By Rob Moseley
The situation was ripe for a bit of controversy. As the California football team opened October, standout sophomore tailback Marshawn Lynch was set to return from a two-game absence due to a broken finger. That was the good news. Complicating things was the presence of fellow sophomore Justin Forsett. All he had done in Lynch's absence was rush for 187 and then 235 yards to help the Bears beat Illinois and New Mexico State. Running back controversy? Not in Berkeley. Now boasting not just one but two of the best runners in the Pac-10 Conference, Cal coach Jeff Tedford has somehow found enough carries that Lynch and Forsett twice ran for 100 yards each in the same game in October. For the Bears' future opponents, including Oregon at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at Autzen Stadium, it's a discouraging development. "Marshawn Lynch has to be one of the most explosive running backs in the nation," UO coach Mike Bellotti said. "Little did we know that they would have two running backs like that." They almost didn't. The story of Forsett's arrival at Cal is a lesson in the cold-blooded realities of major college football recruiting. It began in 2003, when Forsett was a senior at Grace Prep in Arlington, Texas. He ran for 2,560 yards and 38 touchdowns that fall to lead Grace Prep to its second straight state title. The year before, he piled up 2,365 yards and 25 touchdowns. One of the colleges that took notice of Forsett's talents was Notre Dame, which was then being coached by Tyrone Willingham, who has since moved on to Washington. Willingham made a successful sales pitch to Forsett, and the 5-foot-8, 180-pound tailback with about as much speed and quickness as anybody not named Reggie Bush gave the Irish a verbal commitment. But then another prep running back did the same. And another. And suddenly, the Irish no longer had a scholarship to offer Forsett. Neither did any of the other schools he had considered. "I didn't have anywhere to go," Forsett said. So Grace Prep coach Mike Barber began sending out highlight tapes of Forsett to anyone who would take them. One found its way into the hands of Cal coach Jeff Tedford, who was amazed that such a talented player was without a scholarship offer. Tedford rectified that situation quickly. "I thought, `There has to be something wrong here,' " Tedford told the Dallas Morning News. "There just had to be something we were missing. ... He's really a diamond in the rough, a kid who slipped through the cracks. We're very fortunate that he's here." Forsett is just as thankful. "I don't hold any grudges or anything," he said. "I'm loving it. It's the best decision I ever made." It certainly seems to be paying off at the moment. Forsett leads the Bears in rushing yardage with 867 in eight games, and five touchdowns. His average of 108.4 yards per game is just slightly off the pace set by Lynch, who has run for 653 yards in his six games this season, 108.8 per game on average. In the Pac-10, Lynch ranks fourth and Forsett is fifth, a spot ahead of USC's LenDale White and two ahead of UCLA's Maurice Drew. Nationally, Forsett's average of 8.18 yards per carry is second among backs with at least 100 carries, trailing only the ultratalented Bush of USC, and only by a hundredth of a yard. "I'm definitely having a lot of fun out there," Forsett said.
Though Forsett and Lynch are not quite the thunder-and-lightning package of White and Bush, Lynch is definitely the more powerful runner of the two, Forsett said. It's a style he has tried to develop in his own running after watching his teammate in practice and games. "Marshawn is a great guy," Forsett said. "We learn from each other and grow each day." Despite his prolific numbers this season, Forsett is still accepting of his position on the depth chart. "I know my role," he said. "I'm the backup. But when we go out there, our mind-set is to go out there and produce." They've done so all season, whether playing together or separately. And there's been nothing controversial about it.
OREGON FOOTBALL UPDATE
Missing Ducks: Defensive tackle Haloti Ngata and tight end Dante Rosario didn't practice Thursday due to illness but are expected to play in Saturday's game. UO coach Mike Bellotti said he wasn't sure either would be available for today's practice, "but I assume they'll be fine" by the game. The coach said "one or two" other Ducks, though not starters, had been ill and held out of workouts earlier in the week and recovered.
Helping quarterbacks: Offensive coordinator Gary Crowton will stay in the coaches' booth in the press box though the Ducks will have a first-time starter at quarterback in sophomore Dennis Dixon. Crowton was on the sidelines early in the season, then moved up to the booth. "It's a better vantage point to see adjustments and make game-time decisions," Bellotti said. Injured senior quarterback Kellen Clemens might be in the bench area to offer advice or relay information. Bellotti said because Clemens, who had ankle surgery Oct. 24, is on crutches, he would have to stay back from the sideline as a precaution. "He's better down on the field (than in the press box with Crowton), being able to communicate with the quarterbacks and lend his expertise," Bellotti said.
Next game: Saturday against California at Autzen Stadium at 12:30 p.m. TV: Televised live by ABC (KEZI in the Eugene-Springfield area).
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