Pac-12 football: Quarterback play will be key to a Cal rebound

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Cal Coach Jeff Tedford has raised the bar for the Golden Bears’ football program, and last year’s 5-7 effort fell far below that bar. But Tedford expects that disappointment to play a role in a strong 2011.

“We have created a standard and expectation at Cal over the last nine years,” Tedford said. “Last season we fell short of that, and we’re not hiding from that.

“We understand that there is a very fine line between winning and losing, and we’re six points away from being 8-4 last year.”

The three close losses, to No. 14 Arizona, top-ranked Oregon and Washington, prevented Cal from reaching a bowl game.

“We know we didn’t go to a bowl game last year, and we know we have to change that,” Cal receiver Marvin Jones said. “It starts with me and the other leaders on the team being vocally prepared to approach every game like it’s our last.”

To outdo expectations –- Cal finished fifth in the North Division in the preseason media poll -– Tedford knows he will need strong play from the quarterback position.

“We were not close to the consistency that we need to compete at a high level,” he said. “That generally starts at the quarterback position.... When Kevin Riley went down last year, we were averaging 37 points a game, and after that we averaged 13, and you’re not going to win many games in the Pac-10 or Pac-12 now with that type of offensive production.”

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-- Douglas Farmer