Cal Quarterback Ready to Tackle Any Job : College football: When Pawlawski isn’t running the offense, he is volunteering to play on special teams.

Some people say he’s a clone of Joe Kapp, the former California quarterback who later coached the Golden Bears.

Kapp played quarterback as if he were a linebacker. Cal’s Mike Pawlawski has the same mentality. He’s bold, aggressive and outspoken.

Most quarterbacks try to avoid contact at all costs. It’s the nature of the position. Pawlawski seeks it out.

While playing behind Troy Taylor the past two years, he volunteered for special teams. His request was granted near the end of last season.

“Every coach here got to draft one player for the special teams, and the quarterback coach drafted me for the kickoff coverage team,” Pawlawski said. “It was a lot of fun, although I didn’t do anything the first game. Then we played Arizona, and I got my first tackle.”

A jarring experience? “No, it was softer than I thought it would be.”

Pawlawski also left a physical impression on Arizona’s Darryl Lewis, an All-American prospect, a few weeks ago.

While scrambling toward the end zone, he collided with Lewis, but the cornerback didn’t get up at the three-yard line. He was knocked unconscious. As Pawlawski went back to Cal’s huddle, he looked at Lewis and shouted, “Get up now, baby.”

Pawlawski injured his knee in the second game against Miami, now the nation’s No. 2-ranked team. He had to wear a knee brace, which he found to be a nuisance. “It’s bad enough that you have to wear shoulder pads,” he said derisively.

The Hurricanes, who won, 52-24, are known as a talkative, intimidating team. Pawlawski wasn’t impressed.

“The things they said didn’t make much sense; it was kind of stupid,” he said. “And they did a lot of dancing, which wasn’t very good. They talk tougher than they play. That’s not football. They belong in the World Wrestling Federation.

“I don’t think anybody should intimidate us. We’re bigger and physically stronger now. Our offensive line is strong and they can move. I’ve said it before, that we have the best offensive line in the nation. They have a tougher attitude this year.”

So the Bears, who have finished in last place in the Pacific 10 four of the last six years and no higher than eighth, are growling. They are 2-1 in the Pac-10 and 4-2 overall.

“I want this year to be the year that Cal goes to the Rose Bowl,” Pawlawski said. “We have the talent and should put it together. We’re playing every game for that (Rose Bowl) game.”

To stay alive in the Rose Bowl race, Cal would have to beat UCLA Saturday at Berkeley. The Bruins are also 2-1 in the conference.

Pawlawski is doing his part. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound junior from Troy High in Fullerton has completed 59.5% of his passes for 1,229 yards and 11 touchdowns. He has thrown seven interceptions.

Cal Coach Bruce Snyder calls Pawlawski a competitor with a fighting heart.

“Mike takes great pride in not sliding when he scrambles,” Snyder said. “He likes to ram into people. He brings the quarterback position to a very physical level. He does a nice job of personifying the attitude that we’re looking for in our team.”

Pawlawski said contact wakes people up. He added that he doesn’t mind being the target of opposing linemen as long as he can see them coming.

It wasn’t until Pawlawski was a senior in high school that he had an opportunity to play quarterback full time. He also played free safety.

“I was only all-area as a quarterback, but I was all-whatever as a free safety,” Pawlawski said.

He said he was recruited by North Carolina State, Utah, Arizona and California, adding that he didn’t hear from UCLA or USC.

“I didn’t have the foot speed schools were looking for at the time to play free safety,” Pawlawski said. “However, I got the option that if I didn’t pan out as a quarterback I could play on defense.”

Pawlawski has panned out, beating out Perry Klein, a redshirt freshman from Carson, for the starting position.

Now he’s trying to lead the Bears to the Rose Bowl as Kapp did during the 1958 season, the last New Year’s Day game for the Bears.

If they get there--and it’s a longshot considering that Cal has to play UCLA, Washington and USC in its next three games--Pawlawski’s goal will be realized.

Regardless, he’s a different type of college quarterback. Even some Miami players said Pawlawski was tough, comparing him in style to Jim McMahon.

Another Bear, Mike Ditka, would love this guy.