NOT SO GOLDEN BEAR

Kyle Boller knows he did not live up to expectations in his first season as California’s quarterback.

Of course, that’s tough to do when the school newspaper dubs you “Jesus in cleats” before you’ve even taken a snap in a college football game.

“He was the anointed one,” Coach Tom Holmoe of Cal said. “He was going to come in and lead the Cal fans to the promised land.”

Instead, Boller’s performances quickly transformed Golden Bear fans into doubting Thomases.

One of the most heralded recruits in Cal history, the former Hart High star and state high school player of the year in 1998 completed only 38.6% of his passes and threw for nine touchdowns with 15 interceptions.

“It was tough to watch,” said Boller’s father, Bob, who attended every Golden Bear game last season.

Hard to believe this was the same guy who threw for 59 touchdowns with only three interceptions, completed 65% of his passes and set a state record with 4,841 yards passing in his senior season at Hart.

“When you look at his stats, it’s a nightmare to think about where he was to what he went to,” Bob Boller said.

But Holmoe, a former NFL cornerback in his fourth season at Cal, says critics shouldn’t judge the 6-foot-4, 210-pound sophomore too hastily.

“When he was at Hart, he could do it with his eyes closed,” Holmoe said. “But dropping back and trying to thread the needle against Valencia isn’t like trying to thread the needle against Nebraska.”

Boller said he wasn’t comfortable in an offense he never fully grasped, and Holmoe acknowledged his young quarterback didn’t get much help from the players around him.

Boller’s inexperience was accentuated by an unstable and unreliable receiving corps and an inconsistent offensive line, Holmoe said. Cal quarterbacks were sacked 30 times in 1999.

“We really had a horrific year at receiver and that put an extra burden on Kyle,” Holmoe said.

Tipped passes, receivers running wrong routes and overmatched linemen often made Boller look incompetent.

“There were many times when he could have gotten in front of the press and said, ‘It wasn’t my fault,’ ” Holmoe said. “But he shouldered the blame when other guys ran and hid.

“He earned the utmost respect from everyone who played for him.”

The youngest quarterback to start in Cal history, Boller chose the Golden Bears because of the opportunity to play as a freshman.

He started eight games, but finished a 4-7 season with a different outlook from his wide-eyed, freshman dreams.

“To be honest, I didn’t think it would be that hard,” Boller said. “But, now, looking back on it, I don’t think any freshman should start at quarterback.”

Opportunity knocked for Boller in Cal’s opener against Rutgers. Boller fumbled his first college snap after replacing starter Samuel Clemons in the second quarter.

He recovered the fumble and went on to complete his first five passes, finishing eight of 15 for 89 yards and a touchdown in the Golden Bears’ 21-7 victory.

Two weeks later, he got his first start at home in Cal’s Pacific 10 Conference opener against Arizona State.

He completed 17 of 32 passes for 213 yards and two touchdowns in leading Cal to a 24-23, come-from-behind victory.

It was his only 200-yard passing game last season. Boller spent most of the season trying in vain to make something out of nothing for Pac-10’s last-ranked offense.

“I’m hoping that two, three years from now he’ll be able to look back and say, ‘That’s where I cut my teeth,’ ” Holmoe said. “ ‘That’s where I learned how to do it and how not to do it.’

“It was a tough experience, one that he would not want to go through again. But it was a valuable experience.”

When receivers were covered or the pocket collapsed, the fiercely competitive Boller thought nothing of going helmet to helmet with a linebacker in an attempt to gain a few yards.

“I’ve talked to a lot of guys who have seen [Boller] play, like Dan Fouts and Tom Ramsey, and they all say, ‘You’ve got to tell that guy to slow down,’ ” said Holmoe, quoting two former NFL quarterbacks. “Right now he’s too gung-ho.”

Boller’s overzealousness eventually cost him. While scrambling for a first down, he suffered a separated right shoulder when he was hit by Oregon defensive back Michael Fletcher in the Golden Bears’ 24-19 loss.

Boller had surgery on his throwing shoulder and missed the season finale against rival Stanford.

“I was pretty disappointed with the season, especially getting injured at the end,” he said. “I don’t think it could get any worse than last year.”

But Boller, who recently celebrated his 19th birthday, is healthy and looking forward to his sophomore season, although the Golden Bears have been picked to finish near the bottom of the Pac-10 standings in most preseason polls.

He started throwing late in February and looked terrific in spring practice, Holmoe said.

Boller stayed in Berkeley to attend summer school and work with his receivers, a luxury not afforded him last year.

In an attempt to improve the team’s weakness, Holmoe and his staff signed 11 offensive players, including three junior college receivers who are expected to make an immediate impact.

Unlike last season, when he had three weeks to learn the offense before his debut, Boller is confident he knows the system better than anyone.

“I laugh at what I knew of this offense last August compared to this August,” he said.

Holmoe insists the fans will come around and embrace Boller. The coach is convinced Boller is too savvy and talented not to succeed.

“As far as character and heart and passion to play, I don’t know if I’ve been around too many other players like him,” Holmoe said.

No, Boller is not the Messiah.

But if anyone can save the Golden Bears from extinction, Holmoe said Boller can.

“I believe in him,” Holmoe said. “I really believe in him.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Boller Watch

A game-by-game look at how Kyle Boller fared as a senior at Hart High and a freshman at California:

HART

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Opponent Com. Att. Yds. I TD Quartz Hill 25 40 422 1 5 Thousand Oaks 20 44 399 0 3 Sylmar 13 21 269 0 5 Palmdale 22 36 348 0 6 Loyola 22 40 362 0 2 Saugus 25 31 408 0 6 Burroughs 28 39 426 0 5 Valencia 16 27 265 1 2 Burbank 29 36 475 0 7 Canyon 15 21 347 0 5 Highland 21 33 351 1 5 St. Francis 29 35 425 0 5 Alemany 14 26 187 0 2 St. Paul 12 21 157 0 1 Totals 291 450 4,841 3 59

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CALIFORNIA

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Opponent Com. Att. Yds. I TD Rutgers 8 15 89 0 1 Nebraska 2 10 21 1 0 Arizona State 17 32 213 1 2 Washington St. 13 33 116 1 0 Brigham Young 11 33 173 1 1 UCLA 9 20 113 3 1 Washington 9 26 143 1 1 USC 10 26 150 2 1 Oregon State 12 39 151 2 1 Oregon 9 25 134 3 1 Totals 100 259 1,303 15 9

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