opening set with his team's self-confidence intact. "Those are two real good programs that we opened the season with," Tedford said. "I think our guys were a lot more familiar with the speed of the game this week. It wasn't coming as quite a shock to them."

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