By Jack Ross
The trick-or-treat ultimatum came about a week early for the Cal football team. Luckily for those at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, the Bears didn't have to pick one or the other-they got both. Most of the treats came via UCLA quarterback Kevin "Mr. Freeze" Craft, who forced throws all over the place and stayed ice cold in the clutch. His four interceptions were a mixed bag: Some were forced, others tipped, some gift-wrapped presents turned into touchdowns by Michael Mohamed and Marcus Ezeff. And all must have been rather ugly for those on the Bruins' sideline. But with the Bears' offense struggling after a scoreless third quarter, Craft's exploits were enough to keep his side in the game. Then came Cal's trick.
With a 20-13 advantage to open the final quarter, sophomore receiver Nyan Boateng motioned towards the line, like he often does as a blocker on running plays. Only this time, he wasn't intending to "crack" anyone. His intent was to fool them deep after Jahvid Best and Kevin Riley played hot potato with the football at the line of scrimmage. "I don't know if you (reporters) see it, but I'm always motioning in and cracking linebackers, cracking safeties," Boateng said. "The safety actually met me at my break point, which was a good thing. It was a great call." And since the last time the Bears ran a trick play of this magnitude was a long time ago-Tedford mentioned a 2005 game in Oregon that involved the legendary Joe Ayoob-it was no surprise that the trickery came as something of a surprise to Best.
"It's something we practice," Best said of his carry-turned-59-yard-touchdown-pass. "I never really think we're gonna run it. We did and thankfully it came out good." Though the end result certainly did come out well, the person who ultimately put the practice play into action was something of a mystery. The rest of the team did admit afterwards that Tedford ultimately decided to pull the trick, though Best noted that the play "bounced around about five times" before they settled on the flea-flicker. Not surprisingly, Tedford was slightly more coded. Some brave reporter mustered up the courage to ask the coach who actually called for the illusion itself. And Tedford, in typically coy fashion, responded with some alluding of his own:
"It got called." It got called. Whatever those words reveal about the schema between Tedford and his offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti is open for interpretation-one that is certainly way above the pay grade of a student-reporter. What is hardly open for interpretation is why the Bears were able to call such a play and, most importantly, why it worked. Tedford and the majority of the offensive unit touched on the hard-charging Bruins' secondary which necessitated some sleight of hand on the part of the offense. "It was a perfect opportunity," Tedford said. "They were very aggressive in the run game. The safeties were really getting up in there. That was a great opportunity for the flea flicker." A great opportunity, indeed. And an opportunity that also suggests how the Bears need to approach their offense for the rest of the season-by continuing to get busy on the ground. In the post-game press conference, Boateng candidly admitted that the Cal offense has yet to find its calling card: "Our offense, we're still trying to find our identity," he said.
Yet perhaps the "run first to set up the pass" identity that would befit a team boasting two rushing play makers of Best and Shane Vereen's caliber was on display repeatedly Saturday, as the two combined to break 200 yards easily. When the Bears were at their best, they insisted on getting the duo the ball at all costs-like the sparkling six-play drive where the pair touched the ball all but once, capped off by Best's highlight-reel touchdown run. And when Cal dropped into shotgun sets and took itself out of rhythm with incompletions and holding penalties (like it did for the majority of the third quarter), it started to sputter.
On Saturday, the Bears' sultry one-two step of Best and Vereen gave the offense the chance to pull a trick on the UCLA defense. If Cal continues to prioritize outgrinding their opposition, they could pull an even bigger trick on the rest of the Pac-10. Next week's post-Halloween tilt with Oregon is the first step in that direction.
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