After an injury-marred season, the senior rover is back playing like he did when he was named All-Pac-10 in 2003
It was apparent midway through Cal's blowout of Washington that senior rover Donnie McCleskey has returned to being the guy that Cal fans used to know. You remember McCleskey, that impact guy from the 2003 season who was all over the field making big plays? The Pac-10 coaches thought so much of him they made him a first team, all-conference selection at rover. But in 2004, with shoulder and knee injuries, the 5-foot-10, 190-pound McCleskey couldn't be himself, and that meant taking a backup role and providing whatever support he could. Now he is healthy again. "It's nice to just run around," McCleskey said. "And I'm not worried about whether I should lead with my left shoulder and not my right shoulder. I am pain free. "It feels good to create some plays. But that's my role, to be around the ball at all times." McCleskey only had four tackles against Washington but two of those were for a loss, including his first sack of the season. He was named the team's defensive player of the game by his teammates.
"He is playing at a different speed," Cal coach Jeff Tedford said. "He can cut it loose now. It's nice to see him back." In 2003, McCleskey had 12 tackles for loss, including 5.5 sacks. Last season, those numbers dropped to three tackles for loss, including two sacks. With McCleskey back as a force, Cal's opponents will have to locate him on every play. He will be a major part of the blitzing packages designed by Bears defensive coordinator Bob Gregory, who turned loose McCleskey in 2003 and appears willing to do so again in 2005. That's OK with McCleskey. "I'm selfish," he said. "I want to make all the plays." His teammates have noticed that he is back to his old ways. "The difference is having a healthy Donnie now as opposed to an injured Donnie," Cal senior defensive end Tosh Lupoi said. "He is not holding back."
Injury report
Tedford said that tailback Marshawn Lynch, who dislocated and had a slight fracture of the knuckle above his left pinky against Washington, will be ready to play against Illinois on Saturday at Memorial Stadium. However, how much time he will spend on the field is still up in the air. "It's premature to say whether he will play a lot," Tedford said. Tedford said Lynch was fortunate, though, because the team's medical staff had no trouble "lining up" his knuckle and pinky after the injury. Lynch wore a cast on his hand Monday and was scheduled to change that to a splint today. Tedford said that it is doubtful that Lupoi would be ready to play by Saturday. Lupoi sprained his knee but an MRI showed no major damage.
Senior center Marvin Philip and sophomore linebacker Greg Van Hoesen both sat out of practice with sprained ankles. Tedford said the status of Van Hoesen and Philip is questionable for Saturday's game.
Extra points
If Philip can't go on Saturday, Cal freshman center Alex Mack will get the first start of his career. "He has been doing great," Tedford said. "I have no concerns about him." ... Bears freshman linebacker Worrell Williams will get the start at linebacker if Van Hoesen is out. Williams missed the opener against Sac State with a sprained ankle but played against Washington. "He really didn't have the opportunity to do much against Washington," Tedford said. "They really didn't come his way. But it was just good for him to get out there and run around." ... Over Tedford's stay at Cal, the coaching staff has been very successful plugging backups into the lineup without a significant drop in performance. "We've always taught them that there are going to be setbacks," Tedford said. "You just have to keep playing. We have trust and have confidence in all our players. And when you have that trust, your players keep on rolling." ... Wide receiver Robert Jordan was named the Pac-10 offensive player of the week after catching 11 passes and three touchdowns against Washington.
No comments:
Post a Comment