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| | Monday, September 6 | |||||
| 1998 Record: 5-6 (3-5) | 1998 statistics | 1999 schedule Head coach: Tom Holmoe Returning starters: 16 (offense 7, defense 7) Outlook No team in the conference is as set on one side of the ball and has more questions on the other as California. The Bears feature one of the best defenses in the nation and an offense which averaged a measly 292.2 yards of total offense in a conference where the next lowest total was USC's 351. The offenese doesn't promise to get any better right away, either. Cal has to break in a new quarterback. That might end up being true freshman Kyle Boller, if sophomore Samuel Clemons can't cut it. Thankfully for Cal, the defense is good enough to keep it in just about any game. Offense Clemons had trouble grasping the offense as Justin Vedder's backup last season. A dedication to watching film and studying the playbook has helped him understand the new system first-year offensive coordinator Steve Hagen. But Boller is hot on his tail for the starting spot. The 6-4, 195-pound freshman was the California state Player of the Year and is considered the best quarterback prospect out of the San Fernando Valley since John Elway. Whoever gets the job will need to find a primary receiver. Dameane Douglas and his 100 receptions from a year ago are gone. Joel Young (28 catches, 281 yards) and Phillip Pipersburg (4, 56) are the top candidates. Although the running game didn't produce many results last year, it wasn't as bad as it seemed. Junior Marcus Fields, who was fourth in the Pac-10 with 734 yards, is back and should see plenty of action in Hagen's new one-back offense. Where the offense really needs to pick up is along the offensive line. Cal allowed a conference-high 58 sacks last year. Three starters are back but none are very accomplished. Six-foot-eight, 335-pound tackle Langston Walker certainly has the size to dominate. Guard Yauger Williams, who started seven games in 1997 before knee problems forced him to retire, is back in the fold. It's a good sign if: The simplified offense eliminates mistakes but not efficiency.It's a bad sign if: The Bears spend the season wondering who their quarterback is. Defense Cal can take some solace in knowing that as happy as its opponents get when preparing for the Bears' punchless offense, they're just as unhappy to look across the line and see Cal's defense. The fearsome front seven is the best in the conference, led by tackle Jerry DeLoach, end Andre Carter and linebackers Sekou Sanyika and Matt Beck. DeLoach and Carter are entering their third seasons as starters. Sanyika, a first-team all-Pac-10 pick last year, led the league in tackles for loss (23 for minus-125 yards). Beck was right behind him with 19 for minus-75. On top of those four, Cal signed the top J.C. pass rusher, Johnny Jackson. But Nate Geldermann's college career came to an early end due to chronic neck problems, which robs the line of some of its depth. Beck is wearing Geldermann's No. 99 in tribute. Other health problems are a concern -- DeLoach, Sanyika and Beck all missed spring drills because of minor surgeries. The secondary returns two starters in safety Pete Destefano and cornerback Chidi Iwuoma. Destefano is the leading returning tackler (66 stops) and Iwouma led the team in pass deflections (11). Former tailback Deltha O'Neal could start at the other corner. It's a good sign if: The strong front line again allows Beck and Sanyika to wreak havoc in the offensive backfield.It's a bad sign if: Cal is forced to play its second-string linebackers extensively. Special Teams O'Neal is one of the top return men in the conference, averaging 11.8 yards per punt return and 28.4 per kickoff return. Nick Harris has good touch on his punts but needs to work on distance (40.8 yard average). Ignacio Brache is the top returning candidate at placekicker but Cal is looking for something better than his 5-for-9 performance on field goals and 10-for-13 on PATs -- especially with this offense. -- Greg Collins |
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