SF Chronicle: Cal finds self-fault in loss to Arizona; focus turns to USC

As is the case with most teams that have been upset, there was a lot of finger-pointing within the Cal football program after the Bears' 24-20 loss to Arizona on Saturday.  The oddity was that each gesture was directed at the individual speaking.  Coach Jeff Tedford wanted to shoulder the blame, receiver Lavelle Hawkins said it was his fault and defensive tackle Brandon Mebane tried to take the responsibility. It went on and on from coaches to players and back to coaches, but each was ready to carry the weight of the loss.  "It's definitely frustrating, but we're all a team," Mebane said. "We know we'll bounce back."  As quick as the Bears were to impugn themselves, they were equally ready to turn their attention toward the next game.

USC (8-1, 6-1) hosts Cal (8-2, 6-1) on Saturday night in a game that will decide the Pac-10 championship and, most likely, a berth in the Rose Bowl. A Cal win sends the Bears to Pasadena. A USC win probably puts the Trojans in the Rose Bowl, but they still would have a shot at the national championship game.  "It's a huge game against a great football team," Tedford said. "We're going to have to go back and work hard with a great attitude and get ready to go back on the road again."  That plane might have to leave a little earlier in the week than usual, because it appears the Bears already are set to travel.  "We'll bounce back," linebacker Worrell Williams said. "Now we've got a little fire in our belly, and we'll take it out on our next opponent."  Linebacker Desmond Bishop and cornerback Daymeion Hughes initiated Cal's theme -- "All this means is we can't go undefeated" -- after the season-opening loss to Tennessee, and the team responded with an eight-game winning streak.  Before the Bears got on the plane from Tucson to Oakland, they already were working on their new speeches.  "We still have a chance to win the Pac-10," Hughes said in an impromptu rehearsal. "We can either rally up or we can fold. It's really on us how we want to finish our season."  "Our team always plays with confidence," Tedford said. "No one ever gives up. They always play hard, and they did right down to the final gun (Saturday)."  That doesn't make the loss any easier to swallow.  "It just hurts," center Alex Mack said as he pointed at his heart.