GREG BEACHAM
Associated Press
BERKELEY, Calif. - Aaron Rodgers was on the sideline at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, and the former California quarterback couldn't have been impressed by the team he left behind. The Golden Bears (5-2, 2-2 Pac-10) are in a funk rivaling anything Rodgers experienced during two mostly successful seasons under coach Jeff Tedford. Hamstrung by injuries and paralyzed by turnovers and sloppy play, Cal has lost two straight to fall to the bottom rung of the Top 25. Sure, Rodgers lost his share of big games before bypassing his senior season to become the Green Bay Packers' first-round draft pick. But the Bears rarely showed the offensive ineptitude - including five turnovers - that cost them several chances to win in their 23-20 loss to Oregon State, or the special-teams flaws that caused their 47-40 defeat at UCLA one week earlier. "We've got some problems, but we're going to go back to work and get through them," Tedford said. "We have trust and faith in our guys, but right now, we're a little banged up, physically and mentally." The Bears dropped seven spots in the latest AP poll, but managed to stay in the rankings, where they've been every week since the 2004 preseason list.
But with another home game against Washington State looming before a much-needed bye, Tedford's offensive staff has a tough week of work ahead: They must repair quarterback Joe Ayoob's confidence and do a bigger patch job on their injury-riddled offensive line. The Oregon State game largely was in Ayoob's hands in the second half, but the junior-college transfer was in no shape to win it. He went 13-for-39 for 219 yards with two interceptions, spraying the ball around the field in a panic during a 4-for-20 fourth quarter. Last spring, the Bears thought Ayoob would need just a few games to assume Rodgers' spot with authority. Instead, they're still wondering whether Ayoob is the right quarterback with just four games left in the regular season. "We need to be sharper at quarterback, there's no question about that," said Tedford, who sent eight quarterbacks to the NFL in 12 seasons as a coordinator and coach. "He's a confident guy, and hopefully he bounces back. We had a touchdown called back (on a long scoring pass to DeSean Jackson). We had some dropped balls, but there are also some guys open that he needs to hit."
But Tedford spread the blame everywhere, noting Ayoob's protection was just as faulty. He also wasn't pleased with tailback Marshawn Lynch, who spent the second half on the sideline serving Tedford's customary punishment for any player who fumbles two times.
But for all the turnovers, fluke plays, penalties and uncertainty, the Bears might still be undefeated if one of the nation's top offensive lines hadn't developed a litany of injuries. Left tackle Andrew Cameron is out for the year with a torn knee ligament, while guard Aaron Merz and center Marvin Philip are playing hurt. Right tackle Ryan O'Callaghan, the good-humored team leader who's also Cal's best lineman, played three quarters with a broken wrist against UCLA, but he got a concussion and missed the final three quarters against Oregon State. If O'Callaghan is out for several weeks, the Bears' greatest strength could be a liability in upcoming big games against Oregon and Southern California. If the Bears can't run the ball against Oregon State, can they hope to move the top-ranked Trojans? "Yes we can," Lynch said. "We've got a great offensive line coach. He knows what he's going with those big dudes up front. We'll get it going again."
Cal's top two receivers also got hurt: Robert Jordan tore ligaments around his collarbone, and Jackson sprained his shoulder. Both might not be able to play against Washington State. And Brandon Mebane, the athletic defensive tackle who has terrorized offenses, was sidelined early against the Beavers with a sprained ankle. "We lost a lot of guys who can make a difference, but we don't feel discouraged," defensive rover Donnie McCleskey said. "We're going to be focused next week. We're down, but not out. Not even close."
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