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Bears try to keep even keel after blowout win

By Jared Green Daily Planet Staff
Wednesday September 04, 2002

Triumph is a feeling the current crop of Cal football players haven’t had in a while, and they savored it over the weekend following their 70-22 thrashing of Baylor to open the 2002 season. But by practice time on Monday afternoon, it was back to business. 

The Bears face New Mexico State on Saturday, a team that took 18th-ranked South Carolina to the fourth quarter before falling, 34-24. Although the Aggies aren’t a powerhouse, they should be a much more formidable opponent than hapless Baylor. 

“Everyone has realized that we should have won that game,” senior linebacker Matt Nixon said Tuesday. “Not to degrade our win, but we know this week will be a totally different ballgame.” 

Head coach Jeff Tedford got a huge win in his first game as the leader of a college program, but he has emphasized preparation for the next game rather than basking in the glow of victory. Even immediately after the game Tedford was subdued, complimenting his players and coaching staff and avoiding questions about his own role. 

Of course, winning is nothing new for Tedford, who helped turn Oregon into a national power before coming to Berkeley. His players, on the other hand, may need training in how to react to a dominating win, and that’s where Tedford has the greatest influence. 

“Football is a roller coaster,” Tedford said. “You have to keep on an even keel, you don’t want to get too high or too low.” 

The new head coach clearly wants to avoid the pitfalls of last year’s 1-10 debacle, when early lowlights led to complete collapses in nearly every game. He has stressed positive reinforcement since his first meetings with players and coaches. 

“We talked about that a long time ago, starting with spring practice,” Tedford said. “It was very evident that anytime they made a mistake their heads would go down. They lost a lot of self-esteem last year, which is to be expected when you have a season like that.” 

Tedford’s attitude has rubbed off on the majority of his players. Almost to a man, they say the new head man makes them want to play hard and believe in themselves. 

Nixon said the team’s new attitude would help even more in tough situations than in a game like the Baylor blowout. After all, it’s not too hard to keep your head up when everything’s bouncing your way. The true test will come when an opponent takes a lead on the Bears. 

“I think we’ve developed a sense of confidence,” Nixon said. “If [the Aggies] do get up early on us, we’re not going to lay down and let things pile up.” 

The Bears reflected their coach’s philosophy about on-field celebrations as well despite ample opportunities to play to the crowd. Freshmen Chris Mandarino, David Gray and Marcus O’Keith all scored their first collegiate touchdowns against Baylor, and cornerback Jemeel Powell and Nixon each returned an interception for a touchdown. But none spent much time hamming it up in the endzone, instead choosing to celebrate with teammates in the bench area. Of course, Nixon was probably happy just to make it back to the bench without falling over after his 102-yard return. 

“We discussed winning with class, not downgrading the opponent,” Tedford said. “It’s all about celebrating with your teammates. There’s no need to single yourself out just because you scored.” 

Mandarino, who made a seemingly impossible catch under a defender’s arm for his touchdown, said he nearly went full-on Terrell Owens before reining himself in. 

“I was pretty excited, and I almost went crazy,” he said. “It was my first game and my first touchdown, just an unbelievable moment.” 

While Tedford and the players were saying all the right things about moving past the Baylor game, there was an undeniable bounce in the players’ steps as they walked into Tuesday’s press conference. Senior quarterback Kyle Boller had a grin on his face the entire time he was in the room, a complete turnaround from his weary demeanor as last season wore down. 

“I’m excited. I wish we were playing tomorrow,” he said. “I’m just fired up, and it’s been a long time since I felt this way.”