*** NCAA Football Preview - California Golden Bears ***

From The My Sportsbook

By Brian Mason, College Football Staff Writer

2003 SEASON IN REVIEW: Coach Jeff Tedford has been able to construct one of the most impressive turnarounds of a collegiate program in some time with the way he has reconstructed the California Golden Bears. A squad that was perennially at the bottom of the standings in the Pac-10, Cal is now one of the more well respected teams in the conference. The Bears were able to finish last season with an overall mark of 8-6 and surprised the rest of the conference by going 5-3 in Pac-10 play, which was good enough to tie them for third place. The biggest highlight of the season came on September 27th, when Cal was able to pull off a 34-31 triple overtime upset of the Co-National Champion USC Trojans. It was easily one of the team's biggest wins in school history and marked the Trojans' only defeat of the entire year. Tedford and the Bears were rewarded with a trip to the Insight Bowl and were able to pull out a thrilling 52-49 win against Virginia Tech. The victory meant the Bears ended their 2003 campaign by winning five of their last six games and were now setting the bar even higher for a successful 2004 season.

2004 ANALYSIS:

OFFENSE: Finding a suitable replacement for star quarterback Kyle Boller was supposed to be next to impossible to accomplish before the start of last season. Instead Tedford found that he had two signal-callers that could immediately step in and take over the reins, including now-senior Reggie Robertson and former juco standout Aaron Rodgers. Throwing for 2,903 yards, 19 touchdowns and only five interceptions, Rodgers was clearly the team's most dominating weapon under center. He tied a school record last year with five 300-yard passing performances and is poised to put up better numbers this year as he gains another year of experience in Tedford's offensive system. While Tedford made it look easy replacing Boller, he now has to do the same with former tailback Adimchinobe Echemandu moving on as well. J.J. Arrington played well as a backup last year, rushing for 607 yards and five scores, but will now have to face the rigors of being the everyday starter. However, that shouldn't be too hard of a transition for the young tailback. Wideout Geoff McArthur was a First-Team All-Pac 10 member last season and was widely regarded as one of the top receivers in the nation. McArthur finished last season with 85 catches, for 1,504 yards and 10 touchdowns. Injuries have plagued McArthur in his career with Cal, but if he can stay healthy he will make a run at nearly every school receiving record this year.

DEFENSE: The Bears return nine starters on defense this season and should be more equipped to hold on to leads for Cal's prolific offense. Rover Donnie McCleskey is the star of the secondary, having posted 102 tackles and two interceptions last season. McCleskey is one of the best all-around defensive backs in the nation, using his size and speed to not only breakup passes but also deliver punishing hits. Daymeion Hughes, Ryan Guiterrez and Harrison Smith all return as well to this young and athletic secondary, which should improve on its 251.1 ypg allowed through the air last year (91st in the nation). The linebackers will be led by Wendell Hunter, who last year posted 94 stops and seven sacks. Fellow linebacker Joe Maningo will be returning from a knee injury that forced him to miss time last season, but he should return to the form that had many Berkeley faithful talking about his ability to dominate against the run. The defensive line lacks star power and will be tested often this season by opposing running attacks. Senior Lorenzo Alexander needs to step up his play at defensive tackle if this unit is going to make its presence felt in 2004.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Tyler Fredrickson was one of the best kickers in the Pac-10 over the last couple of seasons and now juco David Lonie will try to carry on a tradition of stellar legs coming out of Berkeley. Lonie will double up for the Bears, playing both as kicker and punter. While his ability to punt the ball will not be a question, Lonie's accuracy on field goals may need some work. If Lonie can't prove to be consistent with his field goal making, the Bears could be in trouble.

OUTLOOK: The 2004 Bears have to be careful of believing all the hype that is currently surrounding this program. Cal was successful last season because it liked playing the role of underdog and was able to rely on an offense that was one of the best in the nation. Rodgers should once again be outstanding for the Bears and will reap the benefits of a schedule that opens up with contests against Air Force, New Mexico State and Southern Miss. Cal also finishes up the year with very winnable matchups against Oregon, Washington and Stanford. The key to how high the Bears finish in the Pac-10 standings will depend on how well the defense can play. Without a pass rush, it will put way too much stress on McCleskey and the rest of the secondary. Senior defensive end Tosh Lupoi could be the savior for Cal's defensive line, but he needs to become more explosive at the point of attack. Finishing in the Top 10 is a possibility for this squad and if not for a revenge matchup with USC, an undefeated season in the Pac-10 would not be out of the question. Tedford and the Bears will be explosive on offense and improved on defense, but again they must take the season one game at a time or else a return to mediocrity could be their fate.