Cal Lutheran Needs Quarterback to Rise Above Mediocrity

John Bankhead, the leading receiver in the Western Football Conference, knows a good quarterback when he sees one.

At Cal Lutheran, he sees 2 quarterbacks--Jim Bees and Tim Zeddies--who he insists can perform well.

“I don’t think our problem is our quarterbacks because they are not bad quarterbacks,” Bankhead said.

Then how does Bankhead explain an erratic passing game that has given up 10 interceptions in the past 2 games?

“I think it’s mostly mental mistakes,” Bankhead said.

Bees is also at a loss to explain Cal Lutheran’s turnover-prone offense.

“I don’t think anybody on the team is playing up to their potential yet,” Bees said.

That would include Bees, a junior transfer from San Bernardino Valley College.

After a strong outing in Cal Lutheran’s season-opening, 17-13 win against Sonoma State--he completed 20 of 40 passes for 233 yards and 2 touchdowns--Bees has been erratic. He threw 4 interceptions in a 30-23 loss to St. Mary’s and threw 3 more in a 27-3 loss to UC Santa Barbara last Saturday that evened Cal Lutheran’s record to 2-2.

Bees lost his starting position to Zeddies last week. But the strong-armed freshman could not move Cal Lutheran’s offense. Santa Barbara intercepted Zeddies’ first pass and he left after 2 series and did not return until midway through the fourth quarter.

Coach Bob Shoup has decided to go back to Bees for Cal Lutheran’s WFC opener against Cal State Northridge today.

“I had wished that Bees would be playing better and that would have made things easier,” Shoup said. “We’re still leaning to Bees now because he has more maturity and he has had more starts.”

Shoup picked Zeddies to start against Santa Barbara after a strong fourth-quarter performance against St. Mary’s: He completed 8 of 20 for 106 yards. Bees was 10 of 22 for 72 yards.

Both quarterbacks, however, offer advantages to Shoup.

“Zeddies throws better against the zone and better over the middle,” Shoup said. “He has a stronger arm than Bees.”

Zeddies, a freshman from Helix High in San Diego, might prove to be too inexperienced to consistently start for Cal Lutheran (2-2) this season, however. He has completed only 16 of 41 passes for 175 yards.

“Maybe Zeddies responds better to a backup role. Not everybody is a starter,” Shoup said. Bees has completed 69 of 146 for 779 yards and 3 touchdowns. However, he has thrown for only 1 touchdown in the past 3 games.

“He’s been very inconsistent,” Shoup said.

Cal Lutheran’s offensive line also has hampered the passing game. Both Zeddies and Bees, who has been sacked 8 times, have been pressured in the pocket.

“Our offensive line is full of inexperience and our backup people are even less experienced,” Shoup said.

The lone bright spot in the passing game remains Bankhead, who has 25 catches for 922 yards--a 36.9-yard average--and 2 touchdowns. The senior wide receiver makes any quarterback look good.

“I’m afraid now that teams will load up on Bankhead like they did last year,” Shoup said. As Northridge probably will do today.