Tedford points to offensive line as big part of the reason for Cal's low scoring output in its past three games
By Jay Heater
BERKELEY - It was late in the fourth quarter of the 109th Big Game, the outcome still hanging in the balance, when Cal coach Jeff Tedford turned to junior tailback Justin Forsett. Forsett ripped off a 9-yard gain up the middle on the first play of a drive that started on Stanford's 45-yard line. After two more plays netted the yard necessary for a first down, Forsett attacked again, bursting over right guard for a 17-yard gain. Three more Forsett runs netted only 6 more yards, but it was enough to set up Tom Schneider's game-clinching 30-yard field goal in a 26-17 victory. The significance of Forsett's effort goes beyond the Big Game. With junior Marshawn Lynch expected to enter the NFL draft, Forsett is going to be carrying the load at tailback next season. For whatever reason, Cal's offense has faltered the last three games of the season, producing just one touchdown in each game. That's despite having two of the nation's top offensive threats in Lynch and sophomore wide receiver DeSean Jackson. After Lynch dropped a screen pass and fumbled early in the fourth quarter Saturday, Tedford decided to give Forsett a shot. Forsett rushed for 67 of his 75 yards in that period. "I'm always ready," said Forsett, who has rushed for 502 yards this season as Lynch's backup. "I'm always standing next to (running backs coach) Ron Gould. But I definitely think it is nice that coach Tedford trusts me. I'm blessed. There are a lot of backups around the country who hardly get a chance. That's why I give it my all every play."
With Cal's talented trio of wide receivers (Jackson, Robert Jordan and Lavelle Hawkins) returning next season, along with quarterback Nate Longshore, the Bears should have a dynamic offense if Forsett can hit the holes the way he did on Saturday. Even so, the late season offensive woes are causing some concern among Cal fans. Certainly, Longshore didn't have a banner game against the Cardinal, hitting 14-of-31 passes for 217 yards and a touchdown. Tedford said he thought Longshore was solid playing in very strong winds that made passing difficult. Stanford quarterback T.C. Ostrander had almost identical numbers, going 15-of-31 for 204 yards. Tedford was more critical of Cal's line play. "We have to come off the ball better to get the running game going," Tedford said. "We didn't play as physical as we needed to do. We are going to take a break, then come back to practice and address that issue." Cal's offensive line has struggled to get the running game going in the past three games. "In the last three games, we have played three really different defenses," said senior guard Erik Robertson. "I think some of the things that Stanford does on defense got us to slow down. We were trying to figure out what they were going to do." Tedford agreed and said his line has to stop trying to think so much and instead concentrate on getting off the ball and striking hard. The Bears took that advice to heart in the fourth quarter against Stanford when the running game twice set up Schneider, once for a 40-yard miss and the other time for the clinching field goal. Although Cal's offensive line didn't push the Cardinal defense around for most of the game, it definitely won the fourth quarter. "That's the way you can break a team's will," Robertson said. "When they can't stop you from running up the middle." With only the Holiday Bowl on Dec. 28 remaining in the Bears' 2006 season, Tedford might continue to give Forsett some extra chances. He might be the guy running up the middle for the Bears in 2007.
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