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| Thursday, September 7 Bears need to get offensive By Ed Graney Special to ESPN.com | |||||
| Season notes: 1999 record: 4-7, 3-5. Coach: Tom Holmoe. Starters returning:12 (8 offense, 4 defense). Outlook: Holmoe in 1999: "I like this team. I expect us to be in a bowl game." Holmoe in 2000: "I like our chances. I know I said that last year, but I expect us to be in a bowl game this season." Did someone find an offense hidden in a Berkeley coffee house and not tell everyone else? You can take that cliché about defense winning championships and toss it off the Golden Gate Bridge. Cal has been more stingy than most Pac-10 teams the last two years in terms of allowing yards and points. It has earned the Bears just nine wins. The trend will continue if sophomore quarterback Kyle Boller -- "The toughest kid I've ever seen," Holmoe said -- doesn't take the next step in his development. His shaky freshman numbers: 100-for-259, 1,303 yards, nine touchdown passes, 15 interceptions. The same goes for sophomore running back Joe Igber, although he impressed with 694 yards before being slowed by a shoulder injury. Few make life more miserable for opposing quarterbacks than all-conference defensive end Andre Carter (6-4, 260) and sophomore tackle Daniel Nwangwu (6-4, 295). Three new linebackers and a re-built secondary could cause for a defensive slip. Keep an eye on: Holmoe. He is 7-17 in conference and word from the Bay Area is that he won't survive another losing season. Holmoe's reaction: "This is the team I coach, and I don't worry about anything else. I don't look to next year. It wouldn't be fair to the kids. I'm not going to prepare any different than in past seasons." Uh-oh. It's a good season if: Boller proves he learned from first-year mistakes, continues to improve and Cal remains competitive in most league games. You won't find a more pleasant chap than Holmoe in college football, but it's not about being a nice guy. It's about moving the ball and scoring points. Five wins is probably more prayer than reality. Ed Graney covers college football for the San Diego Union Tribune. |
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