Contra Costa Times: Cal finds passing game, routs Washington

By Jay Heater

CONTRA COSTA TIMES

SEATTLE - Cal's 56-17 blowout of Washington on Saturday at Husky Stadium started with the mother of all "Here we go again plays" when Cal quarterback Joe Ayoob -- Mr. 0-for-10 in the opener against Sacramento State -- underthrew wide receiver Lavelle Hawkins, the ball bouncing off Hawkins' hands and landing in the clutches of safety Darin Harris. One play later, the Huskies had a 7-0 lead after quarterback Isaiah Stanback launched a 56-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Sonny Shackelford. The stadium was rocking with 57,775 people who smelled upset. It would have been easy to assume that Ayoob's fan club consisted of two people at that point -- his parents.

But Ayoob had one more fan in Cal coach Jeff Tedford. Undaunted by his quarterback's early mistake, Tedford forged ahead with his plan to attack the Huskies with the long pass, and by halftime, Ayoob had thrown three touchdown passes to wide receiver Robert Jordan and one to tight end David Gray as the Bears took command at 28-10. By the time it was over, Cal (2-0 overall, 1-0 Pac-10) chewed up 557 yards on its way to a rout that resulted in the most points ever scored by the Bears on the road (tied with Air Force last season, 56-14) and the most ever allowed by Washington at home.

"That game was more typical of the way we play," said Tedford, who wasn't pleased with his offense in a 41-3 win over Sacramento State last week. "Our receivers made big plays, especially Robert Jordan." Although Jordan finished with 192 yards receiving, the sixth most in school history in a single game, and tied the team record with three touchdown catches, the day really belonged to Ayoob (17-for-27 for 271 yards and four touchdowns).

"He showed great composure and poise," Tedford said of his quarterback, who was forced into starting duty when Nate Longshore broke his fibula in the opener. "And going into the game, we knew we were going to let it rip."

Perhaps influenced by the fact that Ayoob looked fairly awful against Sacramento State, Washington used a defensive game-plan aimed at stopping tailback Marshawn Lynch, who had five carries for 46 yards before dislocating a knuckle on his left hand in the third quarter. Washington's plan included single coverage on Jordan. "That made my eyes light up," said Jordan, whose touchdown catches covered 9, 24 and 58 yards. The longest of the three was a leaping effort after Jordan snuck past Washington cornerback Matt Fountaine, who tried to intercept the ball but came up short in the second quarter. That catch sent the Bears on their way with a 21-10 lead. Jordan said he was confident that Ayoob, a highly-recruited transfer from City College of San Francisco, could deliver. He called Ayoob earlier in the week to tell him he had his back after a difficult game. "I told him, 'Anything you throw up, I will go get,'" Jordan said. "I thought Joe showed a lot of poise out there. He showed that he has a game." Ayoob, who said he wasn't sure what his teammates thought of him after his dud in the opener, impressed his teammates against the Huskies.

"It was like having Aaron (Rodgers) in the huddle," said Cal offensive tackle Ryan O'Callaghan. "Personally, I didn't doubt his ability. People play differently when they are expected to be the starter. This week in practice, he wasn't the backup any more." Throwing an interception on his first pass didn't bother Ayoob, who said he was much more relaxed than in the Sacramento State game. "I knew I was going to throw 30 more passes after that first one," Ayoob said. "So I thought I might as well get ready for the next one." He knew that Tedford would keep attacking Washington's secondary as long as it stayed in one-on-one coverage. "They had good reason to be in man coverage," Ayoob said, alluding to his opening-game performance. "They wanted to make me throw. But since I had a lot more reps in practice, I felt more comfortable." Lynch looked comfortable after the game even though his left hand was bandaged. He said he dislocated the knuckle just above the pinky but predicted he would be available for next Saturday's game at home against Illinois. Tedford said he expected Lynch to be able to take the handoffs properly.

 If Lynch needs to sit out, the Bears have options. Junior tailback Marcus O'Keith rushed for 103 yards against Washington, including a 71-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, and sophomore Justin Forsett added 77 yards rushing that included a 35-yard touchdown run on the game's final play from scrimmage. Another huge offensive day by the Bears overshadowed a pretty good defensive effort. The Bears picked up four sacks and held Washington to 68 yards rushing. Bears cornerback Daymeion Hughes returned an interception 41 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

The loss spoiled the return to the Pac-10 of Washington coach Tyrone Willingham, who said he wasn't surprised that Cal passed so much after a poor showing by Ayoob in the opener. "I would think if you know their system, that is something they try to do," Willingham said. "And if you look at us from that standpoint, as an opponent where we might be vulnerable at, it would be one of those areas (pass coverage). We had assignment errors, we had physical errors -- we had all those things pop up."