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California Bears (2000: 3-8) The following team preview is provided by Blue Ribbon. For the nation's most comprehensive look at this and all Division I-A teams, be sure to order the 2001 Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook, on sale now at 1-800-775-2518.
Coach and programFourth-year head coach Tom Holmoe has made it well known in Berkeley that he won't stay if the team has another losing season, so there is plenty of pressure to go around, from the head coach, to the staff, to the players. Suffice to say that Cal simply has to get off to a fast start or the program could come apart at the seams."There's a real urgency about this coming season, but all the pieces are in place," Holmoe said. "Our personnel is the best since I've been here." Confidence is high for several reasons. The first, and perhaps most important, is that Cal's schedule gives the team a fighting chance to develop into a bowl participant. Although BYU and Illinois are not patsies by any means, they are two programs coming off subpar seasons that will be playing the Bears in Berkeley. Cal's lone non-conference road opponent in 2001 is Rutgers, a team that was truly awful last season despite having a quarterback (Mike McMahon) who was drafted by the NFL. Certainly, Cal should have a fighting chance to win all three of those games, or at worst, two of the three. The Pac-10 season then begins with a road trip to Washington State, a team that hasn't lost to Cal at home since 1979. Even so, if Cal expects to reach a bowl, it must be able to beat WSU, a squad that has won three conference games the last two seasons. During the offseason, Holmoe convinced Al Borges to leave his offensive coordinator job at UCLA to take over the same position in Berkeley. Cal's offense, which finished at the bottom of the Pac-10 the last three seasons in points scored, got an instant injection of coaching genius. Borges has worked wonders wherever he has stopped, his last two stints at Oregon and UCLA. In six years at those two schools (the last five at UCLA), his offenses averaged 31 points per game. If he can breathe some life into a lethargic Bears' offense (that averaged just 22 points a year ago), perhaps Cal fans will be reintroduced to a word that has become foreign -- victory.
OffenseThe general feeling is that junior quarterback Kyle Boller (6-4, 210) has been hindered -- as well as being beaten to a pulp -- the last two seasons by Cal's general lack of talent. It would be hard to argue such a notion, especially because the Bears scored the fewest points in the Pac-10 both seasons.Boller did raise his completion percentage from 38.6 percent his freshman year to 46.7 percent last season. "I feel more comfortable, even more so than in the past," Boller said. "I'm not sure why. I guess I understand more than I did." Coaches from around the Pac-10 have stated that Cal has a load of talent at running back, yet the Bears have struggled with their rushing offense. Leading the way is junior Joe Igber (5-8, 200) a shifty, quick runner who has no peer in the Pac-10 in terms of changing direction while on the move. Igber averaged 81.9 yards a game last season and he figures to improve that statistic as long as he remains healthy. Cal's wide receiver unit is now serviceable, which is light years ahead of the situation in 1999. Holmoe cleaned house and recruited a horde of wideouts before last season and most contributed in one way or another. Leading the group is junior Derek Swafford (5-10, 175), the old-man river of the team at 26. The former minor leaguer in the Pittsburgh Pirates' organization missed the first half of the season with a back injury, but caught 25 passes in the final six games for 335 yards (a 13.4 yards-per-catch average) and three touchdowns. On the line, four starters return who have a combined 75 starts behind them, but other than sophomore offensive tackle Mark Wilson (6-6, 295), they have had their share of aches and pains.
Defense and special teamsPerhaps the one sure thing on the line this season is junior Tully Banta-Cain (6-4, 250), a rush end who showed considerable improvement over the course of the 2000 season. He finished eighth in the conference with six sacks and he had 13 tackles for loss.The impact player of the linebacker group is senior Scott Fujita (6-5, 250), a guy who just a year ago was pondering retirement because of a neck injury. Doctors took care of the problem and Fujita went on to record 13 tackles for loss in 2000. Junior cornerback Jemeel Powell (6-1, 185) has very quickly become one of the nation's top defensive backs. Despite missing three games during his sophomore season, he had 16 pass deflections to go with a team-high four interceptions. At free safety, Cal has an honors candidate in junior Nnamdi Asomugha (6-2, 210), a big hitter who started all 11 games last season. A year ago, Asomugha led Cal with 76 tackles, 48 of them unassisted. With Nick Harris, the NCAA's all-time record holder for most punts and yardage in a career, off to the Denver Broncos, the Bears will be experimenting to find a capable replacement. Sophomore Tyler Fredrickson (6-3, 205) came out of spring drills as No. 1 on the depth chart.
Bottom lineCal has a lot of players walking around who have been through the mill. If you indeed learn from your mistakes, experience should be a factor pushing Cal toward a bowl berth.If Cal's offensive and defensive lines hold up, this could be the surprise team of the Pac-10. Cal's schedule sets it up for a fast start, and if Boller gets a little confidence, a bowl should be expected. What kind of bowl probably will be determined by injuries. While Cal's starters can compete with just about any Pac-10 team, Holmoe doesn't have the depth to survive significant losses. |
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