Arrington Clips Eagles

J.J. Arrington doesn't want to be quiet anymore.

After the announcement yesterday that No. 4 Cal was not selected to the Rose Bowl despite being ranked fourth in both the AP and ESPN/USA Today polls, the Bears may feel it is time to speak their mind. They defeated Southern Mississippi 26-16 Saturday in Hattiesburg, Miss., to end the regular season with a 10-1 record.

Cal's senior running back, who in two years has become one of the most prolific individual offensive juggernauts in school history, capped off his regular season with a huge statement Saturday.

With thoughts of the Heisman trophy in mind, Arrington rushed for a game-high 261 yards on 26 carries.

The Bears needed every one of those yards against the Eagles.

The contest marked the 11th time this season Arrington has rushed for at least 100 yards in a game, which ties the Pac-10 record set by USC's Marcus Allen in 1981.

His name has not seriously been mentioned in the Heisman talk, but Arrington still put on a show in front of a national television audience.

Of the big runs he has had this season, none may have been bigger than his 56-yard burst late in the fourth quarter that set up a Marshawn Lynch 12-yard touchdown, putting Cal up 26-16.

After the game, Arrington, a soft-spoken player who has been quick to shift recognition to his teammates all year, finally said what the fans had been thinking.

"I don't know what else I've got to do," Arrington said of his Heisman trophy candidacy. "I've been humble all year about it, but I'm going to speak out now. I'm the only back in the nation who rushed for 100 yards every game. Something got to go right."

Arrington has rushed for 1,825 yards on the season, which ranks second in the nation behind North Texas running back Jemario Thomas.

With another big effort in the Holiday Bowl on Dec. 30 in San Diego, Arrington, a North Carolina native, can become the first player ever to rush for over 2,000 yards in school history.

"I would hope that (the media) will support J.J. in his run to go to New York, because the guy did it every single week for us this year," Bears coach Jeff Tedford said. "He deserves a lot of credit and accolades for that. I feel that he should get some recognition for the Heisman."

However, despite Arrington's heroics, the game seemed to be a real struggle for his team.

Playing in front of a small but hostile crowd of 27,480, the Bears (10-1) needed a breakout fourth quarter to squash the Southern Miss comeback attempt.

Up 14-7 to begin the second half, Cal had numerous drives that could have easily seen points go on the board.

But untimely penalties, along with a costly Aaron Rodgers interception deep in Golden Eagles territory to begin the fourth quarter, stalled the Bears' drives.

The Southern Miss offense finally capitalized on the opportunities with 6:20 left in the fourth quarter when Eagles quarterback Dustin Almond sneaked his way into the end zone on a 1-yard touchdown run, pulling Southern Miss to within 17-16.

The score was set up two plays earlier by a magnificent 20-yard diving catch from wide receiver Tavarres Williams that put the Golden Eagles deep in the red zone.

However, in what Tedford described as "the play of the game," the extra point attempt after Almond's touchdown turned the momentum back towards the Cal sideline.

As Southern Miss kicker Darren McCaleb lined up for the attempt, the Bears' front line was able to force its way up against the Eagles' offensive line, which allowed reserve cornerback Thomas DeCoud to a get a hand up and block McCaleb's kick.

"We must've got a good push up the middle, and (DeCoud) got it," Tedford said. "He's our jumper in there."

As the ball rolled on the turf, Cal linebacker Wendell Hunter was able to scoop it up and started his scamper down the right sideline.

With about 20 yards to go to the Bears end zone, Hunter appeared as if he were going to get caught from behind, but Cal cornerback Harrison Smith hustled down with Hunter and was able to throw a key block on Southern Miss fullback Wayne Hardy, allowing Hunter to get into the end zone.

The two-point conversion gave the Bears a 19-16 lead.

"I was just fortunate that Thomas was able to get up there and make a play," Hunter said. "I just executed my technique and picked the ball up and tried to run as fast as I could."

Despite the disappointment of Cal not making the Rose Bowl, safety Ryan Gutierrez said the team should be proud.

"Three years ago, we were talking about it on the sidelines," he said. "Now we go from 1-10 to 10-1, and our only loss coming to the number-one-ranked team in the country. It just feels really good right now."

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