ESPN College Football

Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller\

TUCSON, Ariz. -- There was Jacquizz. And now there is Keola.

They are Oregon State's Jacquizz Rodgers and Arizona's Keola Antolin, the diminutive freshmen running backs with unusual names and unusual ways to make defenses looks silly.

Rodgers, at 5-foot-6, 180 pounds, sliced and diced top-ranked USC in the Beavers 27-21 upset victory on Sept. 25.

And Antolin did the same to No. 25 California in a shocking 42-27 domination of the Bears on Saturday.

Antolin, listed at 5-8 -- right! -- 180 pounds, gashed Cal for 149 yards on 21 carries -- 7.1 yards per pop -- and scored three touchdowns, including a 59-yard scamper that gave the Wildcats the lead for good at 28-27.

Antolin, who's been bothered by a toe injury much of the season, entered the game with just 66 yards on 25 carries for the season.

"We didn't see anything of Keola on tape," Cal linebacker Anthony Felder said. "He's smaller and hard to defend."

Which is sort of what the Trojans said about Rodgers.

"I hide behind the linemen all day -- just like [NFL players] Darren Sproles and Maurice Jones-Drew," Antolin said. "It's the exact same. I stay low and hide and explode through the hole."

Guess who's coming to dinner next Saturday in Tucson?

Yup. The Trojans.

Antolin's eyes lit up when asked about Rodgers.

"He gave me hope right there," he said.

Antolin entered the game after starter Nic Grigsby fumbled in the first quarter. Grigsby ranks third in the Pac-10 with 102 yards rushing per game, but his tendency to lose hold of the football understandably rankles his coaches.

Grigsby was sent to the bench and didn't return when Antolin proved to have a hot hand, scoring on touchdown runs of 20 and 11 yards in the second quarter.

"[Grigsby] will continue to be our starting running back unless he wants to continue putting the ball on the ground," coach Mike Stoops said.

Maybe. But Antolin certainly seemed to provide something extra.

He pinballed off Cal defenders and showed breakaway speed and surprising power. He laughed when claiming he was "5-7 and 1/2," but it's also obvious that he's not horizontally challenged -- Antolin is a stocky dude.

"He was the spark we needed tonight," said quarterback Willie Tuitama, who became the Wildcats all-time leading passer. "It was amazing just how quick his cuts can be."

Antolin's 59-yard scamper was only one of the big plays in the Wildcats dominant third quarter when they transformed a 10-point halftime deficit into a 15-point advantage.

But Tuitama and receiver Mike Thomas and tight end Rob Gronkowski are supposed to make big plays. Antolin was a complete unknown 24 hours before.

The win boosts the Wildcats to 5-2 overall and 3-1 in the conference. They are now one win from bowl eligibility with five games to play. The program hasn't been to a bowl since 1998.

Stoops didn't want to go too far with the victory, particularly after the disappointment just a week ago at Stanford.

"[The win] puts us in first place and that's where we want to be," he said. "We are playing for first place next week and that's a position we haven't been in a long time."

Here's a suggestion: Give it to the little guy. Trojans don't like little guys.