SF Chronicle: Now, things get tough for Cal

By Jake Curtis

Numbers can be deceiving.  The score in Cal's 41-20 victory over UCLA suggests the Bears' offense bulldozed the Bruins.  Not so. Two of the Bears' first four touchdowns were scored by their defense, and the final one came inside the two-minute mark with the game already decided. Cal coach Jeff Tedford called his team's offensive performance "not very good," and in assessing quarterback Kevin Riley's play, Tedford said, "We need to be better." In conclusion, the coach said, "It was not a pretty game." Cal's 5-2 overall record and 3-1 Pac-10 mark seem to indicate the Bears are rolling along on schedule. But things are not so rosy, for two reasons: The quarterback position is unsettled and their three toughest conference opponents are up next.  Seven games into the season and Cal still does not know who its quarterback will be for its next game. Riley found out Friday he would start against UCLA, but his showing Saturday did not nail down the starting job for the Oregon game. It might be Friday before Tedford decides whether Riley or Nate Longshore will be the man against Oregon, and such uncertainty at quarterback is a problem.

Quarterback troubles are commonplace in the Pac-10 this year, but Oregon, Washington, Washington State and UCLA have excuses, as injuries have sidelined their top quarterbacks. Health has not been an issue for Cal quarterbacks.  Riley did not throw any interceptions Saturday, but he failed to complete more than half his passes for the fourth time in his six games. "The offense is still trying to find an identity," Cal wide recover Nyan Boateng said. "I don't think we played very well today." Tedford does not think the offense has played well all season. "Defensively, we have played steady, but the offense has been off and on," he said. "We have not been as good as expected offensively. We have not been consistent."  And now, the competition gets a lot more difficult. The Bears' three conference wins (Arizona State, UCLA, Washington State) came against teams settling into the bottom of the standings. Their next three games are against what appear to be the best three teams - Oregon, USC and Oregon State - and two of those are on the road, where Cal has yet to prove itself. The Bears are 1-2 away from home, and that win against Washington State should be discarded.

Cal's only "quality win" was the season-opening 38-31 victory at home over Michigan State, and that was in August. It also was Riley's only impressive performance. Tedford said that game, without question, was the Bears' best, and coaches don't want their team to peak in the opener.  Being one win shy of bowl eligibility in October would have been cause for major celebration before Tedford arrived. But expectations are different now. The Bears are good enough to consider themselves Rose Bowl contenders in a conference in which every team has at least one conference loss and only one team (USC) looks the least bit dominant. Cal can be a factor, but it has not yet proven it has the offense to do it.