Contra Costa Times: Quarterback is key for Cal next season

By Jay Heater

BERKELEY - In what was a microcosm of Cal's 2005 regular season, quarterback Steve Levy became the Big Game hero for something he didn't do. Levy, who threw for 125 yards and one touchdown against Stanford in a 27-3 win on Saturday, didn't do anything to lose the game. Certainly, the theme for Jeff Tedford's Golden Bears during a 7-4 campaign (4-4 Pac-10) was to find a way to win despite his team's inexperience at quarterback. What Cal never had at the most important position on the field was someone who could take over a game.

With a bowl game remaining -- Insight or Las Vegas unless Oregon gets a BCS berth and the Sun Bowl comes into the picture -- Tedford has one more chance plus the off-season to develop a quarteback who can lead Cal to greater heights. The Bears lose just four offensive starters and three defensive starters and should go into the 2006 season ranked among the nation's top 15 teams. Cal has a marquee non-conference schedule in 2006 with games against Tennessee and Minnesota, and it will likely contend for the Pac-10 championship against a USC team that loses quarterback Matt Leinart and probably tailback Reggie Bush, who figures to enter the NFL Draft early. It is not pie-in-the-sky to consider Cal a national championship contender. But such lofty goals won't be accomplished without a quarterback who can spread the ball around the field.

Levy will get his shot in the bowl game. For the Bears to be successful next season, it is doubtful that Tedford can continue to go with such a conservative offensive game plan as he used against Stanford. Levy, Joe Ayoob and Nate Longshore should all go into next spring's camp slugging it out to win the job. Longshore, who won the job going into the season but broke his leg in the opener, is the best pure passer of the three. However, if Longshore wins the job, Cal is back to having to win games with an inexperienced quarterback. Inexperience won't be the problem if Ayoob wins back his job. He completed just 125-of-254 passes (49.2 percent) for 1,707 yards and 15 touchdowns. He threw 14 interceptions. In fairness to Ayoob, he was playing behind a Cal offensive line that had six different starting lineups due to injuries. Against Stanford, former walk-on Jonathan Murphy, who was third string at the position, and freshman guard Noris Malele were pushed into the starting lineup by injuries.

Rebuilding the offensive line will be Tedford's other main chore in the off-season. Senior center Marvin Philip, senior guard Aaron Merz and senior tackle Ryan O'Callaghan will be hard to replace. Junior tackle Andrew Cameron had knee surgery midway through the season and isn't sure he wants to return. Cal's major flaw defensively this season was the lack of a pass rushing force off the edge. However, the Bears' win over Stanford provided evidence that sophomore defensive end Philip Mbakogu is beginning to live up to the expectations he generated when he came out of Hayward High as one of the top high school defensive ends in the country.

Mbakogu led the Bears with 9.5 tackles for loss this season. But he will have to do better than five sacks next year if he wants to command double teams and open up lanes for his teammates.

It also will be interesting to see how often defensive coordinator Bob Gregory brings linebacker Mickey Pimentel off the edge in 2006. Pimentel, a junior college transfer playing his first season, saw increased playing time in the second half of the season and finished with 8.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks.

NOTES: Cal has agreed to move its Oct. 28, 2006 home game against Louisiana Tech to Sept. 15, 2007. Cal associate athletic director Steve Holton, who is trying to find a replacement to fill the Sept. 9, 2006 spot on the schedule, said financial concerns due to the hurricane forced Louisiana Tech to change the date.