By Stu Durando
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
BERKELEY, CALIF. — California coach Jeff Tedford had successfully worked around the loss of his starting quarterback for two weeks and was prepared for further personnel losses when he awoke to more bad news Saturday. Not only was running back Marshawn Lynch sidelined, but the offensive line was going to be without two starters against Illinois. In the first half the Bears looked like a team without all of that and more. But everything fell into place in the second half as No. 15 Cal put its ground game to work and rallied for a 35-20 win at Memorial Stadium. Justin Forsett stepped in and rushed for 187 yards, averaging 11.7 yards, and the Golden Bears rolled up 294 rushing yards to overcome a 17-7 halftime deficit. "I'm disappointed in the way we tackled," Illinois coach Ron Zook said. "We were in position ... and didn't get them on the ground. We only played 21 plays on defense the first half, so we weren't tired."
Illinois (2-1) gave the Bears (3-0) a run until the fourth quarter, when Forsett scored his second touchdown to give Cal a 21-17 lead. Minutes later, Tim Mixon had a 79-yard punt return for a score and the dream of an upset was gone. Zook talked of growing in defeat, but the players were disappointed after flirting with an upset against a team that was favored by 21 points. "It's a sour taste," running back E.B. Halsey said. "We felt we let this one get away from us. We didn't match the intensity we had in the first half." Cal already was without quarterback Nate Longshore, who broke an ankle in the season opener. Backup Joe Ayoob completed only eight of 17 passes. Lynch suffered a broken pinky last week, and receiver Noah Smith (ankle) also was expected to sit.
Then came word that guard Aaron Merz (6 feet 4, 340 pounds) and tackle Andrew Cameron (6-5, 360) had not recovered enough from concussions. "I thought the guys who filled in did an all right job," Tedford said. "In the second half it looked like they started moving the pile and doing some thing up front." Cal broke one big run in the first half but otherwise struggled against Illinois' defensive front. And the Illini did what others have been unable to against the Bears.
They scored two rushing touchdowns by Pierre Thomas and Tim Brasic after Cal had allowed only one TD on the ground in its previous 10 regular-season games. But as the second half progressed, Illinois' possessions became shorter, and Brasic faced mounting pressure. "In the first half we had some really good things happen, then we weren't quite as productive," Zook said. "We can't get behind the chains and be first-and-15 and second-and- long. We didn't do that in the first half."
Cal came out in the second half by reeling off one big run after another. The Bears' first possession of the third quarter included runs of 15 and 14 yards as well as a 26- yard touchdown on a screen pass. The Bears reeled off consecutive runs of 16, 13 and 31 yard on their next possession, which led to a 12-yard touchdown run by Marcus O'Keith.
"Right now in the locker room it's disappointing," defensive tackle Chris Norwell said. "We have to learn how to finish a game, and I think with coach Zook we'll be able to do that." Cal's first possession made the matchup appear to be as one- sided as the oddsmakers' line. But after blowing through the Illinois defense with seeming ease, the Bears ground to a halt. Illinois' 17-7 halftime led came with a huge contribution from Cal's five penalties. An off-sides call against Byron Storer on fourth down extended the Illini's first scoring drive, and a face mask call minutes later pushed the ball from the Cal 26 to the 13. A personal foul at the end of a run by Brasic on the next possession moved the ball to the Cal 9-yard line. And a pass interference call on third down against Cal's Daymeion Hughes late in the second quarter allowed Jason Reda to kick a 36-yard field goal.
No comments:
Post a Comment