The last time the Cal football team had to deal with a rash of injuries at the wide receiver position, the offense sputtered and the points failed to pile up in the second half of the 2004 season. Saturday night, however, was a different story. With starting wideouts DeSean Jackson and Robert Jordan sidelined and slot receiver Lavelle Hawkins hobbling throughout the contest, the Bears still found enough ammunition in the vertical passing game to squeak out a 42-38 win over Washington State. Combined, Jackson and Jordan have caught 53 passes this season for 772 yards and eight touchdowns. With those two out Saturday, Cal coach Jeff Tedford looked to other players on the depth chart to keep the pace Jackson and Jordan had established. LaReylle Cunningham, a walk-on from Vanden High School in Travis Air Force Base, made the most of this opportunity.
Putting his 6-foot-2, 190-pound frame to use, Cunningham showed off the breakaway speed and precise route-running that turned heads during spring ball. The redshirt freshman was very impressive Saturday, hauling in five catches for 112 yards and a touchdown. Cunningham’s biggest contribution came with 5:19 left in the fourth quarter when he beat the Cougars secondary on a 57-yard catch-and-run touchdown that sparked the Bears’ late comeback. “I ran my route, got inside the corner, saw the ball, caught it, and made sure I wasn’t going to get stopped,” Cunningham said of his score. “It feels so good to get out there. It’s just a relief because I’ve been waiting for this moment.” Although Cunningham’s performance Saturday seemingly came out of nowhere—he had played less than 10 snaps in his career before Saturday—it shouldn’t be that much of a surprise. Since Tedford has been at the helm of the Cal program, fans have seen numerous walk-on players contribute to the team. At wide receivers specifically, past alumni such as Vincent Strang and Burl Toler made significant impacts during their careers. Now, Cunningham can add his name to that list.
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