2001 Cal Bears Football Preview
For head coach Tom Holmoe and his California Football team, 2001 is no time for excuses. There is no room for a building process. Holmoe and his group of 54 returning lettermen, including 17 starters, are not bashful about stating high expectations for a winning season and a bowl berth this year.
2000
Holmoe's young 2000 team showed it could trade punches with the league's heavyweights, but could not sustain the effort in the final rounds. The Bears had Rose Bowl champion and third-ranked Washington on the ropes in Seattle with an 11-point fourth quarter lead. They also had a fourth quarter lead over eventual No. 7 ranked Oregon in Eugene. In addition, they had a powerful Oregon State team that ended with a No. 4 national ranking in a two-point game with six minutes left on the clock in Berkeley.
SEASON OUTLOOK
The program made a gigantic step forward during the off-season in luring offensive guru Al Borges to the coaching staff as the new coordinator for the offense, struggling while finishing last in the Pac-10 in scoring each year. The Golden Bears will be fueled by a group of running backs that could be considered the best in the Pac-10, an offensive line that returns four starters and certainly will be one of the elite groups in the league, and a quarterback who hopes to display the form that made him one of the top recruits in America just two years ago. While Cal has a host of all-conference candidates at the positions mentioned above, the Bears make up for a lack of star power with superior depth at the wide receiver position. Six of the seven players in last year's rotation return in 2001 and the coaches believe that there will be plenty of production in the passing game this fall. The strength of the Cal defense this year will be at the linebacker position where seven different players return with strong cases for the starting line-up. Cal will build around a pair of all-conference candidates in the secondary as cornerback Jemeel Powell is as good a cover man as there is in the country and Nnamdi Asomugha has the earmarks of emerging as one of the top free safeties in the Pac-10 this season. The Bears hired a new assistant coach in LeCharls McDaniel to concentrate solely on special teams and that move should pay dividends. Place kicker Marc Jensen hopes to build on an 11-of-16 field goal effort as a sophomore last year and become one of the league's most consistent kickers in 2001. Cal's 2001 schedule is a welcome relief after last season when the Bears opened up with three of the first four games on the road and then had to face a trio of national Top 10 teams down the stretch, including two of those games in hostile road environments
OFFENSE
Nobody has suffered more growing pains the last two seasons than Cal quarterback Kyle Boller. Boller will carry the load, but there's some experience in reserve as both senior Eric Holtfreter and red-shirt freshman Reggie Robertson now have a year in the program after arriving last season. Holtfreter is a powerful force with good poise in the pocket, while Robertson offers a different dimension as his athletic skills may allow the Bears to toy with some option plays to provide a change of pace when the situation dictates.
RUNNING BACKS
Cal has not finished in the top half of the league's rushing charts since 1992, but that should change this season. The Bears have a wealth of weapons at running back, starting with junior Joe Igber, who finished fifth in the Pac-10 in rushing last season while averaging 81.9 yards per game. He will need to be at the top of his game if he expects to hold off the challenge of senior Saleem Muhammad or junior Joseph Echema. Marcus Fields returns after a shoulder injury put him on the shelf last season. He is a proven Pac-10 back with over 1,900 career-rushing yards and 5 100-yard games under his belt. Cal has a pair of traditional fullbacks with size and power in junior Ryan Stanger and red-shirt freshman Pana Faumuina. Stanger is a punishing blocker who provides a threat in short-yardage situations. Faumuina has excellent running instincts and should press for increased playing time as he continues to develop.
OFFENSIVE LINE
If Cal stays healthy, the Bears have a chance to establish themselves as possibly the top offensive line unit in the conference. Included in the nucleus are four returning starters who have started a combined 75 games during their careers. Senior guard Brandon Ludwig earned second team all-conference honors last year. He has superior athletic ability and should establish himself as a dominant performer, if he can avoid the type of nagging injuries that have caused him to miss small parts of each of the last three seasons. Back for his fourth season in the starting line-up is left tackle Langston Walker. The lone question mark on the offensive line resides at the center position. Other players who are in the hunt for playing time are senior Nofoaalii Tuitama, a massive offensive tackle who should be much more comfortable after one year of transition from junior college, red-shirt freshman Eric O'Brien, a young player with a wealth of potential, sophomore guard Chris Murphy and sophomore Nick Shaeffer. Both red-shirt freshmen Baron Ma and sophomore David Hays could quickly assert themselves in the fall as the coaches note their talents.
WIDE RECEIVERS
The Bears return six of their top seven pass-catchers from last year, a major improvement from a year ago when the Bears entered the season with very little in the area of proven talent. The six returnees combined for 88 catches for 1257 yards and 10 touchdowns last year. After missing the early season with a back sprain, junior Derek Swafford emerged as Cal's most dangerous receiver down the stretch. He had all of his team-leading 25 receptions in the final six games and seems poised to make a run for all-conference honors this fall. On the other end of the spectrum, senior Charon Arnold looked like he was on his way to a big year with 12 catches and a pair of TDs in the first four games, before a stress fracture in his lower leg put him on the sidelines for the rest of the season. Cal had two of the best true-freshman receivers in the country last year in Geoff McArthur and Chase Lyman. McArthur played most of last year with a painful thumb injury, but still managed to end the year with more receiving yards (336) than any other player on the Cal team. Cal has quality depth in seniors Sean Currin and Chad Heydorff.
TIGHT ENDS
The favorite for starting duties is junior Terrance Dotsy. Cal will also look to Tom Swoboda and Matt Schafer to provide depth. However, pair of incoming freshmen, Jordan Hunter and Brett Bischofberger, have the type of skills that will give them a chance to immediately contribute.
DEFENSE
DEFENSIVE LINE
Should veteran coach Bill Dutton be able to work his magic in developing young players into productive Pac-10 performers, Cal will once again rate as one of the top defensive lines in the conference and contend for the league sack title for the third consecutive season. Tully Banta-Cain proved to be a major contributor, back in the starting line-up, but he could be pushed hard by junior Jamaal Cherry, a mega-talent who is making the transition from linebacker to the rush end spot. At the other end position, Cal will have an unproven commodity. Two other candidates for the starting spot are Tom Canada and Louis-Philippe Ladouceur. The Bears have a trio of interior players with significant playing experience. Daniel Nwangwu and Josh Beckham shared starting duties last year and again figure to rotate a good amount in 2001, while Jonathan Giesel was pushing for a starting spot as a true-freshman last fall until a tendon injury in his arm forced him to red-shirt.
LINEBACKERS
Cal returns all three starters. On the outside, senior Scott Fujita had a very solid junior campaign with 41 tackles, including 13 tackles behind the line of scrimmage. He will need to be at his best to hold off a very athletic Calvin Hosey, who now has the experience to go along with his natural talents. On the inside, John Klotsche and Matt Nixon combined for 93 tackles last year and always seemed to be around the ball. Two players who will make significant pushes for starting duties are senior Chris Ball and junior Marcus Daniels. A pair of red-shirt freshmen could also make strong cases for playing time as Eli Thompson and Brian Tremblay have a bright future at Cal. Both J.P. Segura and Jason Smith have starting experience and the savvy to contribute. Junior Paul Ugenti will concentrate mostly on special teams duties, but gives the Cal added depth at the inside linebacker position.
SECONDARY
Cal has excellent depth in the secondary with three starters returning and good competition at all four spots. The person who has the most impressive credentials is junior cornerback Jemeel Powell, who ranked among the national leaders with 16 pass deflections, despite missing almost three entire games with a hip flexor injury. On the other side, junior LaShaun Ward is equally talented. Sophomores Atari Callen and James Bethea are both excellent coverage corners who will be on the field in nickel and dime alignments and could contend for starting assignments. Cal returns starters Nnamdi Asomugha and Bert Watts at the safety positions. Asomugha is a budding star as he has an enviable combination of size and speed. Watts is a steady performer who split starting duties with Dewey Hale at the strong safety position. Watts contributed 36 tackles a year ago, while Hale was a very active player who had 50 tackles and six pass deflections. Watts and Hale will be pushed for playing time by red-shirt freshman Perron Wiley and sophomore James Smith.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Nick Harris NCAA record 13,621 career-punting yards will be nothing more than a memory this year and Cal will be forced to find a new punter for the first time in five years. Sophomore Tyler Fredrickson has the inside track as he served as the primary back up last season and even filled in during the Utah game with three punts. However, competition will come from sophomore Jeremy Hershey and red-shirt freshman Anthony Fassero.
PLACEKICKING
Mark Jensen showed fine progress last year, hitting 11-of-16 field goals, including five of his final 6 and 10 of his final 12 attempts during the season. He was particularly solid from close range as he connected on 11-of-13 attempts from 40 yards or shorter.
RETURN SPECIALISTS
Cal has one of the top punt return specialists in the country in junior Jemeel Powell. He led the country in that category late in the 2000 season, eventually finishing fifth nationally with an 18.2 ypr average, a new school record. Fellow cornerback LaShaun Ward could be a big factor returning either punts or kickoffs, while veterans Atari Callen and James Bethea could also figure in the mix.
