Friday, September 09, 2005
KEN GOE
Nobody in the California football program seems too worried about a carryover from quarterback Joe Ayoob's 0 for 10 passing effort last Saturday -- even Ayoob. The former California junior college offensive player of the year met with reporters this week after a Cal practice. He told them he went to his home in nearby San Rafael on Sunday, said hi to his father and tossed his jacket in the general direction of a chair. His dad looked at Ayoob, and at the jacket lying on the floor, and deadpanned: "0 for 11." Ayoob came in when starter Nate Longshore broke his left leg in the second quarter of the Golden Bears' 41-3 victory over Sacramento State. Cal coach Jeff Tedford later yanked him for third-stringer Steve Levy. But Ayoob will start Saturday at Washington, and Tedford spent the week ironing out mechanical flaws that caused Ayoob's passes to sail high and wide. "The other day was a tough start for him, no question about it," Tedford said. "Coming off the bench when he did, when we were in the two-minute drill and having to try to throw the ball down the field, was a little difficult." This week, Tedford can tailor a game plan to allow Ayoob to get his feet underneath him before he has to open up. Tedford has been through this before with quarterbacks new to the Division I level. "I remember when Aaron Rodgers had a 9 for 34 game against Oregon State two years ago," Tedford said. "The great ones persevere and bounce back, and that's what we expect Joe to do."
No comments:
Post a Comment