Arizona head coach Dick Tomey wants to win, that much is clear.

If it means going for two points in the fourth overtime to end the game rather than kick it and head to a fifth, so be it.

Tomey made the call. It did not work, but he is going to stand by it.

"The head coach should be accountable for the whole works," Tomey said. "It just kills me when one of our players feels he has to except blame for something. The head coach takes responsibility. That is the way it has to be."

The call didn't work as kicker Matt Peyton took the toss from holder Ryan Hesson, who said he should be blamed for not changing the call at the line of scrimmage, and was dropped for a loss trying to get around the corner. The Wildcats lost to California, 56-55 last Saturday.

"It was an attempt to do something with all good intentions," Tomey said. "It was a bad call in some people's judgment. I might do it again."

The argument is why Tomey left it up to his kicker on a fake. On a previous extra-point attempt, the Bears were called for running into the kicker, which may explain the decision.

But why not line up the offense and give Keith Smith a chance? Run the option, roll him out, give the playmaker a chance to do what he does best. Did he at least think about it?

"A little bit," Tomey said. "If they did what they did when they roughed the kicker, he would have walked in. I screwed up. The head coach is responsible for the team."

Since the defense was decimated , continuing the game may have been futile. A different defensive lineman was used on nearly every play, including Rusty James, who plays offense.

Cal quarterback Pat Barnes had thrown for eight touchdowns and showed no signs of slowing down. The UA secondary was running all over the field, and when a lineman did get to Barnes, he found a way to escape.

"We had seen what they were going to do, but we didn't execute. Small breakdowns hurt us all game," junior safety David Fipp said. "I have the upmost respect for him (Barnes). He was a hot QB, throwing perfect balls, and the receivers were catching them."

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Surprisingly, the moods of the Arizona players, following the longest football game in Division I history, were not all down. Don't forget, the team scored 55 points and offensively played well.

"Some people took it hard like it had ended their season, but everybody was yelling to each other to get their heads up," Arizona freshman tailback Leon Callen said. "There is still a lot of fight in this team. It was a tough game to take, but we have to be stronger now."

"We are doing a lot of good things," Tomey said. "Fourth-quarter stats are unreal. We are plus-six in turnovers. We are playing hard with a great deal of spirit and togetherness. This team believes in themselves and that is the most precious thing you can have in football."

Smith was the whole package: He completed 25 passes for 418 yards and five touchdowns and ran for two more scores while netting 84 yards rushing. He connected with seven different receivers, his favorite target being sophomore Jeremy McDaniel, who came into the game with 119 receiving yards for the season and left with 283 on 14 catches, both Arizona records. Inside linebacker Chester Burnett had another standout game, forcing a fumble while recording 17 solo tackles and three assists. His team-best 90 tackles equaled last season's high by Charlie Camp.

"Jeremy has been waiting to have a big day," Tomey said. "And Chester has been terrific."

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