Dooley, the rookie coach whose Bulldogs (1-1) put an overtime scare into Hawaii last weekend, heavily recruited Cal's DeSean Jackson when Dooley was an assistant at LSU, spending several nights at the family's home before Jackson eventually chose Jeff Tedford's Golden Bears.

"I would say I wish he'd gone to LSU, but we've got to play them later, so either way, we couldn't avoid DeSean this year," Dooley said.

Dooley also got to know Lavelle Hawkins during the receiver's one-game stint at LSU out of high school before he moved back home to San Francisco for junior college, eventually landing at Cal (2-0) alongside Jackson and Robert Jordan to make up one of the nation's best receiving corps.

"Coach Dooley is a cool guy, a really smooth guy," Hawkins said. "I've thought about it — I've got to make some plays so I can holler at Coach Dooley after the game."

Dooley's debut season at the WAC school is full of difficulties, from the Bulldogs' onerous travel schedule to their ambitious nonconference slate. But the coach's plight this week is slowing down the Bears' outstanding offense, particularly quarterback Nate Longshore and his three big receivers.

"The challenge this week is my biggest concern, and it's just about the biggest challenge you could have anywhere in the country," Dooley said.

Dooley already has made a difference in two games at Louisiana Tech, including last week's heartbreaking overtime loss to No. 24 Hawaii. The Bulldogs' offense has scored 72 points, and the defense has eight sacks after managing just nine in its 13 games last season.

But Cal can finish up its nonconference schedule without a loss if Tedford can get his team back to business as usual. After opening the season with an emotional victory over Tennessee, the Bears struggled through a 34-28 win at Colorado State that bore many earmarks of a letdown game.

"Every team is going to be aiming for us because we're No. 8," Hawkins said. "We have to play our best game every week from here on out. It's going to be like that every week."

Before Cal's tough Pac-10 schedule kicks in with four hazardous road games and a visit from top-ranked USC, the Bears must work out the flaws in a defense that hasn't been consistently solid in its first two games.

"Everybody knew we were out there lagging a little bit," linebacker Worrell Williams said. "It's difficult to come with the same intensity and enthusiasm that you did in the Tennessee game, but if you don't, you're going to get knocked off. If you don't do everything you're supposed to do from the opening kickoff, you're almost setting yourself up for failure."

Louisiana Tech's inventive offense should be a stern test for the Bears. Dooley uses a bit of everything from a power running game to a spread offense designed to test defensive backs. Cal's defense struggled to generate a pass rush against Tennessee, and Erik Ainge picked it apart for much of the opener.

"(Louisiana Tech's) linemen are huge, tall, big," Cal linebacker Justin Moye said. "Their running back (Patrick Jackson) runs right behind them. ... When they spread out in the option, we haven't seen that yet. It's going to be a challenge for us to stay with them."

Tedford naturally sees Louisiana Tech's visit as another learning opportunity for a team with ample talent, but an unsettled emotional state after getting so high for the Volunteers' visit. With back-to-back home games against the Bulldogs and Arizona, Cal has an opportunity to level its efforts while fine-tuning for the tough conference challenges.

Dooley also sees the trip as an opportunity for the Bulldogs. Cal's rebuilding effort under Tedford's direction has become a model for coaches taking over at nontraditional football powers, so the young coach hopes to get a few pointers from the Bears' maestro — perhaps even while building his own school's reputation as a hazard.