After its emphatic 45-24 defeat of the Ducks last weekend, No. 10 California (5-1 overall, 3-0 Pacific-10 Conference) jumped six spots in the polls and the Bears re-earned the respect of critics who’d snubbed them in the wake of their defeat to Tennessee in their season opener.
Washington State was not quite as impressive in its 14-6 victory at Oregon State. But the Cougars (4-2, 2-1) held the Beavers to just two field goals, and showed that their defense could make up for whenever the offense faltered.
The Cougars will have to count on the defense again to stop Cal’s high-powered offense this weekend in Pullman, Wash.
Cal enters this weekend riding the momentum of a five-game winning streak What’s more, the Bears have scored 40 points or more in five straight games -a first in school history.
“This will be the best set of receivers we’ll see all year,” Cougars secondary coach
Ken Greene said to a Washington newspaper, “They have speed, speed, speed, their running backs are good, their offensive line is good, and their quarterback is playing well.”
Led by junior running back Justin Forsett’s 163-yard performance, the Bears churned up 235 total yards on the ground and quarterback Nate Longshore put up another 189 yards in the air.
The key is that the Bears accomplished all that partly without the services of starting running back Marshawn Lynch, who went out of the game with an ankle injury in the first half.
Lynch is expected to be back in action Saturday, and even though Forsett won Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Week honors for his performance against the Ducks, Lynch will most certainly get the starting nod against the Cougars.
The Oakland, Calif. native leads the Pac-10 with an average of 100.8 rushing yards per game, and has accumulated 605 yards on 86 carries this year. He also has run four touchdowns and caught three more.
But the Bears also have a potent passing game in the form of DeSean Jackson. Jackson hauled in two long passes for 77 yards – one of which was a 36-yard touchdown – and then returned a punt 65 yards for his second touchdown of the night.
Jackson now has an eight-game touchdown reception streak that he’d like to keep going against the Cougars.
“We better be ready to play,” Cougars’ coach Bill Doba said, “Or we could be embarrassed. They’re an excellent football team.”
The Cougars’ main defensive weapon is senior defensive end Mkristo Bruce, who leads the nation with 10 sacks this season. Since their season-opener, the Cougars have only allowed 60 yards per game. But this could well change when they go up against the Lynch-Forsett show on Saturday. As a team, the Bears have averaged 167.3 rushing yards per game this season.
“(The Cougars’ defensive line) is excellent,” Cal coach Jeff Tedford said. “You’re not going to find a more physical front than these guys. Bruce is an all-around defensive player. They do a really nice job of being relentless and getting after you. They do a nice job of making you hold the ball a little bit so the pass rushers can get to you.
“They’re a very dangerous group that way. They can really pass rush. It all starts with the passion and the intensity they play with. They don’t ever stop coming at you.”
[email protected]