Depth charge
Bruce Adams, Chronicle Staff Writer
CAL 35, ILLINOIS 20
Sunday, September 18, 2005
For Cal coach Jeff Tedford the bad news kept coming all week -- right up until Saturday's pregame meal. That's when he learned that two of his offensive linemen wouldn't be able to play, adding them to a list that already included two starters on defense and tailback Marshawn Lynch. There was one constant. "We really had no concerns coming into the game about the tailback position," he said. And with good reason. No. 15 Cal (3-0) beat Illinois (2-1) 35-20 Saturday at Memorial Stadium, overcoming a 10-point halftime deficit and showing depth and determination, particularly at tailback. In Lynch's place, Justin Forsett ran for 187 yards and scored two touchdowns. Marcus O'Keith, third on the depth chart, ran for 69 yards, scoring one touchdown on the ground and another on a pass. "While Marshawn is a great back, we have some others behind him that can play," Tedford said.
Lynch broke the little finger on his left hand in last week's win at Washington, after gaining 46 yards in five carries. Two weeks ago in the season-opening win over Sacramento State he gained 147 yards in 24 carries. He is without question the centerpiece of Cal's offense. But the Bears continued without him, seeming not to miss a beat. "It really helps knowing the coach believes in you," Forsett said. "That really motivates you." The Bears gained 294 yards on the ground and a relatively paltry 121 yards passing. Tedford said the Illini defense encouraged the running game by keeping the safeties back in pass coverage and not bringing them up close to stop the run. Plus, it took a while for quarterback Joe Ayoob to get the passing game on track. By halftime, his career totals at Memorial Stadium had dropped to 1-for-19, including his 0-for-10 debut against Sacramento State. "The first week I dwelled on my stats at the half," he said.
This week he didn't give them a second thought, going 7-for-8 after the break. Tedford found little fault with Ayoob's passing. "They weren't errant throws," he said. But he did note that Ayoob still needed to work on a "number of little things," including clock management. "It was another learning experience for him," he said. The Bears trailed 17-7 at the half, the defense struggling against Illinois' new spread offense installed by first-year coach Ron Zook. It was the first time Cal had seen the Utah-style spread since losing to the Utes 31-24 in 2003. Tedford said his defenders weren't tackling well and were giving up further ground through costly penalties -- finishing the game with seven for 57 yards.
"It's a tough deal," defensive coordinator Bob Gregory said, referring to the unconventional spread offense. "It's hard to simulate that in practice." The Bears regrouped at the half, with Gregory telling his players "Now let's see what we're all about." They responded by holding Illinois to one field goal in the second half, while the offense scored three touchdowns and cornerback Tim Mixon scored on a 79-yard punt return. "They made a lot of adjustments on both sides of the football," Zook said, including "more pressure on defense." "We fixed our mistakes at halftime," said rover Donnie McCleskey, who had 10 tackles. "We never point fingers because we're going through it together." For the third week in a row, linebacker Desmond Bishop led the team in tackles, this time with 11. The Bears were without eight players who started the season opener, including quarterback Nate Longshore.
Two true freshmen, linebackers Zack Follett and Anthony Felder, started on defense. Last-minute changes were also forced on the offensive line, with guard Aaron Merz and tackle Andrew Cameron unable to play because of concussions. Scott Smith started at tackle and Bryan Deemer at guard. Tedford said the team was served well by its depth, but he wasn't happy with the Bears' overall performance. "We didn't play near our potential," he said. "But winning is not easy and any win is a great win."
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