ANG Newspapers: Lynch confident he'll play Saturday

By Dave Newhouse, STAFF WRITER 

BERKELEY — Jeff Tedford couldn't have stated it any more definitively about Cal's loaded-for-Bear tailback situation.  Marshawn Lynch is the man.  "Marshawn's our guy," Tedford said after practice Monday. "It's nice to know that we can keep him fresh and healthy, that we have quality backs. But we knew that all along."  Lynch has sat out the last two games because of a broken/dislocated left pinkie. But he had his first extensive practice session Monday, and Tedford hasn't ruled him out of Saturday's Pac-10 game against Arizona.  With Lynch sidelined, Justin Forsett has exploded for 422 rushing yards in two starts, giving him 511 yards over four games, and setting him up for a 1,000-yard season.  But those who feel Lynch will require limited substitution upon his return haven't consulted Lynch for his take on the matter.  Just ask him if it was difficult sitting out.  "Nope, not at all," he said Monday before hurrying off to some early evening academic tutoring. "I had fun watching my team play. Forsett's the man right there. Awesome.  "We've got too much (tailback) talent on the team to let it go to waste. You'll continue to see a lot of Justin Forsett, and Marshawn, Terrell (Williams) and Marcus (O'Keith)."  Is Lynch still feeling pain and throbbing in his left hand?  "Nope," he said of the injury that occurred Sept.10 at Washington. "My hand feels good. I thought they'd be able to just pop it right back, but they had to do a little more than that."  Lynch's biggest difficulty, he added, is switching the ball from his right to left hand. But by game time, he believes he'll be able to carry the ball in either hand, and with reduced padding on the injured hand.

Tedford said he'll know Thursday which injured Bears will play Saturday, including Lynch, wide receiver Lavelle Hawkins (ankle sprain), and offensive linemen Andrew Cameron and Aaron Merz (concussions).

With injuries mounting for Cal, Tedford noted that the team's soft schedule through September has been beneficial.  "I think it has done a lot for us," he said. "We've had a lot of injuries. We've had a lot of reserves playing ... by necessity. With a young team, the schedule worked out fine for us. Next year, we play Tennessee and Minnesota. I'm not sure I want to live on playing two teams like that forever in non-conference."  In 2006, Cal opens at Tennessee, then after a bye, plays Minnesota and Arizona State at home. So much for cushy schedules.  "We got to keep everything in perspective," Tedford said. "We're a young team, we're getting better, we're not going to be perfect. There's going to be ups and downs, adversity. How we respond to it is the key thing, and I think our team has done well in responding."  So well, in fact, 4-0 Cal is ranked 11th or 12th in the three polls.