A week after the UC regents postponed plans to retrofit Memorial Stadium and build a parking structure and a training center, Cal coach Jeff Tedford chimed in Tuesday on the potential delay. "I have trust that everything's going to be fine, but it's concerning because we all know what we're up against in recruiting," he said. It's never going to be clearer than right now as the Bears to try to recover from Saturday's loss, which cost them the school's first Rose Bowl berth since 1959. USC, which clinched its fifth consecutive Pac-10 crown with the win over Cal, regularly has one of the nation's top recruiting classes, and to beat a team of that caliber, the current Bears' roster has to play perfect football and hope for some help.
With Cal's recent success, it is no longer competing against Big West and bottom-rung Pac-10 teams for recruits. Instead, it is seeking players considering offers from top-tier schools, which also have top-tier facilities. Tedford noticed what he was up against this summer as out-of-state prospects took unofficial visits to Berkeley and were disappointed to see the facilities. "I don't think I need to get up and beat a drum about it to make everyone understand," Tedford said. Both athletics director Sandy Barbour and Tedford remain confident that despite the regents' vote and the pending lawsuit by the city of Berkeley, the promised plan will be back on after a Dec. 4 meeting.
Hook, line and sinking: Tedford hasn't taken his phone off the hook yet, but he's been hurt by some of his most recent calls. Since Cal missed its chance to secure a conference title and a spot in the Rose Bowl, Tedford has been contacted by a number of angry fans. There have also been a few calls to remind him that, four or five years ago, nobody cared, so he must be doing something right. "I'm sure it's like that everywhere, but it doesn't make it any easier to deal with," he said. Most of the calls have been about the Bears' sudden lack of offensive production, wondering about play-calling that seemingly hasn't take chances and has become too predictable. "I'm not sure we didn't take chances," he said. "I mean, we threw the ball 38 times."
Briefly: Tedford will get out of his "coaching cave" just long enough to eat a turkey sandwich while watching Stanford game video Thursday and hit the recruiting trail Friday and Saturday. To date, 11 high-school prospects have given Cal verbal commitments, including the most recent, All-American punter Bryan Anger. ... Marshawn Lynch and Daymeion Hughes weren't among the finalists for the Doak Walker Award (top running back) or the Jim Thorpe Award (top defensive back), respectively.
No comments:
Post a Comment