Fort Worth Star Telegram

TOP 25 COUNTDOWN

By WENDELL BARNHOUSE

Conference: Pacific-10

Coach: Jeff Tedford (43-20 in five seasons)

2006: 10-3 (7-2 in Pac-10, tied for first)

Bowl: Defeated Texas A&M 45-14 in Holiday Bowl

Starters returning: 8 on offense, 5 on defense

Key players: Junior QB Nate Longshore, senior RB Justin Forsett, junior WR DeSean Jackson, junior OT Mike Tepper, senior WR Robert Jordan, junior LB Zack Follett, sophomore CB Syd'Quan Thompson, senior FS Thomas DeCoud, junior SS Bernard Hicks

Overview

Why Cal is No. 11: Next to Southern Cal, the Golden Bears have developed into one of the Pac-10's most consistent programs. Jeff Tedford continues to raise the talent level.

Best-case scenario: Cal's offense continues to dazzle as Justin Forsett steps in as the top running back while the defense continues to improve.

Worst-case scenario: Cal stumbles in the season opener against Tennessee and then loses at Oregon in its first Pac-10 road game.

Bottom line: The Bears are poised to become a dark horse in the national title chase. The talent is there; the key will be sweeping the six home games, including USC on Nov. 10.

Story lines

1. Can Justin Forsett be as productive as a starting running back as he was as a backup?

2. In recent seasons, the Bears have received production from their reserve running back, but there's no proven player to back up Forsett.

3. Which players will become the playmakers and leaders for a defense that lost CB Daymeion Hughes and MLB Desmond Bishop?

Starting role

After three seasons as a productive part-time player, Justin Forsett is ready to become Cal's starting tailback. Forsett, who played at Arlington Grace Prep, has gained 1,674 yards on 262 carries in his career. He might match those numbers in his senior season.  Can he handle it? "It's about the 30th time I've answered that," Forsett told the San Francisco Chronicle. "Since I've been here, my goal has been to be productive. That doesn't change as the starting running back."

Forsett's 6.4 yards per carry average is the best among any back that will start the 2007 season. He had a team-high 124 yards on just eight carries in Cal's Holiday Bowl victory over Texas A&M. The 5-foot-8 Forsett has spent the off-season working out and has added 10 pounds. He weighs around 200 pounds.

It figures

4 Consecutive bowl trips for Cal, the first time that's been accomplished in school history.

16 Victories for Cal in the five seasons before Jeff Tedford's arrival.

34.1 Points per game for Cal in Tedford's 63 games as coach.

Extra points

Cal is one of five schools to be in the top 25 in scoring in Division I-A each of the past five seasons. The others are Boise State, Texas, Texas Tech and USC.... Junior DeSean Jackson has 16 career touchdowns on 97 receptions and five career TDs on 26 punt returns. That's an average of a touchdown for every 5.8 catch or return.... In Cal's three losses last season, Nate Longshore had two touchdown passes and six interceptions. In the Bears' 10 victories, he totaled 22 TD passes and seven interceptions.... Redshirt freshman TE Daniel Lofton is the son of former NFL wide receiver James Lofton, who attended Stanford.

Did you know?

DeSean Jackson returned four punts for touchdowns last season and has five for his career. The Division I-A record for career punt return TDs is eight, held by Wes Welker of Texas Tech and Antonio Perkins of Oklahoma. Welker had 152 career punt returns, Perkins had 113. Jackson's five TDs have come on 26 returns.

Newcomer(s) of note

James Montgomery and Tracy Slocum, redshirt freshmen, get first crack as reserve running backs behind Justin Forsett.

Previously...

"I think this is the strongest and the fastest team we've ever had. There are alot more 400-pound bench pressers than we've ever had, and we had a lot of guys in the sub-4.4 range [for the 40-yard dash]."

-Cal coach Jeff Tedford, who is entering his sixth season

Schedule

Date  Opponent 

Sept. 1  Tennessee 

Sept. 8  at Colorado St. 

Sept. 15  Louisiana Tech 

Sept. 22  Arizona* 

Sept. 29  at Oregon* 

Oct. 13  Oregon State* 

Oct. 20  at UCLA* 

Oct. 27  at Arizona State* 

Nov. 3  Washington St.* 

Nov. 10  USC* 

Nov. 17  at Washington* 

Dec. 1  at Stanford* 

*conference game 

If the Bears can avenge last season's opening loss at Tennessee, it could be a tone-setter. The first three conference road games -- Oregon, UCLA, Arizona State -- will be challenges. If Cal can win those three, it could be undefeated headed into its Nov. 10 home game with USC.