By Jay Heater
It would make sense if Cal's offensive playmakers felt pretty invincible right about now. The Bears are 5-0 and No. 10 in the country despite going with a quarterback in his first season of Division I-A play, a sophomore at tailback, and a freshman at one wide receiver spot and a sophomore at the other. And, oh by the way, the starting tight end is a sophomore. With such inexperience among those who handle the ball, Coach Jeff Tedford seemingly would have to lecture his players about the importance of being humble. After all, Cal is outscoring its opponents by an average of 30 points a game. Everything has been peaches and cream. All those skill position players were big stars in high school, or in quarterback Joe Ayoob's case, junior college. They know nothing but winning. It has been one big party. Even so, the Bears aren't sitting around reading their press clippings after victories over Sacramento State, Illinois, Washington, New Mexico State and Arizona. ``I don't ever get the feeling of giddiness on this team,'' Tedford said.
Cal's players preach that they haven't proved anything despite their five routs. There hasn't been even a hint of arrogance. ``All those skill position guys were big names coming out of high school,'' Cal senior offensive tackle Ryan O'Callaghan said. ``But they are very level-headed. They don't have any problem listening to Coach and believing what he says.'' The message has been loud and clear from Tedford, who wouldn't take issue with anyone criticizing the team's soft early schedule. Cal, 2-0 in the Pacific-10, will earn respect by winning conference games. ``There are enough veterans on this team for everyone to realize that these victories don't mean anything,'' Tedford said. Said Cal senior linebacker Ryan Foltz: ``I think everyone does understand. The way our schedule is set up, every week we play the best team we have faced. That schedule has served us well. It allowed a young team to see what Division I-A football is like.'' But Foltz also said that Cal has done nothing to dispel the thought that it should be ranked in the top 10. ``I don't even know who makes up our schedule,'' Foltz said. ``It's completely out of our control. What else can you do but win?'' Cal has won in very convincing fashion, but it still is a 1 1/2-point underdog for Saturday's game against No. 20 UCLA (4-0) at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. ``No one here is taking it easy,'' Foltz said. ``Everyone knows we are facing a lot of great athletes this week. This will be a caliber we haven't seen yet.'' Ayoob said the Bears are working hard to get better. ``We know that we could very possibly lose this game,'' he said. ``We know the easiest part of our schedule is over. But it's not like we have played up to our potential yet.''
He also said the coaches don't have to hammer at the Bears to keep from becoming overconfident. ``They stress it at the beginning of the week and then let it take care of itself,'' Ayoob said. ``They don't have to say it twice.'' Tedford said his team has enough veteran leadership to teach his inexperienced players that the schedule will get a lot tougher. ``I get the sense they understand that,'' he said. ``We were focused going into the Arizona game. Our mind-set was good for the Washington game. I think our focus has been good in every game we've played.'' So Tedford hasn't seen his players become overconfident? ``That's not us,'' he said. Against UCLA, Tedford said he won't have to worry about the Bears being overconfident. ``You run out of the tunnel and feel the goose bumps that come up,'' he said. ``You know what is going to happen. There is a lot of emotion. ``It just doesn't get any better . . . two top 20 teams in the Rose Bowl.'' Actually, it could get better. If Cal can win its next four games, it would set up a titanic matchup against No. 1 USC in Berkeley on Nov. 12. It would be the biggest game ever played in Berkeley. However, the next four games are against UCLA, Oregon State, Washington State and Oregon, teams with a combined record of 14-4. ``We are improving every day, every week,'' Tedford said. ``Guys are understanding the system better.''
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