By Jay Heater, MEDIANEWS STAFF
BERKELEY — Dec.1 was supposed to be a great day for Cal coach Jeff Tedford. He was going to look out a window at Memorial Stadium and see a bunch of guys with shovels. However, the ground-breaking ceremony for the Student-Athlete, High-Performance Center is not going to happen yet as the UC Board of Regents has held off approving the project for at least a few more weeks while its checks out a lawsuit filed by the city of Berkeley that aims at halting construction. At this point, Tedford isn't fretting. "I have trust that everything will be fine," Tedford said. "I have a lot of faith in our administration. I know that there is a sincere, genuine effort to get this done. Everyone has the same goal." Cal athletic director Sandy Barbour said the lawsuit was anticipated, and she is confident construction will begin soon. If Cal is expected to close the gap on USC, Tedford said that project needs to go forward. "Our recruits walk in here, and they're a little surprised because of the modest success we've had on the football field," Tedford said. The surprise comes because Tedford is recruiting athletes who visit some of the nation's top football powerhouses. They see elaborate locker and weight rooms. They see universities that commit resources toward winning. When Tedford took the Cal job in 2002, then-athletic director Steve Gladstone said he didn't see why a coach couldn't develop a powerful team even without upgrades in facilities.
However, the administration changed its attitude toward football and started pushing forward to improve conditions. Tedford, meanwhile, did build a powerful program. His worry, though, is sustaining a high standard. "No question, facilities make an impression on people," Tedford said. "We are competing now with Michigan, Florida, Notre Dame, USC, Oklahoma — all that. Recruting has been very competitive." Cal currently has 11 oral commitments, and Tedford has several top recruits visiting campus Dec.1-3 and Dec.8-10. "Dec. 8 is going to be a big weekend for us," Tedford said.
REGRETS, A FEW: Although Tedford said he does second guess himself on some of the offensive calls, he remembered one play where Nate Longshore's arm was hit just as he was attempting to throw the ball. "We had a guy running open down the middle," Tedford said. He also said that USC won the battle at the line of scrimmage and many of the individual battles in terms of receivers getting free. He doesn't know that changing plays would have changed the outcome. "You always reflect on what could have happened differently," he said. "What could I have done? You wonder if you should have run something different on third and inches."
BRING ON STANFORD: Cal will take off today, Friday and Saturday, and the players will report back for a Sunday practice as they prepare for the 109th Big Game on Dec.2 at Memorial Stadium. "There is a lot of football left, a lot to play for," Tedford said. "I know our players are disappointed. That's the initial response. Our sights were set high — on the league championship — the Rose Bowl. "But we need to finish strong." Tedford said that the bye week will give his staff longer to prepare for the Cardinal. He was asked if he believes his team will be enthusiastic about a trip to the Holiday Bowl in San Diego (Dec. 28, Pac-10 No. 2 vs. Big 12 No. 3). "Stanford is the only thing on my mind," he said. "It's not official that we are going to the Holiday Bowl. We had better be ready to play Stanford." Cal, which is ranked No.19 in the BCS ratings, almost is a lock to play at the Holiday Bowl. Without moving up five spots in the ratings, virtually impossible with only Stanford left on the schedule, the Bears won't be BCS eligible. Cal can't finish any worse than a tie for second, and the Holiday Bowl would love to have the Bears back.
KEEPING UP: Tedford has to win as many recruiting battles as possible if he expects to keep up with USC, which has dominated on a national scale the past four years. That domination shows up on game day. "In certain areas, we match up with them," Tedford said of USC. "We have to keep working at it." Tedford said the Bears are talented enough now to win against anyone, but facing USC takes a great effort. "There is not a lot of room for error," he said. "It's going to take a lot of really good execution." That execution wasn't really good last Saturday. "You just see how talented USC is," Tedford said. "To win at the Coliseum, you have to play your best. Hopefully, you will get some turnovers. We turned it over and they didn't. It's a hard enough place to play."
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