California 2004 Season | Team Page	Select Conference ACC Big East Big 10 Big 12 Conference USA Independents MAC Mountain West Pac-10 SEC Sun Belt WAC Select Team

Special Athlon offer for SI.com readers

The Lowdown 2005 Schedule Coach: Jeff Tedford (4th season, 25–13) 2004 record: 10-2 (Lost to Texas Tech in Holiday Bowl) Pac-10 finish: 7-1 (2nd) 2004 I-A offensive rankings: Rushing: 6th (256.8 ypg) Passing: 42nd (235.7 ypg) 2004 I-A defensive rankings: Rushing: 2nd (82.5 ypg) Passing: 88th (238.4 ypg) Date Opponent Sept. 3 Sacramento State Sept. 10 at Washington Sept. 17 Illinois Sept. 23 at New Mexico State Oct. 1 Arizona Oct. 8 at UCLA Oct. 15 Oregon State Oct. 22 Washington State Nov. 5 at Oregon Nov. 12 USC Nov. 19 at Stanford Depth Chart: Offense 6 returning starters in red Ps. No. Player Yr. No. Player Yr. WR 4 David Gray Jr.   Lavelle Hawkins Jr. WR 11 Robert Jordan So.   DeSean Jackson Fr. LT 71 Andrew Cameron Jr. 57 Noris Malele Fr. LG 75 Erik Robertson Jr. 68 Paul Fraley Jr. C 54 Marvin Philip Sr. 52 Scott Smith Jr. RG 65 Aaron Merz Sr. 62 Alex Mack Fr. RT 61 Ryan O’Callaghan Sr. 60 Jonathan Murphy Sr. TE 82 Craig Stevens So. 87 John Rust Sr. QB 18 Joseph Ayoob Jr. 9 Nate Longshore Fr. FB 27 Chris Manderino Sr. 38 Byron Storer Jr. TB 24 Marshawn Lynch So. 28 Justin Forsett So. Depth Chart: Defense 3 returning starters in red Ps. No. Player Yr. No. Player Yr. DE 94 Tosh Lupoi Sr. 99 Phillip Mbakogu So. DT 69 Matthew Malele So. 95 Albert Ma’afala So. DT 52 Brandon Mebane Jr. 99 Phillip Mbakogu So. DE 79 Nu’u Tafisi Jr. 54 Steve Kelly Jr. LB 26 Ryan Foltz Sr. 16 Andy Briner So. LB 10 Desmond Bishop Jr. 55 Greg Van Hoesen So. LB 1 Worrell Williams Fr.   Mickey Pimentel Jr. CB 13 Daymeion Hughes Jr. 22 Tim Mixon Jr. CB 11 Harrison Smith Sr. 17 Randy Bundy Jr. ROV 21 Donnie McCleskey Sr. 6 Wale Forrester Jr. FS 7 Thomas DeCoud So. 28 Kenny Frank So. Special Teams Ps. No. Player Yr. K 18 Tom Schneider So. P 14 David Lonie Sr. KR 24 Marshawn Lynch So. PR 22 Tim Mixon Jr.

To order your 2005 Athlon Sports annual and receive $1 off plus free shipping courtesy of SI.com, click here.

The worries are different around Strawberry Canyon these days. Fans once fretted over having more wins than losses, whether the coach would be around the next season and by how many points they would be stomped by traditional rival Stanford.

Since Jeff Tedford took over, the worries are of a different variety. Can Cal be a BCS bowl team in 2005? Will Tedford be lured away by another program or an NFL team? And how badly will the Bears beat Stanford in the Big Game?

Indeed, expectations are high coming off a 10-2 season that ended in deflating fashion when Cal was squashed by Texas Tech in the Holiday Bowl. Tedford became a wealthy man by signing a contract extension that runs through the '09 season. The official announcement came down that Cal is going to renovate aging Memorial Stadium.

And while the long-term health of the program has never been better, the '05 Golden Bears figure to take half a step back. Cal will be without quarterback Aaron Rodgers, tailback J.J. Arrington, All-America defensive end Ryan Riddle and a host of other key contributors.

"This is a different team," Tedford said. "We lost 26 guys from last year's team and a lot of them were seniors. We're going to make mistakes."

OFFENSE

Tedford's most imposing project will be turning junior college transfer Joseph Ayoob into another Rodgers. Ayoob blossomed at City College of San Francisco, where he was considered one of the top junior college recruits in the country. The starting job, however, wasn't handed to him during spring practice. He must first beat out redshirt freshman Nate Longshore, who isn't as quick on his feet as Ayoob, but is an adept passer with a big arm.

"We have two guys who we know can run the team," Tedford said. "I probably won't make a decision about the starter until the week of our first game."

As a true freshman, tailback Marshawn Lynch averaged 8.8 yards per carry as Arrington's backup. Now, the question becomes, can he be that productive as the Bears' featured back?

The receiving corps was wiped out by graduation. Sophomore Robert Jordan is the only returning player with any significant experience -- he caught 29 passes for 332 yards last season.

Former Parade All-American Lavelle Hawkins, who transferred to Cal from City College of San Francisco, and incoming Parade All-American DeSean Jackson, the Bears' top recruit, should make an immediate impact at wide receiver.

Cal's offensive line, which could be the most talented unit on the team, features four returning starters, including All-America center Marvin Philip. Philip and right tackle Ryan O'Callaghan, both seniors, were first-team All-Pac-10 selections last season.

DEFENSE

Defensive end Nu'u Tafisi recorded 16 sacks last season en route to earning All-America honors at Mt. San Antonio (Calif.) Junior College. He will be asked to step in for Riddle, who was sensational as a senior for the underrated Cal defense.

"Tafisi has the talent," Tedford said. "It's a matter of the learning curve. He has to get used to the speed of the game and the transition from junior college."

Part-time starter Ryan Foltz is the only returning linebacker on a unit that was wiped out by graduation. Tedford will attempt to patch the holes by adding junior college All-Americans Desmond Bishop and Mickey Pimentel. Redshirt freshman Worrell Williams, the half-brother of former Miami star D.J. Williams, will also fight for a starting spot.

In the secondary, the Bears return rover Donnie McCleskey and cornerbacks Harrison Smith, Daymeion Hughes and Tim Mixon. McCleskey was an All-Pac-10 selection in '03 but was slowed by a shoulder injury last fall.

SPECIALISTS

Senior punter David Lonie and sophomore placekicker Tom Schneider are returning starters, but both were inconsistent in 2004 during their first year of Pac-10 competition.

Lynch, who averaged 24.8 yards per kickoff return, might handle the duties again even though he will be the starting tailback.

FINAL ANALYSIS

The development of quarterbacks Ayoob and Longshore will either make or break the Bears in '05. If the passing attack is simply adequate, the rushing game could be spectacular with a tremendous offensive line leading the way for Lynch.

USC is clearly the cream of the crop in the Pac-10, but Cal should battle Arizona State and UCLA for second place in the conference.