Cal’s Rough Start Disappoints Gonzalez

Feasting on have-nots is a time-honored college football tradition. Load the schedule with so-called “patsies,” the philosophy goes, to work out kinks, boost team confidence and keep the alumni smiling.

Only one problem: Lose, and the season is pretty much wiped out (see Notre Dame). And losing twice to an inferior team . . . on consecutive Saturdays to open the season?

California sophomore tight end Tony Gonzalez wishes he was unfamiliar with the experience--but facts are facts. Gonzalez and his teammates are wounded, stunned and re-evaluating their supposed status after back-to-back embarrassing losses to San Diego State and Fresno State.

“It’s a big disappointment,” said Gonzalez, The Times’ Orange County co-player of the year as a senior at Huntington Beach High.

“We all expected to do better than that. Really, for the most part, I was shocked.”

He’s entitled.

Cal’s nightmare began Sept. 2 during a 33-9 rout at San Diego State, providing the Aztecs their greatest season highlight since Marshall Faulk left school. San Diego State shredded Cal’s defense, gaining 229 yards rushing and 401 total.

On Saturday, the Golden Bears played their home opener against Fresno State. The game was Cal’s first on a $1.5-million grass field that replaced an artificial surface used at Memorial Stadium for 14 years.

Nonetheless, Cal wasn’t up to the occasion: Bulldogs 25, Golden Bears 24.

“Physically, we’ve matched up real well,” Gonzalez said. “We’ve had some assignment breakdowns and some mental errors--that’s what we have to stop.”

Can Cal right itself?

“I don’t look at it as, ‘Can we?’ ” Gonzalez said. “I look at is we’ve got no other option. What we’re trying to do isn’t broke. We just have to go out there and keep playing our hardest.”

Cal’s coaching staff knows Gonzalez will do his part. So far, he’s one of the few Golden Bears who has.

“He’s really played very well in otherwise ugly [losses],” offensive coordinator Denny Schuler said. “He came in here as a real good football player, but he’s certainly improved. Anyone who starts as a true freshman in the [Pacific 10 Conference] is coming in at a fairly high level.”

He was listed as a co-starter at tight end last season, and caught eight passes for 62 yards and one touchdown.

The position is Gonzalez’s alone this season. He already has surpassed his freshman yardage total and is quickly approaching his reception total. So far, Gonzalez has five catches for 68 yards.

“I’m looking to blow it open this year,” Gonzalez said. “It was kind of hard sharing a position because I like to get in a groove.

“As far as last year went, I went [into games] cold. Then when I came out I had to sit out another series. Now I’m always in there; I feel real good about it.”

Gonzalez shared The Times Orange County player of the year award in football with Chris Draft of Valencia High. Gonzalez caught 63 passes for 950 yards and scored 14 touchdowns, and led Huntington Beach with 131 tackles playing inside linebacker.

“In high school, I was more advanced than most people physically,” said Gonzalez, 6 feet 6 and 230 pounds. “That’s definitely caught up with me a little, but it’s not like I’m getting played like a little girl out there.”

Not even close, Schuler said.

“First of all, it’s almost unheard of to start as a true freshman at Cal,” Schuler said. “And Tony did good things from the first day he walked on the field here.”

Just as skilled, if not more so, on the basketball court, Gonzalez finished second in the county in scoring as a senior averaging 25.3 points. He averaged 9.3 rebounds and was an all-county double-double.

As a freshman on Cal’s basketball team, Gonzalez, a power forward, played in 26 of 27 games and averaged 7.1 points and 3.9 rebounds. He started slowly after joining the team when the football season ended. However, Gonzalez emerged as was one of the best freshmen in an outstanding Pac 10 class by season’s end, Coach Todd Bozeman said.

“I thought he had a great frosh year and I expect an even better sophomore year from Tony,” Bozeman said. “Obviously, not being in basketball shape hurt him in a little bit in the beginning because it’s two different types of conditioning. But the only things that really hampered him were the normal adjustments that freshmen go through.”

Gonzalez scored a career-high 29 points in Cal’s season finale against Washington State.

So, what’s the long-range plan, basketball or football?

“I really don’t like to think about that,” Gonzalez said. “I’m having fun right now and my grades are good. As long as my body lets me, I’m going to play both.”

*

Bringing up Pat: Gonzalez isn’t the only former county standout trying to help Cal get it together. Starting sophomore quarterback Pat Barnes (Trabuco Hills High) is working hard too.

Cal’s coaches planned to make Barnes (6 feet 4, 200 pounds) a redshirt last season. However, injuries suffered by the Nos. 1 and 2 quarterbacks forced them to start him late in the season.

Schuler said Barnes, younger brother of former UCLA quarterback John, is learning. He completed 13 of 27 passes for 215 yards Saturday but also lost three fumbles.

“Pat and I are getting real comfortable with each other,” Gonzalez said. “He’s going to be fine, he just needs a little more time back there.”