Mariucci’s Team Fulfills His Prediction

California first-year Coach Steve Mariucci looked more like a professor than football coach during the Bears’ 22-15 victory over USC Saturday at the Coliseum.

Wearing a blue blazer, tan pants, a white shirt and a blue-and-gold striped tie, Mariucci walked the Bears’ sideline as if conducting a class rather than coaching Cal to its first victory over the Trojans in Los Angeles since 1970.

“I just told our guys that some day, some Cal team is going to [play in the Coliseum] and beat SC,” said Mariucci, an assistant at Cal from 1987 to 1991 before spending four seasons as quarterback coach for the Green Bay Packers. “So I asked them, why not now? Why not us? All we have to do is believe in ourselves.’ ”

It is this type of attitude that helped Cal (5-0) teach USC a lesson as the Bears held the Trojans scoreless for three quarters and wore them down in the fourth quarter.

“We went out there feeling that they would not be prepared for us,” said tight end Tony Gonzalez, who had five catches for 74 yards, including a touchdown. “We knew that we were prepared for them and that would be our advantage. We’re a good football team, no matter what people said, and today we showed that.”

Cal did not waste time making its point as the Bears took the opening kickoff and drove 76 yards in 13 plays to take a 7-0 lead on a touchdown pass from Pat Barnes to Dameane Douglas. In the drive, the Bears kept USC off balance with an assortment of offensive looks and plays. Then, when the Trojans had the ball, Cal forced a punt after only three plays.

“I think right there, that set the tone of the game,” said Barnes, who completed 19 of 31 passes for 229 yards and two touchdowns.

Cal did not let up after its first score as the Bears continued to pressure a USC defense that was playing without three starters--linebacker Sammy Knight, lineman Darrell Russell and safety Brian Kelly.

With 9:17 left in the second quarter, the Bears took a 13-0 lead on a 12-yard touchdown catch by Gonzalez then added a Ryan Longwell field goal to lead, 16-0, at halftime.

The Bears stretched their lead to 19-0 early in the third quarter before USC began to rally. After USC scored its first touchdown to cut Cal’s lead to 19-8, the Bears did not panic as Barnes led a 13-play, 75-yard drive which ended with another field goal by Longwell.

“When the crowd got into it, our kids did not wilt,” said Mariucci, 40. “They really hung in there.”

After USC closed to within, 22-15, Cal’s confidence took over as the Bears had a nine-play drive that took nearly four minutes before punting. A key play was when Barnes drew the Trojans offsides on fourth and two from the USC 41-yard line.

When USC finally got the ball back at its own 20, only 1:46 remained in the game and the Trojans were without a timeout. Six plays later, Cal had the ball back and its first victory in the Coliseum in 26 years.

“I felt that we matched up with USC OK physically,” said Mariucci, who coached at USC for one season in 1986. “I thought the issue would be if we could handle it mentally. Could the young kids handle the excitement, the crowd and the [USC] band? Would we crumble if something bad happened? The key was that we didn’t.”

Although the Trojans were considered a heavy favorite based on their No. 17 ranking, Cal, which finished 3-8 last season, was not in awe of them. The Bears approached the game just as they had in winning their first four games of the season. When they arrived in Los Angeles on Friday, they did not have a light practice at the Coliseum like most opponents do nor did they try to hide any special game plan. That’s not Mariucci’s style.

“We feel that we have the best coaches in the world,” said Brandon Willis, who had 229 yards rushing and receiving combined. “That’s the difference between this year and last year. When our coaches call a play now, we know that the play should work. We know that our preparation only helps us.”

So, with six Pacific 10 Conference games remaining, Cal finds itself in first place. The Trojans can only hope the Bears stumble and let them back into the race for the Rose Bowl.