SF Chronicle: Big silence one week before Big Game

It's a sunny, fall Saturday in Berkeley with all the makings of a great day for a football game, but the usual sounds have been muted. The anxious ovations from a crowd have been replaced by an uneasy silence.  The sounds of pregame pad-clashing has been replaced by youthful laughter and an occasional bark as a father, three children and a dog are the only ones utilizing the Memorial Stadium field.  The sizzling from a barbecue has been replaced by the footsteps of someone delivering McDonald's to the coaching staff.  It's a week, to the minute, until the scheduled kickoff of the 109th Big Game, and most of the buzz surrounding the Cal football program has been lost. Of course, a lot of the inactivity is because it's a bye week, but it also has a lot to do with the fact that there's an overwhelming sense that the season is already over.   "It does kind of feel like that, doesn't it?" coach Jeff Tedford said Tuesday. "The guys put so much into (the USC loss), so that was their initial reaction."  Despite the solemn setting at Strawberry Canyon on Saturday, the Bears' season isn't over. In fact, it has two games left and more than enough reasons to continue playing.

First, there are still attainable goals. The common theme from the Cal players last week was a desire to "keep the Axe." The Bears still have a shot at posting a 10-win season, and before the Big Game, they'll start preaching the importance of giving their all for the seniors, who will be playing in their final home game.  Senior linebacker Desmond Bishop, the Bears' vocal leader, stared Tuesday at some black-and-white photos in a Memorial Stadium hallway. As he looked at sold-out stadiums and pictures that mark big wins from Cal's history, he stopped and smiled as if he had found his rallying cry for the season's final weeks.  Then, there's the knowledge that the last two games of the season grant Cal a chance to set the tone for next year while fixing the problems that have ailed it lately.  The Bears will look to regain the potent offense that has been bobbing around with up-and-down weeks after producing at least 40 points in five straight games. Cal needs to get back to setting a physical tone with the running game and finding a way to get all three play-making receivers involved once again.  The Bears also will be seeking ways to create takeaways again. After spending most of the season among the national leaders in interceptions, the Bears' defense hasn't forced a turnover in consecutive losses.  On Saturday, a "day off," the Bears' coaching staff and a handful of players were looking for solutions on game tape.  They're hoping that in the silence, the answers will show up loud and clear.