CITRUS BOWL : Cal Trying to Pass Test Against Clemson

California and Clemson are football teams at the crossroads, each wanting what the other has achieved. Cal, known more for its academics, wants to be taken seriously as a football power. Clemson, where football is a religion, wants to be taken seriously as a squeaky-clean program.

The schools are geographically diverse and carry with them the personalities of their regions. It’s East vs. West, rushing vs. passing, style vs. substance.

These differences add some flavor to today’s Citrus Bowl game but do little to increase its significance. It is being played for the same reason people climb mountains--because it’s there--not to mention the $1.35 million that each team will receive for spending a few days in Central Florida.

Cal (9-2) has its best record in 41 years and most of the credit belongs to its coach, Bruce Snyder, whose vanilla personality seemed a stark contrast to the liberal Berkeley campus.

But instead of recruiting in his own likeness, Snyder brought in a group of hard-talking, flag-waving players who enjoy the spotlight.

Chief among them is quarterback Mike Pawlawski, whose profanity-punctuated prose is a delight to sportswriters and a bane to keepers of the language.

Lee Grosscup, the former NFL quarterback turned Cal radio analyst, credits Pawlawski with giving the team his own “personality and character.” Pawlawski likes to say that everyone had that personality all along.

Snyder has another view.

“It took great courage for these players to come here when we weren’t winning,” Snyder said. “The slide is not greased toward building a football program. It poses more problems and challenges. But we were able to do it by finding players who wanted to win more than anything else.”

Pawlawski’s sidekick is receiver Brian Treggs, who likes to tell defensive backs he has beaten, “Don’t worry about it, it happens to the best of them.”

Said Treggs: “A lot of people take what I say in the wrong manner. They take it like I’m a loudmouth, trash-talking wide receiver. But I’m really a nice guy with a lot of confidence.”

Treggs’ confidence got him in trouble when he boldly predicted that Cal would beat Stanford in its last game of the regular season. Stanford, also in the midst of a resurgence, won, 38-21.

“People were saying we didn’t have a lot of class,” Treggs said. “Well, I’d rather be 9-2 and have no class than be 4-7 and have class.”

Cal is a one-point favorite over Clemson (9-1-1), which won the Atlantic Coast Conference title, and the coaches are stumbling over one another praising their opponents.

“Offensively, Cal will present the greatest challenge of the year to our defense,” Clemson Coach Ken Hatfield said. “Cal has the same tough offensive combination (as) Virginia. They’ve got a quarterback who can throw the ball effectively and a tough running back (Russell White.)

Being compared to Virginia is nice, but Snyder one-upped Hatfield with his comparison.

“Talent-wise, Clemson is just like Washington, but possibly more athletic,” Snyder said. “Washington plays an eight-man front, while Clemson plays a 5-2. And still, they’re able to do what Washington does without putting eight men on the line.”

It takes Pawlawski to put things in perspective.

“Teams from the West Coast think they play better football,” Pawlawski said. “Teams from the South believe their football is better. So, in a sense, everyone is correct. I think teams from different parts of the country play their style of football the best.”

Pawlawski’s counterpart, Clemson quarterback DeChane Cameron, also has his view.

“I think East Coast football is tougher,” Cameron said. “Obviously we don’t get the respect we should. We are always the underdog in bowl games and then come out on top. We have a great program. I don’t know how they determine who’s the favorite, but they need to look at the system.”