O'Callaghan continues to dominate defenders
By Jay Heater
CONTRA COSTA TIMES
BERKELEY - College defenders get through the line at the Department of Motor Vehicles faster than they get around Cal senior offensive tackle Ryan O'Callaghan. Just ask Bears senior linebacker Ryan Foltz. "It's pretty much the most frustrating thing ever," Foltz said about facing O'Callaghan in practice. "He pretty much smothers you. He is just an unbelievable player. If he gets his hands on you, you're eliminated from the play." Indeed, O'Callaghan has been abusing just about every defender who stands in his path, a fact noticed by the Pac-10 coaches who named him a first-team all-conference selection in 2004. "And he is showing more consistency this season," said Arizona coach Mike Stoops, whose team faces Cal on Saturday at Memorial Stadium. "He is going to have a long career in the NFL. He is a big guy who is difficult to get around, and he is so athletic. He has a big presence on the field." The 6-foot-7, 345-pound O'Callaghan might be an imposing presence, but fans surely don't spend a lot of time watching him, at least compared to the running backs who benefit from the holes he opens. The Bears are averaging 275.6 yards per game rushing, above the school record of 270 set in 1948. A Cal player has rushed for more than 100 yards in 16 consecutive games. While that streak includes four different tailbacks, O'Callaghan has been a constant. Just don't expect him to draw attention to himself.
"I'll drive a guy into the turf, but I'm not the kind of guy who will stand over him and yell at him," O'Callaghan said. Cal quarterback Joe Ayoob said O'Callaghan gets plenty of attention from his teammates. "Just seeing Ryan out on the field makes me feel comfortable," Ayoob said. "It takes a guy five minutes just to get around him. "And when I turn around to watch a run, I see this big guy running down the field chasing after some little defensive back. I know this guy is playing his heart out." O'Callaghan hasn't been playing football all that long. Growing up in Redding, he was too big to play youth football. "He always was just a big, nice kid," said O'Callaghan's father, Tom. "He was 6-foot-3 in eighth grade, but he got cut from the basketball team. So he ran cross country." Ryan O'Callaghan might have something funny to say about the world's largest cross country runner. He keeps his teammates laughing with his dry sense of humor and quick wit.
"We sit and watch TV, and his viewpoints are hilarious," Ayoob said. "He says things that are so off the wall. It's like, 'Geez, O.C., what are you talking about?' He is a crack-up." He doesn't do much laughing on the field. "He looks like a big, soft, cuddly baby, but he is the exact opposite," Ayoob said. "There is no in-between with O.C. He either likes you or he doesn't. And I know he doesn't like that guy who lines up across from him. He definitely has that mean streak in him." Combine that mean streak with his tremendous size, and O'Callaghan is a force. "In the last game I handed off, and after I turned around, I saw this defensive end laying on the ground with Ryan standing over him," Ayoob said. "I thought, 'Is it that easy?'" It sure looks that way at times. "Ryan has gained a lot of confidence in his ability," Cal coach Jeff Tedford said. "I think he is finishing better, and there is no question he has great athletic ability." O'Callaghan said he became more confident, and had more fun, last season when he became comfortable with Tedford's offense. That allowed him to concentrate on "putting someone on their butt." If he keeps playing like he has, it's likely he will be a high NFL draft choice in April. He was asked if he thought he might be a first-round pick. "I hope to be," he said. "Sometimes I come out of a game and think, 'Was that a first-round performance?' "Right now, though, I am just focused on getting better each week."
Getting better, along with getting prepared for the NFL combine, means concentrating in the weight room. Although O'Callaghan said he never has been a big-time weight lifter, his father said he has squatted a team-record 555 pounds.
O'Callaghan says not to be too impressed with all that leg strength. "My arms aren't that big," he said. "So you won't see me running around in a tank top."
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