Daily Cal: They Don't Come Much Bigger

No. 11 Oregon Invades Memorial Stadium With First Place in the Pac-10 Up for Grabs

BY Brian Bainum

Cal wide receiver Lavelle Hawkins entered the Hall of Fame room at Memorial Stadium on Tuesday afternoon just as Oregon coach Mike Bellotti was ending a teleconference with members of the local media. Hawkins went over to the table with the phone and started working on his journalism career.  "So Coach," Hawkins asked. "How do you prepare for this group of wideouts?"  Bellotti played right along.   "I'm going to try and sneak 12 or 13 men on the field," the longest-tenured coach in the Pac-10 said with a laugh. "But do me a favor and don't tell anyone."  The lighthearted moment may have encapsulated this Saturday's showdown between the No. 16 Bears football team (4-1, 2-0 in the Pac-10) and the No. 11 Ducks (4-0, 2-0).  There is very little by way of secrets between the two schools, particularly since Jeff Tedford left his position as offensive coordinator at Oregon in 2001 to resurrect what was a floundering Cal program.   In the teams' three meetings since Tedford's arrival in Berkeley, the outcome has been decided by a combined 12 points, with the home team winning each game.

"How close it has been points to the fact that there is intimate knowledge on both sides," Bellotti said. "We have to do things a little bit differently, and they have to do things a little bit differently."   Tedford is far from being the only Bears coach to have ties to Bellotti. Defensive coordinator Bob Gregory served under Bellotti as his defensive backs coach from 1998-2000, linebackers coach Bob Foster was the Ducks defensive coordinator from 1998-99 and wide receivers coach Dan Ferrigno held the same position at Oregon from 2001-05.

Many other members of Tedford's administrative staff have ties to Eugene, Ore.  "I have a lot of respect for the way they do business there on a daily basis," Tedford said. "Fortunately, we have a great comfort level with the people we have on our staff from Oregon in terms of work ethic."   Unlike Bellotti, Tedford tried to downplay the familiarity between the coaching staffs of the two programs.  "It's about schemes and plays and putting players in the right place to make plays," Tedford said. "Personalities have nothing to do with the game." They do provide for some interesting storylines, though. If the coaching flow goes from north to south, the player flow seems to go from south to north.

No less than 12 players on the Ducks roster, including quarterback Dennis Dixon, hail from the Bay Area, and many of them played with or against Cal players in high school.  "I have a couple of friends up there," said Bears tailback Marshawn Lynch, who leads the conference in all-purpose yards per game and was himself heavily recruited by Oregon. "We all wanted to end up at the same school. It is a little rivalry between me and those guys."  The game holds plenty of importance on its own, personal ties aside. First place in the Pac-10 is up for grabs.  Cal can avenge its overtime loss at a rainy Autzen Stadium last year. At the same time, the Ducks have a chance to erase the memory of Keith Allen's drop on fourth down that sealed a 28-27 Bears victory in 2004.  "Before the game, the nerves are going to be a lot bigger because it's Oregon, because it's (televised on) ABC and because as they say whoever wins this might win the Pac-10," Cal safety Brandon Hampton said. "As much as we don't talk about it, it's still in our head."

The Ducks promise to give the Bears plenty besides nerves to worry about.  Dixon, working out of the spread offense, leads the conference in passing yards per game (258). His favorite target has been sophomore wide receiver Jaison Williams, who leads the Pac-10 in receiving yards. Not to be outdone, tailback Jonathan Stewart paces the conference in rushing yards per game.  "They have it rolling right now," Tedford said. "It's going to be a difficult test for our defense."  Said Cal quarterback Nate Longshore: "To be honest, I am kind of looking forward to seeing (Dixon) play because he's fun to watch. More than that, it'll be fun to watch our defense go up against him."  In addition to running the spread offense, Oregon has shown the ability to go without a huddle, an element Gregory's defense must prepare for.  How the Bears defense responds to the Ducks' no huddle could be critical, especially since Cal substitutes frequently on defense.  "It does put a little stress on the defense," Bellotti said.  The Oregon defense will also face a tough test in a Bears offensive attack that includes DeSean Jackson, the nation's co-leader in receiving touchdowns with seven. The Ducks have suffered several injuries on their defensive line and secondary. They start two redshirt freshmen at cornerback.  Which defense slows down the opposing weapons better may end up being the deciding factor. One thing is for sure: few on either side are expecting a blowout. "I just hope we have one more point than they do," Tedford said.