Bruce Adams, Chronicle Staff Writer
When Brandon Mebane goes home to Los Angeles this weekend, he's likely to draw a crowd. And it won't be limited to his family or friends. Cal's junior defensive tackle has emerged as the key player on the defensive line, someone who routinely draws two blockers. That probably will be the case Saturday when No. 10 Cal plays No. 20 UCLA, with Mebane's parents in the stands at the Rose Bowl, three former teammates from Crenshaw High in Bruin blue on the other side of the field, and an offensive line likely to give Mebane more than his share of attention. "He is one of the premier defensive tackles in our conference, if not the country," Cal coach Jeff Tedford said. Mebane's job is to occupy blockers, freeing the Bears' linebackers to make tackles. He is a big reason that the two leading tacklers for Cal are linebackers Desmond Bishop with 38 and Ryan Foltz with 29. Mebane, who is 6-foot-3, 290 pounds, also can fight through the double-teams and make plays himself , a bonus at that position. He has 15 tackles and leads the team in sacks with four. When teams assign only one blocker to Mebane, he usually wins that matchup easily. "It's definitely good having Mebane in front of you," linebacker Anthony Felder said. "You know he's going to take up two blocks every time." "I think he's a phenomenal guy," Foltz said. "He just gets the job done." Last season, Mebane started the final nine games, lining up next to his friend and mentor, Lorenzo Alexander, now with the Carolina Panthers. He has had to learn to excel on his own this year, without Alexander. "He's like a brother to me," Mebane said. "He always stayed on me." Suddenly, it's Mebane -- one of only three returning starters on defense -- who is the leader, although the vocal part of that job just isn't his style. He is quiet by nature, a gentle and devout young man who says he'd like to have more time to study his Bible. "I'm slowly getting into the role of being a leader," he said. "I try to make plays and let my actions show." He seems born into his skills. His father, Walter Mebane Jr., played basketball at Norfolk State. Walter also played baseball and is a golfer and a bowler. His mother, Joyce Mebane, was a softball player and, as a young woman, competed in roller derby, nearly turning pro. His size comes from his late grandfather, Walter Mebane Sr. He was a 6-8, 320-pound defensive lineman at Hampton University, a man whose shoe was nearly as wide as it was long. Mebane Sr. was featured in one of those posed strongman photos popular in that era, with a clothes-lined running back hanging helplessly from each outstretched arm.
Brandon's older brother, Walter Mebane III, is a defensive lineman at Temple. He is smaller than Cal's Mebane, who calls him "my little big brother." Mebane said he calls his parents nearly every day "to get advice, ask questions and see how they're doing." He also has frequent telephone conversations with Alexander. Mebane was heavily recruited coming out of Crenshaw High of Los Angeles, with bids from both UCLA and USC, among others. He and his father agreed that he should get away from L.A. to grow up on his own. "I think I'm making strides," he said.
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