Cal has been waiting all season for its corps of wide receivers to emerge. With the Emerald Bowl against Miami looming Saturday, the wait continues. The conventional wisdom is that the Bears will be significantly improved next season, and much of that is because of the expectation that the receivers will develop. And although the nucleus of Nyan Boateng, Verran Tucker and Jeremy Ross have shown incremental improvement this season, there is still a lot of work to be done for the Bears' passing game to reach a higher level next year. "I think we've progressed a lot," Ross said. "There's still room for improvement. As time goes on, we're going to get better. I'm really confident in our receivers coming back next year."
Growing pains were expected from the Bears' group of receivers after the loss of DeSean Jackson, Lavelle Hawkins and Robert Jordan from last year. Cal entered the season with only 15 career catches among its entire corps of pass-catchers. Boateng leads Cal's receivers with 26 catches. Hawkins was the Bears' leading receiver last season with 72. "It's been frustrating but that's what happens when you graduate all of your starters," Boateng said before last month's Oregon State game. "I didn't think it would take this long into the season, but I think we've learned a lot and we'll build on it." Of the Bears' top four receivers this season, Boateng is the only wide receiver. Tailback Jahvid Best leads the team with 27 receptions, tight end Cameron Morrah has 26 and running back Shane Vereen has 25. With one game to play, Boateng's 26 catches are the second-fewest by Cal's leading wide receiver since 1969. "This one year under our belt is going to help us out a lot," Ross said. "That one year of experience does a lot."
Of course, the inconsistency in the passing game isn't only the fault of the receivers. Cal's offensive line has been hit by key injuries and pass protection has suffered at times. And neither Kevin Riley nor Nate Longshore has taken the starting quarterback job and run with it. The Bears would love to get their downfield passing game in order Saturday to begin the offseason with some momentum. During the final two games of the regular season, Cal's receivers totaled just 4 catches for 44 yards.
"It's very important to finish strong because you take that confidence into the offseason," Boateng said. "If you don't finish on a big note, the offseason and the workouts are kind of down. I'm so excited about the team we're going to have next year. The stuff we're having problems with this year shouldn't happen next year. We should just dominate everybody." Cal's receiving corps next year could get a boost from Marvin Jones, who began the season playing as a true freshman but suffered a knee injury. Cal coach Jeff Tedford praised Jones' practice habits and has high hopes for his contributions next season. For now, there is one more chance to emerge. "I want our receivers to go out with something to hang their hats on," Ross said. "I want us to go out feeling confident about ourselves. We're confident to a certain extent. We want the coaches to feel confident in us, as well as our team, that we can get the job done. We want them to know they can rely on us."
Notes: Backup running back and special teams player Tracy Slocum has been suspended for the Emerald Bowl for violating team rules. Cal has picked up its final nonconference opponent for the 2009 schedule by adding a home game against Eastern Washington.
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