Bishop off to good start at Cal

By TIMOTHY SCOTT, Times-Herald sports writer
BERKELEY - With a quarterback job up for grabs, a stud freshman receiver looking nothing less than his proclaimed real-deal status and a second-year running back already on Heisman watch lists, it's no wonder the Cal Bears' defense is destined for some no-name moniker.
And smack dab in the middle of the who's-that defensive unit is Fairfield High product Desmond Bishop.
On a team full of big names, or soon-to-be ones anyway, thanks to head coach Jeff Tedford's offense -there's RB Marshawn Lynch, WR DeSean Jackson, QBs Joe Ayoob or Nate Longshore - it didn't take Bishop long to make his mark at Cal, where the Bears are also searching for their next standout defenders.
A mid-semester transfer from San Francisco City College last winter, Bishop, a 2002 Fairfield graduate, shot up the depth chart after just two days of spring ball. Since then, he's been the No. 1 middle linebacker in Cal's 4-3.
"He's kind of got it. We feel good about him," said defensive coordinator Bob Gregory. "He's our anchor in the middle."
If there's one player who can define the 2005 Bears, it may be Bishop. There's plenty of guys with big-time accolades and loads of potential, but limited - and in Bishop's case, zero - Division I college football experience. And yet, the youthful exuberance comes through when Bishop's asked about team goals for the Bears, ranked No. 20 in the preseason ESPN poll.
"To be national champions, that's the ultimate," said Bishop, whose Solano County ties also include a one-year stint at Vallejo Junior High. "Everybody on the team, we're all focused on that goal."
About those accolades. His sophomore season at CCSF featured 118 tackles in 10 regular-season games, capped by a state championship win where he racked up 14 tackles (eight solo), a sack and two tackles for a loss. Bishop was voted the California Junior College Defensive Player of the Year and the SuperPrep Web site ranked him as the No. 4 JC player in the nation.
Potential? He's listed at 6-foot-2, 245 pounds and can run, tackle and basically do it all.
Experience? Yet to come. But with a new defense that may feature up to eight players in new positions, Bishop isn't alone in the learning curve.
"We're going to surprise a lot of teams and a lot people because people say that we're unproven playing in D-I," said Bishop, who promised the defense would be ready for the Sept. 3 opener against visiting Sacramento State. "But I think everybody is going to make the transition and we're going to make an impact."
For Bishop, 20, who grew up in San Francisco before moving to Solano County, it's always been about representing where he's from. He's never liked baseball, he said, but played on his local youth teams anyway.
And at Cal, he's continuing the Bay Area representation. His first coach, his father Dennis, is still helping out. Dennis Bishop was a defensive back at Illinois and later in the United States Football League, and is constantly providing his son with pointers.
It seems being a defender has always been in the younger Bishop's blood.
"That's the best part, making a hit and hearing the crowd," Bishop said. "I always ask people this question: It's the last play of the game, the ball is on the 1-yard line, would you rather be the running back trying to score the touchdown or the linebacker trying to stop the person from scoring?
"(For me), it's always been more fun to hit."
Notes: In Cal's first full-pads scrimmage on Thursday, Jackson, the Bears' true freshman receiver, showed why he was highly touted out of Long Beach Poly High, making a spectacular TD grab off a lob from Longshore on the first drive. ... Another CCSF transfer, wideout Lavelle Hawkins, flashed nifty moves on a wide-receiver screen and a punt return. ... Former Hogan standout Thomas DeCoud, the second-string free safety, intercepted a pass in early 11-on-11 drills. ... Longshore and Ayoob, in their competition at QB, were solid, but each threw an interception Wednesday. ... Lynch was simply Lynch, gaining nearly 35 yards once on a pretty weaving run. ... Freshman wideout LaReylle Cunningham, out of Vanden, took late reps with the fourth-team quarterback. ... Second-string linebacker Worrell Williams was carted off the field, but Tedford said after practice that X-rays were negative on the redshirt freshman's ankle.