Cal’s win over Oregon raised the relevant question: Can the Bears defeat USC next Saturday at the L.A. Coliseum? That is the only relevant question after Cal defeated a Ducks team that couldn’t throw the ball, a team that treats passing as if it is a forbidden activity. An answer to the big question will be forthcoming later in this column. Cal gets credit for beating Oregon in miserable conditions — rainwater was so thick on the field it formed puddles. Cal gets credit for beating Oregon even though starting quarterback Kevin Riley got whacked in the head late in the first quarter and suffered a concussion. That meant second-stringer Nate Longshore had to take over in a split second.
Longshore has a history. He is a guy who throws interceptions, and not just any interceptions. He throws a pick at the worst possible time, the pick that loses the game and breaks the Bears’ hearts. When he came into play most of the Oregon game, it’s like a live grenade took over. He could blow at any minute and leave hopes and dreams splattered all over the field. But he didn’t blow. He did what quarterbacks need to do when it’s raining and when his team has a lead. He managed the game. He rendered a modest, efficient performance, a workmanlike performance and, most important, he did not self-destruct. Afterward, coach Jeff Tedford talked about having two experienced quarterbacks. “You have two quality quarterbacks,” he said. “You need two quarterbacks from time to time during a season.”
It was a bland enough statement, superficially correct. You need two QBs when one is really good and the starter and you have a second banana who comes in when No.1 gets whacked. But that’s not how it works at Cal. Tedford has two No.1 QBs. Or maybe that’s not it. Maybe he has two second bananas. Or maybe it’s not that, either. He has two quarterbacks you’d label 1B. In other words, he does not have a legit starter and although he tries to play past that fact, it is a serious flaw in a football team. I asked Tedford if Riley will start against the Trojans. “I don’t know,” he said. And then he said it again, “I don’t know,” and then he sighed with frustration. Every week some yahoo asks him to name his starting quarterback and by now people should know it doesn’t work that way.
I pushed past his sigh and asked why he doesn’t know who will be his starting quarterback. “Because we’ll see how the week goes,” he said. “We’ll see what goes on, what the game plan’s going to be like. It’s no different from any other week. How is he (Riley)?” This being no different from any other week certainly is true, but it’s not a good thing. It’s a bad thing. It means even after eight games Tedford does not like either quarterback enough to anoint him. This is called being one step away from chaos and it means, even though Longshore played well enough, Tedford really doesn’t believe in him and he doesn’t believe in Riley, either — not enough. No wonder he sighs from frustration.
Someone asked about the meaning of the victory over Oregon and, because the question did not involve quarterbacks, Tedford was prepared, even had a rhyme. “Big,” he said. “The games you remember are the ones in November. If you’re fortunate enough to be in a (good) position, that means something. Every game we play now means something. Yeah, today was a big one for us. Next week we’ll prepare hard and go play the team everyone is shooting for in this conference.” He won’t pretend the USC game is just any game.
“When you go down to play SC, you have a tendency to get really hyped up, so we’ve got to keep our poise and just prepare really well to go play a great football team.” That brings us back to the main issue, the only issue Cal fans care about. As fans left Memorial Stadium on Saturday, they chanted, “Beat SC. Beat SC.” Oregon already was a distant memory. So, can the Bears defeat the Trojans? Well, give Cal credit for staying alive in the Pac-10 this long and give Cal credit for making the USC game relevant to all concerned. But don’t expect the Bears to win. You don’t beat USC without a No.1 QB. Sorry about that. And you don’t beat USC when you allowed the Ducks to run effectively against you — allowed them to run even though they couldn’t throw and you knew it. Cal is a brave team that tries hard and has, so far, created a praiseworthy season. But Cal has flaws and flaws get you beat.
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