COLLEGE FOOTBALL BOWL REPORT : CITRUS : Cal’s Snyder Benches Three Starters

California Coach Bruce Snyder announced three lineup changes for Wednesday’s game against Clemson. All were disciplinary changes because players skipped a practice at Berkeley without permission. Jody Graham will start at left cornerback for Wolf Barber, Shawn Aeschliman will start for Jerrott Willard at one inside linebacker spot and Paul Joiner will take the place of Mick Barsala at the other inside linebacker position.

Snyder said this “was done out of fairness to the players who did attend practice.” Fairness, however, will only extend slightly beyond the opening kickoff, and the benched players are expected to see considerable playing time.

The Citrus Bowl is expected to fall about 5,000 short of a sellout in the 70,000-seat stadium. However, it still will be the second-most attended game in the bowl’s history. Last Jan. 1, temporary bleachers were erected, allowing 73,328 to see Georgia Tech beat Nebraska, 45-21.

Citrus Bowl officials are happy about the turnout, considering that USC, the last West Coast team to play in Orlando, Fla., bought fewer than 3,000 tickets when the Trojans were beaten by Auburn, 16-7, in 1987.

Cal has sold about 6,500 tickets for the game. Clemson has sold 18,500 tickets.