Cal's Tedford Sees Danger In Playing The Wounded Bruins
PASADENA (AP) -- An hour before their respective crosstown rivals meet at the Coliseum for a showdown between two nationally ranked teams, UCLA and California will get together several miles away at the Rose Bowl for more modest stakes.
While the Bruins (3-4, 2-2 Pac-12) are hoping to scrape together enough wins to save their coach's job and maybe get into a minor bowl game, the Golden Bears (4-3, 1-3) are eager to build a little momentum coming out of a three-game losing streak. It's not Stanford-USC, but it's important to two schools teetering between contention and also-ran status.
"It's a big game for us every year, no matter what the stakes are," UCLA quarterback Kevin Prince said. "It's the sister school, and you always get up to play your rivals, no matter what their record is or what your record is."
Prince will have to get up for this game without four of his favorite targets, however: UCLA receivers Taylor Embree, Shaquelle Evans, Randall Carroll and Ricky Marvray are all suspended for participating in a brawl during last week's blowout loss at Arizona, putting an unusual spin on this particular edition of the UC rivalry. Behind starters Nelson Rosario and Josh Smith, the Bruins have only untested commodities -- including Jerry Rice Jr., the walk-on with the famous father who will make his Bruins debut.
"We've been through tough losses here before, and we've responded. We'll respond again," UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel said. "You don't need to carry that wound with you. We need to focus on the California game, and we need to focus on how to put together a good plan on both sides of the ball."
Both coaches have faced tests to their reputations as offensive masterminds this season. Cal's Jeff Tedford is finally getting significant results from his passing game with quarterback Zach Maynard and star receivers Keenan Allen and Marvin Jones, who could be in for another big day against UCLA's injury-depleted secondary, which has lost key safety Tony Dye for the season.
While anybody watching tape of UCLA's 48-12 loss at Arizona would see a struggling squad, Tedford also sees danger.
"I think when something like that happens to a team, it ends up being a rallying cry for them and they come out more motivated than they would have otherwise," Tedford said. "Typically when you have some kind of a setback or some kind of adversity like that as a team, you rally around each other."
UCLA has alternated wins and losses this season, but its most recent loss was the ugliest. The Bruins couldn't compete with 1-5 Arizona, which had just fired coach Mike Stoops last week, and the loss increased the volume of fans and alumni calling for the ousters of Neuheisel and even athletic director Dan Guerrero.
Neuheisel has been indefatigably optimistic this season, even discussing UCLA's spot in the Pac-12 South race until last week's debacle.
"I think maybe too much was made of the race," Neuheisel said. "So we just talk about playing a great football game, doing all the things that great football games need and deserve, in terms of your execution and your focus."
The players are well aware of the uncertainty around UCLA, yet the Bruins can still show significant progress from last season's 4-8 squad, particularly if they can hold off Cal. UCLA's offensive strength still resides with talented tailbacks Johnathan Franklin and Derrick Coleman.
"They're definitely a run-first team, and we definitely like to pride ourselves on stopping the run," Cal defensive back Sean Cattouse said. "I don't see anything really different in what (Franklin) is doing or what they're doing. He's a solid back. We're just going to have to work well together to stop the run. ... They're both pretty big dudes, but I think we'll rally to them and gang-tackle them just fine."
The Bears have won three straight in the rivalry, outscoring the Bruins 121-53. Cal's 35-7 thrashing of UCLA last season was built on the Bears' running game and their ability to shut down the Bruins' pistol offense -- a scheme they're still using, but less frequently.
Cal got its first Pac-12 victory last week after an 0-3 start in conference play, beating Utah 34-10. Prince is impressed by Cal linebacker Mychal Kendricks while pointing out the Bears' overall balance.
"There really isn't a weakness on their defense," Neuheisel said. "They've got some young players in there, but they're very accomplished."
The Bruins are eager to find out what kind of a reception they'll get at the Rose Bowl in their first home game since barely holding off Washington State three weeks ago. An online group of fans says it will attend the game with bags on their heads -- perhaps an overreaction to a .500 team, or a symptom of a decade of disappointment in the program.
"We're not going to quit," UCLA linebacker Patrick Larimore said. "We're going to keep fighting."
