Golden Bears will need to avoid the trap that is Maryland

September 12, 12:20 PMCal Bears ExaminerRob Calonge

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Jahvid Best should keep running to daylight Saturday
Photo by GoldenBearSports.com

The last time that Cal was ranked in any poll was the 10th week of 2007 when they were ranked 24th on the AP poll.  It was November 4, 2007, and ironically they'd just beaten Washington State by the score of 20-17.  After that, they'd go on to lose to USC, Washington, and the Big Game before going to the Armed Forces Bowl and coming out on top of a tough Air Force team.

They hope that this dalliance with the polls goes a much different route than the last time.  Travelling to College Park this Saturday, they face a team that doesn't necessarily match up well with Cal, and these have been some of their toughest games over the Tedford era.

Whether it's been Oregon State or Arizona, Cal has found a way to stumble over the past few years when everything was going well, stumble against bad or below average teams.  After a physical first game against a very well-coached Michigan State team, the Bears took advantage of a team in transition and destroyed Washington State last weekend.  They need to be aware that the 66-3 drubbing of the Cougars isn't necessarily an indication of their 'greatness.'

Maryland is a team led by quarterback Chris Turner from Simi Valley, CA.  Turner started the last eight games of 2007, but was benched in the offseason in favor of Jordan Steffy.  A thumb injury to Steffy put the Terps back on Turner's shoulders.  Like their quarterback, Maryland has been a Jekyll and Hyde bunch.  Last season, they beat 8th-ranked Boston College and 10th-ranked Rutgers.  They also lost to teams like Florida State, Oregon State, Wake Forest, and Clemson -- all unranked opponents that they couldn't handle.

This year, Maryland has been shaky at best.  They started this season with a meager victory over Div II Delaware 14-7 and then followed that up with a loss to Sun Belt team Middle Tennessee 24-14.  Both games should've been blowouts from a team that sits in a BCS conference, even if it is just the ACC.

The Bears will have to overcome the 3,000 miles travel and the 9 a.m. PST game time in order to win this game.  Coach Jeff Tedford has tweaked Cal's sleeping schedule in order to get the Bears on East Coast time.  Saturday morning will show if he was successful.

California Golden Bears (2-0, 1-0) ; Last Week : Win at Washington State 66-3

 Keys on Offense: The Bears need to continue their resurgence by playing smart in both the pass and run.  Turnovers have been the key factor in Cal losses in the recent past and almost cost them their opening game against the Spartans.  Maryland's offense is not good enough to keep pace with the fast break offense that Cal employs, but if they turnover the ball in their own part of the field, Maryland can make the Bears pay for it.

Kevin Riley has been fantastic this season with a passer rating of 142.5 coming into the game.  He's completed 23 passes on 38 attempts for 253 yards and 3 touchdowns in a little less than 5 quarters of play.  Even as good as Riley has been, it's been the Bears' running game that has been the story.  Last week, Jahvid Best recorded two 80+ yard runs to set Cal records for 80+ yard runs in a game and in a season.  Cal ranks fifth in the NCAA in rushing behind Best and Sophomore Shane Vereen who also has an 80+ run from the season opener.  Look for much more against Maryland who let up 121 yard rushing to Delaware and 118 yards to Middle Tennessee.

Keys on Defense: Cal needs to continue to stifle the run.  Against Javon Ringer and the Spartans, they held the running game to 81 yards rushing on 31 attempts, then last week held the Cougars to 57 yards on 35 attempts.  This week, they'll have to stop Da'Rel Scott who has 320 yards on 37 carries for an outstanding 8.6 yards per carry and one touchdown.

By forcing the Terps into the air, they once again get a team to play right into their hands.  The Bears have only allowed 187 yards per game in passing while getting five interceptions.  The one thing that the Bears defense needs to improve on is their ability to strip the ball.  They have yet to cause or recover a fumble yet this season.

On special teams, they've been great defending kicks where they already have two blocks for touchdowns.  If Cal can improve their return game, they'll have one of the best special teams in the country.

Maryland Terrapins (1-1, 0-0) ; Last Week : Loss at Middle Tennessee State University 24-14

 Keys on Offense: Maryland is counting on consistent production from Junior Chris Turner at the quarterback position.  They aren't getting it so far.  For the season, Turner has thrown for 218 yards, completing 14 passes on 31 attempts, but also throwing 3 interceptions for a pedestrian 95.52 QB rating.  Those stats can be misleading.  In 2007, he completed 153 passes on 241 attempts for 1958 yards and only threw 7 picks while having a QB rating of 135.5.  That's the kind of production the Terps need from Turner against Cal.

Da'Rel Scott and the offensive line has done well so far this season with Scott putting up big gains and averaging over 8 yards per carry.  Maryland needs to test the Cal defense and also prove that their running game isn't a fluke.  If they can find holes against Cal's 3-4 alignment, then they can force Cal to put more players in the box and open up their struggling passing game.

Keys on Defense: Turnovers.  The defense comes into the game having 2 interceptions and one fumble.  They were able to hold Delaware to only 249 total yards in their opening game, but then they were run ragged against Middle Tennesse as they let up 402 yards.  They need to get turnovers in order for the Terps offense to keep up with the high flying Bears.

Stopping Jahvid Best and Shane Vereen may sound like an impossible task, but if they can limit the two speedsters to runs less than 5 yards, they can give themselves the advantage of putting Cal into second and third and long.  Despite the stats, in game one against the Spartans, the Bears running game was less than average before Vereen scampered off for an 81 yard touchdown.  For the Terps to have any chance to win or not get blown out, they'll have to maintain their assignments and keep the Bears from long gains that cause  the team to add more men in the box.

The Terps have been only average in returns while being a little above average in special teams coverage.  They'll need to at least not let up a big play in order to keep Cal in check.

Cal Bears Examiner Prediction: Cal 44 - Maryland 12