• Junior linebacker fires up his teammates and the crowd with his play
Cal notebook
BERKELEY -- Cal junior linebacker Mickey Pimentel was doing his best Ray Lewis impression in front of a rocking crowd at Memorial Stadium on Saturday. After crushing Illinois quarterback Tim Brasic behind the line of scrimmage, Pimentel rushed to an open area of the field, pointed at the delirious crowd and kicked his leg in the air. Up in the coaches' box, you can bet that Cal defensive coordinator Bob Gregory was doing a little leg kick himself. He had a found a legitimate pass rushing threat from the edge, albeit a 6-foot-2, 220-pound linebacker who didn't even rate among the top two on the depth chart going into the game. Pimentel had three tackles for loss against Illinois, so no matter where he rates on the depth chart, Gregory is going to find snaps for him. "He brings us great energy," Gregory said. "Hopefully, his role will expand. It would be good if he could give (starting linebacker) Ryan Foltz a break." Pimentel, who had just one tackle in the first two games, just wants to get on the field. "It felt fantastic to play against Illinois," he said. "Since I was a little kid, I dreamed about playing big time football. But I know that Ryan Foltz is a fantastic player and I'm a guy who came in late, a guy who didn't know anything."
One thing he knows is that Cal's home crowd can influence the game. "I'm the type of guy who feeds off the crowd," Pimentel said. "The louder, the better. It's like having an extra player on defense. And at times against Illinois, I swear that I could feel the ground shake." Linebacker Desmond Bishop said the Bears defenders feed off Pimentel's emotional outbursts after he makes a play. However, the coaches have told Pimentel to tone it down a bit.
"The coaches talked to me on the sideline," Pimentel said. "They said, 'You made a great play, but it could turn into a terrible play (due to an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty) if you aren't smart about it.' "Now if I make a big play, I will go straight to my teammates."
Ready to go
Cal junior offensive tackle Scott Smith got the first start of his career against Illinois and he made the most of it. "Scott did a real solid job," Cal coach Jeff Tedford said. "He knows how to work hard and he was prepared. He's not the kind of guy who sleeps all week in practice." Smith got the start because regular starting tackle Andrew Cameron was withheld due to a concussion. "I was happy to get my first start," Smith said. "We have had such great offensive linemen here and I have learned so much from them." On Saturday, Smith finally got a chance to show his ability as a first-team lineman. "You get a chance to figure it out and know that you can play with anybody," Smith said. "Coach Tedford always preaches to us to play as hard as you can in practice, not to hold anything back. I always have done that and I felt very prepared and ready. That credit should go to our coaching staff."
Extra points
Cal junior Tim Mixon was honored as the Pac-10 Special Teams Player of the Week for his 79-yard punt return for a touchdown against Illinois. He also had a 17-yard punt return. He is averaging 24.7 yards per return. ...Cal's opponent on Friday, New Mexico State, is averaging 27 yards rushing per game. The game will be shown on ESPN beginning at 7 p.m. ... Cal has never played in the state of New Mexico. ... The Arizona at Cal game on Oct. 1 will begin at 4 p.m. and will be televised on TBS. ... Cal has outscored its opponents 56-3 in the fourth quarter. ... Cal ranks No. 11 nationally in rushing offense at 264 yards per game. ... Tedford said sophomore tailback Marshawn Lynch, who broke a bone just above the little finger on his left hand, should be able to resume practice this week.
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