Daily Cal: Injury Toll Continues to Rise for No. 25 Bears

By BRIAN BAINUM

Daily Cal Staff Writer

• The bye week can't come soon enough for the No. 25 Cal football team.

Heading into Saturday night's meeting with Washington State, the Bears have a growing list of injured players. The team has the following week off, before traveling to Eugene, Ore., to play Oregon.  DeSean Jackson sprained his right shoulder diving in the end zone on a two-point conversion attempt in the third quarter of Cal's 23-20 loss to Oregon State last week.  Bears coach Jeff Tedford said Tuesday that Jackson took off his sling during Monday's practice and will likely play against the Cougars.  "DeSean was a lot better (in practice)," Tedford said. "I would expect him to make a speedy recovery.  However, Jackson's fellow receiver, Robert Jordan, might not be able to bounce back as quickly.

Jordan went down in the second quarter, after being dragged to the ground by his face mask. The sophomore suffered sprained ligaments near his collarbone, Tedford said.  "We'll have to keep a close eye on him," Tedford said. "He'll probably be a game-time decision."  Both Jackson and Jordan returned to see action in the game against the Beavers.  Senior offensive tackle Ryan O'Callaghan will be evaluated day-by-day, Tedford said. O'Callaghan sustained a concussion Saturday in the first quarter.  "They said his headaches went away so that is a good sign," Tedford said. "But it is hard to evaluate head injuries, because you never know. It comes down to how they respond."

• Not only was Joe Ayoob under fire from the OSU pass rush Saturday, but the junior also faced stinging words from some of the fans near the north end zone.  Ayoob completed 13-of-39 passes for 219 yards against the Beavers. He notched three touchdowns-one passing, one rushing and one receiving-but also threw two interceptions and fumbled once.  "I heard that people were being pretty nasty to him when he was coming off the field," Tedford said. "Those are things he has to take. It is part of the position. He has to handle it the right way."

• Amidst all of the Bears special teams' ups and downs in 2005, there has arguably been one constant-longsnapper Nick Sundberg. Sundberg won the job in training camp, filling the vacancy left by departed senior L.P. Ladouceur, who is currently playing for the NFL's Dallas Cowboys. Sundberg walked on in the fall and has since been very impressive. Cal has yet to have a punt blocked this season.  "That's something you really take for granted," Tedford said. "I tell you what, if you watch that guy snap the ball, its impressive. To be a true freshman and never waver where he's snapping the ball, its really been a pleasant surprise."  Sundberg's success has afforded him special status in practice usually only reserved for quarterbacks.  Tedford described a scene from a few days ago in practice when Sundberg snapped the ball and ran down the field only to be knocked down by a scout team player.  "I told the (scout team player) to never do that again," Tedford said. "(Sundberg) might be our MVP right now."