Sacramento State senior quarterback Chris Hurd rolled to his right during practice Tuesday, surveyed the field and threw a perfect strike to his wide receiver.
It looked like a play that might pay dividends against Cal on Saturday at Memorial Stadium. The only problem is that Hurd might not be eligible to play.
The former Deer Valley High School star transferred to Sacramento State from UTEP, where he spent one season after transferring from Washington State. Being a double transfer, Hurd needs to get approval from the NCAA before he can play for the Hornets. Such approval often takes time, even though Sac State coach Steve Mooshagian is counting the minutes. "I have a Plan A and a Plan B," Mooshagian said about the matchup against Cal.
Plan A is simple. It calls for Hurd, who probably would have started at the Division I-A level if not for knee injuries, to lead his team. "I think Chris can do some of the things for us that Craig Ochs did for Montana (12-3 last season) after he transferred from Colorado. "I pray the NCAA does not think it is an 'if he is eligible' question ... just a 'when.'"
Plan B, the one most likely to be used against Cal, calls for senior Brad Tredway, a backup last season, to start. Tredway has been splitting first-team snaps with Hurd.
Hurd said Tredway probably will be leading the Hornets at Memorial Stadium. "There probably is not a lot of hope for me to play on Saturday," Hurd said. "We are going through the waiver process and that takes time."
Hurd said personal reasons, which he wouldn't specify, led him back to Northern California. He said it had nothing to do with UTEP coach Mike Price planning to go with quarterback Jordan Palmer, his starter a year ago. "It's up to the NCAA now," Hurd said. "It's in their hands. We've done all we can." Even though the Hornets play in Division I-AA, Hurd said that he is itching to show everyone what he can do. "It would mean the world to me to have an opportunity to play my senior year," he said. "It would be a great privilege. My knees are perfect now and we have a very talented group of guys here. This group has an amazing amount of potential."
Try an angle
Cal coach Jeff Tedford said the team's slogan this season is "pyramid of success." Tedford met this summer with former UCLA basketball coach John Wooden, who often talks about the pyramid of success.
"The foundation at the bottom level is enthusiasm and hard work," Tedford said. "You might have noticed our team poster was done in a pyramid shape."
Extra points
Tedford said he is eager to see starting defensive ends Tosh Lupoi and Nu'u Tafisi "cut it loose." He said defensive end is one area of the team that appears to be uncertain. Lupoi, a senior, missed all of last season due to a fractured foot. Tafisi, a junior, is a junior college transfer. ... Cal quarterback Nate Longshore on his wide receivers corps that includes new additions DeSean Jackson and Lavelle Hawkins: "They all have speed I've never seen before in my life. They all have track star speed." ... The Cal-Sacramento State televised broadcast is available only on Comcast Sports Net, which is Channel 417 on systems in Contra Costa County. Mike Pawlawski, who no longer will be Cal's radio analyst, will handle television analyst duties. Meanwhile, former Cal quarterback Troy Taylor makes his debut as the radio analyst on KGO (810-AM). ... The game will mark the first time Cal has played a member of the Big Sky Conference. ... Cal is averaging 51.3 points in three season openers under Tedford.
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