SF Chronicle: Everyone to blame for Cal's offensive offense

By Rusty Simmons

Everyone involved with Cal's offense has offered to take some of the blame for the unit's current down tick.

Coach Jeff Tedford and offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti tried to claim responsibility, and quarterback Kevin Riley said he's missing open receivers. Tailback Jahvid Best thinks he's failed to recognize obvious cutback lanes, Nyan Boateng mentioned the receivers' faulty timing and left guard Mark Boskovich admitted that the young offensive line is still learning.  They all make valid arguments. "That's the frustrating thing when you look at our offense right now: We're having a breakdown with one person here and a different person there," Cignetti said. "Whether it's a running play, whether it's pass protection or whether it's a throw, one out of 11 is causing a lack of success on a given play. "It takes all 11 guys functioning as one unit to have great execution, and we're not always getting that."

From the first three games to the past six, the Bears' offensive output has dropped by more than 150 yards and 18 points a game. Though they disagree on where the fault lies, those involved with Cal's offense agree that it has to be fixed by Saturday, when the Bears play at Oregon State. The Beavers are one of the conference's three teams allowing less than 300 yards a game and also yield less than 22 points a game.

"There are times when our offense looks really good, and then a penalty or a turnover just kill it," Riley said. "We've got to get past that this week. We've been waiting for it, but we can't wait any more. "We've got to take it on ourselves to put together consecutive good drives and good quarters and good games." Cal is 40-4 when scoring 30-plus points under Tedford. It has reached that total only twice in the last six weeks, and in those games (big wins over Colorado State and UCLA), the Bears were helped by five defensive or special teams touchdowns. "We need to be better in all situations," Tedford said. "We've missed some throws, we've run wrong routes, we've let them get pressure on the quarterback and we haven't run the ball real well. "We need to fix all of that, and we need guys to make some plays." Cal scored five offensive touchdowns on plays of at least 27 yards in the first three games and has three such plays in the last six games. That, however, is not to indicate that the big plays aren't there anymore.

The Bears had plenty of chances against USC and Oregon, and Best had 34- and 67-yard touchdown runs against UCLA and Arizona, respectively. For the majority of three of those games, Cal has played with only one projected starter (center Alex Mack) on the offensive line because of injuries. "We believe in the linemen, so they need to believe in themselves," Best said. "We have the tools and the talents to make plays, and Cignetti is putting us in positions to make plays. We just have to go out and make them, and part of me just wants to say, 'Put the load on me.' "  Boskovich loves the idea, saying "They've been putting everyone out in coverage and haven't been taking our run game seriously."

Boskovich is a walk-on sophomore who is starting on the offensive line with two redshirt freshmen and a junior-college transfer who got to Berkeley just in time for training camp. In fact, Cal's offense will lose only two starters - Mack and fullback Will Ta'ufo'ou - to graduation. "The stuff that we're having problems with this year shouldn't happen next year," Boateng said. "We should just dominate everybody." Cignetti briefly smiled when asked about next season. "The future is now," he said. "We have to go up to Oregon State and get the victory. Then, we have to move on to the next one and the one after that. "Today matters."