Bears Hit Rocky Bottom

KNOXVILLE, Tenn.-This was supposed to be the game where the No. 9 Cal football team showed off its revamped offense and experienced defense. This was supposed to be the game that would earn the Bears some respect on the East coast and kick off their run to a historic season.

Instead, the matchup with No. 23 Tennessee that the nation had been buzzing about since spring practice started took just over one half to be decided.

Six minutes into the third quarter, Cal (0-1) found itself trailing 35-0. The Bears would eventually lose Saturday's showdown-turned-letdown, 35-18, as the Volunteers (1-0) exposed weaknesses in all facets of Cal's game.

"We just weren't very sharp. We didn't catch the ball very well, we didn't tackle very well, which is unusual for us," Bears coach Jeff Tedford said. "Give (Tennessee) a lot of credit. They have big, strong guys. They outplayed us today, without a doubt."

The loud capacity crowd of 106,009 fans at Neyland Stadium seemingly had more to cheer about in this contest than it did all of last year, when Tennessee uncharacteristically struggled to a 5-6 season and missed a bowl game for the first time in 16 years.

"We've never seen anything like that," Tedford said. "That's a pretty impressive atmosphere, there's no doubt about it. The environment they create gives Tennessee a real home field advantage."

Cal was also in an unfamiliar position, holding its highest preseason ranking since 1952 and generating preseason talk of a BCS Bowl appearance. All those aspirations, however, are now on hold after the dismal performance. The crowd reminded the Bears by chanting "overrated" before the fourth quarter even began.

"It definitely stings," quarterback Nate Longshore said about the chant. "Anytime you're losing like that, anything is going to sting."

There was immense pressure on Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer heading into the game. Fulmer brought back offensive coordinator David Cutcliff to revive an offense that averaged just 18.6 points a game last year. At least for the first contest, the change has paid dividends.

Cal's heralded defensive unit, which returned seven starters and was ranked as high as No. 2 in the nation by some publications, could not contain the Vols' balanced attack.

Tennessee quarterback Erik Ainge, who was mired in a position of controversy last season, threw for 291 yards and four touchdowns. The Vols' ground game racked up 216 yards, led by sophomore tailback Adrian Foster, who finished with 69.

"They didn't come with anything we weren't ready for," senior defensive back Daymeion Hughes said. "We were prepared, we just didn't execute."

The tone was set early when Tennessee mounted a 10-play drive in its second possession of the game that resulted in a touchdown.

Meanwhile, Cal's own offensive modifications under new offensive coordinator Mike Dunbar never quite came together against a quick Vols defense.

The Bears' inexperienced offensive line struggled to provide protection all game long, and the tailback tandem of Marshawn Lynch and Justin Forsett generated just 75 rushing yards.

Lynch, who only received 12 carries and caught five passes for 22 yards, appeared to have tweaked his leg on a kickoff return early in the game, though he denied being injured.

"I wouldn't do anything different," Lynch said. "They came out with a great game plan, and they played a great game. Big-ups to them."

There was little improvement when Cal shifted more to its new spread offense, as Longshore was pressured all game and held to 85 yards in the air on 11-for-20 passing before yielding the position to senior Joe Ayoob midway through the third quarter.

Ayoob fared a little better against many of Tennessee's backups. He completed 9-of-22 passes for 187 yards, including a 40-yard touchdown pass to DeSean Jackson to start the fourth quarter. Ayoob ran for another score with nine seconds left in the game to make the score semi-respectable.

Tedford, who said the quarterback situation will be re-evaluated this week, now has the difficult task of regrouping a deflated team.

"Our kids aren't going to give up or stop believing in who they are," Tedford said. "This is one game we'll learn from."

The Bears begin their home schedule next week against Big Ten-foe Minnesota, which beat Kent State, 44-0, to open its season last week.

"The biggest disappointment was that we didn't come out with a win, but that's the game of football," Lynch said. "You've just got to get back to the drawing board and get ready for next week."

Cal: 18
Tennessee:35

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