San Jose Mercury: What's wrong with Longshore and Jackson?

Jon Wilner

Obviously, something has gone very, very wrong at Cal.  How can a team that was good enough to beat Tennessee and Oregon turn around and lose four of five games, drop out of the BCS and Pac-10 title races and scramble to make the Sun Bowl? How can an offense coached by Jeff Tedford and featuring all that talent average just 19.5 points per game (Cal’s number for the past four games)?  Having watched the Bears win all those games and put up all those points early in the season, I consider this slide both stunning and perplexing. What’s the explanation? Let’s start with what it’s not:

* It’s not the defense, because we knew the defense wouldn’t be all that good in the first place because it wasn’t very good when the Bears were winning.  Maybe it has slipped a bit as of late — not as much pass rush, not as good on third down — but that slippage doesn’t come close to explaining Cal’s collapse.

* It’s not Justin Forsett, because he has been what we thought he’d be: a very good tailback who cannot create yards for himself (like Marshawn Lynch could) by running over people.  He needs space: When he gets it, he’s very good. When he doesn’t, he’s decent. But he can very definitely be contained. (Forsett ran wild against USC, except when USC wanted to stop him.) That was true early in the season and is true now.

* It’s not receiver Lavelle Hawkins: He’s climbing the NFL Draft lists and making a case that he might be a better pro receiver than DeSean Jackson. That pretty much leaves the coaches, the line, quarterback Nate Longshore and Jackson. I have written about Tedford several times, that he made the wrong decisions in the games that started and fueled the collapse: bypassing the field goal against Oregon State and being too conservative against UCLA. That brings us to quarterback Nate Longshore. It looks to me like he lacks rhythm and confidence, and has since returning from that ankle injury. When big throws need to be made in the third and fourth quarters, he throws interceptions.  I can’t help but wonder if his ankle injury is worse than Longshore and/or Cal is letting on — maybe it’s a break and not a sprain? — and I say this because of how Longshore looks in the fourth quarter. He’s clearly hobbling more late in the game than early, and it appears to affect his passes. Should a sprained ankle suffered in late September still be causing so much trouble? Maybe so; I don’t know.  I asked Tedford about the impact of the injury. Specifically: Does it bother Longshore more late than early, because it sure looks like it? Turns out, Tedford wondered the same thing, too. “That really doesn’t have anything to do with it. I ask him how he’s doing … and that’s not a consideration — that he’s hindered by that later on in the game,” Tedford said. “But I did ask him that to find out if that’s the case, and he says no.”

* I also wonder if something’s up with Jackson, because he’s not making the big plays that a big-play receiver is supposed to make. He seems to spend more time complaining about the lack of PI calls than he does catching passes.

Against USC, he caught five balls for 64 yards (41 came on one pass). Against Washington State, he caught five balls for 45 yards. Against Arizona State, five for 88, including one for 44 and another for 21 (touchdown). Against UCLA, he caught nine for 139 yards (and two touchdowns). Against Oregon State, he caught four for five yards. By my way of thinking, Jackson has had just one big game in the last five games and only five big catches in the last five games — those aren’t the numbers Cal needs from him. Are defenses paying extra close attention to Jackson? For the most part, but not always.  Are Longshore’s problems hindering Jackson’s production? To a certain extent, but they haven’t hurt Hawkins.

Tedford was asked about Jackson on the Pac-10 teleconference, first by myself and then by another reporter. “He’s been fine. When the ball has come to him, he’s made plays. USC is a tough group to throw the ball on, but he made couple of key first downs,” Tedford said. “When time comes when his number’s called, he’s done nice job coming up with the ball.”

Then, later, this:

“Him and Hawkins both have the same amount of receptions. He hasn’t had the big yardage that he’s had, but a lot of that has to do with Hawkins coming of age and taking some of the pressure off that. “The one glaring spot DeSean hasn’t had the numbers is in punt returns. … He hasn’t gotten his hands on the ball much. I think that’s more glaring than offensively.” My sense is that Jackson’s problems are combination of things: Longshore’s woes, Hawkins’ emergence, the playcalling (ie: spreading the ball around), the coverage schemes and maybe Jackson himself. Having listened to Tedford talk about Jackson over the years, I get the sense that Jackson sometimes gets frustrated when the ball isn’t thrown his way as often as he thinks it should be. So I can’t help but wonder if Jackson’s focus hasn’t wavered a bit with the dip in production, and maybe that has affected things. He gets down, his play suffers, so the ball comes his way even less, which causes him more frustration … He has also been pretty well bottled up on punt returns, and that has to be something of a blow to his ego. And there’s no doubt that Jackson’s drop in production and Longshore’s struggles and Cal’s collapse are all intertwined. Think back to the second half of the Oregon game: Longshore was in rhythm, Jackson was dominating and it was one of the best 30 minute-stretches of the Tedford era. Cal looked like the title contender. Since then, the veteran QB, star WR and No. 2 team in the nation have all struggled.

Mercury News: One of Tepper's Assailants Causes Amtrak Delays

Berkeley man killed by train while talking on cell phone

BERKELEY, Calif.—Being distracted while talking on his cell phone is being blamed for the death of a Berkeley man who was hit by an Amtrak train.  Authorities say 31-year-old Scott Slaughter was hit and killed by the train while taking a shortcut across two sets of tracks to get to work Thursday morning.  Witnesses say Slaughter waited for one train to pass on a first set of tracks, then crossed onto the second set of tracks and was hit by a second train.  A spokeswoman for the Alameda County Coroner's Bureau says Slaughter didn't see or hear the second train because he was on his cell phone.  The accident halted Amtrak service through Berkeley for about three hours.

 

Note from Blog Editor: As you may recall, in 2005 Tepper’s ankle was run over twice by a car on Telegraph Avenue.  Doctors inserted nine screws and a metal plate into his ankle Tuesday. The 19-year-old offensive lineman had gotten into a confrontation with a carload of men who were harassing a coed and then backed over his leg, then put the car into drive and crushed it again.  Scott Slaughter was one of the men in the car.

SF Chronicle: Tedford throws a flag for piling on

Rusty Simmons

Without being asked to name a starting a quarterback for Saturday's game at Washington, Cal coach Jeff Tedford made his choice very clear:  "It's really unfair to pile on a college quarterback who is competing the way Nate (Longshore) is competing and who has done so much for us," Tedford said Tuesday. "I thought it was very big of Nate to shoulder the responsibility for the (USC) loss, but in no way, shape or form was it all on his shoulders."  Longshore was 13-for-29 for 199 yards and a 20-yard touchdown pass, but he also threw two second-half interceptions and fumbled a center exchange in the 24-17 loss to USC. After the game, Longshore pointed the finger at himself.  "I take the responsibility on myself," Longshore said. "I need to play better down the stretch to give us a chance to win. It's a culmination of this late season. I haven't been playing well enough for us to win.

"That's what it comes down to, and I'll be the first to say it."  In Cal's 5-0 start, Longshore completed 63.8 percent of his passes for 1,137 yards and seven touchdowns to two interceptions. Since spraining his right ankle in the 31-24 win at Oregon on Sept. 29 and missing the ensuing loss to Oregon State, Longshore has completed 57.3 percent of his passes for 919 yards and five touchdowns to eight interceptions as the Bears have gone 1-3. "I don't think he can escape the criticism," Tedford said. "I'm sure out there on campus and in public, he hears things. I don't think there are any ways around it. Part of that comes with the territory.  "In the good times, there is a lot of praise that comes with that position, and in the bad times, there is a lot of criticism ... but that doesn't make it right to pile on a college quarterback who isn't getting paid a million dollars to play this game. He's a college athlete who goes to school and is doing everything right and lays it on the line every week."

It's easy to forget that Longshore led Cal to a 10-3 record last season, throwing for 3,021 yards and 24 touchdowns. "The obvious thing to do is to pile on the quarterback," Tedford said. "Nobody sees missed gap responsibilities or missed blocking assignments, but it's very evident to the eye what the quarterback does. "Nate has done a lot of really good things for us. ... He did a lot of great things against a great USC defense and in very tough weather conditions."

Longshore's teammates have been nothing but supportive through his struggles. "We're definitely rallying around him and trying to pick him up," outside linebacker Anthony Felder said. "He wants to take the responsibility for the loss, because he feels like it's his burden to bear as the quarterback. It's our job to let him know that he's not out there by himself."

Best update: Freshman tailback Jahvid Best, who injured his hip in the third quarter against USC and didn't return, has been ruled out for Saturday's game, Tedford said. Cal's medical staff still is evaluating the injury. "We want to make sure it's diagnosed properly, so we're going to get a couple of opinions and see the extent of the injury," Tedford said.

 

Random Update from Blog Editor

You’ll no doubt be watching your Tivo’d recording of the 2007 Cal-USC game for years to come, and now you can watch it in style with your very own game worn uniform. I suggest that you purchase Nate Longshore’s uniform and helmet. You can wear it while watching the game, wildly throwing nerf footballs to your kids. You can access the auction here. No word yet on how they’ll dispose of the uniforms worn against UCLA, Oregon State, or Arizona State.

The Daily Cal reports that 24 year old tree sitter Nathaniel Hill (note that “student” was omitted from his description) fell from a tree and broke his right wrist and right leg. Zachary RunningToilet blamed UC, stating “It’s a systemic problem of the UCPD hassling us and keeping us up at night,” RunningWolf said. “We’ve also had to extend ropes across two fences.” Apparently violating a court order has nothing to do with the fall.

A decision on the Memorial Stadium lawsuit is expected this week.

Daily Cal: No Denying It: Longshore Delivered Loss

There are only two games left in the Cal football team’s season and finally someone is taking responsibility for the Bears’ fourth loss in five games. Certainly no one wants to point fingers, but the person who should be admitting to his own failures has finally spoken.  Quarterback Nate Longshore is owning up at last to his mistakes after a 24-17 loss to USC, and it’s about time. For the first time this season, he admitted that he was fallible, and it was a relief to hear someone say it at last.  “It’s just culmination of the loss of this season,” Longshore said about why he was taking the loss to the Trojans so hard. “I haven’t been playing well enough to win. That’s what it comes down to and I’ll be the first one to say that. Our guys have been playing hard out there. I just need to make some more plays and give us that opportunity to win.”  Despite Longshore’s lackluster play throughout the game, the Bears still had the chance to force the game into overtime. After Forsett rumbled 34 yards down the sideline on Cal’s last drive, the Bears had the ball on USC’s 36-yard line.  On the next play, senior wideout Robert Jordan went out on a hook route on the near sideline. But there was a hesitance to Longshore that has plagued him all year and that was not present in his 3,000-yard campaign last season.  There was a hesitance in his throw, a hesitance in his reaction. And when Longshore threw the ball, there was Terrell Thomas, waiting for the interception.

“I thought I threw it far enough, but obviously not,” Longshore said. “The DB made a good play. It was just another poorly thrown ball. (The rain) didn’t affect it. It was just underthrown.”  That wasn’t the only instance where Longshore could not hook up with his receivers. There were a few plays where Longshore and his wideouts clearly weren’t on the same page.  On third down during Cal’s first possession of the third quarter, Longshore’s pass wasn’t anywhere near Jordan, the intended receiver. Jordan—hailed by his teammates for running the best routes—ran an in route, but Longshore threw the ball as if he expected Jordan to run out.  In the fourth quarter, with the score tied 17-17 and the Bears inside USC territory, Longshore expected DeSean Jackson to fly down the field, and overthrew Jackson when the receiver stopped short.  And while the wideouts will say that it was their fault that those option routes didn’t work, the onus this time is on Longshore.  Both times Jordan and Jackson were wide open. And both times Longshore missed them.  “It’s just miscommunication,” Longshore said. “Again, that’s something that I need to work on with my guys. They’re doing what they’re told and it’s my fault for not completing what we’re trying to do.”  Longshore hasn’t been able to accomplish what this team has been trying to do for the last five weeks and at least two of Cal’s four losses have come literally at his hands.

Forsett did everything he could for the Bears—he gashed through the USC defense more than anyone else had the entire year.  The defense was finally stout in its play and the o-line gave Longshore ample time in the pocket. Both units certainly weren’t the cause for the loss.  Everyone seemed to leave their hearts on the field—Jordan was pumping his fist after every huddle and every snap—but Longshore was stoic as ever.  Let’s face it—version 2007 of Nate Longshore just isn’t as good as the 2006 edition.  He lacks confidence on the field. He lacks a willingness to go deep. He’s made mistakes that have cost Cal victories. Up until Saturday, he hadn’t had the courage to admit it in public.  Longshore found that courage after losing to USC, but putting the blame on himself can only do so much.  What it can’t do is get any of the Bears’ losses back. Longshore realized that he was the problem a little too late.

 

Daily Cal: Cal Can't Take Advantage Of Trojans Bearing Gifts

In the final home game of the season and despite an unrelenting downpour, the Cal football team had countless opportunities to gain momentum and escape with its first victory over USC since 2003.  But the Bears were unable to capitalize on the Trojans’ gift-wrapped miscues.  USC committed the types of costly errors that usually result in a loss in front of an emotional crowd on the road. The Trojans coughed up the football four times—losing two of those fumbles—and committed some crucial penalties to keep Cal drives alive and squash offensive drives of their own.  More often than not, however, the Bears offense either stalled or committed costly gaffes of its own.  “When the ‘D’ gets stops we have to capitalize,” said wideout Lavelle Hawkins. “We didn’t do that today. We’re going to have to fix it if we’re going to beat a team like that.”  The first wasted opportunity came just five minutes into the second quarter. USC cornerback Shareece Wright lined up in the neutral zone, negating Justin Forsett’s lost fumble on 2nd-and-goal, but Cal subsequently could not reach the end zone at 1st-and-goal from the 2.  In what has become a recurring theme, the Bears stuck to the ground game up the middle and came up short three times. Cal had to settle for three points after a 23-yard Justin Kay field goal put the Bears up 10-7. Cal never led again after that point—four minutes and 25 seconds later, USC tailback Chauncey Washington burst through the Cal defensive front untouched for a 36-yard score to give the Trojans the lead.  “We’ve got to be able to punch it in when we get to the goal line,” Hawkins said.

When USC had its own struggles at the goal line—Bears safety Thomas DeCoud forced Washington to fumble at the Cal 2-yard line—Bears quarterback Nate Longshore threw an interception three plays later to negate the big defensive stop.

“There are obviously a couple of plays that Nate would like to have back,” Cal coach Jeff Tedford said.  The fourth quarter was more of the same. Since the win against Oregon, Longshore has thrown four interceptions and no touchdowns in the fourth quarter and the Bears have been outscored a combined 35-7.  It looked like the tide of Cal’s recent misfortune would turn early in the final period Saturday. The defense got another huge break just three plays in when USC quarterback John David Booty lost a fumble, but the Bears again stalled with Longshore throwing two incompletions to force a punt.  Surprisingly, the glaring weakness for Cal down the stretch was the passing game, long thought of as a reliable strength. Longshore went 5-for-15 in the second half and threw two interceptions while the Bears defense held USC to 10 points.  “There were too many turnovers late in the game,” Longshore said. “When it mattered, in the fourth quarter, I was struggling. You can’t win by doing that.”  In the end, Cal wasted a dominant rushing performance from Forsett, stellar offensive line play and a sporadic defensive effort that nonetheless produced turnovers at crucial times.

Much like 2004, when the Bears outplayed USC but could not convert from 1st-and-goal at the 9-yard line, and like last season when Cal went toe-to-toe with the Trojans for three quarters but faltered late, reflections on coming so close to victory haunted the Bears after Saturday’s loss.  “It definitely stings to know we were so close,” safety Thomas DeCoud said. “We went down the home stretch with them.”  Longshore committed two turnovers when the home stretch finally came Saturday. The first came on a fumbled snap with 5:42 left in the fourth quarter and the second put the nail in the coffin. Forsett took a screen pass 34 yards to put the Bears within striking distance, but Longshore squashed any momentum by throwing an interception on the very next play with 3:57 remaining.  Yet another missed chance for the Bears to get back in the game, maintain a chance at improving bowl positioning, regain some shattered confidence and begin to recover from three straight recent losses.  “I take the responsibility on myself,” Longshore said. “Down the stretch I need to play better to give ourselves a chance to win.”

Bear Insider: The Longshore Question

Some Cal fans have recently argued that redshirt freshman quarterback Kevin Riley should be given playing time in upcoming games - ahead of Nate Longshore - after the series of defeats Cal  has suffered - and after Riley's good performance when he played against Oregon State. Writer Ted Lee has carefully analyzed the performance data available on both Longshore and Riley, and presented his analysis and conclusions in a front page story just published on the Bear Insider website.  You can read the story here.

 

San Jose Mercury: Cal's Longshore takes the blame

On a night when Cal's defense held up its end of the bargain, quarterback Nate Longshore couldn't. And he knows it.  "I take responsibility on myself," Longshore said after going 13 of 29 for 199 yards and two interceptions during the Bears' 24-17 loss to USC on Saturday. "I need to play better to give us a chance to win. I just couldn't get the passing game going. In the fourth quarter, I was struggling. You can't win doing that."  With the Bears driving for a potential tying touchdown, Longshore woefully underthrew wide receiver Robert Jordan and the pass was intercepted by cornerback Terrell Thomas. "I don't really put it on Nate," Hawkins said. "Us as wideouts, we have to do everything to help Nate. It's tough to throw good balls in the rain. Nate is going to make some mistakes just like anybody else. I don't blame Nate." It's been a rough season for Longshore, who has struggled to regain his form from last season, even before suffering a sprained ankle midway through the year. The Bears have lost four of five since Longshore was injured, but he said he felt fine Saturday.  "There's way too much talent on this team to have four losses," Longshore said. "I haven't been playing well enough for us to win. That's what it comes down to. I'll be the first to say that. Our guys are playing hard out there. I just need to make more plays and give us the opportunity to win."

• The Bears dropped a bombshell on their fans when they took the field in throwback uniforms to honor former All-American quarterback Joe Roth, the only Cal player ever to have his number retired. Saturday was the annual Joe Roth Memorial Game. The Bears designate the home game against UCLA or USC as the Roth game each year. Roth discovered he had cancer in 1976 and passed away the next year.  It was also the final home game for 18 Cal seniors. Coach Jeff Tedford said Roth's college roommate, Jon Matlock, spoke to the team earlier in the week.  "When his roommate talked to us, he talked about coverage, attitude and legacy," Tedford said. "That was what Joe Roth was about. These seniors have shown nothing but courage their whole time here. The things that they have done to put this program at a level where it's at, as opposed to when they first got here, I'm proud of them."

• Cal wide receiver Robert Jordan caught a pass in his 39th straight game, an ongoing school record.

 

Seattle Post Intelligencer: This could be final faceoff for Pac-10's best coaches

THIS COLUMN IS about USC's visit to California on Saturday, but you need to take this pill before we begin.  Here you go. Bottoms up! Of course, it's completely safe! You can trust us. We'll put on some Allman Brothers. What's it do? First, it will keep you awake. It also will sharpen your focus. Think six jumbo coffees at Caffe Ladro. It seems that too many are yawning and turning away from this Monumental Contest. That's a mistake. What? The clash of Trojans and Bears, which has decided the Pac-10 pecking order three out of the past four seasons, isn't monumental this go-around?  Admittedly, they've combined for five conference defeats. That does take the edge off things a bit. The Trojans, the consensus preseason No. 1, are 17th in the BCS standings. The Bears ran onto the field against Oregon State expecting to become the nation's new No. 1 team, but a month later they awoke and found themselves unranked, losers of three of their past four games. That's a humdrum recap of seasons gone awry. Hopefully, the Speculative V is kicking in. It will help you conceptualize the nuttiness that follows. Here's where we pass through the looking glass: Anyone else wondering if this might be the last meeting of USC coach Pete Carroll and California's Jeff Tedford? Wow, your pupils just got big. Yeah, the Pac-10's two best coaches gone -- blammo -- after the 2007 season. This isn't as crazy as it looks upon first hallucination.

Take Carroll. Rumors of his imminent departure to the NFL pop up every season.  What's different now is this: The screws are tightening in the Reggie Bush scandal. The Los Angeles Times reported this week that Lloyd "It ain't easy being this sleazy" Lake, an ex-con who started calling himself a "sports marketer" before he'd actually done squat, is now meeting with NCAA investigators, tattling about $291,600 in cash and gifts he says he gave Bush while the tailback was at USC.

Lake, who also has filed a lawsuit against Bush, wants to get paid and he's trying to turn up the heat on Bush and USC by talking to the NCAA. What this might mean for Carroll and his program is unclear, and it will be hard to connect the dots between USC and Lake, even if they exist. Still, it's the sort of will-it-ever-end muddle that might give Carroll that final push back to the NFL, where he wants to transform a perception he was a washout. And Tedford? Go to Memorial Stadium. Look up. See scruffy looking protesters living in the trees? So does Tedford. They're fighting -- and not entirely without merit -- for the lives of 38 trees, and they are holding up a major stadium/facilities expansion project, the completion of which was guaranteed in Tedford's contract. Construction delays mean Tedford could bolt with little sanction. His contract can be bought out reportedly for less than $1 million, which is a bargain for any big-time coach.

This might surprise you, but there are no protesters in trees outside Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Neb., or Kyle Field in College Station, Texas. Does either locale even have trees? And what about Michigan, Penn State, Florida State or Auburn (if Tommy Tuberville bolts for Texas A&M)? Those are big-time posts that could open up.  Tedford is a California guy, born and raised. By all accounts, he and his family love the Bay Area. He's got a great gig. Makes a lot of money. The pressure to win in Berkeley doesn't figure to ever boil over.  While everything is just peachy, you still never know how an ultracompetitive guy will respond when he's offered $3 million and the corner office at one of the nation's great football factories.

Further, would anybody be surprised if the sagging fortunes of the 49ers didn't inspire a wandering eye toward Tedford, who also has resisted NFL entreaties up to this point? Here's some more fun: If Carroll and/or Tedford bolted, who'd take their places and how might it change the Pac-10 pecking order, particularly with Dennis Erickson quickly consolidating his empire at Arizona State? Who'd be foolhardy enough to follow Carroll's dynastic run?  Perhaps ... Tedford?

And would Cal, upon losing its Golden Boy, rein in its program, or would it look for another big-money coach? How's that Speculative V treating you? The actual Cal-USC game might not get your juices flowing. But potential intrigue is there, way beyond unraveling the Holiday Bowl race. Sure, the likelihood of both these scenarios playing out in the next year is remote. But would you bet $5 that both Tedford and Carroll will be at USC and Cal in five years?  If you said yes, you've been taking something else besides Speculative V.

 

Long Beach Press Enterprise: USC-Cal Scouting Report

ABOUT CAL: It's the last home game for a highly touted Cal team that fell off the national and Pac-10 maps the past month with three straight conference losses before beating Washington State, 20-17, Saturday. A win over USC would ease much of the hurt of Cal's losses to Oregon State, UCLA and Arizona State. Injuries, turnovers and the failure to make defensive stops have put Jeff Tedford's 24th-ranked Bears where they are, he said Tuesday. Cal, which beat Oregon on the road, was minutes away from a No. 1 ranking before dropping a 31-28 decision to OSU at the finish. "I think they are over that now and focused on one week at a time and playing the best they can," Tedford said.

 

CAN'T MISS CAL PLAYERS

 

WR DESEAN JACKSON (6-0 172, Jr.): He is no longer a Heisman Trophy candidate, but when you factor in his punt returns and pass receiving, he could still be as exciting a player as USC has faced outside of Oregon quarterback Dennis Dixon.

 

TB JUSTIN FORSETT (5-8, 196, Sr.): He is the workhorse who leads the Pac-10 in touchdowns (12) and is second in rushing (111.7 yards a game). Forsett recorded his sixth 100-yard rushing game of the season last week against Washington State, with 133 yards on a career-high 32 carries, including the winning 44-yard TD run with 2:42 left in the game.

 

C ALEX MACK (6-5, 300, Sr.): He could be the nation's top center and the Rimington Award winner. He was named midseason first-team All-American by Phil Steele's Magazine, SI.com and rivals.com after being tabbed the nation's top junior center a year ago by ESPN's Mel Kiper. He's a big reason why Cal's offensive line has permitted just eight sacks in nine games.

Daily Cal: Limping QB Longshore Likely Starter Against Trojans

There should be no more questions about who is starting at quarterback for the No. 24 Cal football team.   Nate Longshore—who sprained his ankle in the Bears’ win over then-No. 11 Oregon in September—should start this week’s game against No. 12 USC.  Longshore’s health had been so much of a concern for coach Jeff Tedford that he has made Longshore’s status for each of the last four games a game-time decision, with Longshore sitting out the loss to Oregon State.

“I would say if he continues to look like he did in pregame, he will continue to start,” Tedford said. “Unless something happens throughout the week—he has a set back or something gets worse—then that would change. If he stays the way he was this last week, then he would be the starter.”  Tedford said he does not think that Longshore’s ankle will ever fully recover and that it may be a lingering injury that the junior quarterback will have to play through the rest of the season.

“It’s probably something that’s going to stick with him here,” Tedford said. “It’s very difficult to let something completely heal like that. Maybe in a couple of weeks, when we get a bye, it’ll let him recover a little bit. But I don’t see him recovering that much in the next couple of weeks.”

• Defensive end Rulon Davis will not play against the Trojans this week, Tedford announced Tuesday.  Davis—who missed four games earlier in the season with a sprained foot—sat out last week’s win over the Cougars because of a sprained medial collateral ligament that he suffered against Arizona State the week before.

• Cal players should need no extra motivation for their game against USC this week—at least that’s what many of them have said.  “If you have to get pumped up for this, we might have to take you to the hospital,” Bears linebacker Worrell Williams said. “We don’t want to do anything extra. If that’s the case, if we’re doing anything extra for ’SC, then there goes your reason for the last three losses.”  The game has evolved over the years to what is usually the best matchup in the Pac-10.  But this year, with both teams having multiple losses in conference play, the game does not hold the same magnitude that it might have had if both Cal or the Trojans were still ranked in the top 10. But that doesn’t change the feelings the players will have heading into the contest.  “We could be the last two teams in the Pac-10 and it would be a rivalry,” said Williams.  And for some, the game takes on even more meaning.  Freshman cornerback Chris Conte—who grew up an avid UCLA fan—said he didn’t need extra motivation for this week’s game.  “I’ve always hated ’SC ,” he said.

• Saturday’s game is also the last home game of the year and the last time that the Bears seniors will play at Memorial Stadium.  Adding to that, none of those seniors have defeated the Trojans in their career, save for a few who redshirted in 2003—when Cal defeated then-No. 3 USC 34-31 in triple overtime.  “It’s going to be a special game for me,” senior tailback Justin Forsett said. “It’s going to be my last time through the tunnel, my last time wearing the blue and gold here. I’ve never beaten ’SC before. I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time. It goes by fast.”

 

San Francisco Chronicle: Conte should start against USC

Rusty Simmons

Cornerback Chris Conte stared at the sign on the door warning it was rigged with an alarm. After pausing for a moment, he burst through it, anyway. No alarm. Merely a shorter route to where he was going. Conte arrived at Cal with as much confidence as any player in the program, and it hasn't taken him any time to find the shortcut into the lineup, either. The freshman from Los Angeles got his first start Saturday against Washington State and responded with a team-high 10 tackles. "I never anticipated it, but I hoped for it," he said. "I just got out there and knew what I had to do. I just focused on my job and tried not to think too much." Conte was called into the office of defensive backs coach R. Todd Littlejohn a week ago Tuesday and told about his potential start, but a hip flexor limited him in practice and threatened his move into the lineup. His talent has been unquestioned since training camp, but coaches have brought Conte along slowly. He had been limited to backup and situational duty as a third corner through the first eight games. "I'm responsible to know everything now," he said. "You're taking a lot more plays, so you're legs are tired and you're breathing hard. There's a lot more stress on you and a lot more to handle because you're not just coming in for a couple of plays."

As the tallest of the Cal cornerbacks at 6-foot-3, it is expected that Conte will start again Saturday against USC's towering receivers, 6-5 Patrick Turner and 6-3 Vidal Hazelton. "I haven't been told, but I expect to start," Conte said. "Of course, I see room for improvement in everything I do." Conte verbally committed to UCLA last season, but announced his intention to attend Cal on signing day. His family has multiple ties to the Bruins, so playing against USC has double benefits.  "I've always hated SC," Conte joked.

Lacking luster?: A little more than a month ago, USC and Cal were undefeated and the matchup was being billed as the game of the season. The direction of the season has changed for the No. 24 Bears (6-3) and the No. 12 Trojans (7-2), but the importance of the game hasn't been lost in Berkeley. "The picture sure has changed, but that won't cause us to go out there with any less fight," outside linebacker Zack Follett said. "As far as the Rose Bowl picture, we're kind of out of it, but it would feel good to knock them out of it. "They're the face of the Pac-10, and if Cal wants to make the next step, we've got to start getting victories against them." USC has won five of the last six meetings, including last year when the Trojans won 23-9 and limited the Bears to their lowest scoring total since a 48-7 loss to Oregon in 2001.  "You'd be a fool to not think this is a rivalry," middle linebacker Worrell Williams said. "We could be the last two teams in the Pac-10, and it would still be a north-south rivalry. If you're not pumped up for this game, I might have to check you into a hospital because you might not be alive."

Briefly: Former Bears tailback and current Buffalo Bills rookie Marshawn Lynch and his family are hosting a "Family First Turkey Drive," 1-3 p.m. Nov. 18 at Oakland Tech. Turkeys will be given on a first-come, first-served basis, and hot beverages will be served to all. ... Asked about Saturday's USC-Cal game on ESPN's morning show, "First Take," Lynch said, "We've got to pull it out. I've got a lot of boys there who I think are going to hold it down for us. I'm riding with Cal, 100 percent." ... Coach Jeff Tedford had believed Follett sustained a shoulder injury in the Washington State game. Tedford reached the wrong conclusion when trainers were lifting Follett's arms above his head to help him catch his breath. ... Defensive end Rulon Davis (knee) is out for Saturday's game, according to Tedford.

 

San Jose Mercury: Little, but pride, rides on USC game

By Jonathan Okanes

It's finally here. Nov. 10. USC vs. Cal. The Pacific-10 game everybody has been waiting for this season. The showdown for . . . third place?  A strange thing has happened since ABC chose this game for its "Saturday Night Football" package, since the game sold out before the season, since the Trojans and Bears were the preseason picks as the top two teams in the Pac-10. The rest of the conference caught up. Now, instead of being a battle for Pac-10 supremacy with possible Bowl Championship Series implications, Saturday's game at Memorial Stadium simply will be a survival to stay relevant. "The picture sure has changed, but at the same time I don't think that's going to cause us to go out there with any less fight," Cal linebacker Zack Follett said. "We're still going to go out there and give SC all we've got. We're kind of out of the Rose Bowl picture. But it would feel good to knock them out of it knowing they've been on top for so long."  USC wasn't just the No. 1 team in the country in the preseason. Many believed the rest of the nation was playing for second. The Trojans captured 62 of a possible 65 first-place votes in the first Associated Press top 25, and Stanford Coach Jim Harbaugh went so far as to say they "might be the best team in the history of college football." The Bears, meanwhile, were considered the one team that could possibly knock off USC. They started the season ranked No. 12 and ascended to No. 2 after a 5-0  start.

But the uncertainty that has characterized college football nationwide hasn't skipped over the Pacific-10 Conference. The Trojans were shocked at home by Stanford and lost on the road at Oregon, which now seems to be the class of the conference. Cal lost three in a row after beginning 5-0 and is out of the national and Pac-10 race. The Bears enter Saturday ranked No. 24 by the Associated Press. USC is ranked 12th, and 17th in the Bowl Championship Series standings. This is the first year since 2001 that the Trojans aren't in the hunt for the national title. "Reality says we haven't played well enough and haven't put ourselves in position to make this that national game that everyone was talking about," Cal Coach Jeff Tedford said. "Maybe it doesn't have the national attention or the weight if we would have played four weeks ago. But it still carries a lot of weight to us, and I'm sure it still carries a lot of weight for USC. It's just not the national thing that everybody was making it out to be." At one point, this game looked as though it might be even bigger than initially expected. After Cal knocked off Oregon to improve to 5-0, it moved up to No. 3 in the rankings, directly behind No. 2 USC. But the next week, while the Bears were enjoying a bye, the Trojans suffered their loss to Stanford. Cal followed up by beginning its three-game slide.

The game actually comes at a good time for the Bears. With not as much to play for now, Cal should have no trouble getting motivated for USC. The Bears and Trojans have developed a good rivalry in recent years, as Cal has regularly been the team that's come closest to knocking USC from its perch atop the Pac-10. The Trojans have at least shared the conference title three years in a row - they tied with Cal last season. "You'd be a fool to not think this is a rivalry," Cal linebacker Worrell Williams said. "We could be the last two teams in the Pac-10 and it would be a rivalry. If you can't get pumped up for this, we might have to take you to the hospital. You might not be alive."

• Tedford said defensive end Rulon Davis (knee) is out again this week. Davis has missed five games this season with foot and knee injuries.

• The family of former Cal standout running back Marshawn Lynch is providing free turkeys for families 1-3 p.m. Nov. 18 at Oakland Tech High School.

LA Times: A branch office of Berkeley's protest tradition

The USC-Cal matchup has a rival -- the university versus activists perched high in a grove slated for destruction. All they are saying is give trees a chance.

By Thomas Bonk, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

BERKELEY -- If the University of California is the home of campus protest, finding the correct address is simple. Just follow the messages written in brightly colored chalk on the sidewalk of Piedmont Avenue alongside Memorial Stadium.  When USC fans show up for Saturday's football game against Cal, there will be plenty of reading material, and it's there at their feet. Welcome to Protest Central, where the roots grow deep in the campus soil. Protest is a well-known concept here, nurtured by the Free Speech Movement of Mario Savio in 1964, the People's Park protest of 1969 and the crackdowns by UC system President Clark Kerr. The latest version of what happens when protest and free speech collide with a major university is brought to you by the tree-sitters of Berkeley. They are such people as a barefooted protester calling himself Shem, who spends his days on a platform high in an old oak tree to protect it, so that the University of California won't cut it down, or any of the other 41 trees nearby. As many as 10 others camp out in the trees, trying to save them from being axed to make way for a $125-million athletic training center that the school plans to build. The proposed facility would adjoin the football stadium, and its construction is a flash point not just for the protesters, but also for Cal's popular football coach, Jeff Tedford, who could opt out of his contract if a new facility is not built.

Shem can't remember how long he's been out on a limb, but he said it doesn't matter. "It's tree time," he said. Chances are, tree time is about up. Joe McDonald of Berkeley, the lead singer in the 1960s band Country Joe and the Fish, is a backer of the "Save the Oaks" campaign. But he doesn't think it's going to end well for the tree-sitters. "I think they're gonna pull 'em right out of the trees and slam 'em in jail, cut down the trees and build a sports facility," McDonald said. "Money talks, and so does sports." The university's stance is that the tone of the protests has changed and that at least some of the tree-sitting contingent wants conflict. "This is no longer some quirky, Berkeley protest," school spokesman Dan Mogulof said. "We plan on exploring every option to settle this peacefully. There are some seriously misguided kids up there." The university has offered to plant two saplings and one mature tree for every tree removed. "There are some real old-growth forests that need protection," Mogulof said. "This isn't one of them. This is a 1923 landscaping project. What's happened is bordering on the absurd." Naturally, the tree-sitters don't feel the same. It's been 341 days since they decided to climb a tree, wrap themselves in what they said were their 1st Amendment rights, and plant themselves in direct opposition to the university's plans for a state-of-the art training facility along the southwest side of the 84-year-old stadium.  Zachary Running Wolf of Berkeley is a Native American community leader who aids and supports the protesters. He said the new building wouldn't only eliminate the old trees, it would also be erected on a Native American burial ground.

"How would you like it if they dug into the final resting place of your ancestors?" he asked. But the university remains unmoved by the rationale of the protesters. In August, an 8-foot-high chain-link fence was erected around the perimeter of the grove to create a buffer zone between the tree-sitters and football fans. The tree-sitters have had problems receiving supplies, but Shem says whatever inconveniences he's gone through are worth it. "It's the best thing I've ever done. It's the first time I've followed my heart without conflict," Shem said. "We are the truth and nonviolent. This is a spiritual conflict." It's also a legal conflict. Alameda County Superior Court Judge Barbara Miller may rule as early as the end of the month on a lawsuit filed by the city of Berkeley, the tree supporters and neighbors who want the training facility stopped. The university expects a ruling in its favor, which would clear the way for construction and lead to the removal of the tree-sitters. Mogulof said the university always had the ability to evict the tree-sitters because they are in violation of campus policy. "The people in the trees aren't protecting the trees, it's the judge's [pending] order that's affecting the construction project," he said. Mogulof said he saw butane gas stoves in the trees recently but hadn't noticed any this week. Running Wolf scoffed. "They're worried about a fire hazard damaging the trees when their intent is to destroy the entire grove? It's ludicrous," he said. In the meantime, the protest continues. A ground crew is on duty around the clock to make sure the tree-sitters' needs are met. Ropes to the perches in the trees raise supplies, and the platforms are covered by tarps for protection from the elements. Wu, a tree-sitter positioned near Shem, said he's a sports fan and has no quarrel with the Cal football team. But since Memorial Stadium was built on top of the Hayward Fault, Wu doesn't want to see the stadium crumble on top of the players. And he also doesn't want to see the trees cut down.

"The issues are so clear it's ridiculous," he said. "People have to step up and open up their minds." Running Wolf said the university is liable for a class-action lawsuit for violating human rights. He's so sure of his position that the chain-link fence is wrong that he has written a new message in chalk on the sidewalk. Guantanamo Berkeley In addition to his tree-sitting support, Running Wolf's days are full. He is trying to recall Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates. Who does Running Wolf see as a successor? Himself. An equal for the pregame buildup for a USC-Cal game may be difficult to recall. Kickoff signals the last home game of the year for Cal, so the clock may be ticking for the tree-sitters. But don't expect them to give up. In fact, USC fans and everyone else are invited to a Save the Oaks community picnic Saturday afternoon at the site of the tree-sitting protest. If you need directions, just follow the chalk.

 

Sports Network: Top-25 battle set for Berkeley

Berkeley, CA (Sports Network) - A top-25 battle takes place in Berkeley this weekend, as the 24th-ranked California Golden Bears play host to the 12th- ranked USC Trojans. At the beginning of the season people thought this game would have Pac-10 title implications. However, both the Golden Bears and Trojans are on the outside looking in at Pac-10 supremacy, as they have both faltered mid-season.  Jeff Tedford's Golden Bears opened the season with five straight wins, but then proceeded to lose three straight in-conference, before finally landing back in the win column last week with a 20-17 victory over Washington State. With the win, California moved to 6-3 overall and 3-3 in conference play.  Pete Carroll's Trojans have dropped league tilts to Stanford and Oregon, but rallied last week to knock off Oregon State (24-3) and in the process, capture the 750th victory in school history. In addition, USC moved to 7-2 overall and 4-2 in league action.  The series favors USC, 59-30-5 (including two rugby games played in 1912 and 1913). The Trojans have won five of the last six meetings. Last year, USC captured a 23-9 victory to win its unprecedented fifth straight Pac-10 title.

Quarterback John David Booty threw for just 157 yards, but two touchdowns, in leading the Trojans to a 24-3 win over Oregon State last weekend. Booty, who missed time this year due to injury, will try to close out the season strong. There is a ton of offensive talent to help him with that, as USC is averaging a steady 31.4 ppg, on 412.0 yards of total offense. The team employs a good mix of the run (179.7 ypg) and the pass (232.3 ypg) to get the job done. Mark Sanchez filled in for Booty when the starter was sidelined, but Booty is clearly the leader of this offense. He has completed 63.5 percent of his passes in 2007, with 14 TDs and eight INTs. The top targets downfield, regardless of who is under center, are TE Fred Davis (40 receptions, for 580 yards and five TDs) and WR Patrick Turner (40 receptions, for 451 yards and three TDs). Tailbacks Chauncey Washington and Stafon Johnson have done a decent job on the ground. Washington leads the team with 528 yards and seven TDs on the year. Johnson is averaging 7.5 yards per carry and has amassed 471 yards and four scores.

Defensively, USC is still one of the better units in the country. They showed it against Oregon State, holding the Beavers to a mere three points and 176 yards of total offense. On the year, the numbers are solid, with the team yielding 15.9 ppg and 253.3 yards of total offense (third nationally). It hasn't been a lot of big plays that has fueled the USC defensive attack this year, as the team has collected just 16 takeaways in the first nine games. A solid pass rush has been a plus though, with USC recording 29 sacks. Leading the way in that category are All-American candidate Sedrick Ellis (7.5 sacks) in the middle of the line and Lawrence Jackson (5.5 sacks) on the outside. A solid LB corps is highlighted by Keith Rivers (team-high 66 tackles) and Rey Maualuga (59 tackles, 7.5 TFLs, 3.0 sacks). The secondary is anchored by safety Kevin Ellison (39 tackles, 6.5 TFLs, one INT).

It was tailback Justin Forsett that put the team on his back against Washington State, as he rushed for 132 yards and two TDs last week, snapping Cal's ugly three-game losing streak. Forsett has been one of the better rushers in the conference this year and with his performance against the Cougars, eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark for the season. He is averaging nearly five yards per carry (4.8) and has amassed 1,005 yards and 12 TDs on the year. He makes QB Nate Longshore's job a bit easier, as the veteran signal-caller has had a solid season as well. Longshore has completed 62.5 percent of his passes in 2007, leading to 1,857 yards, with 11 TDs. Statistically, WR Lavelle Hawkins (53 receptions, for 681 yards and four TDs) is the top downfield threat, but there isn't a more dangerous weapon in college football than All- American DeSean Jackson. A threat to go the distance every time he touches the ball, Jackson has hauled in 51 balls, for 586 yards and five TDs. He is also regarded as the top return man in college football.

Unfortunately, California's defense has not lived up to expectations in 2007. Like a lot of Pac-10 stop units, the Golden Bears have been generous in terms of yardage allowed. On the year, the team is giving up 25.7 ppg, while allowing teams to pick up 125.9 ypg on the ground and 249.0 ypg through the air. The team does have 20 forced turnovers, but just 18 sacks in nine games. LB Anthony Felder paces the team in tackles with 86 stops. He is followed closely by fellow LB Worrell Williams (82 tackles), who leads the team with 7.5 TFLs. Zack Follett (39 tackles) rounds out the LB corps, and leads the team in sacks with 3.5.

Arizona Republic: Cal WR Jackson aims for USC

Before this season, California receiver DeSean Jackson said he would rather beat Southern California than win the Heisman Trophy.  The only thing certain is that he won't win both. Scratch the Heisman. That possibility has moved north and into Oregon quarterback Dennis Dixon's versatile hands. But USC still is there for Jackson on Saturday, when the Golden Bears host the Trojans.  The game looms as a last chance to resurrect some hope for two teams that had national-championship ambitions go awry. Both have renewed optimism after victories last week, USC against Oregon State and Cal against Washington State.  Injuries are a reason, perhaps the biggest, for USC's problems. Cal's struggles, which include three consecutive Pac-10 losses, have been hard to explain, although a badly sprained ankle suffered by quarterback Nate Longshore says a lot.  Jackson's comments after a loss to UCLA and before a defeat at Arizona State might have said more. It sounded as if Jackson wasn't happy with coach Jeff Tedford's playbook.  The swift receiver, a preseason Heisman contender from Long Beach, Calif., wanted Tedford to open up the attack more.

Against Washington State, Tedford said there was offensive success because the Golden Bears were able to sustain some drives. That's not exactly the swift-striking pass attack that Jackson wanted. "We get it to him whenever it fits with what's going on," Tedford said Tuesday in a conference call. Let's just say that no Heisman votes will be thrown Jackson's way.

Still scary

Tedford laughed at a suggestion that the Trojans have turned into an ordinary team after losses to Stanford and Oregon.  "Are you kidding me?" he said. "They're probably the best defense I've seen."

A perfect month

Pete Carroll is beginning his seventh November as USC's coach. Including Saturday's victory against Oregon State, he is 21-0 during the month. That can't be good news for Cal or ASU, which faces the Trojans at Sun Devil Stadium on Nov. 22.

"It's playoff time for us," said Carroll, who hasn't fared quite as well in December. Cross-town rival UCLA upset USC last Dec. 2. The Bruins and Trojans play this year on Dec. 1.

 

 

Oakland Tribune: Tedford could use Holmoe's SC magic

The book of Tom Holmoe at Cal was burned four minutes before he was fired in 2001. Holmoe was an earnest and polite disaster as head football coach, his record so bad even he wishes it were destroyed.  There was, however, one chapter Jeff Tedford surely could use this week.  USC comes to town Saturday and, quiet as it's kept, the Trojans gave Holmoe something for which Tedford would eat his sunglasses. Holmoe left town with a winning record (3-2) against SC. He walked off the field in triumph three consecutive times between 1998-2000.  Such success against USC had not happened since 1950, when the legendary Pappy Waldorf was on the sidelines. Insofar as SC historically wins two of every three games against the Golden Bears — 26 of 31 from 1959-89 — three straight wins could have put Cal on the national map, made a statement within the Pacific-10 Conference and dramatically narrowed the recruiting gap between the schools.

It might have done all of this — if not for Holmoe's 9-43 record against everybody else.  No, he left the non-USC work to Tedford, who has done well enough for Cal to sustainnational relevance for several years. The only coach in school history to deliver bowl games in four successive seasons, Tedford changed the perception of a program that was a joke under Holmoe.  What Tedford has not done is take the Bears high enough to look the Trojans in the eye. Can't be done, you say? Holmoe's work argues  otherwise.

Holmoe was in over his head at Cal, but he took advantage of a USC program vulnerable under Paul Hackett. Even though Cal's 1999 win eventually was forfeited in the wake of academic fraud, Holmoe's Golden Bears knocked the swagger out of the Trojans.  Tedford's teams, while highly competitive, are 1-4 against USC, though two of the losses were by less than a touchdown. Which is to say he is 3 points in 2002 and 7 in'04 from having his own, presumably untarnished, three-game win streak over the Trojans.  Which brings us to Saturday and the effects of a Cal victory over USC. And another in 2008. And another in'09.  All while playing well enough elsewhere to stay in the Top 25 picture. This Cal-USC game is one of diminished magnitude, mostly because it won't have the national ramifications once projected, yet something more lasting is available: An opportunity to generate a real rivalry.  Not in the Cal-Stanford or USC-UCLA sense; the geographic wars are cherished, customary and as enduring as the earth. No, this would be about the Pac-10, about two teams likely to be at or near the top.  Already, after many decades in which the Golden Bears often settled for USC rejects, Cal has gained enough ground to pursue many of the same recruits.  "Real rivalry" chatter is conceivable only because Cal has the goods to win, and USC is not the juggernaut it appeared to be in September.  Injuries and inconsistency have shoved USC out of the national championship race. While getting the Trojans to play for something less is sure to challenge coach Pete Carroll's prodigious motivational skills, Tedford has no such problem. His easiest job, every year, is getting the Bears emotionally prepared for SC.

"In my experience with these guys, you don't really need to go overboard with any rah-rah stuff, because they understand who we're playing," he said Tuesday. "... I think our team will be ready. They don't need a lot of pep talk to know who we're playing."  They're playing the USC that was smug enough to believe DeSean Jackson was a lock to enroll. The USC with 11 national championships, seven Heisman Trophy winners, more than 400 NFL players and, of course, all the posin' and lovin' and huggin' that comes with being Hollywood's favorite team.  Except on Oct. 6 these Trojans, ranked No.1 in the country and playing at home, lost to Stanford. Stanford! Three weeks later, clinging to national title possibilities, SC lost at Oregon.  The illustration here is one of increased parity, which provides opportunities for everyone in the conference to gain on the school Cal linebacker Zack Follett refers to as "the face of the Pac-10." And this is without regard to any speculation about Carroll's future, for he'd be a fool to leave Los Angeles.  There is, of course, no new world order without beating USC often enough to reveal its mortality, then sustaining a rivalry competitive enough for recruits and national observers to speak of both programs in the same breath.  Cal may be close but, having lost four of five to SC, not yet there. Three wins in a row changes most everything.  It also would put Tedford at .500 against Carroll, thereby leaving the book of Holmoe in a heap of ash, with no value at all.

San Jose Mercury: Cal vs. USC: The big letdown

Don’t know about Hotline readers near and far, but I’m depressed about this Cal-USC situation. I wanted it to be the game of the year in the Pac-10 and one of the two or three biggest of the year nationally. I wanted it to be the biggest game Cal’s played in a half-century. I wanted both teams to be undefeated and ranked in the top-five. I wanted the Rose Bowl to be on the line. I wanted there to be major BCS implications. I wanted to see two Heisman candidates making their cases on national TV. Instead, we get No. 12 against No. 24. Instead, we the teams that were ranked No. 2 (USC) and No. 3 (Cal) in the country just over a month ago now have that many losses each — two for the Trojans and three for the Bears. USC is tied for third in the Pac-10, still in the Rose Bowl race but not in control of its own destiny. Cal is tied for fifth, needing so much help to get to Pasadena it’s not even worth mentioning unless the Bears win Saturday.

There’s not even a Heisman candidate on the field.  USC quarterback John David Booty was playing poorly, broke his finger and disappeared from the race. Cal receiver DeSean Jackson … does he even play for Cal anymore? Oh, yeah — he’s the guy who seems to argue for pass interference on every play. (Half-joking on that: Jackson has had a good season with a few great moments.) I wasn’t rooting for a Cal-USC mega-collision because I’m a fan of either team, and I wouldn’t have cared who won. But as a fan of college football in general and a watcher/chronicler of Bay Area college football specifically, I wanted to see a game that meant EVERYTHING. Now we get a game that only means SOMETHING.

Granted, SOMETHING is not NOTHING:  It’s still Cal vs. USC, the two best programs in the Pac-10 over the past five years. It’s still Tedford vs. Carroll, offensive wiz against defensive mastermind.  It’s still two ranked teams, still has Rose Bowl implications, still means a ton to both teams. But SOMETHING sure ain’t EVERYTHING. What happened? (I’ll get to the “why” in a minute.)  On Oct. 6, USC was undefeated and ranked No. 2, Cal undefeated and ranked No. 3. That evening, the Trojans were stunned by Stanford in the greatest upset in college football history — a 40-point underdog with a rookie quarterback beat the nation’s best program on its home field, where it hadn’t lost in six years.

The following week, Cal rose to No. 2 and, after LSU lost, was hours from being No. 1. But the Bears stumbled against Oregon State when Tedford bypassed a tying field goal with 14 seconds left and backup QB Kevin Riley was tackled in-bounds, ending the game. Then Cal lost the next week, Oct. 20, at UCLA. Then both teams lost on Oct. 27, Cal at Arizona State, USC at Oregon. So here they are: the Bears have three Ls, the Trojans two. And there’s still a month to go. Unreal.  Turns out, this is probably the fifth-most important game of Cal’s season, behind Tennessee, Oregon, Oregon State and UCLA. Doubly unreal. That’s the “what happened,” but how about the “why”? In general …  Both teams have been derailed by a variety of issues, including bad breaks and opponents who turned out to be better than anyone thought when the season began. No question, injuries to the starting quarterbacks, Booty and Nate Longshore, have played a huge role in the events. Longshore was not available against Oregon State and hasn’t fully recovered from that sprained ankle. Booty broke the finger during the Arizona game, which contributed to his subpar performance (and USC’s five turnovers), and his replacement, Mark Sanchez, couldn’t get it done at Oregon. It’s no coincidence that the two teams atop the Pac-10 standings, Oregon and ASU, have had healthy quarterbacks all season (except for the end of their game last weekend when Dennis Dixon went down with a minor knee injury).

I also think Carroll and Tedford and their staffs have made a blunder or two. Carroll should have gotten Booty out of the Stanford game instead of letting him continue to play (and play poorly) with the broken finger.  Also, the Trojans did not have Sanchez as prepared to play subsequent games as they should have, given his three years in the program. Tedford should have taken the tying field goal against Oregon State, rather than letting Kevin Riley try for the end zone with 14 seconds left and not timeouts. When two of the four outcomes of a single play (TD, INT, sack, tackle) lose the game for you, you kick.  Also, the Bears probably should have been more creative and aggressive defensively in a few of those losses. But mostly, the mega-collision between Cal and USC is no longer possible because those things rarely materialize.  So much can go wrong over the course of two months, and there are so many potential pitfalls — especially in a tough conference like the Pac-10 — that you almost never see two undefeated teams from the same league on the second Saturday of November. It happened last year in the Big Ten (a week later than this) with Ohio State and Michigan, but that Big Ten wasn’t as good as this Pac-10 and those teams didn’t have to go weeks without healthy starting quarterbacks. So what we’re left with Saturday in Berkeley is an important game between two ranked rivals trying to make the most of seasons that didn’t meet expectations. That’s not nothing. But it’s not everything.

SF Chronicle: Tedford stands by his man

Ray Ratto

his is Nate Longshore's season, encapsulated.  Start of the fourth quarter Saturday, Cal beating Washington State 13-6. Longshore throws two quick incompletions and hears considerable boos from the Memorial Stadium crowd. Then on 3rd-and-10, a lineman false starts, and the discontent no longer can fit in the overhead bin. On the third-down replay, Longshore hits Lavelle Hawkins smartly for a 19-yard completion, extending a drive that eventually dies on a Justin Forsett fumble but wins the crowd back to Longshore's side, albeit temporarily. Ultimately, Cal wins 20-17, ending a three-game losing streak, putting the Bears back in the AP Top 25 (through still far from a BCS ranking) and mollifying the fan base. Longshore's numbers (26-of-39, 213 yards, no scores, one pick) are OK, but neither they nor his perpetually touchy ankle are sufficient to calm the growing group of fans that has been pulling for backup Kevin Riley. Longshore has committed the unpardonable sin of being the starting quarterback during a season of unmet expectations, and he will be regarded with some suspicion through Saturday's game against USC, and through to the end of the year.

Of course, if Cal beats the Trojans, almost all will be forgotten and forgiven, as they were for Jim Harbaugh when Stanford beat USC last month. Longshore will, of course, have to be among several Golden Bears who play a brilliant game for this to happen, but he has played brilliantly before. This is not an impossible dream - unlikely, but not impossible. Stanford's dream was impossible, and we all saw how that unfolded. Saturday aside, the quarterback controversy that rages bright in Oakland has not yet touched Berkeley, because head coach Jeff Tedford won't allow it. He reiterated Tuesday that Longshore will start against USC barring some dramatic medical setback, and that "he's well enough to do what he'd normally do." This, of course, will discomfit greatly the newer Cal fans, who went hook, line and anvil for the 5-0 start and the No. 2 rating and have fumed about the three subsequent losses that took their heroes from the BCS title game in New Orleans to the Emerald Bowl across the bridge. More to the point, the fan base has become factionalized on quarterbacking lines. There is now a Riley group, three weeks old, that thinks Longshore is neither healthy enough, mobile enough nor Riley enough. Tedford, though, is devoted to Longshore, as he was devoted to Joe Ayoob two years earlier. He wants to avoid a quarterback controversy because he likes his headaches to be manageable, sure, but he also knows that going to Riley implies that he cannot go back to Longshore, and in any event, he is unwilling to blame Cal's stumbles on the quarterback alone, even though that is the first and most obvious avenue of blame delegation for Bay Area football fans.

The truth is Cal was, under ideal conditions, a 10-win team, and with any run of injuries or what is known among older Old Blues as "Cal luck," an eight-win team. The Bears started quickly, and as the other favorites stumbled, the small warning signs (difficulties at Colorado State, against Arizona at home) went unnoticed and the euphoria spread. Then Oregon State happened. Remembered most for Riley's benighted run for the end zone, it was also the first clear sign that the Bears didn't have the line play or defense to hang with the biggest of the big. Then came the UCLA error-fest, and then Arizona State in Tempe, a cold team traveling to play a hot team with the predictable result. Longshore did not save the Ursines from themselves, nor did he meet the level of play he showed against Tennessee in Week 1. His season is now at least marginally worse than last year's, but he is hardly alone. Thus, Tedford stands fast beside his quarterback, because it is how he is wired, and the ankle is the only thing that will change his mind. "I think (the injury) is something that probably is going to stick with him," Tedford said Tuesday. "It's very difficult to let something completely heal like that. Maybe in a couple of weeks from now when we get a bye, maybe he'll be able to recover a little bit, (but) I don't see him recovering much in the next couple of weeks. I would say that if he continues to look like he does in pre-game, he will continue to start. ... "If he stays the way he was this past week, then he would be the starter, obviously." Yes, "obviously." The controversy Tedford is stridently avoiding is not yet upon us (figure next spring and summer if you're making plans), and if he has any luck, he can put it off that long - no matter how many fans are spoiling for a fight now.

 

Cal Cracks Top 25

Cal is ranked 24^th on the AP poll and 25^th on the Harris Interactive.

SF Chronicle: If Saturday was job interview, Gregory did well

Cal defensive coordinator Bob Gregory, a Washington State graduate, is among a group of logical candidates for the Cougars' head coaching job if Bill Doba is fired, which has been the subject of widespread speculation on the Internet.  Gregory's first job interview - a 20-17 win over the Cougars - was nearly flawless. The Bears didn't give up a touchdown until the game's final minute and allowed Washington State to put together only two drives of more than 70 yards. Cal limited the Cougars to 52 rushing yards, 17 first downs and 4-of-16 on third-down conversions. "We played very well against a very good offense," Gregory said. "Hopefully, a game like this will give us a little confidence." Washington State came into the game averaging 24.9 points and 129.2 rushing yards a game. Quarterback Alex Brink, who averages 293.8 passing yards a game, had only 138 yards through three quarters. Two late drives pushed Brink's total to 306 passing yards.

Doba was an assistant at Washington State for 14 years, and has gone 28-28 as the head man. Front-seven heaven: Washington State played predominantly a 3-4 defense for a second consecutive week after being a 4-3 defense for the better part of the past two decades, but it didn't have the same effect as last week. The Cougars upset previous conference unbeaten UCLA, holding the Bruins to seven points, 14 first downs and 100 rushing yards. Cal was close to those numbers by halftime, scoring 10 points on 12 first downs and 81 rushing yards. The Bears ended with 382 yards of total offense, including 169 rushing yards. Dodging Jackson: Opponents have avoided punting to DeSean Jackson most of the season, but Washington State may have used the most creative means. Punter Reid Forrest would take the long snaps, sprint to his right as if to fake the punts and then kick low line drives that couldn't be returned.

Briefly: With tailback Justin Forsett reaching the 1,000-yard rushing mark, the Bears have produced a 1,000-yard back in six straight seasons. ... Forsett moved into sixth place on the school's all-time rushing list, passing J.J. Arrington with 2,679 career yards. ... Cornerback Syd'Quan Thompson registered his first interception of the season, hauling in a ball that was batted away from the receiver by rover Bernard Hicks. ... Free safety Thomas DeCoud, left guard Brian De La Puente, tight end Craig Stevens and middle linebacker Greg Van Hoesen were this week's captains.

 

Daily Cal: Cal Snaps Losing Streak With 20-17 Win Over Wazzu

The Cal football team can finally exhale.  After losing three straight games for the first time in head coach Jeff Tedford’s career, the Bears bounced back with a 20-17 victory over Washington State in front of 55, 711 at Memorial Stadium on Saturday night.  “It’s been a hard three weeks,” Tedford said. “We’ve been in very close football games. It really makes you appreciate the wins. I think there for awhile, when we’re winning it was something that I don’t think people got fired up about. It was just another day in the office. We really need to enjoy the victories because they’re hard to come by.”  Big plays were hard to come by for the Cal offense in Saturday’s contest. Washington State kept the Bears big play receivers – Lavelle Hawkins, DeSean Jackson and Robert Jordan – in check, not allowing a passing plays of longer than 19 yards.  On the ground, Justin Forsett had a yards per carry of just over three – until he broke out for a 44-yard touchdown run to seal the game late in the fourth quarter.

“Our running backs motto, we go by the theme of being lumberjacks,” said Forsett, who had 132 yards on 32 carries and two scores. “We keep chopping at every play. You never know when it’s going to break. We finally got that one in, but we had to keep the heart and keep the faith that everything was going to work out.”  But while the Cougars (3-6, 1-5 in the Pac-10) were able to prevent the big play, they were not able to get the Bears off the field, especially on two long drives in the first half.  Cal (6-3, 3-3 in the Pac-10) scored its first points after a 17 play, 80-yard drive that took 7:56 off the game clock. Both the 17 plays and the time of possession were season-high for the Bears until a 20 play, 91-yard drive consumed 10:22 got Cal another three points.  The Bears went into halftime with a 10-0 and held onto the ball for over 20 minutes in the first half.  “It was unbelievable,” Cal defensive coordinator Bob Gregory said. “To have those and to have us come on the field fresh is just so important for us. Just having those long drives keeps us fresh, keeps their offense off the field and at the end of the game, that’s just more time where we had the ball and they didn’t.”  The extra time off during the game seemed to have helped the Bears defense get more pressure on Washington State quarterback Alex Brink.  It seemed to have certainly helped linebacker Zack Follett, who was able to bring pressure of the edge and cause havoc in the backfield. Follett totaled six tackles and had one sack as the Cal defense held the Pac-10’s third best offense to 358 yards.  Follett also had three pass breakups.  “It was nice to see Zack come back into action,” Tedford said. “He just played a nice football game. He played extremely well.”

 

SF Chronicle: CAL 20, WASHINGTON St. 17

Great 1st half powers win over Cougars, snaps skid

Rusty Simmons, Chronicle Staff Writer

Cal got back on the winning track Saturday night by playing perhaps its most complete half of the season, then holding on for a 20-17 victory over Washington State in front of 55,711 in Strawberry Canyon.  Amid a three-game losing skid, things started to appear dire in Berkeley this week, but the win made the Bears (6-3, 3-3 Pac-10) bowl eligible for a school-record fifth consecutive season. With three regular-season games remaining, Cal still needs one more victory to secure a bowl bid. "It's been three hard weeks," Cal coach Jeff Tedford said. "We've been in some close football games. It really makes you appreciate the wins. When we were winning, I don't want to say it got routine, but I don't think people were getting fired up about it. We really need to enjoy the victories, because they are hard to come by."  The Bears' offense methodically chewed up clock, and their defense posted a first-half shutout - it was 10-0 at halftime. The Cougars cut the lead to four points with a 35-yard field goal in the game's final six minutes but couldn't complete the comeback.  Tailback Justin Forsett burst over the right side for a 44-yard touchdown with 2:42 remaining to push the lead back to 11 and all but seal the victory. Washington State quarterback Alex Brink connected on an 18-yard touchdown pass to Charles Dillon with 19 seconds left, but Cal receiver Lavelle Hawkins ended the Cougars' hopes by recovering the ensuing onside kick.

Forsett passed the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season with a 32-carry, 132-yard performance, and Hawkins had nine catches for 78 yards. Making his first career start, freshman cornerback Chris Conte had a team-high 10 tackles, and outside linebacker Zack Follett made a nuisance of himself all night. Overall, it was a surprisingly low-scoring game between Cal and Washington State (3-6, 1-5), which came in averaging a combined 56.7 points a game. Both defenses played well, and both offenses missed a series of opportunities. Forsett fumbled inside the 5-yard line at the start of the fourth quarter, and Washington State receiver Brandon Gibson was run down by safety Thomas DeCoud on a play that appeared to be headed for an 88-yard touchdown. Six plays later, the Cougars had to settle for a field goal. After losing three in a row for the first time in Tedford's tenure, the Bears had a precipitous drop from No. 2 in the nation to outside the top 25. Cal could sneak back into the Associated Press' Top 25, which had three of its bottom six teams lose Saturday.  The Bears have won three consecutive in the series against Washington State, including last year, when Cal won in the Palouse for the first time since 1979. In that win, the Cougars managed just 14 first downs and were 0-for-11 on third-down conversions. It was more of the same this time around. Washington State finished with 17 first downs (five in the first half) and converted just 4-of-16 third downs. The Bears' offense did its part, too, possessing the ball for more than 20 minutes in the first half, including long scoring drives.

Cal marched 80 yards on its first possession, chewing up 7:56 with the 17-play drive. The Bears were 5-for-5 on third-down conversions and quarterback Nate Longshore was 8-of-9 on the drive, setting up Forsett's 1-yard touchdown run.  Hawkins twice saved Cal's next scoring drive, breaking up an apparent interception by drilling Xavier Hicks on an overthrown ball and making a 9-yard reception on a 4th-and-2 play. The Bears failed to punch it in on three plays from inside the 4-yard line and settled for a 24-yard field goal from Jordan Kay, capping a 20-play, 10:23 drive.  "We need to make touchdowns at the end of the long drives," Tedford said. "We had some dropped balls and some fumbles, but we did keep the defense off the field." Cal was leading 10-0 with 3:29 remaining in the second quarter when it was forced to punt for the first time. The Bears offense totaled 382 yards, using 81 plays and converting on 12 of 19 third downs. Washington State's first points - a 42-yard field goal by Romeen Abdollomohammadi on the first drive of the third quarter - came after Longshore fumbled a center exchange and linebacker Andy Mattingly recovered on the Cougars' 40. Cal answered right back with a 33-yard field goal by Kay, which was set up by two third-down passing conversions and pushed the Bears' lead back to 10 points. The Cougars again cut the lead to a touchdown, using a short punt and a pass interference penalty to set up a 29-yard field goal by Abdollomohammadi in the third quarter's final minute.

 

AP: While fans jump off bandwagon, Golden Bears snap skid

BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) -- When California faced almost no opposition in its latest March to Victory, linebacker Zack Follett realized the Golden Bears couldn't count on anybody to help end their three-game losing streak -- not even their fans.

Thousands of Cal boosters and students usually surround the team during its pregame walk into Memorial Stadium, but Follett estimated only about 200 die-hards showed up in Strawberry Canyon to cheer on the Bears before they faced Washington State on Saturday night.

Read the entire article here.

Daily Cal: A Look at WSU

Despite their subpar record, the Cougars are no slouches on offense. Wazzu is third in the Pac-10 in total offense, averaging 425.2 yards per game, behind nationally ranked Oregon and USC.

• Through eight games this season, the Cougars have fumbled the ball only seven times, the fewest through eight games on school record dating back 56 seasons to 1951. Of the seven fumbles, Wazzu has lost only three.

• With his second-quater interception against Arizona State, senior free safety Husain Abdullah moved into a tie for 11th on Wazzu's all-time list with his ninth career pick. Abdullah has notched three interceptions.

• One of the more unique names in all of college football is Cougars' placekicker Romeen Abdollmohammadi. The 15 letter last name is, not surprisingly, the longest last name amongst Division-I football players.

Player to Watch

Washington State quarterback Alex Brink has good memories from Memorial Stadium. Two years ago, in the Cougars’ last visit to Strawberry Canyon, Brink tossed five touchdown passes and threw for 422 total yards, but Joe Ayoob threw a late touchdown pass and the Bears escaped with a 42-38 comeback win.  Even though Cal did a better job against the Wazzu signal-caller a year ago in Pullman, the Bears’ coaching staff is more than a little wary of what problems the senior might pose.  “He’s mobile, he’s very accurate, the throws the deep ball extremely well and does a nice job with the packaging of plays to get them in and out of plays,” Cal coach Jeff Tedford said. “Plus, the experience he has, he’s been starting there ever since I can remember.”

A Look at Cal

• Quarterback Nate Longshore—who injured his ankle five weeks ago against Oregon—will not be the only game-time decision for Cal. Senior wide reciever Robert Jordan is also a game-time decision. Jordan sprained his shoulder three weeks ago against Oregon State.

• The Bears are mired in their first three-game losing streak in the Jeff Tedford era. The last time Cal lost three in a row was in 2001, when the team finished 1-10.

• Several Bears athletes have been recognized for their accomplishments this year. DeSean Jackson is a semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award, which is given to the nation’s top wide receiver. Alex Mack is a semifinalist for the Rotary Lombardi Award and Andrew Larson is a finalist for the Ray Guy Award, given to the country’s top punter.

Player to Watch

There hasn’t been much positive press lately for the Cal defense. The Bears are surrendering 377 yards per game and have given up 30-plus points in each of their last two games.  However, despite the unit’s woes, sophomore cornerback Syd’Quan Thompson is slowly starting to develop into one of the conference’s better cover men. Thompson has six pass break-ups on the year, twice as many as the next closest teammate, and though he hasn’t intercepted a pass, quarterbacks are beginning to wise up to him and throw the other way.  If Thompson can control the Cougars’ big-play threats Brandon Gibson and Michael Bumpus, Cal should have an easy time keeping the Wazzu offense under 30 points.

Modesto Bee: Bench Longshore

CAL -- The Winchester Mystery House has nothing on the Cal Bears. Three weeks ago, the Golden Bears (5-3) were one play away from being ranked No. 1 in the country. Today, they sit in sixth place in the Pacific 10 Conference, a cliff-drop worthy of Wile E. Coyote. Pick your reasons: an ill-timed injury to quarterback Nate Longshore, an underachieving defense and offensive line and creeping conservatism in the play-calling from coach Jeff Tedford. It's time for a bold move -- bench Longshore, whose gimpy ankle weakens him in the second half, and plan ahead with promising freshman Kevin Riley.

 

Link.

San Jose Mercury: Could WSU give Cal trouble?

Jon Wilner

Nate Longshore’s ankle still isn’t 100 percent, which would be troubling news to Cal any week but is especially worrisome now — what with the three-game losing streak and the opponent.  Yep, lowly Washington State could cause the Bears trouble. One of the few things WSU does well is rush the passer.  The Cougars are third in the Pac-10 in sacks (20) and got to Arizona State’s Rudy Carpenter seven times. (In case there was any doubt: Carpenter is much more mobile than Longshore.) WSU’s sackmaster is linebacker Andy Mattingly, who has seven.

This thought occurs to me every season, and sometimes I think to mention it (in the Merc or on the Hotline): The Pac-10 is not a quarterback’s conference. It’s a healthy quarterback’s conference. Is it any coincidence that the two best teams in the league on Oct. 1, USC and Cal, both lost their starting quarterbacks to injury — Longshore to a sprained ankle suffered at Oregon, John David Booty to a broken finger sustained during the loss to Stanford — and both teams subsequently slumped to the second tier. Maybe the Bears would have lost to Oregon State (and UCLA) with Longshore, and perhaps USC would have lost to Stanford even if Booty had five healthy fingers, But I would have liked both teams’ chances to remain undefeated. That said, having a backup quarterback who can make big plays and avoid big mistakes is a critical component to success.

SF Chronicle: Cal: Longshore on bubble as Saturday's starter

Junior quarterback Nate Longshore, who has been battling a sprained right ankle for five weeks, took nearly all of the first-team snaps Thursday. Still, coach Jeff Tedford wasn't ready to name the starter for Saturday night's game against Washington State. "Nate took some reps and looked good," Tedford said. "We'll continue to monitor his ankle very closely and make sure he's ready to go." After taking all of the first-team snaps Tuesday, Longshore was given a much-needed day of rest Wednesday. Longshore sat out the 31-28 loss to Oregon State on Oct. 13 and is 40-of-70 for 493 yards with four touchdowns and five interceptions since returning as the starter.

Tardy out: Washington State tailback Dwight Tardy, who ran for a career-best 214 yards in last week's 27-7 upset of UCLA, is out for the season with a torn ACL, coach Bill Doba announced. "It's a little late to do much changing of the game plan," Cal defensive coordinator Bob Gregory said. "It kind of depends on what they think of the other backs, or if they're just going to throw the heck out of the ball. We'll see." Backup Kevin McCall has run for 156 yards and no touchdowns on 33 carries. Calm, cool, collected: For three consecutive weeks, the Cal coaches and players have dealt with their losing streak in a calm, analytical fashion. Asked this week if it was time for someone to get angry, Tedford said he didn't see the value. "We can yell and scream all we want, but that's not going to fix anything," he said. "It's about preparation and execution. It's about playing for four quarters and making plays."

Senior words: The media relations staff is compiling comments from the seniors for the final game program. The players are allowed to write thank yous, quotes or reflections of their time in Berkeley. Here's a sneak peak at the different ways the players have dealt with the assignment.

"Don't wait too late," receiver Lavelle Hawkins wrote. "People can interpret that however they want."

"Guitar Hero is the best video game ever," safety Thomas DeCoud wrote before spilling a series of thanks.

Briefly: Receiver Robert Jordan (shoulder) and fullback Will Ta'ufo'ou (knee) practiced Thursday, and if there are no flare ups, Tedford expects both to play. ... Junior receiver DeSean Jackson and senior punter Andrew Larson were named this week as semifinalists for the top national awards given to their respective positions. Jackson, who has 46 catches for 541 yards and five touchdowns, is one of 12 players in the running for the Biletnikoff Award, and Larson, who is averaging 42.1 yards a punt with a net punting mark of 39.3 (No. 5 in the nation), is among the final 10 for the Ray Guy Award.

 

Daily Cal: Longshore Still Laboring; Davis Out Against Cougars

Quarterback Nate Longshore hobbled through Saturday’s loss with a sprained ankle. It didn’t help matters that he took numerous hits and often did not have much time to throw in the pocket. But Tedford did not attribute Longshore’s two interceptions late in the game to the sprained ankle.  “I watched him very closely and thought he moved fine in the pocket,” Tedford said. “He was hurrying some things though.”  Although backup Kevin Riley warmed up in the second half, Tedford elected to keep Longshore in the game even though his sore ankle gave him noticeable discomfort.  “I asked myself, can he run the offense, can he protect himself? He wasn’t any different last week than when he was completely healthy,” Tedford said.  Tedford will evaluate Longshore throughout the week and decide whether he or Riley will start at quarterback.

• After missing four games with a sprained foot, defensive end Rulon Davis returned for his first game in the Bears’ loss to Arizona State on Saturday and he made a difference early on.  Davis caused Sun Devils quarterback Rudy Carpenter to fumble on his first possession, which led to a Cal touchdown.  Davis, however, was not able to finish the game, as he went out in the third quarter with a sprained medial collateral ligament.  He is the only Bears player that Tedford said is definitely out for this Saturday’s game against the Cougars and may miss the next couple of weeks.  Fullback Will Ta’ufo’ou—who missed last week’s game because of a knee injury—and wide receiver Robert Jordan (shoulder) are considered day-to-day this week.  “It's that time of the year where a lot of guys are playing knicked up right now,” Tedford said.

• Tedford admitted that the three straight losses have weighed on him heavily and necessitated some personal self-reflection.  “It causes you to look in the mirror and ask if you did the right things,” he said. “It wouldn’t be fair if you didn’t ask if there’s anything we could’ve done differently. These are emotional, tough, hard losses. They’re draining. “  Tedford still maintains that the difference between wins and losses comes down to eliminating the penalties, which have crippled the Bears over the past few weeks.  “We need to focus on taking care of any minor thing that can possibly make a difference,” Tedford said.  Lavelle Hawkins agrees that there is no reason to panic and Cal just needs to eliminate self-inflicted mistakes.  “We just can’t keep beating ourselves,” Hawkins said. “We need to make the plays we’re supposed to make. We really can’t cry about it.”

• The last three weeks have been trying for many Bears football players.  Just three weeks ago, Cal was two quarters away from being No. 1.  Now the Bears have fallen out of the polls and many players are trying to get away from all the negative attention the team has been getting in its recent skid.  “It hurts me a lot,” Hawkins said. “I don’t even watch anything with college football on. If I see anything with college football I just turn the T.V. off.”  Hawkins said he has noticed the difference from just a few weeks ago, when the team was ranked No. 2 but was barely mentioned on the small screen.  “They weren’t talking about us at all,” Hawkins said. “But when we lose, we’re on there all day.”

 

Daily Evergreen: Cougars Prepare for Cal

Head coach Bill Doba knew his WSU football team needed a win last Saturday against Pac-10 leading UCLA.  The Cougars fought, found chemistry on both ends of the ball and ultimately beat the Bruins 27-7.  Fans rushed the field and Doba walked off it with a feeling he hasn’t had for awhile.  “The way things were going,” Doba said. “I was coming off the field as happy and excited as I was after the Holiday Bowl when we beat Texas. It was that kind of a feeling.” Once Doba had reached his car, he saw five text messages and eight missed calls from friends and family congratulating him on the win. He even got a couple text messages from his drywaller, telling the head coach to run a play-action pass with running back Dwight Tardy and to throw it over the middle to tight end Jed Collins.  Once Doba got home, he had some Winger’s chicken wings, filled out his top-25 poll and went to bed before midnight. Just another night.

His message was simple.  In a must-win situation, the Cougars beat UCLA. However, the 3-5 WSU football team can’t spend the week celebrating its win.  “It’s been four weeks since a win and this certainly makes things a little bit brighter in the locker room,” WSU quarterback Alex Brink said. “It’s one of those things that gives us a little bit of momentum, picks the guys up a bit but this certainly isn’t the end-all. We won a game and that’s awesome but we need to focus on what’s ahead of us.” What lies ahead is a pivotal – yet doable – stretch of games, starting this Saturday with the struggling California Golden Bears.  Three weekends ago, Cal was coming off a big win against Oregon in Eugene. They were sitting pretty at 5-0 and were ranked at No. 2 in nation. But then they lost at home to Oregon State. And then on the road to UCLA. And then on the road to Arizona State. And now they will play a hungry host for the Cougars on Saturday. “They can either really get upset and turn it around,” Doba said. “Or they can start bickering … You just don’t know. It could help and it could hurt.” The three-game losing streak isn’t saying anything about the quality of a team that Cal puts on the gridiron. The Golden Bears have had some bad breaks and even worse injuries.  Starting quarterback Nate Longshore has been shaken up and his backup made a brain fart that cost them the game against Oregon State. Starting running back Justin Forsett has been hobbling through games.  “If Longshore’s hurt, if Forsett’s hurt …” Doba said. “Just like when UCLA lost their big play guys, that hurts you.” After Cal, the Cougars return home to host Oregon State and Stanford and then it’s on to the Apple Cup.  Only three wins away from bowl-game eligibility, the Cougars remain optimistic about their chances, especially if they play like they did last Saturday.  “When the run game goes it helps the pass game and vice versa,” Doba said.

Brink agreed.  “What we did on Saturday was awesome,” Brink said. “I certainly don’t think we need to go out and rush for 270 yards every game to win, but we definitely need to have that balance of being able to run effectively.” The balanced offense that has been a widely discussed topic in the recent weeks called 98 plays – 51 rushing plays for 274 yards and 47 passing plays for 271 yards. Talk about balance.  “Those things really help an offense run into a rhythm,” Brink said. “You don’t have to attempt as many third down conversions because you’re getting more first downs early on.” Notes n Three Cougars are nursing concussions: center Kenny Alfred, safety Alfonso Jackson and running back Chris Ivory. All three did not play last week and have not suited up for practice. In the meantime, Andrew Roxas will fill in at center, Xavier Hicks Jr. at safety and Kevin McCall will assume backup running back duties. Sophomore linebacker Andy Mattingly has been on an absolute tear ever since stepping into the starting lineup. In his past three games, Mattingly has registered 31 tackles, seven sacks, nine tackles for loss and three forced fumbles.  Kickoff for Saturday’s game against Cal at Berkeley is scheduled for 7 p.m. The game will be televised on FSN