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Nov. 11, 1997

California-Arizona Media Notes

Cal-Arizona Series Resumes in Desert with Anticipation of Another Wild Finish

In what can best described as one of the most thrilling series in college football, Cal and Arizona hook up for the 19th time this Saturday evening in Tucson. Being a favorite in the exciting 17-game Cal-Arizona series isn't all that it's cracked up to be. Point spreads in the rivalry are practically meaningless as the underdog has come away the victor 6 of the past 9 games and the favorite almost never has won by as many points as the odds-makers have predicted. The favorite has walked away with a win just 7 times in the 18 games between the 2 schools. The Bears hold a 9-7-2 lead in a series which dates back to 1978 and have won 6 of the past 9 games. There have been an uncanny number of last-second decisions in the series with no less than 15 of the 18 games being decided by a touchdown or less and the outcome in doubt in the last 2 minutes of the game. The last 10 games have been decided by a cumulative 35 points. Last year was one of the more remarkable games in college football history. Cal dominated on the offensive end, but lost 3 fumbles inside the Arizona 20-yard-line and saw a 35-21 fourth quarter lead dissipate into a 4-overtime thriller. Arizona scored a TD first in the initial overtime, but Cal responded. After the Wildcats missed a 41-yard FG in second OT, Cal responded by missing a 39-yard FG. A pair of TDs in the third OT set up a dramatic finish. Cal scored first on a 5-yard TD pass, but Arizona came back to get in the endzone. With the score 56-55, Arizona tried a fake extra point, but Andre Rhodes stayed at home and tackled Matt Peyton well short of the endzone to end the game. Cal QB Pat Barnes set a Cal record with 503 passing yards (35-46-0 interceptions) while he also set a Pac-10 mark with 8 touchdown passes. Arizona receiver Jeremy McDaniel had a school record 283 receiving yards on 14 catches wile Wildcat QB Keith Smith threw for 418 yards (25-35-0 interceptions) with 4 touchdowns.

Year    Final Score      Favorite    Notes
1978    Cal 33-20        Cal by 2    Win gives Cal 2-0 conference record, both games on the road.
1979    Cal 10-7         UA by 7     Joe Cooper's 31-yard field goal with 2 seconds left gives Cal win in Tucson
                                     Rich Campbell sets Cal completion % record (22-26, .846), 200 yards.
1980*   Arizona 31-24    Cal by 6    Cal blows 21-3 halftime and 24-10 4th quarter leads and fumbles at own
                                     2-yard-line with just over a minute to play to set up winning Cat TD.
1981    Cal 14-13        UA by 5     Arizona opts for 2-point conversion try with 4:52 left but a Tom
                                     Tunnicliffe pass is batted down by John Sullivan.
1983*   Tie 33-33        UA by 11    Bears battle back from a 26-3 halftime deficit vs. No. 3 ranked Arizona to post a
                                     tie on Randy Pratt's 22-yard FG with 48 seconds left; his 62-yarder at end is short
1984    Arizona 24-13    UA by 4     Arizona holds potent "Air Cal" attack to just 174 yards in both teams' opener.
1985*   Arizona 23-17    UA by 5     UA's Allen Durden intercepts Cal bid for upset with a pick of Kevin Brown pass
                                     at the Arizona 6-yard-line with less than 2 minutes in the game.
1986    Arizona 33-16    UA by 21    Arizona scores first 4 possessions of 2nd half to take charge of a 13-10 game.
1987*   Tie 23-23        AU by 10    Bears come back from a 16-7 deficit to tie on a Troy Taylor to Rob Bimson TD
                                     with 3:36 left; UA fumbles away potential win at Cal 26 with 42 seconds left.
1988    Cal 10-7         UA by 10    Troy Taylor hits Vince Delgado with 55-yard TD with 8:21 to post upset.
1989*   Cal 29-28        UA by 12    Bears post then-biggest come-from-behind win in Memorial Stadium history as 
                                     they rally from 21-0 deficit as Taylor throws for 372 yards.
1990    Cal 30-25        UA by 12    Cal upsets undefeated 16th-ranked Cats but UA has the ball at the Cal 14 in the
                                     final minute before a 4th down pass attempt is intercepted by Ray Sanders at the 8.
1991    Cal 23-21        Cal by 3.5  Cal blows 17-0 lead, but marches from own 3 to UA 15 in last 2:02 and Doug
                                     Brien hits 33-yard field goal at gun to provide 23-21 victory.
1992*   Arizona 24-17    Cal by 3    After Arizona built a 24-3 3rd quarter lead, Cal cut the margin to a TD with 1:11 left
                                     but Cal missed on the ensuing on-side kick attempt and UA ran out the clock.
1993*   Cal 24-20        UA by 8     Cal rallies from 20-0 deficit, with 2 TDs in last 5 minutes and holds off final UA 
                                     threat as Wildcat drive ends at Cal 19 in final minute of play.
1994    Arizona 13-6     UA by 18    Cal gave No. 18 ranked Arizona a scare but a pair of officials' decisions cost the Bears;
                                     the Bears drove to UA 20 with 2:25 left in game, but couldn't convert.
1995    Arizona 20-15    UA by 6     Cal receivers drops three straight first down passes in UA territory in the final 3 
                                     minutes of  game and Arizona holds on for a 5-point victory.
1996*   Cal 56-55 (4ot)  UA by 11    Cal and Arizona combine for 12 TD passes with 0 interceptions; Bears blow 35-21 4th 
                                     qtr lead, but win when fake UA extra point in 4th OT fails & Cal escapes with 56-55 win.
* indicates Cal home game

BEARS HOPE TO FINISH STRONG AND MOVE UP IN PAC-10 STANDINGS
Looking back over the last month, it's easy to see why the Golden Bears have struggled. The young Cal team just didn't have the firepower to stay with the upper echelon of college football teams. In their last 5 games, the Bears have played 4 of the nation's Top 15 teams. Not surprisingly, Cal's only win during that span came against unranked Oregon State. Losses have come to No. 10 ranked UCLA, No. 13 Washington State, No. 14 Washington and No. 15 Arizona State. Now, Cal concludes the season with a pair of unranked opponents at Arizona and at Stanford and can build a lot of momentum for the future with a strong finish. If Cal can come away with victories, the Bears will have won 3 of their last 4 games and provide a springboard for next season when the team expects to return 16 of its 22 starters.

BEARS NEW EMPHASIS ON RUNNING THE FOOTBALL PAYING DIVIDENDS
Cal has ranked among the nation's top passing teams throughout the 1997 season, thanks in large measure to the versatility and complexity of the West Coast offense. However, in recent weeks the Bears have undergone a subtle transformation with a new commitment to pounding the football on the ground. Through the first 6 games of the season, Cal was running the football on 52.2 percent of its offensive plays (248 of 475). Since that time, Cal has run the ball 61.3 percent of its total plays the last 3 games (111 of 181). That's even more significant when one realizes that the Bears were behind by 18 and 17 points at halftime in 2 of those 3 games, and obviously had to go to the pass more in a catch-up situation. The tone was set in the UCLA game when the Bears ran the ball on its first 16 plays from scrimmage. The first drive only gained 7 yards on 3 plays, the second only 8 yards on 3 plays, but then the pounding began to pay off as Cal moved 55 yards on the ground on 10 running plays before having to settle for a field goal. Cal fell behind and had to go to the passing game more often later in the game, but the Bears did run on 46 of its 75 plays against the Bruins. Two weeks ago, Cal ran on its first 4 plays and on 32 of its 49 first half offensive plays against Oregon State, helping forge a 33-7 halftime lead. Last week, Cal ran the ball on 46 of its 77 plays (59.7 percent of its plays).

CAL SCORING SUCCESS CAN BE TIED TO EFFICIENCY INSIDE OPPONENT RED ZONE
Cal's success in scoring points this season (averaging 26.3 points a game) can be attributed, in large measure, to its efficiency in getting in the endzone when it marches inside an opponent's 20-yard-line, commonly called the Red Zone. Through the first 9 games, Cal has visited the Red Zone 26 times and come away with a score on 22 occasions, an 84.6 percent success rate. More significantly, the Bears have scored 19 touchdowns in those 26 visits, meaning the Bears have reached the endzone on 73.0 percent of their Red Zone opportunities. When you consider that one of the missed opportunities came at he end of the Oklahoma game when the Bears just fell on the ball, the success ratio is even more impressive. The other three missed opportunities, came on missed field goals from 35, 35 and 31 yards away. Cal has not committed a turnover in the Red Zone all year. After losing 19 fumbles last season, the Bears have fumbled away the football only 4 times this season (this compares to 10 opponent fumbles lost). Cal has fumbled only once in the last 4 games (that coming last week against Arizona State when a fumbled center exchange with the quarterback resulted in an Arizona State recovery at the Cal 9-yard-line which subsequently resulted in the first Sun Devil touchdown of the game.

Wide Receiver Bobby Shaw

BOBBY SHAW CONTINUES ASSAULT ON CAL AND PAC-10 RECEIVING MARKS
Cal receiver Bobby Shaw has now set 4 Cal receiving records. He owns the Golden Bear marks for most receptions in a career (172), most receiving yards in a career (2662), most receptions in a season (67) and most 100-yard games in a career (11). He figures to add most receiving yards in a season this week as he needs just 47 yards to move past Sean Dawkins record of 1070 yards in 1992. Shaw is also moving well up on several Pac-10 lists. Below is a synopsis of where Shaw ranks on the Pac-10 Top 10 lists.

Pac-10 Career Receiving List                       
Name (Years)                        Receptions      
3. Brad Muster, Stanford (1984-87)  194 (1669 yds)  
4. Hugh Campbell, WSU (1960-62)     176 (2452)      
5. Bobby Shaw, Cal (1994-present)   172 (2662)      
Pac-10 Single-Season Receiving List
Name (Year)                         Receptions (yds)
1. Keyshawn Johnson, USC, 1995      90 (1218)
2. Johnnie Morton, USC, 1993        78 (1373)
2. Dave Montagne, OSU, 1986         78 (862)
2. Brad Muster, Stanford, 1985      78 (654)
5. Kevin Jordan, UCLA, 1994         73 (1228)
6. Troy Walters, Stanford, 1997     72 (988)
7. Gene Washington, Stanford, 1968  71 (1117)
8. Vern Burke, OSU, 1962            69 (1007)
Three tied at 68, five tied at 67
12. Bobby Shaw, Cal, 1997           67 (1024)
                                                    
Pac-10 Career                       
Name (Year)                         Receiving Yards                       
1. Johnnie Morton, USC (1990-93)    3201 (194)      
2. Keith Poole, ASU (1993-96)       2691 (140)          
3. Bobby Shaw, Cal (1994-present)   2662 (172)      

CAL FANS HAVE AN EYE TOWARD NEXT SEASON AS 16 STARTERS RETURN IN 1998
Cal still has plenty to play for this season and wants to finish strongly in the final 2 games, but it must be hard for Golden Bear fans not to look forward to next season when the Bears figure to make a big impact on the Pac-10 with the wealth of experience they'll have returning. A look at this week's two deep shows that 35 of the 44 players on the offensive and defensive two-deep are slated to return in '98. That includes 10 current juniors, 3 sophomores and 4 freshmen on offense and 7 juniors, 7 sophomores and 4 freshmen on defense. The starting units make the point even more dramatically as Cal has just 3 seniors on offense and 2 seniors on defense. Among Cal's 22 starters, there are 6 sophomores, 3 freshmen and 8 juniors. That doesn't take into consideration that starting inside linebacker Keith Miller, who went down with a knee sprain in the first game and will earn a medical redshirt season, will be back as a junior next year and would also have qualified as a returning starter rather than current starter Andre Rhodes who currently ranks as a senior starter. Two other players who were recruited a year ago to contend for starting positions, but were shelved in redshirt status due to injuries are cornerbacks junior Drae Harris and soph Harold Pearson. Both are expected to be strong candidates for starting duty next year.

ARIZONA NATIVE NICK HARRIS BEGINNING TO SHOW HIS HUGE POTENTIAL Coming off what clearly was his best game of the season, freshman punter Nick Harris (who hails from Westview HS in Phoenix and was recruited by Arizona 2 years ago) is starting to show signs that he is ready to emerge as one of the elite punters in college football. Harris was called upon to punt 10 times vs. Arizona State last week and he responded with a big night, averaging 45.7 yards on those kicks. Not only did he nail a career best 63-yarder and have a 55-yarder as well, but he was consistent as all 10 of his kicks were for 40 yards or longer. Always noted for his powerful leg, Harris only needs to develop consistency to make a name for himself nationally and the ASU game could be a turning point in that regard. While he has had his ups and downs during the '97 season, he has let loose with at least one punt in every game thus far. His best punt in each of the first 9 games are as follows: 48, 53, 52, 49, 48, 53, 52, 56 and 63. Harris is now ranked 32nd nationally with a 42.97 ypp average. That would rank him fourth on Cal's all-time single-season punting list.

ODDS AND ENDS, ET CETERA, MISCELLANEOUS, THREE-DOT DATA
Last week, Cal announced a new two-game home-and-home series with No. 3 ranked Nebraska beginning next season; the Bears will host the Cornhuskers on Sept. 12 before returning the favor by traveling to Lincoln on Sept. 18, 1999...Cal defensive lineman Jeremiah Parker will be celebrating his 20th birthday on game day Saturday...Fullbacks Marc Vera and Mike Freeman took advantage of the one-game suspension of starter Joshua White last week for breaking a team rule as Vera had a career-best receiving game with 5 catches for 52 yards, while Freeman ran 9 times (the most by any Cal fullback this season) for a career best 29 yards...It's not any surprise that Cal struggled early last week offensively (only 115 yards of total offense and 6 first downs in the first half) when you consider the field position issue; the Bears didn't start any of their 10 first half drives outside their own 33-yard-line and had drives start at their own 7, 8, 13 17, 20 and 20 during the first half -- hardly a position to breed confidence...Justin Vedder currently ranks 21st nationally in total offense with an average of 251.8 yards per game while he's No. 45 in NCAA pass efficiency with a 128.6 rating. With 2266 yards of total offense, Vedder already ranks 10th on Cal's single-season list and should move into third place by the season's end (with +1 yard in net rushing, he's bidding to become the first Cal QB to have positive rushing yards since Troy Taylor in 1989); he has 2265 passing yards thus far and needs only 79 yards this week to move into Cal's Top 10 single-season passing list...Cal has returned two fumbles for touchdowns this year, a 60-yard return by Mawuko Tugbenyoh against Washington State and last week's 72-yard return for a TD against Arizona State by Derrick Gardner...Senior defensive tackle Brandon Whiting was credited with 1.5 sacks last week and now has 23 during his career, the second most in Cal history behind only Regan Upshaw (28 from 1993-95).