Jonathan Okanes
When Cal coach Jeff Tedford saw nose tackle Derrick Hill and wide receiver Nyan Boateng getting ready to shower him with the obligatory tub bath Saturday, he didn't make much of an effort to avoid it. This was one celebration he was going to soak up. Tedford got doused just seconds before the Bears polished off a 45-26 victory over UCLA in front of 67,317 at the Rose Bowl. It was the first road win at either UCLA or USC in Tedford's seven-plus seasons at Cal, and the tub bath served as a refreshment after a game played in heat that reached triple-digits.
"It felt good, for a lot of reasons," Tedford said. Saturday gave Tedford the first victory of his career in Southern California, but, more important, it put an end to an ugly two-game losing streak that had the Bears' season on the brink. Instead of setting up a showdown for last place this week against Washington State, Cal (4-2, 1-2 Pac-10) is once again feeling good about itself with three of its next four games at home.
"We've been talking the last two weeks that it's a new season now," Tedford said. "We start over right now and it's a new season. I've been pleased the last two weeks with the attitude, the preparation, the togetherness of the team. When a lot of things are against you, you can really learn a lot and teach a lot to young people. I was really pleased with the mind-set of our players."
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